The Basic 5" Field Knife - Thoughts and Impressions

Nathan the Machinist said:
Jo and I were talking about it today and we've decided we are going to do a pre-order for the Basic Five and a signature variation of it which will be made with jimping and some weight reduction features.
Click to expand...
THANK YOU!!

As someone who is mostly a lurker here on BF (and not fast at going IN on sales posts) who does most of my knife stuff on FB BST groups I am looking forward to finally getting one of your Delta 3V Basic Fives. I cannot wait.
 
So I got to handle a couple of CPK's on my lunch break today sent in by marchone marchone and first impressions are just as I suspected - the basic field knife is where it's at for me. Both the BFK and the DEK1 have an air tight fit and finish, as did the robust well-fitting kydex sheaths they arrived with.

marchone1.jpg

For my taste, I found the handle on the BFK to be superior, granted they function differently but still preferred it in a general type of way. Could choke up comfortably as well as choke down for a nice secure choppy pommel grip. Both had nice bit of flatness to the tops and bottoms of the handles which is a personal preference of mine and something I've found oft overlooked by makers... really helps to keep things comfy during power cuts when you're applying a lot of force.

I will say I'm a bit surprised at the scallops on the DEK1, compared to the BFK they seem slightly obstrusive. The shorter scallops on the BFK provide that nice little dip where your thumb tucks in when choke up but on the DEK1 the apex of the larger scallops tends to rub right at the boney part of my thumb. Not a huge deal, there are work around grips that I'm sure you'd get used to pretty quick.

Usually not a fan of thump ramps but these were perfectly designed, and in the case of jimping vs no jimping I prefer none. The BFK had no jimping, the DEK1 had jimping but in a very subtle comfortable type of way (love the rounded spines). The BFK also happen to arrive with a keener/thinner edge.

Both are beautifully exquisite tools, but for my money it's the basic field knife all the way... there is something really special in it's utility.

Pleased to have the opportunity to molest them for a while ;)
 
SwissHeritageCo said:
So I got to handle a couple of CPK's on my lunch break today sent in by marchone marchone and first impressions are just as I suspected - the basic field knife is where it's at for me. Both the BFK and the DEK1 have an air tight fit and finish, as did the robust well-fitting kydex sheaths they arrived with.

View attachment 2271832

For my taste, I found the handle on the BFK to be superior, granted they function differently but still preferred it in a general type of way. Could choke up comfortably as well as choke down for a nice secure choppy pommel grip. Both had nice bit of flatness to the tops and bottoms of the handles which is a personal preference of mine and something I've found oft overlooked by makers... really helps to keep things comfy during power cuts when you're applying a lot of force.

I will say I'm a bit surprised at the scallops on the DEK1, compared to the BFK they seem slightly obstrusive. The shorter scallops on the BFK provide that nice little dip where your thumb tucks in when choke up but on the DEK1 the apex of the larger scallops tends to rub right at the boney part of my thumb. Not a huge deal, there are work around grips that I'm sure you'd get used to pretty quick.

Usually not a fan of thump ramps but these were perfectly designed, and in the case of jimping vs no jimping I prefer none. The BFK had no jimping, the DEK1 had jimping but in a very subtle comfortable type of way (love the rounded spines). The BFK also happen to arrive with a keener/thinner edge.

Both are beautifully exquisite tools, but for my money it's the basic field knife all the way... there is something really special in it's utility.

Pleased to have the opportunity to molest them for a while ;)
Click to expand...
They’re going to look smashing in your sheaths with matching OD Green scales from Jo.

😎
 
I think the difference you are seeing is the DEK was designed as a carry knife that could be used for utility or as a weapon. As such a degree of thought was put into a handle that was streamlined for easy EDC and also had some protective features for use as a weapon. The BFK handle is more optimized for high-pressure continuous utility use in a variety of grips and is allowed to be bulkier since discrete/low profile carry isn’t so much its mandate.
 
