Knife Reviews

[Raghvendrasingh]

Nice reviews and collections

[kshitij]

Very good reviews kshitij
Ka-bar looks mean and simple as compared to the esse on the pic, waiting for.more reviews...

With your experience it's clear that we guys have capabilities to make a combat knives to be used as kitchen knives[emoji1]

Vidhu dubey

Vidhu,
The bk2 and the esee 5 are in the same class of knives. Both are 1/4 inch thick 1095 5inch knives. What makes them different is their build quality. Like i mention the bevel grind on the kabar isnt perfect. Also the esee sheaths are among the best i have seen till now.

I would like to review all the knives I have, but the opportunity to put them to use are far and few in between. Anyway will shortly be reviewing the Cold Steel Pendleton mini hunter as it the one I have on or around me most of the times.

Cheers!

[zombie]

Nice review Kshitij. Keep up the good work.

[kshitij]

Cold Steel Pendleton Hunter Mini

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This knife along with the Ontario Old Hickory reviewed earlier makes up for the set of knives used the most by me. This little one stays on or around me (pocket/car dash/bag) at almost all times.

Specifications:
Blade Length: 3"
Overall Length: 6-1/4"
Steel: VG-1 Stainless
Weight: 2.4 oz
Blade Thickness: 1/8"
Handle: 3-1/4" Long Kray-Ex
Sheath: Secure-Ex Sheath
Made in Japan

Design:
What caughty eye was the vague resemblance its profile had to the Bob Loveless drop point hunter. Also despite a relatively small overall length of just over 6inches, the blade length was a good 3 in which makes for a decently useable blade length. And at 1/8 inch thick, the blade is strong enough to use for prying open small cans and stuff. The blade has a full flat grind with a secondary bevel which makes it good for slicing through things. Also the blade tapers from the base to the tip which makes piercing things like packaging boxes also easier.

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Handle-
The handles are standard cold steel hard rubber "Kray-Ex" with the grippy diamond pattern. No complaints with the 'grippiness' of the material or the pattern but it does not feel as good as micarta or wood in the hands. Handle length is about 3 inches, so you can only have three fingers on it. The pinky sits securely behind the pommel end. Over all the handle is comfortable and can be used in a number of grips.

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Out of the box:
The knife came in a small sized cardboard box. Nothing fancy. The edge sharpness out of the box was good enough to shave with. The knife comes with the cold steel Sceure-Ex sheath. Not sure if this kydex or some hard plastic but it feels quality. Not flimsy and cant be bent even with a considerable force applied. The knife clicks into the sheath with a nice snap. The sheath comes with a nylon belt loop with velcro. But i found this to make the profile too thick when carried in the pant pocket so I simply cut it off and fixed a carabiner in its place. With this setup the knife is hardly noticeable when carried in the pant pocket.

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In use:
I have used this little blade over the last few months to cut eveything from paper, plastics, cardboard packages, nylon gunny bags and what not. The knife is a joy to use as the blade grind and taper towards the tip makes cutting open stuff really easy. And despite cutting all the different materials on a fairly regular basis the edge hasn't dulled noticeably. Have not had to resharpen or strop the edge yet. The 3 inch blade length makes it just right to have around during the daily grind. And the ability to carry it unobtrusively in the pant pocket makes that much more comfortable to have on person.

A small note on the quality here. Having used this knife for a while I ordered another one (again from knifecenter) and the second one came in rather substandard. Nothing wrong with the blade just that the surface was not as evenly mirror finished as the first one and it had the bevel grinding marks still visible. Plus the knife also didnt click and fit into the sheath like the first one, it would fall off when inverted unless the button snap was put.
Not that it makes any difference to me since i plan to use these anyways so they will get buggered up sooner or later but still quality control on such a good product shouldn't be such a let down.

Anyways these are currently going for about 25usd on knifecenter. Considering the steel they are using along woth the sheath it comes with and the overall design and utility of the knife, i think this price is a steal.

[kshitij]

Quick update on the BK-2:
While writing up the in-hand preview on the BK2 in the previous post, I thought the knife would be of little or no real use to me. I couldn't be further from the fact. Headed out for a small camping trip during the recent holidays and got a chance to put the becker through its paces. Used it to chop down and baton some dead wood for the fire (didnt need to but did anyways). The BK2 went through it all without a hickup. Was pretty good at making some fine shavings to start the fire too. So chopping, batoning and whittling done and dusted with straight "A"s. Unfortunately in the excitement of being able to put the knife to good use, i forgot to click pictures until just before starting the fire.
Here are few of the images I did manage to take:

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The next morning i was up early. Decided to try the BK2 on some unconventional and unnecessary items
So cut up a few coke cans and then stabbed a bunch of holes in an empty paint can. None of it managed to chip or dent the knife in any manner. So basically you could cut through anything that is not as hard or harder than the BK2, other metal objects included.

