Bushcraft knives
- Thread starter SCSL
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I may be a bit old school, but I grew up w/ dad's KaBar, using it for such. I've got a Cold Steel Mini Outdoorsman that's more along the lines of what people call a 'bushcraft' knife... it's a great knife, but hasn't been made in years, I don't think. Have a Gerber BMF, but it's in a gear bag, not one I grab to use for such.
More of what you're looking at, these days I've got a tendency towards Fallkniven... their F1 is a good go-to knife, but I admire their Northern Lights series.... http://www.fallkniven.com/next-index.htm
More of what you're looking at, these days I've got a tendency towards Fallkniven... their F1 is a good go-to knife, but I admire their Northern Lights series.... http://www.fallkniven.com/next-index.htm
I found this site while searching around:
http://www.worldknives.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=5035ed61040e9597fac2a446eca53095
There are some beauties on this site - especially the French folders.
Hard to find decent knives that are still affordable. Most of what I see now is cheap, Chinese crap that doesn't last. Or it's handmade custom stuff that is out of rational price-range (at least for me). This is especially true of folders... lots of crap. Just an example- I have a Schrade Uncle Henry lock-back from when they were still made in America. Not exactly a high-end knife... but it's a monument to craftsmenship compared to some Chinese Schrades I looked at today. A friend recently showed me an old Case folder that his father had given him in the late 50's. Talk about a tight, solid folder.
I'm looking at a few different folders but can't make up my mind.
For fixed blade bushknife I ended up with the original Mora = Morakniv classic. I love those Helle knives, though. May look into one down the road.
http://www.worldknives.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=5035ed61040e9597fac2a446eca53095
There are some beauties on this site - especially the French folders.
Hard to find decent knives that are still affordable. Most of what I see now is cheap, Chinese crap that doesn't last. Or it's handmade custom stuff that is out of rational price-range (at least for me). This is especially true of folders... lots of crap. Just an example- I have a Schrade Uncle Henry lock-back from when they were still made in America. Not exactly a high-end knife... but it's a monument to craftsmenship compared to some Chinese Schrades I looked at today. A friend recently showed me an old Case folder that his father had given him in the late 50's. Talk about a tight, solid folder.
I'm looking at a few different folders but can't make up my mind.
For fixed blade bushknife I ended up with the original Mora = Morakniv classic. I love those Helle knives, though. May look into one down the road.
Helle's are pretty damn cool esp the laminated blades. I have had a couple & have a bare blade waiting for just the right antler. They stay sharp & are easy to sharpen quick.KevinNY said:
4 inch
As sharp as this thing is, it gets even sharper with a little stropping. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the design & texture of the handle given there's no guard. I'm probably gonig to sand it or carve it. The only other drawback is the cheap sheath, though what do you want for $12, right? Might make or otherwise procure a leather sheath for it.
As sharp as this thing is, it gets even sharper with a little stropping. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the design & texture of the handle given there's no guard. I'm probably gonig to sand it or carve it. The only other drawback is the cheap sheath, though what do you want for $12, right? Might make or otherwise procure a leather sheath for it.
Yeah, I was going to ask you about the sheath. They have an upscale version of it with a leather sheath. But more money of course. They also make the same thing, I think it's the same anyway, with a guard. Apparently those are popular with scouts.
I just got this one for my birthday today. A friend of mines dad makes them. All hand made and will sharpen for free for the life of the knife just pay postage. They are really nice knives and I have been wanting one for a while. Something about how they are heated makes them very strong and they will hold an edge for a good while. I work in the necropsy lab at the veterinary school and have learned a thing or two about how valuable having a SHARP knife is haha!!
4.5" blade and about 9" including the handle
Twin Blade Knives out of Statesboro GA
4.5" blade and about 9" including the handle
Twin Blade Knives out of Statesboro GA
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I know, the guy is a farce, but Bear Grylls's knife has caught my attention several times. I finally bothered to look the damned thing up. It looks very nice to me, for a basic outdooring knife. I really like it, with the exception of all the black, but it is very expensive.
It has a large flat for various purposes, a thick spine for baton use, a sturdy blade profile, and solid construction, as well as good steel. I like the inventive serration design that can be sharpened in the field like every other part of the knife, if one is into serrated blades. They offer a model without it as well.
It is also compact enough to keep around all the time, and I see it as being damned useful. I'd love to get my hands on one to see how it really stacks up, but 500 bucks is pretty steep just to check it out.
I have always been a big knife man. Meaning, I like larger blades. I grew up with machetes, and it is a hard habit to break. I want to develop a habit of carrying a smaller blade and getting used to using it, though, and I find myself constantly coming back to this design. It looks like the perfect small survival blade, in a situation where you are not allowed an axe, machete or bowie. That sounds silly, but there are such situations.
