Why no love for the Bark River Kephart

That ML Kephart looks great !
Here's the BRKT Kephart along with some others
It's the one with the lovely blue handle:
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I really like this one.
Cliff
 
Mikel_24 said:
If you don't trust knives that are not full tangs... beware... there is a number of BRKT knives that have exposed tangs but... are skeleotonized! I think the Aurora is one of them.

We don't see broken knives that ofen so I guess you shouldn't worry much about it.

Mikel
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Wow!!! really? This is sad news to me and may dissuade a future Aurora purchase.

Arguably it really may not make much of a difference for such a tough knife and with Bark River's guarantee I don't see it as being a pantywaste type knife but I'm kinda funny about my knives in that I want my survival/bushcraft knives to be absolutely bombproof.

Can anyone confirm this for me??
 
Don't know about the Aurora but the Bravo1 is definitely skeletonized. There is a picture of the Bravo with the scales removed in one of the posts here on BF.

Doc
 
gazaati said:
sooo I see :)
well, if it is not a full tang, I wont be buying it.
I just assumed that it was full tang because it was marketed as a serious bushcraft knife.
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I use a Mora 2000 as a serious bushcraft knife and it does a pretty fair job of it too. ;)
 
I've never heard of someone breaking a skeletonized BRKT tang. Hell, if the Marine Corps can't break a Bravo-1, I suspect it won't ever be a problem.
 
Even as skeletonized it seems sturdy enough to me besides I like the idea of a lighter knife. I'm still in the market : )
 
A skeletonized tang will be much stronger than a stick or hidden tang because it distributes the force over a wider area. The way it looks in the pictures, you'd actually have to break the scales before it could break where it has the metal removed. I'm a full, exposed tang guy, but I wouldn't worry a bit about these.
 
I brutalized my Aurora for a period of 7 months and couldn't find any faults with mine as a "bushcraft" knife.

Why would a skeletonized tang be a problem with a knife designed for cutting and batonning? It is not a prybar or heavy chopper -how would the tang be affected?
 
lambertiana said:
I usually carry a North Star when backpacking and a Canadian Special when car camping. I like the Kephart, and if it were offered in A2 I would get one.
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Kicking up an old thread here....

I'm looking to pick up a canadian special in 3v LT specifically for backpacking. I've previously carried a mora hd companion. What is it about the canadian special that might not make it an ideal backpacking knife for you?
(while backpacking im thinking to ditch the bulky sheath and simply find a low profile cover for the blade)
 
fmtanweer said:
What is it about the canadian special that might not make it an ideal backpacking knife for you?
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They are very expensive, I'd even call them "significantly overpriced." I'm not a fan of finger grooves. And it's over 10 times heavier than my backpacking knife.
If I liked the blade style a bit better, I'd rather carry the original DH Russell Grohmann #2 or maybe the #1. One-third the price, no finger grooves, and half the weight.
 
I considered a Canadian Belt Knife as my carry knife for hiking, but I was hesitant to drop the coin on it without knowing if I would like the style, so I bought the Cold Steel version ($12) to see if I wanted to spend the money on a nicer model, at the price, it's a good way to see if you like the Canadian Belt Knife before making a significant investment (and it makes a great kitchen knife, if like me, you decide it is not for you, the shape is great for chopping herbs).
 
I love the handle ergonomics of the DH Russell / Grohmann knives and own two of them. I'm just not sold on the blade shape for a do-everything backpacking blade.
 
Kepharts are great and so are the orig Russell Grohmanns but the Kephart might be a better "do all" if you only carry one IMO. Both are exceptional, proven designs.

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RG%20Canadian%20belt%20knives_zpsntbmjhs9.jpg
 
The #4 is a very underrated knife.

I have a #1, #2, #3, #4, and a new version of the BRK&T Kephart.

All are serious, functional outdoor knives. If I had to pick one, it would probably be the #4 with the #3 a close second.

But to be fair. I don't have enough woods time with the Kephart yet. So this may change over time.

I just find great value in elliptical shaped blades. Nessmuks, Marbles Woodcraft and Fieldcraft, Hess Pioneer, and the Grohmanns.
 
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+1! The #4 is a lot of knife!!! I still want a #3. :)

And yes....the Marbles are magical! :)

MarblesFieldcraft_zps5a529f50.jpg
 
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