Best Edge Retention Bush Craft Knife for the Money?

19-3ben said:
In terms of materials/price ratio I have no experience with, but have been sorely tempted by the recently released Benchmade Puuko. A blade just under 3” in 3v for about $120 is a pretty solid punch in the face to Fallkniven who offers the F1 in VG10 laminate at that same price point.
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I've been looking at that exact same blade! The handle looks comfy and the blade shape so very useful for a myriad of cutting tasks! Buy one Ben and if you don't like it, send it to me... Or I might just pick one up and like it so much, that I'll tell you to go buy your own! :D
 
jdm61 said:
TOPS Fieldcraft is listed as being made from 1095 at 56-58 and can be had for $140. Makes me wary. No reason IMO to have a knife made from steel like that any softer than 60Rc. At .190 thick with a scandi/saber grind, "toughness" would not be a not an big issue as the spine is not going to get that hard anyway even with best methods because the steel is so shallow hardening. If it is not tough enough, then you are using the wrong steel.
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The tops Fieldcraft in 154cm has not a differential heat treat. It has a full heat treat at 60RC.
 
Mark Becker said:
Ok, I watch a lot of knife reviews, but none talk about (or compare) edge retention. If you have the experience, what are the best bush craft knives with long edge retention and easy of sharpening for the money? Under $100, Under $200 and under $400?

If you could add the type of steel is your choice for the price range, that would be helpful.

Cheers!
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In the under $100 range, I'm fine with 1095, 420HC or 12C27 so long as it has a good heat treat and is at 58RC or more. My favorite is a very old Schrade-Walden fixed blade that I suspect is 59Rc or better in 1095.

I worry much more about blade grind, handle shape, and blade shape than I do steel (so long as the steel is in this category).
 
91bravo said:
I've been looking at that exact same blade! The handle looks comfy and the blade shape so very useful for a myriad of cutting tasks! Buy one Ben and if you don't like it, send it to me... Or I might just pick one up and like it so much, that I'll tell you to go buy your own! :D
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Exactly the reasons I'm sorely tempted. Besides, Benchmade usually has a bit of a premium for anything with their name on it, but them offering a 3V field knife at that price point, makes it one hell of a deal. Love the shape, spec, etc... I suspect they've got a long term home run with this knife.

Reviews I've read say that to get best use, it really needs the edge thinned out, but you've got a reputation here for sharpening knives that could split atoms, so I suspect that wouldn't be an issue for you. I haven't made the jump on it so far because my sharpening equipment just wasn't up to working with higher end steels. Sharpening 3v on Spyderco Sharpmaker ceramic rods sounds like an experiment in frustration tolerance. But I am finally making the leap to freehand sharpening, and have some diamond stones on order so knives like this become much more possible now.

I realize i misspoke in the reply that you quoted. I said the blade is just under 3". It's actually just under 4" which is what I meant to type but made a typo.
 
For pure bushcraft, I think it's hard to beat 1095, 01, or Cruwear. Generally pretty easy to sharpen if you need to in the field. Just carry along a small diamond hone for this purpose. As long as you don't beat the hell out of your blades on a regular basis in the woods, I think just about any reasonable stainless (S35VN or similar) is good gives you a slight edge holding edge over many of the 1095 blades. Chipping is the issue with the really hard steels. But they do tend to hold an edge longer and generally harder to sharpen.

Bushcraft means making things in the field (woods) from natural materials. Woodscraft is probably a broader term which I like better. It embodies all the things we do in the woods including tents, clothing, footwear, fire making, cooking and so forth.
 
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19-3ben said:
Exactly the reasons I'm sorely tempted. Besides, Benchmade usually has a bit of a premium for anything with their name on it, but them offering a 3V field knife at that price point, makes it one hell of a deal. Love the shape, spec, etc... I suspect they've got a long term home run with this knife.

Reviews I've read say that to get best use, it really needs the edge thinned out, but you've got a reputation here for sharpening knives that could split atoms, so I suspect that wouldn't be an issue for you. I haven't made the jump on it so far because my sharpening equipment just wasn't up to working with higher end steels. Sharpening 3v on Spyderco Sharpmaker ceramic rods sounds like an experiment in frustration tolerance. But I am finally making the leap to freehand sharpening, and have some diamond stones on order so knives like this become much more possible now.

I realize i misspoke in the reply that you quoted. I said the blade is just under 3". It's actually just under 4" which is what I meant to type but made a typo.
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3V is not all that hard if you have the right equipment. I can take a dull, rolled 3V edge and have it shaving in about 10 minutes with a few different grits of DMT stones.
 
