Thoughts on Bushcraft Knives?

[johnrogers]

Well, to be honest I was hoping my first post wouldn't be in the form of a question (or two) but sometimes, things just go the way they go. (Sorry) I have been doing some reading here and other places and I have to put this out there see what I get...

I have looked at reviews for a bunch (BUNCH) of good knives available in the market right now. All are billed as "Bushcraft Knives". Some are as simple and effective as a Mora #1. Others come from custom makers with 2 to 3 year wait lists and are touted by their users to produce fire just by placing them next to some wood and to also cure disease by the light of the full moon. (:rolleye: Fortunatly, zealotry looks the same for bushcraft gear as it does for hunting gear... :D ) Being new to this bushcrafting thing then, I am left to wonder a couple of things:

1. What actually makes a knife a bushcraft knife? I mean, I can see not using a Ken Onion kitchen knife to try to feather oak or dig roots but beyond that, if it has a handle and stays sharp, what am I missing here? To be clear, I am asking because I like knives and I am always looking for a reason to by another. With the surest intentions of getting into the field regularly to work up some skills after the first of the year, I am wondering if I need to invest in something specific or just pick what I like and see what happens. Money is not a serious concern here if I am able to get something known far and wide to work well for the sorts of things we're talking about. I just don't want to buy something everyone loves but leaves in the drawer. Does that make sense? :confused2:

(and the second question then)

2. Does an increased cost really mean improvement in quality? Let's stick to factory or semi-factor blades here and I'll go with specifics. I am, so far, really liking the look of the Mora 511 and the Bark River Aurora. (Among a few others) Both of these are well reviewed and widely known knives. One is $15. One is $200. I get that there are limitations of each and strengths and so on. What's generally important to me with knives is how they feel in hand and how well they do the jobs put in front of them. I've never owned any plastic handled blades so I am leary a bit of the 511 and others in that family. I have also never paid $200 for a blade I intend to push pretty hard and find that I am leary of that as well.

Like I said, money isn't my largest concern here and I don't mind buying something that works. I am just looking for a few experienced voices to offer thoughts on what they have seen. In the this case anyone who has done anything beyond dressing some game in the bush, with whatever blade, has more experience than I do with this. Your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated. Thanks much.
JR

[Ben Casey]

I don't know if it will help but all I have used for ages is an old lock knife I bought at a car boot sale I think and an old Army Machete thing that they brought in after I left :) I think a knife is something that you are comfy with and doesnt break when you use it. A lot of the guy go on about concave burs and stuff on the sharp side and I'm clueless :) If it cuts what I want it to cut then it is sharp enough but I have jut bought a Mora knife for £9.99 to see what it is like and I have to say it is sharper than the ones I have :) But I will save judgement till I'm out next chopping and cutting things before I would say if it is worth the money. My others have lasted me years and I even managed to make a survival bow woth my machete at the Cornwall R.V. so it cant be that bad :)

I Hope it helps

[johnrogers]

Yep, that helps Ben. Thanks. I guess I will start it that way then and see how it goes. Thanks for the info .

JR

[Metal mug]

I would say start off with a mora clipper, they're a bit ugly but the do the job. (Like me! :D) Then later, if you want you can move onto something a bit more fancy.

Jack

[Felix]

in my opinion a good bushcraft knife should have the following three characteristics:
1) it should have good edge retention quality
2) it should be robustly constructed
3) it should feel comfortable in the hand

all other nitty gritty things like carbon vs stainless steel, and scandi grind vs convex grind etc is down to personal preference i think.
but as the lads have said, there's no need to fork out loads of cash to get your hands on a good knife. a cheap mora knife would serve your needs nicely i think.

