Bushcraft Field Knife

LostViking

LostViking

Joined
Jan 1, 2009
Messages
3,427
Inbound,

Well I bit the bullet this morning and placed my order. Should have it by the weekend.

Something about this knife has attracted me since I first saw it. I wish it had a leather sheath. I may try to stuff it in one of my other sheaths. Or who knows, I might like the one it comes with.

I have searched for, and read all the reviews I could find. Admittedly not too much out there. So I will do my part when it gets here. But in reality, reviews are subjective. Knife reviewers are like restaurant critics, or movie critics. They tend to get caught up in their own self importance. Most of my favorite movies were critical disasters. It seems once someone gets paid for their opinion, something changes. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not.

In reading all the reviews I could find. Ironically, it was one of the worst, that spurred me on to pull the trigger. Some guy had given this knife one star. One star, seriously? So I continued to read. After some general bashing, of the sheath, the price, and several other shortcomings. He stated that is was nothing more than a beefed up Old Hickory Knife. And it wasn't worth the money.

That was enough for me. I really like Old Hickory Knives to begin with. Why wouldn't I like one on steroids?
I mean really, what's not to like?

Here is where the honesty to one's self took hold. I asked myself honestly.
What do I need this knife to do?

Do I need it to cut things? Yes!
Do I need it to be light enough to carry on a regular basis? Yes!
Do I need it to make me look John Rambo? No!
Do I need it to make me look like I am rich? No!
Can I use it to process wood in the field? I hope so!
Can I make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with it? Yes!
Can I sharpen it easily? Yes!
Can I make breakfast with it in camp, or at home? Yes!
Will it rust? Yes! If I'm stupid!
Will I have to wait five years for this knife? No!
Will I have to take out a loan to buy this knife? No!

And lastly,
Will this knife make me taller and better looking? No!

Well, I am probably pretty boring. But when I actually look at what I need a knife to do. This one seems to check almost all of the boxes. Time will tell. But if it really does end up being nothing more than a beefed up Old Hickory. I imagine I will own it for the rest of my life.


Only time will tell. But I am excited to see this knife's potential.
 
Ontario Bushcraft Field Knife

Well look what showed up today. I had just finished plowing when the UPS Truck showed up. Good for me, good for him.

I took a picture of the box if someone really needs it. But it's a black box that says OKC on it.



First impressions.
Nice, but nothing really to write home about. The Bushcraft Field Knife is not a knife that will take your breath away with its beauty. Nor was I expecting it to be. Think pick-up truck.

The Sheath,
Let's just get the sheath out of the way early. Nylon with a pouch. I wish Ontario had a leather option. But you know what. It's a sheath. And a decent one at that.

The knife is held securely by the strap. It doesn't rattle in the sheath. It has a wide belt loop, that should allow for most belts, even pistol belts.

It says De Santis, New York on it.

People have questioned the price of this Knife. It's made in New York, U.S.A. So is the sheath apparently. Good for Ontario. I'll pay $82.00 to help keep some fellow New Yorkers working. It's not super high end, but it doesn't feel bargain basement cheap either. Just a decent sheath.


The knife,
It arrived in the box. In a heat sealed plastic bag with a cardboard sleeve over the blade.
The blade had a light coat of some sort of oil.

The wood scales looked a like they needed some love. They seemed a little dry. But they matched up well with the tang. No ridges, or rough spots. They were fitted to the knife well and all surfaces are smooth. Not Desert Ironwood Burl. But they look like they belong on this knife.

The Blade
The blade is long and straight. With a drop point, typical of a Bushcraft knife. It is marked Bushcraft on the left side. And 5160 OKC-USA on the right side.

The grinds are uniform and equal on both sides. Except for the very tip of the right hand side. It looks like someone came off the belt just a tad early. Probably not wanting to dull the tip excessively. We are talking somewhere between a sixteenth and a thirty-second here. Most likely five minutes work with a stone. There is just a little extra metal at the very tip.


Specifications
Blade Length: 5"
Overall Length: 10.125"
Blade Steel: 5160 Carbon Steel, 53-55HRC
Handle Material: Walnut Wood
Sheath: Nylon
Weight: 5.6 oz.
Made in USA



Overall, it was pretty much what I was expecting. Like I said above, a pick-up truck. I plan on working this knife. It will be batoned. Cross grain batoned. And other wood processing tasks as well. I plan on it being a kitchen/utility//camp/woods, all round general purpose blade.

A quick finger test (I Know, you're not supposed to do that) had me thinking it was not that sharp. It just didn't feel sharp. It's 5160, so I knew I could remedy that easy enough. But in reality, a quick swipe up the arm tells me. It's not exactly dull either.


All of the above pictures were as I received the knife from the dealer.

At first I thought the outer sides of the tops of the scales could use a bit more radius. To soften the feel. But after I washed the blade of and hit the wood with a light coat of mineral oil. I did not notice as much. Scales are like trees. I can always sand them down a bit later. I can't sand them back up. It wasn't earth shattering, I just thought they could have been blended an bit more.

It also came with a length of para-cord laced like a survival bracelet and a fire steel. Some reviewers have called these gimmicky. But I look at Ontario's target buyer for this knife. I am willing to bet this is targeted at first time Bushcraft folks. People that are not willing to pay some of the high prices out there for more famous knives.

They get a Knife, a sheath, (more than many can say) a decent fire steel and a hank of Para. The fire steel is not quite as thick a the L.M.F. Army. But it isn't one of those skinny survival tin sticks either. It remains to be seen how well it throws sparks.


