I think Benchmade may have hit a homerun with this knife. Or at least a triple.
I can't seem to find one anywhere. So I'm really not sure.
Without venturing into the Cheerio Peeing contest. And with thoughts of defusing it.
"Bushcrafting" and lately "Puukko" have become hot button terms with both consumers and manufacturers.
I tend to adhere to the traditional definition of Puukko. Which pretty much leaves this knife out side the parameters. Personally, I don't care what it's called. It looks to be a very nice knife. Good steel, ergonomic handle and a sheath. I'm on the fence about the sheath. But I'm basing that off just photos. Since I haven't been able to source a knife yet.
As to the whole spine thing.
I see Bushcrafting as a term similar to camping. From what I understand and can research. The term itself actually originated out of the Bush in Australia.
There isn't or at least shouldn't be a hard and fast set of rules. You are just in the "Bush" (Australian for woods) crafting. Sawing, cutting, burning, building, whatever.
There is no one preset way to set a tarp. There is no one right way to build a fire. So it stands to reason there doesn't necessarily need to be one specific way to build a knife. Whether you call it a Bushcraft Knife or a Puukko, or Granny's Spud Peeler.
I have several by defenition, Finnish Puukkos. Some will strike a ferro rod or flint, some will not. Some are Rhombic in profile, some are not.
L.T. Wright makes and sells great knives with super sharp 90 degree spines. Hockey skate sharp. So sharp, I have cut myself several times when placing my thumb on top to do finer work. I even have a slice in an Elk Skin Roper from one. I do not strike steels with my L.T. Wright knives.
I do however utilize the sharp spine to scrape tinder from branches. It works very well for that. It also peels carrots like a demon. Very cool. It is one take on a knife that can be used for Bushcrafting.
Andy Roy of Fiddleback Forge has a different take on sharpened spines. He doesn't care for them for several reasons. Not the least of which is the possibility of an injury in the field. I have been rubbing dirt into wounds to stop bleeding since shortly after I could walk. I don't seem to get infected by much. But it is a real concern to many.
I can say one of the slices I inflicted upon myself with a 90 degree spine was noteworthy.
So that point should be considered.
He also mentions the radiused edges help to reduce stress risers in a knife subjected hard field use. 90 degree edges can amplify shock loads. Much like the touted breaking spot on an otherwise tried and true Ka-bar.
If you think of a shock wave in liquid form. It is much easier for it to flow around the radius of a curve, than strike a 90 degree corner.
I used those three makers as examples.
Because I have a lot of solid real world field time with them.
I also have a batch of field time with my 162. I actually own two 162s. A standard version, and the LE numbered one with the orange liners.
The stone washing on the LE has dulled the edges a bit. I knew this going in. Does this make an otherwise great field knife worthless? Not in my opinion.
Are Andy Roy's Knives lesser field knives because he rounds his spines? I can say with some certainty, they clearly are not. They are a dream to use in the field and in camp.
L.T.'s knives are likewise. As is my well tested and abused Ka-bar.
I truly think we do ourselves a disservice when we start over define and impose lilitations on what we do in the woods and what we do it with. Folks seem to get caught up in the terminology, and not the actual doing.
Mors Kachanski certainly set forth some guidelines. He is surely adept in his northern boreal forest. But if you read his writings. He has changed and evolved often.
Dave Canterbury has his criteria for what makes a good bushcraft knife as well.
So do a plethora of other bushcraft celebrities. Ray Mears, Cody Lundin, Les Stroud, and more. And yet, they are all different. All of them have different takes on the perfect knife.
What I see is two very different realities.
Reality #1. There is no perfect knife.
Reality #2. If someone pays me, and puts my name on their Knife. I will call it the perfect knife.
I would wager, if one was to spend a week or three with a Sämi reindeer herder working in their natural environment. We would learn more than we would from a lifetime of watching television bushcrafters or so called survival experts.
I'm almost positive Mr. Reindeer Herder would not build his fire they way Mors does. And his pot hanger might be different from that of Ray Mears. But is he any less of a Bushcrafter?
When the cameras turn off. He still has animals to herd. He needs to survive the sub-arctic Taiga. The knife he uses probably doesn't have his name on it. His axe may well have been his father's before him. But it keeps him alive.
I'm a bit saddeded to see folks waste so much energy trying to fill other people's cereal bowls with urine. There are much better uses of the time we have here on the planet.
Folks here are smart, creative, and genuinely passionate. Those traits should be applied in more constructive ways. Perhaps even going out and Bushcrafting, camping, woods roaming or whatever you may call it.
The whole sharp spine debate is certainly becoming industry wide. It's a hot button. But then again Kephart, Rushton, Col Whelen, and that Sämi herder all managed to do quite well without them.
Bushcrafting should be a Journey not a Destination. Use what works for you. Watch what works for others. Understand those two paths may run close together at times. Then veer widely apart at others.
*** Disclaimer***
I own and use all of the knives discussed above. All were purchased with my own money. With the exception of the Benchmade Puukko 200. Which I haven't found available yet.
Do I have a favorite?
Depends on the day, the conditions, and the tasks.
We in today's knife world are beyond lucky. There are so many exceptional blades being made today it's crazy.
I think we should begin to view a knife like a day. If there is one small thing that goes wrong in our day, like a stubbed toe, or a spilled cup of coffee. But the rest of the day is great. We shouldn't dwell on the small potholes. But instead look ahead and revel in all that is good.