[Drphoto]

I've bought a few in my time the mora clipper tri steel was nice, but now lost. I bought a mora 2000 I think it was, green with a deeper sheath, I hate it , too long and the shaped blade is a pain to sharpen for me ( now in my tool bag ). I did buy a very cheap Chinese blade called a rough rider! It has the best shaped blade I've used a flat grind like a falkniven f1 no scandi wedge. I've battened it , I've used a hammer too( it did chew it up a bit). The handles a bit too thin, a coke bottle profile would be better. I wish it was 01 tool steel then I would bother making new scales for the handle. Today I scoured a car boot sale looking for an old file to make my own blade. I found the leather for the sheath at two euro, but no steel.
I would say make your own, you will appreciate it more, understand it better and gain more knowledge for the next one if you not happy, or just fancy a tinker in the garage.
Most of the time these days I use my three finger neck knife from benchmark, it makes great feather ticks nice for carving, a bit small for eating, battons ok but is limited because it's very small, but I am getting used to it, it clips on my belt, hangs round my neck, is small enough to stuff in my pocket if I don't want it seen.

[johnrogers]

Thanks for the input guys. That's good stuff. Making my own is appealing but not really an option right now. I can look into that later in the year next year.


I would say start off with a mora clipper, they're a bit ugly but the do the job. (Like me! :D) Then later, if you want you can move onto something a bit more fancy.

Jack

Thanks Jack. I think I am on the same page with you here. It sort of makes sense to me, the idea of skipping a lunch out with the guys one day this week and ordering a knife with the cash. That way if I break it or find that bushcraft isn't really my bag, no harm done aside from missing my mongolian stir fry on Tuesday. :)

Thanks again everyone. All good points from where I sit.

JR

[Tony1948]

Hi JR:welcome:To the forum,I think you'v ask the $65.000.0000 quest,it's down to you wot you want to do with you'r blade:rolleye:I try to make my own 296329642965I buy the blades then fit my own handles.so I get wot I want.Atb..............DONT GET EATEN BY THE BEARS.........TONY.:jumping-joy:

[markal17]

iv had 2 knifes made by a guy on here im very happy with the make and price i think most have atleast 2 knifes

[Proventurer]

Well if you've got the money then $15 is not a lot, to trial a knife which in reality is a very good product, bushcraft knives are different things to different people, you mentioned hunting, so you've obviously/probably been practicing some form of bushcraft for a while and have just not formalised it under the name of bushcraft,
personally if I want a knife and can find the money for it, then I want it! end of story!!!

[bushcraftboy]

I'd get a Mora Clipper, a excellent knife, my first one and I still have it now, for like £10 it'll last ages and razor sharp.

[JEEP]

Any knife that cuts, holds an edge and stands up to some abuse is suitable for bushcraft. Everything beside that is subject to individual preferences really.

A Mora Classic No. 1 or Clipper will do any bushcraft job just fine, for a very little money. But, imho, both are as ugly as they are uninspiring. Truth is, that I regard aesthetics just as high as functionality when considering a new knife. I would never carry a knife that I consider ugly.

I have a strong preference for classic Scandinavian knives, I have around 20 puukko and leuku out of overall 25-30 knives. My main users are a Eräpuu 202, Helle Temagami and Strömeng 8" Leuku. All of these are aestheticly pleasing (to me) - but my fairly cheap Mora Bushcraft Triflex does the job just as well as any of them really.

I like carbon steel knives, simply because I find them easier to sharpen, generally tougher (bends before breaking) and I like the way patina builds up on the blades with use. I prefer my blades black from the forge, rather than polished.

I prefer light coloured wood more than dark wood - and burly wood over straight grain.

I like the idea of my knives being handmade - or at least finished by hand. I like unique, antique and one-of-a-kind knives.

I like Scandi grind, but I find that doble bevel works nicely aswell.

I prefer deep Scanduinavian style leather sheaths, either dark or natural brown.

I like brass or antler/bone bolsters, etc. on my knives.

Most of my knives are a combination of at least three of the prefrences above.

297629752977

[jus_young]

I think Jeep has said it again.

My first serious knife, and by that I mean not a folder or swiss army type, was the popular Frosts Mora Clipper. First class knife that still does everything that I want and more. However I also like a knife to have soul and on a working weekend at Dave Budds I came across just that. It was love at first sight and felt beautiful in the hand. The forged look of the blade and walnut handle have a feel to them that I just can't get with a polished blade. The leather sheath feels natural and more in place in the woodland than a petroleum based lump of plastic. But saying that those types of knives are still perfectly good. The cheaper option gave me an oportunity to discover what I want and is still a companion in the woods.

