Blackbird SK-5

Fisher1573

Fisher1573

Joined
Sep 13, 2012
Messages
121
Hello, I have been eyeballing this knife for a while, and I wanted some honest opinions on the current production model. Pictures are always welcome.

What I like about it: It's spear point and looks thin enough to be good for slicing food. It's stainless so it will be at home in the kayak for camping trips.

What I'm hesitant about: The handle. 5" seems large for a handle to me. It looks uncomfortable, and I wear a medium glove.

I would really love to hear from you all (all opinions are welcome). I posted here instead of in the general discussion because I want opinions on this knife. Almost everything I found in the search was full of suggestions and opinions of many knives from many brands. Thanks in advance.
 
If you have the time, the Kephart Picture thread has a lot of discussion about similarly shaped knives. I agree with popedandy that the handle is a little bulky, or at least blocky. You could probably sand it down a little if you wanted to get a better fit.

Otherwise, the blackbird is a fine knife. I like to think of it as a Kephart blade on a survival knife's handle.

https://bladeforums.com/threads/kepharts-they-just-work.1627840/page-43#post-19394099

I know you're not looking for recommendations but I think these would better suit your hand. Don't read further if you only wanted input on the blackbird.

I use a spyderco waterway and/or a gerber Bear Gryll's ultimate knife pro as my kayak knives, the former being a slicer and the latter being something I have no qualms about abusing (pretty thick). Falkniven F1 or S1 would also be very good options. The F1 in particular is should be a good size for your hand. I have one sitting around I could send for you to check out if you want to put hands on one.
 
Thank you BE! I actually started reading that thread last night and finished it a few minutes ago. I looked up quite a few of the one's mentioned, and the handle on the Condor Kephart fit my hand well. The thin stock of the SK-5 drew me in as well. How does the F1 compare for cleaning fish and slicing food?
 
Fisher1573 said:
Thank you BE! I actually started reading that thread last night and finished it a few minutes ago. I looked up quite a few of the one's mentioned, and the handle on the Condor Kephart fit my hand well. The thin stock of the SK-5 drew me in as well. How does the F1 compare for cleaning fish and slicing food?
Click to expand...

The convex grind will work well for food but I'm less sure of it on the fish aspect because it is a thicker knife. That's where the spyderco waterway works really nice, or just carry a small fillet knife like a little finn. For a head-on cleaning, it should work fine. I've really taken a liking to convex grinds for food and had a custom Canadian belt knife made with a convex grind for my home kitchen knife. Just seems like stuff sticks to knife's sides less with the curvature of a convex grind over a full flat while still being good at slicing.

If the condor Kephart was stainless, I was going to recommend it since you mentioned that, that was a characteristic you were interested in. I tried one and the handle was too small for me but should fit medium sized hands better than my larger hands. The value is pretty high there as well.

If you have the budget, custom is always an option as well if you don't mind waiting.
 
I have lots of knives, including 2 Becker 62s, which are close copies of Horace Kephart's actual knife, and a mini-Kephart from Bark River. The Ontario Blackbird is a fantastic knife. I love the handle and do not consider it thick at all in my medium hands. In fact, it is quite thin overall. You could always sand down the top and bottom edges of the Micarta in about 2 minutes. I think it is one of the most ergonomic knife handles I've ever held just the way it comes. I may even buy a second one and take the blade down to 4". I know the SK4 exists, but love handle of the SK5. BTW, take a look at the Ontario Blackbird SK4 if you want a 4" blade and 4" handle.
Forgot to mention...the G10 used on the SK5 is textured perfectly. It provides a great grip but doesn't cut into your hand. The first time I took it out of its box and held it I literately said "oh yeah"!
 
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