KABAR’s State & Union small batch shop has just rolled out its latest creation, the BK25C. As befits a design from longtime KABAR chum Ethan Becker, the BK25C is a full-fat outdoors knife, with Becker’s usual attention to ergonomic detail and a big blade made from a high-performance steel.
6.125 inches is right where many outdoorsmen want their primary fixed blade to fall lengthwise. That’s enough edge for a lot of jobs, and the blade profile here, a modified bowie shape with an absolute honker of a topside swedge, is a clear descendant of generations’ worth of proven fixed blade patterns. Bowies were popularized by famous musician David Bowie – no, we kid; in fact they stem from a knife designed by Rezin bowie in the 19th century, which went on to become infamous after it was used by Rezin’s brother James in a duel. Don’t say we never taught you anything.
Profile, geometry, grind: these are intensely important characteristics when it comes to the cutting performance of a knife design – but the correct steel can really make a piece sing if these details are on point. State & Union decided to make this small batch fixed blade from CPM 3V steel. This is an older-gen super steel, but even though it’s not the newest kid on the block, it doesn’t really need to be; when it comes to sheer toughness 3V still holds its place among the greats, and it is sure to give the BK25C the rock solid reliability any outdoors tool needs.
Do we even need to explain why it’s always good to have an Ethan Becker handle on a knife? Becker is known for many things, but near the top of the list is the major comfort factor of his handle designs. Ergonomics are important in even the most circumscribed of knife categories, but when we’re talking about something as wide in its capabilities as an outdoors knife? Well, in that case making sure the handle is squared away is paramount – or, in this case, when the handle is “rounded away,” because Becker gave his latest creation a roomy, curvaceous handle with nary a hard line in sight.
The BK25C is out now and, like all State & Union projects, limited run.
Knife in Featured Image: KABAR Becker BK25C
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