Bushcraft 2.0

H

hollowdweller

Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
13,182
So a while back I got one of Dan's first run Bushcrafts I think y'all may recall my reviews of it. It's a fine knife:thumbup:

KB.jpg


So since I liked that one so well I got back on the list for one and sent him some Osage to glue on so I could shape the handle to my preference.

I did this one with the palm swell a little farther back and I think it made it even more comfortable
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Here's another pic with the original.
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When I ordered it I assumed that the blade itself would be like the original but I later saw pics and then Dan confirmed he no longer was making the blades with the extended plunge line. When I got the blade I also noticed that the thumb grooves are about 1/3 the length of the original.

I'm not a thumb groove freak so that doesn't bother me. However if I was the grooves are not in the right place for my thumb on this one where on the original they were so extensive you could have had your thumb in a variety of positions and made contact with them.

However the lack of the extended plung line is a real let down for me. :rolleyes: It doesn't really affect cutting large stuff but when I was cutting stuff like half an inch or smaller I would almost always try to cut with the ricasso because the point where the knife contacts the wood naturally for me is there. Now for 99.9% of the people it's not going to make a difference. A lot of people like big choils anyway. But for me the original design is so superior for fine cutting.

My guess would be it is much faster to make a little thumb ramp and to make it with a big ricasso so at the level of production that Dan is running at the changes are almost a necessity.

Anyway here's a pic where I hope you can see the plunge line and thumb ramp difference.

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I also noticed the edge was not as polished on this one, almost toothy, and there is one place where either the knife was dropped and the edge hit another or there was a low spot in the blank and the sides don't quite match up:thumbdn: This is not terrible and I think I can fix it with a diamond plate and waterstones

In conclusion this is still the cheapest bushcraft style knife you can get for the money:thumbup: This second one suffers a bit from redesign to facilitate fast production but is still a great cutter.:thumbup:

The handle on this one is even more comfortable than my first. The Osage is awesome. However the ricasso thing drives me crazy. I'm going to cut some more with it to see if I can get used to it and if not I'll probably sell it since I have the original which maybe a 15% better knife for me.

number3.jpg
 
that came out great HD....:thumbup: i love those knives.... they're crazy sharp... mine still needs to be broken in....:o
 
nice review HD, I think I would agree with your opion, I like the edge to run back alittle further. You did a very nice job shaping your scales. Pat
 
Nice write up HD.

I like the osage.

I finally got some handles on this one. I sold the blade itself and the buyer wanted a handle on it.

This blade shape and scandi grind just wasn't my style.

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Excellent job Bruche!

Love the way you extended the handle up to cover the "bump"/guard ish part.

Curious, what didn't you like about the blade shape? I like it overall although if I had my druthers I'd like it to be thicker, spine to edge and with some belly. The skookum blade has that belly and it seems like it cuts a bit more efficiently in difft grips if you know what I mean.:confused:
 
Yeah the blade starts right at the end of the scales. I sanded off part of the bump a little bit.

I guess I prefer more of a drop point for a knife this size. I'm also addicted to convex edges.

The sheath for this one is almost done...it should turn out pretty good.
 
Those look awesome guys! I especially dig the wood ilbruce, as always. :thumbup:

I think the quality was spot-on for the first-run bushcraft knife I've got from Dan. I was just dissapointed in the design, I suppose, and it just didn't quite fit me. The handle dimensions are all wrong, beyond slab thickness. Sometimes I'm tempted to try and 'make it' work for me because I want to like it so much, but mostly it sits in a drawer.
 
Wow!!!!!! Very nice work Bruche. You profiled the handle very well. I didn't pick up what wood you used? No matter, well done. :)
 
tarmix101 said:
Wow!!!!!! Very nice work Bruche. You profiled the handle very well. I didn't pick up what wood you used? No matter, well done. :)
Click to expand...

Bocote. The best looking stuff around! I'm partial, since I have 2 of his handled knives witht the stuff! :D:thumbup:
 
Nice handle designs HollowDweller and ilbruche!

I have one of the first run Koster Bushcrafts and like it. I would not be happy with the plunge line on the new ones though. Why mess with success? Seems like a step backwards to me, at least for detail carving and notching.
 
Nice work, HD. We were looking for your input in the 3" "kit-model" Dan is talking about.

It may be picky but, even if it is the best deal going on a Bushcraft, I don't want to decide to buy TWO of something based on what I see in the first run only to wait several months to find out such a key (in my book) feature, such as where the blade starts, is changed. I hit Dan up about it and he said he likes the new way better but would do mine the "old way." I use that part of the blade and it drives me nuts when I get one and it's not ground there or, is almost finished being ground there. I have had several where they were not finished being ground to an edge for as much as half an inch and they either get moved or get fixed.

Oh, and Nice work, Ilbruche.

Edit:
"I have had several where they were not finished being ground..."
Clarification - several made by others.... (not by Dan.)
 
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Man, you do a great handle HD. That came out pretty. I can see what you mean about the edge. I'd rather it come down to the handle too.
 
Thanks for the review. I totally agree with the points you make, and that is why I no longer have mine. I have been dissappointed lately and it seems the push to produce has cut short some of the things I originally liked about Koster knives. Still some of the best value out there though.
 
I am awaiting my (Green Micarta) Koster Bushcraft knife,should be inbound anyday....I ordered it back in January,so the wait was not to long ...
 
Thanks for the review, hollowdweller.

The thumbgrooves are shorter simply because they are a bear to put in. :D It is placed further out based on the feedback I received that most found they didn't need it as a thumb-stop...but it was more useful for firestarting. Also, that after hours of carving...thumbgrooves that were too close (and a spine too squared off) wore out fingers too quickly. So, the spine is rounded between the handle and grooves for comfort...and the grooves are there for an extended thumb stop..but most for firesteel striking.


The edge on yours wasn't polished on purpose to facilitate you working on the handles...no sense in slicing off fingers...I figured you could finish out the sharpening.


The ricasso is a weird thing for me...I didn't like it going all the way back on the first run...very hard for me to finish out properly...so I moved it up on the next batch. I was supposed to move them all closer to the guard when I did post-heat-treat grinding and simply forgot. You guys reminded me in a post on my forum...and I appreciated it. Can't do anything about what's already been glued up...(blades have to be fully ground before glue-up...hard to explain why)

So, I did the best I could with the next batch that I glued up this morning:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=555543


BladeShowGlueUp0514-02.jpg

(the bevel has a funny reflection on it...but be assured..it is indeed flat)


The edge is ground back as far as I would like to take it (about 1/16" - or less - in front of the guard). I think, with time and many sharpenings, the reasoning behind the change will become more evident.


We all have things that we would like to change...do differently...with the knives we own and use regularly. I've been impressed with the reviewers willing to do testing and provide positive feedback. I am still learning...and could not progress as well without it. :thumbup:

If anyone has any questions about this knife design...please feel free to ask in my forum...no need to drift this review thread. :thumbup:


Thanks!

Dan
 
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