Burke said:
I think the difference you are seeing is the DEK was designed as a carry knife that could be used for utility or as a weapon. As such a degree of thought was put into a handle that was streamlined for easy EDC and also had some protective features for use as a weapon. The BFK handle is more optimized for high-pressure continuous utility use in a variety of grips and is allowed to be bulkier since discrete/low profile carry isn’t so much its mandate.
Click to expand...
That is a good description. I’ll add that the DEK1 handle has a reverse grip available designed for fighting. The BFK does not.
 
SwissHeritageCo said:
So I got to handle a couple of CPK's on my lunch break today sent in by marchone marchone and first impressions are just as I suspected - the basic field knife is where it's at for me. Both the BFK and the DEK1 have an air tight fit and finish, as did the robust well-fitting kydex sheaths they arrived with.

View attachment 2271832

For my taste, I found the handle on the BFK to be superior, granted they function differently but still preferred it in a general type of way. Could choke up comfortably as well as choke down for a nice secure choppy pommel grip. Both had nice bit of flatness to the tops and bottoms of the handles which is a personal preference of mine and something I've found oft overlooked by makers... really helps to keep things comfy during power cuts when you're applying a lot of force.

I will say I'm a bit surprised at the scallops on the DEK1, compared to the BFK they seem slightly obstrusive. The shorter scallops on the BFK provide that nice little dip where your thumb tucks in when choke up but on the DEK1 the apex of the larger scallops tends to rub right at the boney part of my thumb. Not a huge deal, there are work around grips that I'm sure you'd get used to pretty quick.

Usually not a fan of thump ramps but these were perfectly designed, and in the case of jimping vs no jimping I prefer none. The BFK had no jimping, the DEK1 had jimping but in a very subtle comfortable type of way (love the rounded spines). The BFK also happen to arrive with a keener/thinner edge.

Both are beautifully exquisite tools, but for my money it's the basic field knife all the way... there is something really special in it's utility.

Pleased to have the opportunity to molest them for a while ;)
Click to expand...
There’s no question in my mind that the Basic 5 Field Knife will be the more useful tool for me on our small farm. We have 20 acres of woods in the back to take firewood from and a big knife will be handy in there. I’m not sure I will have adequate uses for the DEK1 as Nathan designed it for. I sure won’t be knife-fighting with it. Still, it’s a decent field knife on its own. Just overshadowed by the BFK.

A big knife, a folding saw and a short hatchet are all the kit I need to collect kindling and split small logs from time to time. Sounds like a Sears and Kephart recommendation. But the combos still work.
 
marchone said:
A big knife, a folding saw and a short hatchet are all the kit I need to collect kindling and split small logs from time to time. Sounds like a Sears and Kephart recommendation. But the combos still work.
Click to expand...

Agreed. And not only that, but I'd say the combo still works far better than a "one tool" solution, which will always be a compromise.
 
Smithhammer said:
Agreed. And not only that, but I'd say the combo still works far better than a "one tool" solution, which will always be a compromise.
Click to expand...
I’ll have a modern trio soon with the CPK BFK returned, a Fiskars N7 Hatchet and a Corona Razor Tooth folding saw.

I own a Mike McCarter Kephart Knife now. In a year or so I’ll have a Lucas Forge Sears Nessmuk and a Wolf Valley Kephart Hatchet. They're both museum quality reproductions like the McCarter Kephart.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
The jimping and skeletonization and some other features were eliminated to make an affordable entry model that we were going to sell on Amazon but we were convinced not to by some folks here, so we sold them here instead.

Jo and I were talking about it today and we've decided we are going to do a pre-order for the Basic Five and a signature variation of it which will be made with jimping and some weight reduction features.
Click to expand...
Yes! I'll def be in for a signature version. Would this pre-order be on your website or through here on BF?
 
A Signature version has me intrigued enough that I might get in on the pre-order. I know jimping isn't for everyone but I've become so accustomed to it on my CPKs that I definitely miss it with my Basic 5.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top