Stay sharp

One of the knives that I stockpile for Der Tag is the BK&T… it is basically a sharpened crowbar. It has the end-of-the-world durability Im after at a reasonable price. But the sheaths that come with them suck. So I usually replace them with these highly recommended SpecOps sheaths. Note that the sheath has a pocket for a sharpening stone or similar device. I was having a heck of a time finding a stone that fit that pocket correctly. Then, as I was perusing the knife section at Cabela’s, I found this:

Very much me likey. It puts a fast edge on pretty much anything, has built in angle guides, two grades of diamond plates, a leather strop, and a ceramic for fior sharpening fish hooks and serrated edges. But…while its an awesome tool, it doesn’t fit in the pouch on the sheath.

Intrigued, I looked at what other products these guys made and picked up a couple other things:

This one does fit in the sheath, so I picked up a couple of these. I also picked up a couple of their small pocket sharpeners. They have a carbide feature on them sor they are no t something you want to use every time you sharpen a particular knife, but the ceramics and diamond on it are great for keeping the knife sharp once you put the new edge on it:

Now, I do have a nice set of stones on one of those Smith-brand three-stone setups. And I use it when I need to. But it isn’t exactly portable or pack/pocket sized. These sharpeners seem to fit the bill for throwing into a small pack and keeping a knife properly sharp out in the field. And, considering some of the really awful things we are going to subject a knife to in a crisis, being able o resharpen them in the field seems a solidly prudent move.

13 thoughts on “Stay sharp

  1. Hoery Crap that Spec Op is pricey. I’m really known for being cheap though. It does appear to be a well made unit, the factory sheaths are ‘okay but I want better quality. I’ve got a BK4 Campanion, BK10 Crewman, and BK5 Camp knife. I like those knives too.

    What I get for a beater sheath is surplus 2″ wide MILITARY tow strap material. Cut off a single length that accommodates 2″ of belt width, then folds down overall knife length, then folds again to blade length. Should form the letter ‘S’ when viewed from side. .

    Then use wire to sew up the side to form a belt loop, down one side to blade tip fold. Steel clamps to hold the folds flat while you fasten works well. Heavy duty staples at ends and at mouth of sheath won’t hurt. Do the same on opposite side – end up with a pouch sheath that will take incredible amounts of abuse. You could use the entire sheath as a short strop to freshen up your blade edge. One of the bloggers had mentioned that a sharpening stone in the field can break at a bad time. Good point that.

    • Yep, it is a little pricey but I carried my Kabar in one for a loooooong time when I was in the Army. It is great quality and holds up well in various environments like Korea, NTC, Germany, etc. It is worth the cost.

  2. Sharpening has always vexed me but I think I have it down now. Spyderco made some ceramic stones and still have those to carry in the field. I remember a famous gun writer writing about a trip to Africa where a machete or big knife seems to always be on hand with the locals. Noticed they would pick up the first rock they came upon and put a razor edge on their blade. Skills.

  3. Back when there were a lot cheaper, I bought one of these sheaths to house my SRK and it has worked very well over the years. Sadly the folks at Spec-Ops Brand have managed to price themselves out of my market. Now, having written that I would say if you can afford one of these sheaths get one. You will not regret it.

  4. Ah, now I see what you’re linking.. I don’t understand why, but it refused to load the Amazon links until I loaded it in an incognito window..

  5. Can’t get pics through Firefox, MS Edge, DuckDuckGo, or Chrome. Edge and Chrome don’t even have the blank spaces. I finally got them by going through Tor.
    By accessing Amazon through Tor, I got to see a little of what Tor does. Amazon informed me that they do indeed ship to Romania. I kinda like that.

  6. Loves me those BK&T toys.
    Exactly what a knife should be.
    Good enough, bombproof, tough as hell.
    (I like looking at those $200-$500 safe-queen knives, but I’d never carry one, and like guns, I collect to use, not to fondle and drool over. And dinging one up would be a mortal sin.)

    Started with the BK2.
    Liked it so much I bought a spare. Two is one, and all.
    Then another one for Baby Brother. (He’s on his own for a spare.)

    Then started adding to the line-up: BK7, BK9; even a BK3.
    I have yet to find anything not rock or metal that last one won’t chop.
    Now they make a BKT Kukri?
    Well, Christmas is coming, and I’ve been good this year.

    I’m partial to my own leather sheaths, but I’ve been playing with leather work for twenty years. The tow strap idea sounds good, but I think I can get a good tent sewing machine to improve on the wire lashing, and sew the thing like the Riggers would do.

    One of these days kydex work is going in the skills basket too.
    Looks fun and simple, lasts better in the wet, and I can only think of 40 or 50 projects off the top of my head, from pistols to axes, that I’d tackle.

    I’m probably saving blacksmithing the blades themselves until retirement.
    Gotta keep busy.

    Thanks for the tips on the small sharpeners.
    I’ve got bench sharpeners, and a couple of small stones and pucks.
    But the little all-in-one looks handy.

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