BK-62 Kephart ordered, do you have one?

P

Plainsman

Joined
Apr 5, 1999
Messages
1,047
I’ve been looking at them for a while and I received a 10% discount text from SMKW for Valentines day…along with the free shipping over $75, it was $117 for a Becker Kephart BK-62, so I ordered one.

I will now get to see firsthand, what all the hype is about with the design!

How many of you already have one?

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
It’s a very good knife.
I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.
Plus it comes with a very functional leather sheath. I’ve heard some haters, but I personally really liked the leather sheath.
It’s Ethans take on one of the original Kepharts that he came in possession of. I think Ka-bar did a great job on it.
Enjoy!
Don’t forget to post pics and give an honest review after you put it through the paces.
 
Great knife, great choice.
Have one, and it's been the inspiration for making more.
I would argue that it's the "best" factory (non-custom) Kephart interpretation available on the market right now, from what I've seen.

If you're not a fan of the leather sheath, it fits the super versatile nylon tweener sheaths perfectly, available from ka-bar direct for ~$20 if you don't already have one.
 
daizee said:
I would argue that it's the "best" factory (non-custom) Kephart interpretation available on the market right now, from what I've seen.
Click to expand...
Yup.
Agreed.
Probably because Ka-bar is one of the only, if not the only company to get their hands on Ethans original Kephart.
I’ve seen a few customs that are damn nice, but Ka-bar hit this one out of the park for a production knife. It’s absolutely outstanding!
 
I have a couple, used one when I first got it for about anything under the sun for a few months. It wasn't necessarily the best knife for any specific task, but it did pretty well with almost all of them. I think that was maybe the the whole purpose of this knife.
 
Outstanding knife. Been my go to since I got it. This thread needs photos.

What it looked like when I got it:



After modding:



Love using it:









A few randoms:









A few manips:



 
Last edited:
It's a beautiful knife, but the blade thickness has kept me from getting one.
 
daizee said:
Yeah, it's not a hatchet, and that's a good thing. Nor is it weak.
I've got Kepharts from 0.125"-0.165" thick and love them all, but it's the 0.125" one I pick up and think: "yeah.... that's the one."
Click to expand...

Normally, I'd agree with you........ but

I've got seven stitches that say the 62 is Plenty good at cutting as is..... haha
 
daizee said:
Too thick for ya? ;)
Click to expand...

Yep! The max spine thickness for me for a knife like that is 1/8", but I'd prefer thinner. I've been experimenting with the Old Hickory Fish & Small game for that reason. That knife has a number of shortcomings, but the thin blade stock is where it's at for me. And it's convinced me that I know what I want (for now). My goal is to get a Bark River Kephart 4.25 3V with Micarta. I'm waiting for Bark River to do another production run of them.


Crag the Brewer said:
Trust me...... It's VERY slicy.
Click to expand...

I'm sure it's a great knife! I doubt if it's as slicey as my knives made with 3/32" stock, though!

I may try one someday.
 
rhino said:
Yep! The max spine thickness for me for a knife like that is 1/8", but I'd prefer thinner. I've been experimenting with the Old Hickory Fish & Small game for that reason. That knife has a number of shortcomings, but the thin blade stock is where it's at for me. And it's convinced me that I know what I want (for now). My goal is to get a Bark River Kephart 4.25 3V with Micarta. I'm waiting for Bark River to do another production run of them.




I'm sure it's a great knife! I doubt if it's as slicey as my knives made with 3/32" stock, though!

I may try one someday.
Click to expand...

that's the right direction!
a 3/32" or maybe 0.100" would be smokin'...
(*strokes beard in sultanic manner*)

I'll try to remember to measure when i get home, but the actual '62 max thickness will probably be less than the nominal stock thickness. the only section that is full thickness is the ricasso. tang is tapered, blade is FFG (and many sliiiightly overground and thus thinner, at least where the plunge meets the spine), plus light long swedge which brings max thickness down a touch too.
 
daizee said:
that's the right direction!
a 3/32" or maybe 0.100" would be smokin'...
(*strokes beard in sultanic manner*)

I'll try to remember to measure when i get home, but the actual '62 max thickness will probably be less than the nominal stock thickness. the only section that is full thickness is the ricasso. tang is tapered, blade is FFG (and many sliiiightly overground and thus thinner, at least where the plunge meets the spine), plus light long swedge which brings max thickness down a touch too.
Click to expand...

Interesting! I was basing my assessment of the BK-62 on the 0.158 inch thickness spec, but I may need to reassess.

I definitely have become accustomed to 3/32" knives. I think the Old Hickory might be even thinner, but it has other issues. A lot of Jeff White knives are 3/32" and some might be thinner. The one I have is way too soft for 1095, though, and the edge deflected way too easily (and then broke when I straightened it while sharpening). That's not a problem with 3/32" 3V with a good heat treatment unless you try to hurt it.

Thanks for the education on the Becker. I'm going to look at it some more.
 
Last edited:
rhino said:
Interesting! I was basing my assessment of the BK-62 on the 0.158 inch thickness spec, but I may need to reassess.

I definitely have become accustomed to 3/32" knives. I think the Old Hickory might be even thinner, but it has other issues. A lot of Jeff White knives are 3/32" and some might be thinner. The one I have is way too soft for 1096, though, and the edge deflected way too easily (and then broke when I straightened it while sharpening). That's not a problem with 3/32" 3V with a good heat treatment unless you try to hurt it.

Thanks for the education on the Becker. I'm going to look at it some more.
Click to expand...

Ricasso measures at 0.160" on mine. The thickest part of my BK-62 *blade* (I only have one actual '62 to test) is 0.135". Due to the way they grind these - machinery, etc., it's a tad narrower at the spine where the plunge meets the spine, gently thickens, then tapers again. So it's a variation of about 0.015", which is not a lot. Having hand-ground a number of kepharts with nearly identical blade shapes, I have a pretty good idea why Ka-bar's process/result is 1) different from mine, and 2) comes out this way. Not a bad thing, just a thing.

If you're a fan of high-performance thin outdoors knives, take a look at Big Chris. He specializes in thin stuff (and competition choppers).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top