Kephart
The CPK Kephart is a very basic but exceptionally well made, high performance, bushcraft knife. The steel is Crucible CPM 3V at HRC 60.5 with a fully optimized heat treat with very good edge retention and edge stability. You’ll be surprised how sharp this gets and how well it holds an edge. If you have never used highly optimized 3V this hard and thin, it will blow your mind.
A side effect of this heat treat is a higher percentage of free chromium, so although it is not stainless, it is nearly so.
This steel with this heat treat will support a fine edge, so this has narrow primary grinds and will be taken under .020″ before sharpening and sharpened 20 degrees per side. This is a fine cutting edge, but this knife is extremely durable.
It balances between the first two fingers and is intended to be carried unconcealed in a pouch sheath on your belt or in/on your pack. It’s specifically designed to be used as a bushcraft tool. The handle is wide and thin and locks into your hand (doesn’t require a death grip to avoid spinning) allowing a lot of torque with low fatigue. The end is round and the tip is centered for drilling.
Specs:
Delta 3V, 60-61 HRC, .160″ thick at ricasso (a little over 5/32″)
Total length 9.625
Blade length 5.0
Weight 7 oz
Edge angle 20 DPS
Grippy 3D machined scales in micarta
stainless steel fasteners
![Kephart rendering](https://carothersknives.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/1.png)