Modern Kephart knives? What is good these days?

S

Sid Post

Joined
Oct 14, 1998
Messages
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I have been looking at the Sam Wilson version since the Carothers Performance version is so hard to get (almost as bad as an Albers Lambfoot!). I am looking for a good slicey (thin) Kephart in a modern stainless or semi-stainless steel like Magnacut or D3 or something similar. A 4.5" blade is a real sweet spot for me as well. Much above $300 starts to become an issue so, here I am.

What is good these days in the premium 'working' class of Kephart knives? I am specifically looking for a good woods, camping, farming, ranching, etc. blade so, no overly thick EOTWAWKI knives built for a zombie apocalypse! Light pounding on a piece of campfire wood is about as "tough" a task as the knife will see.

TIA,
Sid
 
Nathan & Sam's both look nice......

You should be able to get exactly what you want.
Many, Many makers here will make you one. Look around, it's a favorite blade style and lots are being made.
there is even a current build thread where a bunch of us makers are showcasing our Kephart builds.... (mine is awaiting scales, i'm not sure what I want yet. Maybe wood, maybe micarta?)
 
The build thread that is mentione, where is that? A link? Or under the makers’ gallery? Hope you find what you are looking for Sid.
 
daizee daizee made some beautifull looking Kepharts in different lengths and shapes. Not sure if he does the steels you like.
 
knoefz said:
daizee daizee made some beautifull looking Kepharts in different lengths and shapes. Not sure if he does the steels you like.
Click to expand...

Hey, Knoefz, thanks for tagging me.

There are a handful out there that I think might meet Sid's requirements, tho finding such a trad design in stainless... I can think of 4 small makers offhand (including me, and I'm the market definition of "smol")
The Carothers ones do look awesome.
Mike McCarter (House Mountain Blades) makes a very nice one based on studying the original, including the full appleseed grind if that's your jam.
ETA: realized I didn't mention #4, which is Dan Eastland. He makes excellent, well-referenced Kehparts with a decidedly modern flair in stainless (CPM-154 and others?). Well into the premium price category, though.

That Sam Wilson line is gorgeous, tho IMO it misses the mark on the handle from Kephart point of view (no disrespect to Mr. Wilson intended). One of the key features of a Kephart or Puukko style knife is the 1:1 (more for the puukko!) handle:blade height ratio behind the guard. This is what gives you exceptional mechanical advantage for low-fatigue, high-control carving. Look at dedicated wood-carving knives and you'll see they take it to 2:1 or more.

Re: Steels
For a thin stainless woods knife I would recommend AEB-L & cousins, CPM-154 or S35VN, Magnacut. There are others that would do too, of course. I would avoid D2 has huge carbides which make it low-toughness and requires a relatively obtuse edge angle as a result. (the CPM version of D2 will be a huge improvement of course)

I agree that 4.5" is the sweet spot in a full-size Kephart. I do my own in AEB-L (61Rc), CPM-154(60-61Rc), and Magnacut (61.5-62Rc) (as above, these are my prefs).

I also agree that it would be nice to think of a Kephart as an accessible working knife, and not be priced out of sight.

You're of course welcome to hit up my IG or website or DM me here and talk Kepharts, with or without intent. :)
 
daizee daizee No disrespect taken at all, I enjoy different perspectives. All I would say to that is that this was not designed to be a dedicated carving knife, but a general purpose field knife based on the Kephart design using CPM3V at a very good hardness and some of, if not the MOST aggressive edge geometry on the market.

If it looked like everyone else's design, then it would BE like everyone else's. I chose to offer something different, instead of doing the same thing over and over again. After all, how many "exact replicas" of the Kephart do we need? Just my thoughts on it.

I did the same thing with hollow handle knives, and one of my mottos is "innovation not imitation." That's why I don't just make a bunch of Rambo and Predator knock off knives.

That being said, the beauty of the market is variety. There's something for everyone, and we certainly have a huge selection right now.

Sam🔥🔥

daizee said:
Hey, Knoefz, thanks for tagging me.

