Blind Horse Knives Bushcrafter, users comments please?

ShelterMe

ShelterMe

Joined
Jul 11, 2010
Messages
103
Hello all,

Apologies for making a ton of posts but saving up for a new blade and would like some intelligent input so I can make an informed decision. I know this is a long post, and I would rather not have any glib comments like "Search tool works." or "check other threads."

I don't have a a lot of money to spend on a Charlie May, Chris Reeve or Bark River custom knife-- I don't own 30 different knives and in this economy I have to save up to have a good one, so I can't just order away and put it on a shelf if I don't like it.

I am looking at maybe three to choose from: Fallkniven F1 (probably stock as the Lone Rider version is around $170 without a sheath), an Off The Map Custom Bushcraft or Terrasaur, both are around $180 but come with sheaths and are customizable at no additional charge, and a Spyderco Bushcraft (factory second, problems with wood grips failing) at around $160-180.

I stumbled upon the Bushcrafter from Blind Horse Knives last night and I keep coming back to look at it... I love the shape of the blade, seems like a whole new style to consider (everything else bushcraft has typically your sloping drop point like the Spyderco, or a straight drop point similar to a RAT 4). The spear point seems like a more versitile option since you can "dig" through wood without snapping your tip if need be, and it is not so pointy as there is a risk of you poking or otherwise cutting yourself in the field.

My issue is with the handle. I read Garrett Lucas's review of the knife and he seems to love it. There is not much on youtube showing the knife in action, even on Blind Horse's channel. I like a handle with finger swells. I do not like a handle that is concave, like some of the Bark Rivers, a concave handle seems unnatural in the hand. I am also not big on dramatic finger choils. This also to me seems unnatural, uncomfortable and a novelty. The BHK Bushcrafter does have a rather pronounced finger choil that would seem to even hinder leverage when using the knife, making placement awkward.

Some of the reviews on youtube simply say the knife is cool and it looks great. and "oh I really ought to get one." There are no reviews showing the knife performing. BHK has some pics up, but no user commentary on how the knife performs the actions and how it feels doing so.

When I do a B.F. search on the knife all I come up with is a few pics and people wanting to sell these knives. Why are you guys selling them? Are my concerns unfounded? Can any BHK Bushcrafter user comment on how the handle feels when using the knife for some traditional bushcraft cuts (here is a video to explain exactly the cuts I am referring to: http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/wilderness-skills/using-a-knife-cutting-techniques-safety.html).

I like the overall design of the knife, there must have been a reason for BHK to make a radically crafted handle like that, I just would like to know the reasoning behind it and whether this round design with pronounced choil is a hindrance or a godsend.

I don't suppose anyone who owns one would mind letting me handle it through the mail before I think about committing to order one? (I don't want to waste the BHK guys's time if I am not going to like the feel of the knife). Not use, just feel it out. Either way, I would really appreciate any input since the value and price of the knife are really great. $125 for tool steel, custom grind, custom scales and sheath included. Their customer service is supposed to be fantastic as well...

Thanks for any input here gang. Sorry for writing the Old Testament.

-Mike
 
i have a BHK Bushcrafter but i have not had a chance to really work with it much yet.

the cross section of the handle is almost perfectly round (like a broom stick). the one finger notch is the only way to feel the orientation of the blade. and it should also provide some resistance to pushing your hand forward onto the blade.

if you can find one, there's also the BHK Scattycrafter which is based off the bushie, but based on mods suggested by one of the forum members.

i like the look of the Spidey bushies, but the fact that the seconds have issues with the scales gives me pause. it's not a deal to spend that amount, which would get you a custom from several makers and then have the scales fall apart.

Bark River is a "production" knife IMHO. unless i've missed how to special order something from them. you buy what the various vendors have, and there are a bunch of variations in scales and liners available. so it's more custom than some. again, many of the Barkies are significantly more expensive than some of the similar customs.