I just can't go to Daves any more without having serious cravings for something else :ashamed:

[johnrogers]

Guys, thanks for all of the great thoughts on this. I appreciate the points of view showed in the responses. So, the good news (for more reasons than the resolution of how to answer this question in my mind...) is that today was the first day of gun season for white tailed deer in Ohio today. I don't know if any of you hunt deer but typically it involes a bunch of time sitting and waiting with not much to do but suck on a hard candy and spend time with your thoughts. For me, a chunk of this time got spent rolling bushcrafting knives around in my head.

I decided that looks are not really an issue for me at all. I love a good fancy wood handled blade but when I am heading out the door to hunt, I grab this little guy right here


http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x469/rogeredbyjohn/KA-1446.jpg


It's as ugly as my first wife but it is absolutley the best deer knife I have ever used. $25 on sale, 5 years ago, on a recommend from a friend. Since it's never let me down, following the same logic seemed like a solid place to start so I decided to go for it. I ordered on of these little guys


http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x469/rogeredbyjohn/mora511.jpg


I was pretty excited. Then I read this nugget from Proventurer :)


personally if I want a knife and can find the money for it, then I want it! end of story!!!

and was spurred to further action. :ashamed: Uh, I may have ordered on of these tooo...


http://i1183.photobucket.com/albums/x469/rogeredbyjohn/Aurora_Red_Linen_600.jpg


Please don't tell my wife. :ashamed:

I love this place. :happy-clapping: Thanks for all the input guys.

[markal17]

they look good mate

[Pict]

I have a few knives I classify as "Bushcraft" knives, but then again I have my own definition of what constitutes bushcraft. In my terms bushcraft means making things out of what I find in the bush and for me the knife I use for such things needs to work well for me in shaping wood. I like Mors Kochanski's definition as it is primarily a woodworking tool.

For me that is a scandi. Often it is just my Mora #2. I have a thing for laminated scandi blades and won't part with any of the ones I have. I'm also partial to the 780 Triflex Craftsman. A number of years ago I was given a Skookum Bush Tool and absolutely love it. It is very robust, the kind of knife you could use for just about any task required in the forest.

I like my bushcraft nkives to have a straight spine or a gentle clip point as I feel it is easier to use the point that way to make accurate detailed cuts.

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/7941/img5913vo.jpg
780 and my version of a try stick

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/9020/img1944ax.jpg
My SBT with leather sheath and matching wheel bearing/leather bow drill socket block I made for it.

http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/7829/img1653ck.jpg
Brusletto laminated hidden tang blade in Brazilian hardwood handle. This is a little thick for my tastes but is a great knife.

Mac

[johnrogers]

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/9020/img1944ax.jpg
My SBT with leather sheath and matching wheel bearing/leather bow drill socket block I made for it.



Thanks for the pictures, Mac. I really like this knife. I had to search a little to find out what SBT means. (Turns out on Google it sometimes means, among other things, topless women. :ashamed: I do wonder about society sometimes.) Anyhow, I do like that blade. After I am done being beated down by the boss here at home, I may try to sneak one of those in too. Bushcraft seems to be its own excuse to collect knives... T^

I assume a bow drill socket block is something for the fire making bow thing. If you have a link to how to use it, please send it my way. The shear volume of stuff to read is just overwhelming sometimes. I do like that.

Thanks again everyone for the great info.

JR

[JEEP]

That SBT is truly nice. Are these still available? Last time the website was updated was in 2009.

[Pict]

I assume a bow drill socket block is something for the fire making bow thing. If you have a link to how to use it, please send it my way. The shear volume of stuff to read is just overwhelming sometimes. I do like that.

Thanks again everyone for the great info.

JR

http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?2409-High-Tech-Leather-Bearing-Block&p=30613#post30613

I posted the reply as a new thread in leathercraft.

Mac