We all keep gear in our Rovers, but those of us with other cars might be tempted to leave without a good blade sometimes, and Murphy predicts that this is when it will be most needed. I'm hard pressed to find a problem with this darned knife, just from looking at it. Any opinions?
Cheers,
Kennith
It has a large flat for various purposes, a thick spine for baton use, a sturdy blade profile, and solid construction, as well as good steel. I like the inventive serration design that can be sharpened in the field like every other part of the knife, if one is into serrated blades. They offer a model without it as well.
It is also compact enough to keep around all the time, and I see it as being damned useful. I'd love to get my hands on one to see how it really stacks up, but 500 bucks is pretty steep just to check it out.
I have always been a big knife man. Meaning, I like larger blades. I grew up with machetes, and it is a hard habit to break. I want to develop a habit of carrying a smaller blade and getting used to using it, though, and I find myself constantly coming back to this design. It looks like the perfect small survival blade, in a situation where you are not allowed an axe, machete or bowie. That sounds silly, but there are such situations.
We all keep gear in our Rovers, but those of us with other cars might be tempted to leave without a good blade sometimes, and Murphy predicts that this is when it will be most needed. I'm hard pressed to find a problem with this darned knife, just from looking at it. Any opinions?
Cheers,
Kennith
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500 bucks! holy mula!
You could buy a Randall for wayyy less & they are the shit!
http://www.worldknives.com/images/uiow1.jpg
You could buy a Randall for wayyy less & they are the shit!
http://www.worldknives.com/images/uiow1.jpg
I agree 500 is steep, but the guy is supposed to be making them by hand, so I suppose it makes sense that way.
I can't dig hollow handles. They are weak and unbalanced. As well, the saw on the spines of these kinds of knives is fairly useless, compared to what you can achieve by laying the blade along a piece of wood and striking the spine with a log, a process known as batoning. It sounds like silly survivalist nonsense, but it the way things have been done for thousands of years.
I can't think of anything I long to store in a hollow handle, nothing at all, that is worth the penalty in strength and balance. That particular blade doesn't have enough meat to be of much use, and is of a profile that is not ideal for durability. One cannot beat on the spine, nor readily use the flat as an impact tool itself. The saw is not worth these compromises, in my opinion. In all my trips into the wild, I have never once wished my knife had a saw on the back. I have never once wished for a saw period, actually.
Their "trapper" model appears decent enough, but I don't like stag handles, and at 415 dollars, I'll stick with the farce Grylls knife for a few dollars more.
I have been seriously looking around for something as good as this stupid Bear knife since I found it. I've checked many custom makers, some I know, some I don't, and most of the good production facilities. For an infinitely useful, practically simple field and survival utility knife, I am having a hard time finding it's superior, assuming it is as good as it looks, which I think it is.
That is, of course, not considering a good Bowie, axe, or machete. Each will outperform such a knife in many areas, but I already have those. I want to learn to rely on something more compact, so my big blades become more of a luxury.
I might just have to try and buy one of those damned farce knives. I wonder if the guy will leave Bear's name off of it for me.
Cheers,
Kennith
I can't dig hollow handles. They are weak and unbalanced. As well, the saw on the spines of these kinds of knives is fairly useless, compared to what you can achieve by laying the blade along a piece of wood and striking the spine with a log, a process known as batoning. It sounds like silly survivalist nonsense, but it the way things have been done for thousands of years.
I can't think of anything I long to store in a hollow handle, nothing at all, that is worth the penalty in strength and balance. That particular blade doesn't have enough meat to be of much use, and is of a profile that is not ideal for durability. One cannot beat on the spine, nor readily use the flat as an impact tool itself. The saw is not worth these compromises, in my opinion. In all my trips into the wild, I have never once wished my knife had a saw on the back. I have never once wished for a saw period, actually.
Their "trapper" model appears decent enough, but I don't like stag handles, and at 415 dollars, I'll stick with the farce Grylls knife for a few dollars more.
I have been seriously looking around for something as good as this stupid Bear knife since I found it. I've checked many custom makers, some I know, some I don't, and most of the good production facilities. For an infinitely useful, practically simple field and survival utility knife, I am having a hard time finding it's superior, assuming it is as good as it looks, which I think it is.
That is, of course, not considering a good Bowie, axe, or machete. Each will outperform such a knife in many areas, but I already have those. I want to learn to rely on something more compact, so my big blades become more of a luxury.
I might just have to try and buy one of those damned farce knives. I wonder if the guy will leave Bear's name off of it for me.
Cheers,
Kennith