The only way I did manage to nick the becker was when i stabbed an old cell phone screen with it. The toughened gorilla glass did manage to slightly blunt the tip of the knife. The tip was still pretty useable though and was easily restored back to its original form using a sharpening stone.

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All in all, I am highly impressed with the BK2. It is more than a sharpened pry bar and does live up to its "campanion" name tag. Mine has just found its place as a keeper and a user.
Cheers.

[zombie]

Kshitij, that is one good knife you selected. Campanion indeed.

What is it with blade finish? Have you taken off the coating or is it regular wear?

Nice picture with furry creature.

What is the tent that you are using? It looks like a nice camp site, with wooden table

[kshitij]

The knife came with a black coat of paint. Took the paint off as i found it to have a lot of drag and resistance while cutting. Gave the knife a forced vinegar patina and convexed the edge. Other minor scratches seen on the blade are from stabbing the coke cans and paint cans. Cant say enough good things about the BK2 after having put it through its paces. Have ordered the micarta handles for it and they should be here soon.

That is not my tent. It is the one provided by the camp ground. Is was spacious enough for the two of us and what i liked about is that you could stand upright when inside it. I am looking to get myself a tent, considering the quechua arpenaz 3 xl, any suggestions?

[zombie]

The knife came with a black coat of paint. Took the paint off as i found it to have a lot of drag and resistance while cutting. Gave the knife a forced vinegar patina and convexed the edge. Other minor scratches seen on the blade are from stabbing the coke cans and paint cans. Have ordered the micarta handles for this knife and they should be here soon.

That explains it. Since you have changed the grind, I am assuming that you have necessary equipment to do it. How about you do an overview post explaining equipment required/suggested for DIY knives and customizing?

That is not my tent. It is the one provided by the camp ground. Is was spacious enough for the two of us and what i liked about is that you could stand upright when inside it. I am looking to get myself a tent, any suggestions?

May I ask where was this camp site?

I have some experience with Quechua Quickhiker 2. It is lightweight and easy to set up. On the flip side, it is not very 'tall', so standing upright might be a problem. In fact I am planning to buy one and review it in next couple of weeks.

[kshitij]

That explains it. Since you have changed the grind, I am assuming that you have necessary equipment to do it. How about you do an overview post explaining equipment required/suggested for DIY knives and customizing?

To change the grind on this knife i have used a water stone that has 600 and 1000 grit sides then used 3M sand paper of 1200, 2000 and 3000 grit.
As for the DIY knives, i have access to a cnc laser set up and to everything from tool grade to bullet proof steel so that makes my life a little simpler to get the blank profiles made. For the handle, i generally use thick teflon scales as that too is available and easy to machine for me. So I may not be the right person to give an overview on the DIY knives since it will be skewed. Pratik and brihaji are the right people to document the process of DIY knife making. You must look up pratiks post on the micarta handles hes made, they are brilliant!

May I ask where was this camp site?

The camp site was about 50kms from thane on the thane nashik highway. Fairly close and convenient to drive down to from mumbai for a quick over night trip.

Added in 56 minutes 58 seconds:
The BK2 being given a thorough work out, scroll to the bottom for the images

http://www.cliffstamp.com/knives/forum/ ... ,4594,4629

[zombie]

Man, those are some tests BK-2 sailed through. Tank indeed.

Where do you source 3M sand paper of 1200-3000 grit from? A friend in Mumbai needs them.

[kshitij]

You should be able to source it from anyone who keeps automotive painting supplies. Or get it online:
http://www.ebay.in/itm/15x-400-600-800- ... Sw5VFWOZIh
That seller is located in Mumbai so he should get jt on the same day.

[zombie]

Thanks for the ebay link kshitij. Can you please DM me contact details of camping site operator? Tried to DM you, but didn't go through.

[kshitij]

Here you go: http://bigredtent.in/ Decent people to deal with.

[xl_target]

Headed out for a small camping trip during the recent holidays and got a chance to put the becker through its paces.

You went on a camping trip and didn't post about it?

In fact I am planning to buy one and review it in next couple of weeks

Try and add it to the camping gear thread, if you can. it would be nice for people looking for camping gear reviews to find it all in one spot.

[kshitij]

You went on a camping trip and didn't post about it?

Long story... on the way to the camp i had a minor hick up and was delayed in reaching the place. Once there, the excitement of being there and in the hurry of making best of the fading sun light, i completely forgot to take any images untill quite later in the evening. I intend to go camping more frequently now. Next time will have a more detailed post to share

Should be picking up a tent this weekend. Have the quechua arpenaz 3 xl and the quechua 2 seconds iii tent as the two options to choose from. Have narrowed down on these cause they are the only ones i am getting to physically try (at the local decathlon store) before buying.
Both are 3 person tents because i prefer the extra space.