Becker Kephart Fixed 5.1 in Blade Walnut Handle, Brown BK62 Overall Length: 9.688", Carbon Steel

Absolutely perfect multi-purpose belt knife. Nimble, trim, and slicey, all in a sexy knife sort of way. It's an amazing design of old still as useful today as it was over 100 years ago. Blade grind, sharpness, finish and quality is superb. While trim, the walnut scales provide exceptional fit and are not too slickly finished. The handle is long enough for my XL hands but not too trim given the depth, and I believe would be a good fit for M and L hands as well. The leather sheath is very high quality and provides "just right" access and retention. Having been a wee bit OCD in knife acquisition, this Kabar Kephart is my favorite out of 112. However, my Esee PR4 (with TKC burlap/micarta scales) is a close second. Buy it. It will not disappoint.

This is a great knife for the price. It's not a perfection piece so if you are looking for custom quality this won't meet it, but if you want a great Kephart for use, this meets the bill. Only complaint is the sheath is absolutely garbage. You'll want to replace it with a quality leather sheath.

I bought this knife after having read Horace Kephart's book, "Camping and Woodcraft." This knife just works. It's not a knife I would baton with, but slicing and cutting with it is a pleasure. The handle isn't thick, but it fits my medium-large hands very well. It's comfortable. The blade feathersticks very well, and slices off bark effortlessly. Another bonus is that you can grip the blade directly, and the slight hump at the top of the handle comfortably presses the pad of your hand beneath the pinky - providing extra leverage. I've also found the blade superb for scraping fuzz up near the tip of the knife by holding the top of the spine near the tip with my left thumb, and rocking the knife back and forth with the right hand. I have several good knives and none of them handle like this. I think this has to do with the spearpoint style tip, and the fact that the spine is rounded. Basically, this is a finesse knife. I wouldn't go hacking or batoning with this knife, but for feathersticks, notches, camp chores, and I'd bet skinning game - this is a wonderful knife. The blade appears to be slightly thicker that 1/8", but not 3/16". It is a solid blade that I would trust. It is a full tang blade, and is made from 1095 Cro-van steel. The knife is a real looker imho. I judge a knife's looks by how it looks in my hand - and this blade just does it for me in that respect. I doubt anyone that purchases this knife would be anything other than pleased - provided they weren't trying to make it into a one-tool option survival knife. For whittling and camp chores, field dressing game - when paired with either a hatchet/axe, or chopper-style knife like a Becker BK 9, it will do it's job. I'd also recommend picking up a copy of the book (mentioned above) by the man that inspired this knife design. The Lord made heaven and earth, and this is a fine blade to take out cruising in His woods.

The balance, shape, and subtle complexity of the blade geometry of this knife are all great. It's very comfortable in the hand, exudes a spartan functionality worthy of its history and pedigree, and seems ready to be put to work. However, the wood scales are rough, dry, and appear unfinished. These rough wood scales might very well be keeping with the original, and it could be argued the rougher texture of the scales could help with grip when the weather is wet or cold. But the dryness of the scales was really quite noticable, and I had to wipe down the scales with mineral oil several times before the texture was at all pleasant in the hand. Personally, I doubt this was a conscious design decision, rather I'm suspicious it shows Ka-bar's lack of familiarity with natural handle materials. The issue is easily fixed with sandpaper and any common wood oil, and I'm still very happy with the knife, but Ka-bar should really consider improving the finishing, and consider releasing after market micarta or g10 scales. ### Updated Review ### I've decided to update the review to be five stars. The knife is a true joy to use, and stands up well to extremely rough usage. Also, the issue with the dryness of the scales turned out to be embarrassingly easy to fix. It took roughly 20 minutes to thoroughly polished the scales steel wool (#0000 grade), which was followed by a thick coat of food-grade mineral oil. This absorbed very nicely into the scales. Since that treatment, the knife is a delight to hold in the hand. I could not be happier with the purchase.

When I first bought this knife in 2019 it was about $120, now they want $159 and it was over priced then and has only gotten more expensive, I was going to buy another one for back up, now I'll be looking somewhere else because of the new price increase. there are just better options out there for the $150+ price range.

The BK-62 is a modern copy of one of the 3 known examples of the Kephart bush knife. It is a wonderful design. The design was developed by Eugene Kephart in the early 1890's. He wanted a simple knife that could basically do everything. Clean fish, prepare game, cut tent stakes, make pot hooks, and more. What I have found is it makes a very good kitchen knife, cutting up whole chickens, chopping vegetables. it does the job of a very good German style petty knife. It is made of 1095CV carbon steel and is about HRC 58 it sharpens easily with a good stone, 1000 to 2000 grit, and holds an edge quit well. The knife as well as it quality leather sheath also a copy of the Original are made in the USA.

Look. The knife isn’t the prettiest knife in the world BUT it’s an amazing design. Perfect for what I need a woods knife for. Food prep. Game prep. Small amount of wood work and fire starting. General camp tasks. Well worth the money. Love the knife. It’s a good size. It’s a good slicer. Centered point so you can drill with it. Smooth spine for power cuts and so you are less likely to accidentally pierce the stomach sack. Good steel. Good fit and finish but it’s not too “fancy.” You can take off the scales so you can clean it well. It’s just a great knife. Only thing that some people may say is a “downside” is no squared spine to strike a ferro rod. If you want that, it’s easy to put on in a minute or two with a file. For me that’s not an issue. I personally use a bic lighter most of the time. And if I happen to lose the striker on my ferro rod and it’s an emergency, I’ll just use the blade of my knife. I’m perfectly capable of sharpening knives and you should be too. Buy this American woodsman classic.

All KA-BARs are great quality. A perfect addition to my bushcraft collection.