Bushgear Review of the Jaktkit Knv2 Mil
Basic Overview
The Knv2 is an extremely robust and capable survival/bushcraft knife, designed for the toughest environments. Due to its geometry and the steel used, it is a versatile tool suitable for a wide range of tasks ranging from wood working to punching through a steel drum and most tasks in between.
The Knife
The Knv2 is made with a proprietary Jaktkit steel (99Cr18MoV steel) which offers high levels of hardness (59 HRC) combined with good flexibility to prevent chipping and shattering. It features a simple but effective V grind which provides plenty of cutting power whilst being easy to maintain in the field. Ultimately, a carbon steel that has been modified to incorporate some resistance to oxidization. For those working in moisture ladened environments, the Knv2 is also available in the "Mil" version featuring a black coating which further inhibits rusting as well minimizing reflections.
The Handle
The handle is made from a single piece of TPEE rubber which provides outstanding grip and is highly resistant to chemical interference and aging. Always warm to the touch, even in sub zero temperatures, which provides a safer and more pleasant experience in use. It is non removable but is easy to clean.
The Sheath
As with the knife, the Kydex sheath is extremely well made and practical. Each sheath is individually molded to its corresponding knife for the perfect fit. The sheath is self locking and silent and again, easy to clean. Apart from the friction fit, the knife is also retained with a button lock on the strap which secures around the handle of the knife.
The Field Test
We used the knife for several "average" field tests including; making feather-sticks, paper cut test, wood processing (for firewood), rope cut test, hair pop test and tomato cutting test.
The Knv2 comes sharp and ready to use, straight out of the box! Being obsessive about our tools, we took literally a couple of minutes to perfect the edge with a leather strop and abrasive paste.
Paper cut test - made a clean cut through A4 80GSM paper. No nicks or interruptions to the cut, along the length of the blade. Pass.
Feather-stick test - the true V grind of the blade made feather-sticks easily even though the blade stock is thick at 5mm. Obviously, a thinner blade such as the Mora Companion makes feather-sticks easily compared with the Knv2 but you can still get the job done. Pass.
Wood processing - the geometry of the blade obviously lends itself nicely to wood processing. We managed to baton through sizeable boughs with no issue. The true V grind splits wood with ease. We processed about 5 hours worth of firewood in minutes with no visible impairments to the edge or the knife in general. Pass.
Hair pop test - hair "poppingly" sharp straight out of the box! Pass.
Tomato cut test - even with its wide blade geometry, the Knv2 was capable of producing an extremely thin slice from the tomato. Pass.
Rope cut test - cut through genuine 550 paracord with absolute ease. Also cut thorough a 10mm braided nylon rope with very little effort.
Conclusion
As mentioned above, this is a very capable tool which has been manufactured to a very high standard. Comparisons have been made with the Fallkniven series of knives (S1 and F1 models) and we can see why. Both feature thick blade stock, rubberized handles, a pronounced safety choil and quality sheaths. Capability-wise they are not dissimilar either although how they achieve their relative results is slightly different.
Overall we can find little fault with Knv2. If you are interested in owning a useful woods tool than can provide the user with a lifetime of service, the Knv2 may be for you and comes highly recommended by us. We think you will not be disappointed.
For more information on the knife or to make a purchase, please use the link below:
The Bushgear Team