CRK? round handle with nothing at all to orient the blade in your hand unless you feel for the guard. there's also the Schrade clones of the CRKs, but that's only two models.

the Off The Map blades all seem like really nice work and IIRC, reasonable prices. like most customs you have to wait for the lead time. i expect it would be well worth it.

the ESEE 4, while not a "bushcraft specific" knife seems to do a lot of stuff well, and it's a production knife, so the only wait should be for it to ship. it's also been one of the more popular production knives in the "show us your bushcraft knife" thread.

the problem is that it's really hard to judge a knife based on someone else's opinion. what works for them may not work for you.

there's all kinds of styles out there, it's finding the ones that work for YOU that's the challenge... well, other than paying for them.
 
Seems to be a pretty nice blade. The pics on BHK seem to show all the tings that a buchcraft knife is supposed to do being done. Is this a knife your actually going to use or just a fantasy lay in the drawer kind of thing? It looks like a pretty good deal to me, I certainly couldn't make it and sell it for the same $$ they do.
 
I just picked one up off the exchange. Pretty one with the tiger maple handles and blued O1 blade. Working on my first spoon with it. So far, I like it a lot. The handle is thicker and more comfortable than my old F1, on par with a Fox River perhaps, but a little bigger. I thought the finger cutout on the handle would bother me, but so far I haven't noticed it. It's the perfect size for me, and the blade shape is ideal for bushcraft tasks, IMO. If you like this style, and ever find yourself in possession of a few extra pennies, you owe it to yourself to check out Matt Lesniewski's stuff at ML Knives:
http://www.mlknives.com/KephartKnivesMLKnives.html
 
I have a first run BHK bushcrafter flat ground saw steel with maple handles, a customized scandi bushcrafter with jade G10 handles, and a bushbaby scandi w/ green micarta. Love them all, use them all the time. It was posted above but the choil is used to index the edge , because of the symetrical blade. It is a very comfortable handle IMO. My first run BC has a smaller in diamiter handle. Not a big deal , but my scandi is a little more comfortable.

The Heat treat is spot on, edges are great, fit and finish is execelent.

The guys at BHK are great to deal with. If you are looking for a thin/fat handle, or maybe rough/smooth grip drop them an email.
 
I dont own a Bushcrafter, but I do own the Boattail Scandi. Best scandi knife I own! BHK are very nice knives, and theyre good people too.
 
Hello Shelterme,

I have owned the BHK Bushy, and have used them. The blade performs very well and has a good bite. I wasn't crazy about the handle as the finger notch wasn't that comfortable for me in every grip I use. That was the only reason I sold mine.

I have also owned an F1 and liked it alot, however I prefer the H1, which just happns to have Custom Lone Ryder grips. The F1 with custom grips is an excellent choice.

I also own and love my Brian Andrews Terrasaur. There is no problem with drilling into wood, the tip as like the other knives mentioned is very strong. Out of all your choices I prefer the Terrasaur. For under 200, you get all the knife, quality, and workmanship of a much more expensive custom.

I have also owned and used an RC-4, which is a great knife. I prefer bigger handles and hate finger choilson a knife that size, so that was sold as well. But it was a great knife.

I love my Spyderco bushy, but I do not own a 2nd. I am not as handy as alot of the other guys when it comes to fixing cracks in handles, so that wuldn't be my choice.

What you need to consider is the different grinds on the knives you are considering. You have convex, flat, and scandi all there. So make sure you are good at maintaining which ever you choose.

Hope this helps, good luck
 
Thanks guys, good advice all. I do plan on making this a work knife. I pretty much chop and process wood every day for a fireplace/woodstove/& fire pit. So this would be a daily use item. Hearing that people may have an issue with the handle design significant enough to sell is a good indication that I should look elsewhere. Good design aside, I also don't want to wait a possible 90 days to get this. Winter is coming. Will probably go with an F1 Laminated if I can find one relatively cheap. Thanks everyone for your input. -M
 
If it were me, to be honest, I would buy a ML Knives Kephart with a 4.5 inch handle. Slightly more expense - but a hell of a knife - similar design.

A BRKT FT Kephart would also be a better buy - in my opinion.

TF
 
ShelterMe said:
I pretty much chop and process wood every day for a fireplace/woodstove/& fire pit.
Click to expand...

This is an admirable use for a knife, but not the kind of thing typically considered 'bushcrafting' which is more orientated towards detail carving. If what you want to do is baton split and shave curls with broad strokes then I would have to say that a <4" knife is not in your best interest.