Overall Impressions,
I got what I expected. A workhorse of a knife. Go to work sharp, with decent grinds, except for a tiny flaw at the very tip. Good fitting handle, in real hardwood. A sheath that works. And some bonus toys. Old Hickory on steroids. Might very well be a fitting description. I am pleased.

I will start working it as soon as possible. We are approaching three feet of snow on the ground with below zero temperatures. So I may start my testing in the kitchen. While the Raider Bowie worked adequately in the kitchen. I believe the Bushcraft Field Knife will excel.

More to come!
 
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I will use this thread as a place to add information on how it does different things. Hopefully with some decent pictures to prove I'm not just making it all up.

The temperature was a balmy -17 degrees this morning so I might get off to a slow start.

Another thing that actually caught my attenion with the Bushcraft Field knife. The Rockwell Hardness, I need a knife that will function in sub-zero temperatures. And not snap like a dry twig. It's another one of those subjective things. Depends on your needs, your location, and many other factors.

If you slept outside last night in some place like Texas. When you woke up this morning. If you flicked your bic, to start the breakfast fire. Chances are good, it would of lit and worked fine. Up here not so much. Nothing wrong with my bic lighter. It just doesn't work when it's -17.
 
Old Hickory on steroids?

IMO it looks more like a modernized Green River Dadley, which is a good, time-proven knife.
 
I like how it looks. I look forward to hearing how it hols an edge with with its hard essential being a bit low. Either way, should be able to ReSharper easy.
 
Well, I have been a wimp. The weather here has been a challenge.

Currently -7 F with a stiff 20 MPH northwesterly wind. Approaching close to four feet of snow on the ground. So any excursions are shoe related.

So with all the excuses out of the way. What I have done is work on the wood handles a bit.

It is quite possible that the wood handles would have soaked up my body oils and took on a nice sheen all by themselves.

But since they looked a little dry to start with. The humidity in my house currently sits right at 30%. And given the fact that for the next few months my gloves will be getting the lion's share of my oil.
I thought I would lend a helping hand.

I am a big fan of the Scandinavian way of treating handles. For this particular application I hit them once with a light coat of mineral oil to jump start the process.

Then onto the bee's wax.
Once a day, for a week,
Once a week, for a month,
Once a month, for a year,
Once a year, for life.

Today is the last day of the first week.
I have to say the handles have been transformed. From the lighter, dryer looking pictures taken above. They have taken on a dark lusterous sheen. The wood's grain has been highlighted. They look refreshed and happy, quite beautiful actually.

That is what I love about wood. A properly treated wood handle is tough, durable, comfortable, and very long lived. Plus it brings with it, an asthetic not found in modern man made materials. A mark on a wood handle adds character. A mark on micarta, is a mark on the micarta.

Also of note, as I tinker with my gear. Getting ready to "Man Up" and get my butt outdoors.
In my Mystery Ranch 3DAP sat my Bolt Knife (Pilot Survival Knife for the uninitiated). Guess what?
The Bushcraft Field Knife slides very slickly into my Bolt Knife Sheath. Huh, leather sheath option solved.

But after sheathing and unsheathing the knife from its factory sheath for the waxing. I am becoming more comfortable with it. The very tight snap that it had when it arrived, is working better now. Still quite snug, which I like. Sheaths should come snug. They will work in as time and use progress. Starting out too loose can only get worse.

Well that's it for now. And no pictures to boot.

But rest assured the before and after shots of the handles will be impressive. I love interactive tools. They almost take on a life of their own.

LV,
 
Looking forward to seeing the pictures, Viking. I can't blame you for not wanting to go outside lately. The weather here is pretty similar to what you just described.
 
Well here is a long overdue follow up.

With temps supposedly touching on 60 today. I thought it would be nice to get the Field Knife out for some actual woods work. Friday and saturday were fiercely windy here. So, I had some raw materials right at my fingertips.


First saw up some downed poplar,



Then have a go at batoning, poplar splits harder than one might imagine. I guess being such a soft wood. It gives rather than splitting. But we had no problems reducing it to a more burnable size.



I even beat it through a few tougher pieces.



Playing around with the first feather stick attempt,



I thought the handles took the Walnut Oil and bees wax well,



I hauled it all over to the fire pit I dug out last night, and built the worlds ugliest fire,



Working on the Fuzzle Berry sticks,



Not too shabby! Again we are working with the factory edge here,



An artistic shot. Or at least as artistic as you can get with a point and shoot.



The self contained camouflaged attack cat. Showing us why he is called the self contained camouflaged attack cat!



This is the first weekend I have left my driveway with out snowshoes on, since early January. It is nice to see spring slowly ease its way back in around here. I have been trying to poke as many holes in the snow as possible in hopes of helping it melt quicker,



One last shot of what is looking like a very capable knife,
 
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Looks good.
Thank You for this review.
i was a bit worry about relatively low HRC of 53-55, but looks like it is pretty usable.

Endel.
 
Keep us posted, I am interested in how the edge holds up with 54+-Rc.
I might have missed it, how thick is it?
 
Well, I went back out after dinner and played around a bit more. Now I am certain. Ontario has hired that Witch Doctor from Helsinki.

There is no way you can get these Fuzzle Berries without a Sandi-Fluvien Grind. And they are the only ones that can do it.
I can only imagine what day two will be like.



Magic I tell ya!
 
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