Kephart Revival!

ESEE’s PR4 fixed-blade: Saluting A Bushcraft Legend
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ESEE Knife

As Kephart knives go, you’d be hard pressed to find a more satisfying specimen than the ESEE PR4.

One of the early pioneers of modern day Bushcrafting was Horace Kephart, an American outdoorsman who wrote extensively about camping in the wild in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Kephart even designed what he believed to be the perfect knife and it has become a favorite among many Bushcrafters. ESEE Knives jumped into the genre a few years back by introducing their Camp-Lore series, and the new PR4 Kephart Knife is their latest entry. The PR4 was designed by ESEE instructor and all around guru Patrick Rollins, hence the “PR” in the model designation.

The beauty of the Kephart design lies in its simplicity. It’s an old-style spear point blade mated to a “broomstick” handle with a slight forward guard. ESEE has captured the design nicely and added their own touch to the classic. The PR4 is 8.9″ overall, a medium-sized fixed blade by any yardstick. The black-oxide finished 1095 high-carbon steel blade is 4″ in length — dead on the money for the Bushcraft standard — and has a deep hollow grind for excellent slicing characteristics. The full-tang construction adds strength and a tumbled black oxide finish keeps the rust bugs away. The blade spine is at a hard 90-degree angle, perfect for striking a Ferro rod for firestarting. The weight of the knife is 6.3 oz.

One of the PR4’s most distinctive features is its chunky, sculpted tan canvas Micarta scales. The random “finger grooved” pattern makes for a much better grip over smooth scales, a welcome feature for anyone who works wood in the wild. From a sheer cosmetic standpoint, these add a rugged look to the knife that’s good for a few kudos at your next woodlands group gathering. ESEE tops the PR4 package off with a well-made brown fold-over belt sheath, welted for a fuller fi

ESEE Knife

The PR4’s chunky, grooved handle scales are a big improvement over smooth-finished ones, and the forward guard offers excellent finger protection.

Why You’ll Like It

ESEE wasn’t the first to jump into the Kephart knife market. It’s never been their style to follow trends, but they saw the benefits of the design and answered the call from their dedicated followers. In a nutshell, the PR4 is everything you’d want in a Kephart knife and then some. ESEE offers a lifetime guarantee on their knives, a testament to the quality that goes into their manufacturing and why they’re a legend among hardcore users. Suggested MSRP for the ESEE PR4 is $190.64.

More Information

ESEE Knives
https://eseeknives.com
Ph: (256) 613-0372

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