Advice, advice...

absolutindian

absolutindian

Joined
Feb 25, 2008
Messages
519
Okay guys, here we go. Looking or a bit of advice regarding a purchase in my near future. I want to get into bushcraft and as a result, I want a knife that will serve me well in that regard for a while. I've been surfing the web to see what models I was interested in, but also wanted to ask here to see if you guys could suggest others that I havent seen, or even just confirm that I'm looking in the right direction. So far I think my favorite is the F1. Definitely looking at something around the size of the F1, maybe slightly longer in the blade.

Let me know what you guys think I should look at. Like I said, this will be my first knife of this type, and I want to start things off right. Unfortunately my budget restrictions are tight, but still, suggest away!

Thanks people...
:confused:
 
You're definitely on the right track as far as knives go - Fallkniven and Bark River are probably the two best manufacturers of bushcraft type knives. The other option is the range of more traditional Scandinavian knives by companies like Helle, Brusletto etc., and obviously also the Frosts Mora (all of which are available from ragweedforge.com).

Personally, my absolute favourite knife is the Fallkniven S1.

Having said all this, I actually believe that a good quality chopper is more important in the wilderness than a knife. The critical survival tasks - shelter building and fire making - are both significantly easier to achieve with a good chopper than with a 4-6" fixed blade. My preference in choppers is for small axes, machetes and saws, though some people prefer large knives, kukhris etc.

If I were starting out in bushcraft I would not spend big dollars on a single knife. Instead, I would buy a high quality small axe (Granfors Bruks, Wetterlings, or the higher end American makes), a decent folding saw (Bahco, Felco, Silky etc.) and a Frosts Mora. Your knife can then be reserved for its intended purpose ie. cutting, and your chopper will easily take care of the bigger tasks.
 
Excellent advice jh!

There will be plenty of time to get into debt over the knives you will see pictured here and want to buy!

Personally, I have a Wetterlings axe and they are cheaper (you said you had a tight budget), so maybe one of them and a Mora might be perfect. If you are not an axe person, get a F1. Great size and tough as heck.
 
jh205 said:
You're definitely on the right track as far as knives go - Fallkniven and Bark River are probably the two best manufacturers of bushcraft type knives. The other option is the range of more traditional Scandinavian knives by companies like Helle, Brusletto etc., and obviously also the Frosts Mora (all of which are available from ragweedforge.com).

Personally, my absolute favourite knife is the Fallkniven S1.

Having said all this, I actually believe that a good quality chopper is more important in the wilderness than a knife. The critical survival tasks - shelter building and fire making - are both significantly easier to achieve with a good chopper than with a 4-6" fixed blade. My preference in choppers is for small axes, machetes and saws, though some people prefer large knives, kukhris etc.

If I were starting out in bushcraft I would not spend big dollars on a single knife. Instead, I would buy a high quality small axe (Granfors Bruks, Wetterlings, or the higher end American makes), a decent folding saw (Bahco, Felco, Silky etc.) and a Frosts Mora. Your knife can then be reserved for its intended purpose ie. cutting, and your chopper will easily take care of the bigger tasks.
Click to expand...

I agree with JH, his advice is the advice you are seeking so go get your gear. I would've posted the same had he not posted first. The Scandi grinds will be easy for a beginner to mess around cutting and sharpening with at less cost than more expensive knives. Once you find your needs then you can further select knives based on those needs. A nice hatchet, good basic knife, and pocket saw, and learning how to care for them is what will carry you foward in the bushcraft arts.
 
Sounds like you're doing just fine in your choices of blades, but I might also recommend picking up a Mora (#1 or 510) just to get a feel for a good scandi grind and to have a backup.

I'd couple whatever fixed blade you choose to a Fiskars hatchet ($20) and a Vic Farmer ($15 if you look). That combination will have all your bases covered by far.
 
Nice, thanks very much for the advice guys. I think I'm probably going to either buy a Fox River or an F1, and then buy a Wetterlings 13 inch axe. Ive collected knives since I was about 15 and feel comfortable with being able to take care of them correctly. Now I just need to find a decent place to start practicing bushcraft skills... Thanks again!
 
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