Here I would go with a 4.5 - 6" blade, something a bit more on the robust side. I think that ESEE-4 would do you well in the robust category. At 3/16" thick it is pretty bomb proof stuff, although some folks don't like the thinner handles. Personally, I think a BK-2 is overkill, but really for your purposes you might want to check it out. Also, the BRK&T bravo-1 would be great here or step up to the fallkniven S1 if you want that laminate.

Anyhow, sorry to interject, but based on your above proscribed uses, you aren't interested in the kind of blade that the typical response of 'buy a mora and save your cash' will satisfy. You don't want a bushcrafter, you want something that is more of a mid-size transition knife. At least that is what I'm guessing.

Personally, when I do fire-prep on the back porch and am batoning gnarly wood, baton/ripping kindling pieces etc. I like using my ESEE-6. I just don't really worry about its good looks..I use it for the down and dirty and it is comfortable enough to do so. Just don't ask me to carve a spoon with the clumsy beast...
 
I like the BHK bushcrafter quite a bit. Blade shape is what I'd consider just about perfect on a woods knife. It is compact and the handle is comfortable no matter how you are holding it (for me anyway) My single complaint is that the butt of the handle is too heavy. It can feel kind of dead in hand. A couple more lightening holes in the tang would have made it perfect.
 
I do ironically have a BK-2, which I love. Basically anything I can't split with the Wetterlings because the size is a little small goes to the BK-2. Problem with this knife is that if I do want to make some kindling/featherstick/tinder, whatever, it's pretty much an impossibility. I've sharpened the BK-2 about as sharp as it's going to get and it's just not designed to handle any finer work. Splitting, great, but it's like a SCUD missile. A lot of firepower but not much accuracy. I also love my Moras, in fact the clipper lives out by my wood pile. I just wanted a little more high-end knife that is infallible, and I think the F1 is a great choice for it. It can handle splitting medium size wood, no problem, and it is simply versatile enough to do the finer, more specialized stuff normally reserved for the Mora-- but at a higher quality. The convex edge is also going to be more durable than the scandi on the Moras. All the suggestions are great, but I want a higher quality knife that I will not be afraid to use. Anything more than $120 I'm not going to want to take in the field. If I had a Bark River or Charlie May or whatever else, I would probably sit with it on my couch and polish it with a diaper. Hey, look, if the Swedes are going to issue it to their pilots as a higher end alternative to the Moras (which I already think are great), then that will be the knife for me. -M
 
Talfuchre you suck. LOL. That Kephart's a great looking knife... Now I have no idea what I'm going to do... ugh. -M
 
Well dang I like the Kerphart as well and am looking for a knife like that. I see that everything is sold out, is this something you have to order and he makes them as you order and if you have bought something of his, does it take a long time to get?
 
i have the blindhorse bushcrafter and its a great woods knife. i have used mine tons and haven't really had any problems with hot spots when using it for prolong periods. i think for the price its a amazing knife. the handle has never given me any problems and i have tons of bushcraft knifes. i got the 01 version with blk micarta handles and its very solid all around user
 
Hey ShelterMe,

Shoot me a PM or email. I might have a line on a couple for you to try.
 
Toadkiller said:
Well dang I like the Kerphart as well and am looking for a knife like that. I see that everything is sold out, is this something you have to order and he makes them as you order and if you have bought something of his, does it take a long time to get?
Click to expand...

as far as i've seen, availability onthe BRKT Kepharts is very limited.

google for it, and you'll find that KSF has the fancy versions at steep prices and nothing else shows up. links to knives that have already sold on here or similar forums also pop up in a search.

sooo, unless i'm missing something, it doesn't look like BRKT is making a Kephart currently.

ML makes one as mentioned previously and so does JK knives. Turley also makes a model that's a Kephart, but i forget what his model name is at the moment, and Ray Lanconico makes a few.
 
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I have the O.T.M. bushie by B.G. Andrews in 5/32" o-1 scandi and it has become my favorite knife.Tuff knife! I think Brians back order is getting longer though. Certainly worth the weight.--KV
 
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