the penknife

in one word, YES!

The PK was designed by Dan Koster himself as the ultimate camping knife. IMHO, he has excelled in this. It's lightweight and very packable. It chops like there is no tomorrow. My first handle experience has shown that it is PERFECT for making tent pegs...when your better half forgets to load them in the truck before the trip. splitting small logs and food prep is also a snap. It's about the thickness of siru of the same size with the belly of an AK. It's stout enough to pry with, but not so thick that you can't do anything with it. The PK is the ONE knife that replaces my AK bowie in camping duty. For light camping the bowie is a bit of over kill. If you are an avid camper of hiker, then the PK is for you. After you try it out you'll wonder how you ever lived without it. Quite honestly, i could take a PK and SAk and disappear in the woods for a few days and been fine. It's a knife that just won't let you down. I'm sure others of the PK cult will chime in as well:)...now if i could just get one in wood and steel:)

Jake
 
Well... you'll never poke your eye out with it. It's pointless :D but highly useful. Somebody said you can flip burgers with it. To me it replaces a kitchen cleaver. They probably coulda skipped the karda & chakma- on smaller khuks the tiny K&C aren't highly effective. I think the orig plan didn't call for them, and Bura added. I think.

A nickle silver one with antler grip would be nice... probably never see tho. If I saw a Villager of this I would also go for it.

Long ago I saw Dan's original, which everybody passed around. It had a cool sun & moon etch on it.

Get one & see for yourself. Everybody needs one of each. I wish I could convince myself I need a katana.


Ad Astra
 
this thread should be entitled "convince me please to buy a penknife that I don't need"

I have lots of knives. I don't need any more. But want...want...there is the rub :rolleyes:
 
You never know when Pen is going to invite you to dinner either.

I don't have a Pen knife.
Pen has never invited me to dinner.
Coincidence? I think not.

:rolleyes:
 
Ad Astra said:
Well... you'll never poke your eye out with it. It's pointless :D but highly useful. Somebody said you can flip burgers with it. To me it replaces a kitchen cleaver. They probably coulda skipped the karda & chakma- on smaller khuks the tiny K&C aren't highly effective. I think the orig plan didn't call for them, and Bura added. I think.

A nickle silver one with antler grip would be nice... probably never see tho. If I saw a Villager of this I would also go for it.

Long ago I saw Dan's original, which everybody passed around. It had a cool sun & moon etch on it.

Get one & see for yourself. Everybody needs one of each. I wish I could convince myself I need a katana.


Ad Astra
Click to expand...

That was me that said that about the PK and the burgers, AA. I call it my tactical spatula or tac-spat:D BTW, you do need a katana. I have a plain jane model by bura that i love. Not really curvy, but more so than most coming out of BirGorka. She bites the hell out of me from time to time, but i love her. Her name is Whispering Dragons because the dragons on the tsuba are facing each other very closely as if they were talking about things mere mortals should not know. I was thinking about rehandling her with some antler or a deep dark wood to match her mystery. every serious HI collector needs one;)

Jake
 
Steely_Gunz said:
... I call it my tactical spatula or tac-spat...

Jake
Click to expand...


thanks Jake :D just funny.

One of the coolest tsubas I ever saw was by the swordfighting master Miyamoto Musashi. He was also an artist.... It was of a monkey reaching out to try to touch the reflection of the moon on still water- something he had seen, I guess.

So I need a kat- to display my tsuba art. Nice kat today- I missed the UBBB bladeshark fest :(


Ad Astra
 
I think I may be a founding member of the Pen Knife cult, especially after I got my first etched and carved on by forumite Ferrous. Since then 3 of it's brothers have entered the stable. Some are pointier than others. I am not a big fan of anything H.I. under 15" EXCEPT the Pen Knife.

An antler-handle Pen Knife would make me sprain a wrist typing the email...

Hey, i still do have the pics online:
PEN1.jpg

(The other) Right Side
Etch Detail
Handle detail
 
Way cool pix. That came out great. Got your name in runic too.

Mine's a Bura also but doesn't have that fancy buttcap.

It's in the archives how to etch- Ferrous contributed it in a real long/good pen knife thread. Someday I'll try on a lesser blade.