Here is D3V after my wife ran it through her Knife or Death run. VERY VERY minimal edge damage.
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I did not say that the 1095 Fieldcraft was differentially heat treated. What I was talking about is how 1095 will "accidentally" differentially heat treat itself because it is such a shallow hardening steel. I found listing for the 154CM version and it said 58-60.
SteelJunkee said:
The tops Fieldcraft in 154cm has not a differential heat treat. It has a full heat treat at 60RC.
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91bravo said:
I still want one!
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Duh! You'd be crazy not to.

91bravo said:
3V is not all that hard if you have the right equipment. I can take a dull, rolled 3V edge and have it shaving in about 10 minutes with a few different grits of DMT stones.
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Well that's why, now that I'm getting diamond stones, I am more comfortable with the idea of it. Trying to do it on my old ceramic triangle rods would have been frustrating AF, but on diamond stones, once i get the hang of it, I expect it'll be fine.
 
19-3ben said:
Duh! You'd be crazy not to.



Well that's why, now that I'm getting diamond stones, I am more comfortable with the idea of it. Trying to do it on my old ceramic triangle rods would have been frustrating AF, but on diamond stones, once i get the hang of it, I expect it'll be fine.
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Diamonds will make quicker work of any steel out there!
 
When I bought mine, there was one MH and 1 grind. My knife is from the late 80's or early 90's when Camillus was allegedly making CS's "made in the USA" carbon steel knives.
jux t said:
The Carbon V master hunters came in two different grinds, one was a thin distal taper. The other was thicker overall, and was similar to the aus-8 and San Mai MH grinds. The thicker ones came with a single snap sheath, the thinner ones came with the double snap sheath.

The new 3V master hunters have the favorable thin distal taper. Quite nice knives for the price.
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In my experience making some knives with 3V, diamond stones are not necessary. Japanese water stones work just fine.
 
To the OP - take a gander at a Fiddleback Forge mid-tech Kephart. Handmade Fiddleback's are great, easily worth using and owning, but my A2 versions do not keep an edge as long as the S35VN on my mid-tech Kephart.

91bravo said:
My wife's Knife or Death run with a Carothers Medium Chopper in D3V. She's the blonde.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1p78VTxJB8Zb_2rR43xx_6R9Va6587LtI
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Thanks for sharing as this challenge was interesting to watch and I was not aware this show was around - good to know about it. I don't often chop or slice, hew or hack suspended objects, but when I have, it's an awkward effort as my technique and practice are both lacking. It's harder to translate the energy of a strike into the cut as objects often move, bounce, and rebound with the force while being cut, too.
 
SteelJunkee said:
From my most bushcrafty ones.

Under 100$ - Ontario RD6 - 5160 steel - Good edge but not really lasting, tough steel, Piece of cake to sharpen.
Under 100$ - Ontario Rat-5 - 1095 steel - same as above.
Under 100$ - Mora Kansbol - 12C27 steel - Great edge and good edge retention, piece of cake to sharpen.
Under 200$ - Fallkniven F1 - Lam VG10 - Excellent edge and good edge retention, Harder steel but still easy to sharpen.
Under 200$ - Mora Garberg - 14C28N - Excellent edge and better edge retention, a bit Harder steel but still easy to sharpen.
Under 300$ - Bark River Gunny Hunter - A2 - Good edge and good edge retention, tough steel, Piece of cake to sharpen.
Under 300$ - Tops Fieldcraft - 154cm - Excellent edge and great edge retention, Harder but still tough and relatively easy to sharpen.
Under 300$ - Bark River Aurora - CPM3v - Excellent edge and great edge retention, hard and tough, Harder to sharpen but not that much.
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Thanks SteelJukee, this is extremely helpful!
 
So how do you all define "bushcraft?" It seems to me that the original definition of getting all bushcrafty involved lots of carving, whittling and such which would seem to favor a fine, stable edge. That says AEB-L, low austenized 52100, W2, 10xx, 3v, etc to me and left fairly hard.
 
91bravo said:
Just keep it simple. You can't go wrong with a simple carbon steel for bushcraft. Easy to sharpen and hold an edge forever, usually don't go together in the same sentence. Unless you're talking about D3V of course. For the budget, for what you are looking for, I would go with a Becker of some flavor.
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Hard to go wrong with carbon steel. Easy to keep it sharp and make it sharp if you must.
 
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