There are a handful out there that I think might meet Sid's requirements, tho finding such a trad design in stainless... I can think of 4 small makers offhand (including me, and I'm the market definition of "smol")
The Carothers ones do look awesome.
Mike McCarter (House Mountain Blades) makes a very nice one based on studying the original, including the full appleseed grind if that's your jam.
ETA: realized I didn't mention #4, which is Dan Eastland. He makes excellent, well-referenced Kehparts with a decidedly modern flair in stainless (CPM-154 and others?). Well into the premium price category, though.

That Sam Wilson line is gorgeous, tho IMO it misses the mark on the handle from Kephart point of view (no disrespect to Mr. Wilson intended). One of the key features of a Kephart or Puukko style knife is the 1:1 (more for the puukko!) handle:blade height ratio behind the guard. This is what gives you exceptional mechanical advantage for low-fatigue, high-control carving. Look at dedicated wood-carving knives and you'll see they take it to 2:1 or more.

Re: Steels
For a thin stainless woods knife I would recommend AEB-L & cousins, CPM-154 or S35VN, Magnacut. There are others that would do too, of course. I would avoid D2 has huge carbides which make it low-toughness and requires a relatively obtuse edge angle as a result. (the CPM version of D2 will be a huge improvement of course)

I agree that 4.5" is the sweet spot in a full-size Kephart. I do my own in AEB-L (61Rc), CPM-154(60-61Rc), and Magnacut (61.5-62Rc) (as above, these are my prefs).

I also agree that it would be nice to think of a Kephart as an accessible working knife, and not be priced out of sight.

You're of course welcome to hit up my IG or website or DM me here and talk Kepharts, with or without intent. :)
Click to expand...
 
Sam Wilson said:
If it looked like everyone else's design, then it would BE like everyone else's. I chose to offer something different, instead of doing the same thing over and over again. After all, how many "exact replicas" of the Kephart do we need? Just my thoughts on it.
🔥🔥
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100%!

oh, and btw I LOOOVE your hollow-handles! Especially the small ones. I didn't realize you were the dame dude. I've watched those drift across the Custom sub-forum for years. 😍
 
Thank you! Been super busy developing my mid-tech line, I have a few posts planned for the Custom sub-forum later this month.😎👍👍

Sam⚔️⚔️

daizee said:
100%!

oh, and btw I LOOOVE your hollow-handles! Especially the small ones. I didn't realize you were the dame dude. I've watched those drift across the Custom sub-forum for years. 😍
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Sam Wilson said:
S Sid Post I'll keep out of this and let nature take it's course, but if you have any questions I am happy to answer them, whether you buy one of my knives or not.

Sam⚔️⚔️
Click to expand...

I would suggest adding some specifications to your 'store' listing. The general specs certainly look good and the price is "right" for a knife like this IMHO.

What I am on the fence about mainly is the handle and overall profile. Not saying it is good or bad but, a true spearpoint and traditional handle is what I was initially looking for. Thin blade stock and a sabre grind with that handle really seems to differ a lot from a traditional Kephart design as referenced on your webpage. Not saying there is anything wrong with it other than it isn't a true traditional Kephart! Kephart influnced though which is fine with me! 😃
 
Thank you. As mentioned, this is a Kephart inspired knife, or my version of the design. I didn't want to do another "as accurate to the original as possible" version, as that has been done to death. This design is very closely based on my custom versions, which I have been selling with very good feedback for nearly a decade now.

Here are the specs from the Gear Convoy store page, I don't know what more I can add other than the weight of the knife, but let me know if you have any questions, I am happy to help. And again, thank you for the compliments, I always appreciate feedback and the chance to improve a product.😎

"Made of 1/8" thick CPM3V steel @60-61 HRC for a high level of durability/toughness and great edgeholding, you are getting fantastic performance from this knife and steel that is entirely designed and made here in the U.S.A.

Featuring a 4.5" long blade and 4.5" long handle, this fits well in the hand. The handle has been ergonomically designed to both accomodate a variety of grips and also eliminate any hot spots. This makes it very comfortable while performing many different tasks, which is what you would expect of a good bushcraft knife.

The blade has been flat ground to an aggressive cutting edge for slicing right through any cutting chores, while still having plenty of durability to do what you would expect a bushcraft and camp knife do."