Ad Astra
 
Ad Astra said:
Way cool pix. That came out great. Got your name in runic too.

Mine's a Bura also but doesn't have that fancy buttcap.

It's in the archives how to etch- Ferrous contributed it in a real long/good pen knife thread. Someday I'll try on a lesser blade.


Ad Astra
Click to expand...

IIRC, AA (which i seldom do), Keith fancied up that buttcap himself since all the PKs come with that hollowish buttcap. If Keith makes it back this way, purhaps he can give you pointers on how to do it to your PK. Personally, i don't care for that style of buttcap, but the rest of the knife is 100% gravy:)

Jake
 
A cross between the BDC handle and the PK blade with nice hardwood slabs could be a nice design.

I'll reconsider that concept when my BDC gets here. :D
 
Yes, that was Keith's work on the buttcap. I liked the thick buttcap (even through it is apparently not solid) and had him carve on it a little.
 
Get the Pen
Get the Pen
Get the Pen




repeat 3 times every hour on the hour....:D :p
 
I bought a pen but I gave it to my wife after I got it and the handle was just uncomfortably small for me.
If I bought another one, would it be possible to have the handle made longer somehow ?
I just need an inch on the pommel to get my pinky on there snug-like.
 
Danny - I decided the best way to answer your post would be to take some pics....:D



Just snapped these with my well-worn, unpolished original Pass-Around Pen Knife....



I'll do my best to explain, let me know if I screw up.
(this is for everybody, not just you, DIJ)




This is a pic of the Pen Knife in my right hand in what I consider the proper grip - the ring settling between my third and fourth fingers.

attachment.php





Notice, that even with my arm extended, no contact is being made with the buttcap.


In designing the handle - that's what I was striving for. Something that would be the best compromise between fitting the hand comfortably and yet provide as much blade as possible. It's not a perfect handle. Instead it is a best-possible handle.




In this next pic I am lifting up my thumb so that you can see the relative position of my index finger. It is on the bolster. Normally, you don't want this grip situation - you want all 4 fingers on the wood/horn/whatever. However, neither the AK nor the Sirupati alllow for a solid full grip....and I wanted to improve on that - so I made it so that you could fit your hand on there with some overlap that would otherwise not be allowed.


attachment.php





Somebody will probably point out that the buttcap is now indeed in my hand - yes...I messed up while taking the pic....but that doesn't matter because this is not the proper grip anyway. Just wanted to show the overlap. :p





Here's an alternate grip I use for detail work - pinch grip:


attachment.php




Still no impact with the buttcap.





Lastly, a pic of what I consider an improper grip - the ring between the 2nd and 3rd finger.


attachment.php




If you pick up a khukuri and slide your hand right up to the bolster by habit....then that's where you'll end up and you'll hate the Pen Knife. Notice that the buttcap is impacting my hand.....ouch....


For reference = my hands are not small....nor are they large - they are average....check the "hand size" thread.



I had trouble with the Pen Knife the first few times I used it because I kept trying to swing it like a 15" khukuri....it feels that good. Once I learned how to use it with a more proper grip and not try to cut through 6" logs with it....then I found it's true destiny - right where we designed it....it is an all-around campsite work-a-holic khuk. Not a chopper like the 15" AK.



When I made the comment the other day about wishing I could add 1/2" to the handle, I was not regretting the size of the handle, but rather the fact that to use it properly, you had to put your index finger on the bolster. I'm glad we have it and it's a heckuva knife.

Oh....one more thing I'd do - put more of a bell in the buttcap....for counterbalance. (not as much as a chit, though)


There you have it. :D
 
I bought a pen but I gave it to my wife after I got it and the handle was just uncomfortably small for me.
Click to expand...

had the same problem until I decided to make a new leather stacked handle and use the cho-creep-area as part of the tang - works very well now - pics were linked in a previous thread - but I think I took the photos off the page. - mail if interested!

Andreas
 
The Pen-knife excels as a butchering and food preparation knife. You just have to keep in mind that it's not an ang khola and don't try to use it as one. I think all of the 12" khuks are too small and uncomfortable to be effective for heavy chopping tasks.

I got one from the very first batch, don't know if it has "evolved" since that time, but it's one of my favorite knives. I'd recommend getting one.
 
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