Alpine winter blade suggestions.

B

bubblewhip

Joined
Dec 18, 2009
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I think the Alpine wilderness steel is a magical unicorn that will never be found. It has to be A: Tough enough for sub zero temperatures and be capable of batoning through wood that may have ice in it, B: Stainless enough for the wet snowy environments. C: Hold a respectable edge.

Which blades closely can emulate those characteristics?
 
Without going into the technicals of the steel. The Fallkniven F1 is an obvious contender in this catagory.

Designed for the Swedish Air Force as a survival knife specifically for use in arctic conditions.

Laminated VG10 blade and Thermorun handle with enclosed tang to keep hands from coming into contact with frezing cold metal, while offering a great grip for gloved hands. Available with Leather or Zytel sheath.

That's not to say there aren't lots of other knives out there that can perform well in arctic conditions. But this knife was born into that very environment.

Shown here with optional black coated blade.
FallknivenF1-Black-1.jpg


Kevin
 
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bubblewhip said:
How do they hold up against Entrek knives?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately I can't say. I have no experience with Entrek knives.

I have used Fallkniven and Bark River knives during Canadian winters and they have held up fine (and others, but primarily those two). That said, I don't make a point of going outside to do stuff in -30 or -40 C weather, unless I absolutely have to. But it is not uncommon to be outside working or playing in -10 to -20C weather.

Kevin
 
what avout a ZT MUDD? if is a folder I know, but it meets 2 of your requirements
I have used it often in the mountains, even skiing
Maxx
 
I would think ESEE/Swamp Rat could contribute nicely to this catagory. Living in the desert, I am unfamiliar with how these knives would perform in extreme cold.
 
I haven't had any problems with my Busse when chopping in freezing weather in the 20's. Nothing in the sub zero temps as far as I can remember though.

From my understanding the steel Busse uses, INFI, is somewhat rust resistant although I don't think it would be considered stainless.

As long as the edge isn't too thin if reprofiled it's pretty tough, easy to resharpen and from my experience stays sharp after chopping dried out, hard wood.

Someone over in the Busse forum may be able to answer any questions better than I could.

Hope that helps.
Jason
 
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