Sam⚔️⚔️

Sid Post said:
I would suggest adding some specifications to your 'store' listing. The general specs certainly look good and the price is "right" for a knife like this IMHO.

What I am on the fence about mainly is the handle and overall profile. Not saying it is good or bad but, a true spearpoint and traditional handle is what I was initially looking for. Thin blade stock and a sabre grind with that handle really seems to differ a lot from a traditional Kephart design as referenced on your webpage. Not saying there is anything wrong with it other than it isn't a true traditional Kephart! Kephart influnced though which is fine with me! 😃
Click to expand...
 
To be a little more specific, your drop-downs for Materials, Dimensions, and Care Information are blank when I select them.
 
10-4, I see. I'll ask my web guy to see if he can eliminate those drop-downs.

Sam⚔️
 
Sid, do you have a current Kephart (one or more) that you're looking to "upgrade" from, and what changes would you be looking for aside from the aforementioned materials selection?
 
daizee said:
Sid, do you have a current Kephart (one or more) that you're looking to "upgrade" from, and what changes would you be looking for aside from the aforementioned materials selection?
Click to expand...

No Kephart's. Mainly clubby big fixed blades like Esse and similar which are good knives but pretty specialized for me, and a handful of Morakniv models for general usage.

The spearpoint front of the Kephart would be good for spreading peanut butter out of the jar and things like that while camping. Having a tip in line with the handle would be nice piercing things on my farm to open them. The thin profile would be significantly better for cutting up vegetables and proteins. Then there is the issue of lower overall weight and bulk which is important to me when I need or want something better than my common Moraknives.

The Sandvik steels are fine for most uses and are certainly sharpenable if needed with simple things found in nature like river rocks or, in urban areas with concrete and similar things. Sure, not the best for a good sharpening but, a dull knife can be restored with a servicable edge that way or a nick can worked on as well.

For steels, I am somewhat flexible as long as I get a good heat treat and rust resistance. Magnacut seems to be the current darling of the knife world but, CPM 3V or one of the modern Particle Metallurgy steels, Crucible or otherwise, would be fine too.

The handle scales of the classic Kephart also look super practical and comfortable to use. The inline point and that handle should provide a lot of low fatigue control for use at a campsite or on my farm/ranch. I like a larger handle which is less fatiguing for me to use when I have more than a simple cut or two to make. Control and being able to modulate the force on the cutting edge is important to me as well.

Basically, I guess a better term for what I am looking for is, a Bushcraft knife, and the Kephart really appeals to me. It is hard to argue with a classic and proven design.
 
Sid Post said:
No Kephart's. Mainly clubby big fixed blades like Esse and similar which are good knives but pretty specialized for me, and a handful of Morakniv models for general usage.

The spearpoint front of the Kephart would be good for spreading peanut butter out of the jar and things like that while camping. Having a tip in line with the handle would be nice piercing things on my farm to open them. The thin profile would be significantly better for cutting up vegetables and proteins. Then there is the issue of lower overall weight and bulk which is important to me when I need or want something better than my common Moraknives.

The Sandvik steels are fine for most uses and are certainly sharpenable if needed with simple things found in nature like river rocks or, in urban areas with concrete and similar things. Sure, not the best for a good sharpening but, a dull knife can be restored with a servicable edge that way or a nick can worked on as well.

For steels, I am somewhat flexible as long as I get a good heat treat and rust resistance. Magnacut seems to be the current darling of the knife world but, CPM 3V or one of the modern Particle Metallurgy steels, Crucible or otherwise, would be fine too.

The handle scales of the classic Kephart also look super practical and comfortable to use. The inline point and that handle should provide a lot of low fatigue control for use at a campsite or on my farm/ranch. I like a larger handle which is less fatiguing for me to use when I have more than a simple cut or two to make. Control and being able to modulate the force on the cutting edge is important to me as well.

Basically, I guess a better term for what I am looking for is, a Bushcraft knife, and the Kephart really appeals to me. It is hard to argue with a classic and proven design.
Click to expand...
Hard to argue a Mora Garberg, but a Carothers Kephart in AEB-L might be exactly what you’re looking for.
 
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