Bushcraft Knife Challenge results!!!

[Marcelo Cantu]

Knife maker participants

AA Forge
Gossman Knives
Turley Knives
Fiddleback Forge
Fletcher Knives
X39
Nightman
Donavon Phillips
Koyote Knives
Bruce Culberson
Graywolf Knives
NWA Knives
Scout Knives
Wildertools by Rick Marchand
G3 knives by Gene Pinault
Ray Laconico
C. Bryant
Ban Tang
C3 knives C. Cody
Mud Creek Forge
GW Schmidt Knives

Alright fellows, after what must seem like an eternity we present here the results to the Bushcraft Knife Challenge. When this started we really did not anticipate the large turnout that we had.
We have to start by apologizing for taking so long. Along with what we learned from the actual testing, we also gleaned the following;

• Late fall to winter is not the ideal time to test 21 knives.
• Having jobs and families really gets in the way of proper knife testing.
• Wives. This gets its own bullet point.
• Record snowfalls, snow-blowers, shovels, ice-dams, insurance adjusters, carpal tunnel are all non-conducive to proper knife testing.​

These in no way are excuses for taking so long……wait, yes they are. This winter was a female dog.

In all seriousness, it was a privilege, a pleasure, and an honor to have the opportunity to test all these knives. Some beautiful works of functional art as well as some pure work beasts passed through our hands. Thank you to all the makers that participated. You guys rock.

The following posts will contain all of our opinions about the use, feel, fit and finish, and anything else we could come up with. You’ve seen lots of photos so far and we will try to put more up with actual testing along with some videos. With the amount of knives, it no longer was feasible to do proper game prep so we adjusted that portion of our testing to food prep. I believe that we did a good job of being as objective as possible when that was called for and we will try to explain all our subjective opinions as well. We will try to get this up as fast as possible. Each time a post is made, the thread will be locked until we are done.

All quantitative results will be posted at the end.

Here's a link to the comments thread in the gear section

(Note-most of the picture I'm posting are unbeknowningly courtesy of Big Mike)

On to the knives…

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Gossman Knives Challenge knife by Scott Gossman

"First I’d like to tell you a little about myself. I've been fascinated with knives ever since I was a young boy. I enjoy collecting and using knives. I'm an avid hunter and have a passion for the outdoors. This is where I enjoy using knives the most. Whether it be hunting or being a woods bum.
I consider myself an edged toolmaker. Reason being, I feel what I make are cutting tools for those who depend on their equipment while in the field.
I make knives by way of the stock removal method. My style is set towards the hunter, survivalist or outdoor enthusiast. I make them full tang for extra strength when doing big game processing, heavy cutting, chopping or batoning through seasoned wood. I prefer natural handle materials like stag bone and horn. I like exotic hardwoods like mesquite, desert ironwood and maple. I also use micarta for the ultimate in durability. At present I use several types of steel. I prefer carbon steels such as A2 and O1 for large camp knives and use A2, O1 and D2 for medium to small knives for personal survival kits, hunting and general field use knives. My preferred grind is the convex grind. I feel this is the strongest of the three grinds, flat, hollow and convex. In my experience, maintenance and resharpening is very easy. All my work is freehand, one knife at a time. I do all work in-house and outsource nothing. I do all my own heat treating and tempering. I do all my own sheath work using top grade 8-9 oz. vegetable tanned cowhide.

My equipment consists of a 2x72 KMG belt grinder, 2x48 K-Cut belt grinder, drill press, Grizzly mini milling machine, Baldor buffer, vertical/horizontal band saw, Dremel rotary tool, hammers, files, other various hand tools and a Johnson Gas and Appliance atmospheric heat treating furnace.
I hope you will consider putting one of my blades to use on your next hunting trip or outdoor adventure."

Scott Gossman

http://www.gossmanknives.com/

This knife impressed me from the get go. My first thought holding this knife was “Heavy Duty”. The knife is 9 1/2" overall, 3/16" thick by 1 1/2" wide, 4 3/4" blade, 4 1/2" cutting edge, 4 3/4" handle. RC 60/61. Full convex with secondary convex edge.

Fit and finish on this knife is flawless. I really can’t say anything else on this aspect.

The willow leaf shape, one of my favorites provides plenty of straight edge for chopping, batoning, and carving as well as belly for skinning and scraping.

The generously contoured micarta handle is instantly comfortable in all of my common hand holds. The thick, high quality leather sheath is Scott’s usual bombproof flawless designs.

The edge came very sharp and easily sliced through free hanging paper. Scott puts a strong durable edge on his knives and this one is no different. The Challenge handles daily camp tasks like cutting saplings, whittling sharp points, making wedges, batoning, etc. with ease. A bit more effort is required for cutting fibrous materials, carving implements, feather sticks. It will still get the job done mind you but this is where a thinner grind would be preferable. This is the trade off for having such a strong edge. After use by three testers, the edge only required a stropping to bring it back.

In the kitchen, meats, cheese and veggies were a breeze. This was one of the few knives that I did get to test in the kitchen before relinquishing this task to Big Mike. Obviously not a thin kitchen slicer and peeling was difficult but it gets the job done.

Overall, this knife would be a top choice for me as a survival knife. It’s small enough not to leave behind but stout enough for everything you can throw at it. Paired with a SAK Farmer or a thin little fixed blade and a buck saw or an axe and you could spend a long time in the bush.
Terrific job!

Thread will be locked for next tester’s post
In use pics and possibly vids will be posted by TonyM. Additional pics in the Gallery.

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Big Mike asked me to post his input.

Like Marcelo has stated, the three of us gave each and every knife a very fair and thorough test. There are no losers here, just winners; the maker's are winners for stepping up to the challenge, the tester's are winners for having the chance to use these fine tools, and most of all, the Forum Members are winners by getting to see what our maker's are capable of producing. All of the knives featured here will get the job done, even the lowest scoring knives in the performance categories just needed a little edge work to bring them around.





Being both a cook and a hunter, I took charge of the Food Prep portion of the performance testing. Each knife was used to prepare a meal or two, and was used for butchering/trimming raw meat; I feel the scores awarded represent how the knives would fair prepping food in camp as well as processing game.





Another thing to note is just how well the variety of designs worked in performing the designated tasks; not many of the knifes featured are what I would have considered traditional bushcraft designs, yet they worked well preforming the tasks required. Many of these knives easily cross over into the realm of Every Day Carry knives, Hunting knives, and even Camp/Trail knives. There are knives here for every taste and every budget.





I would like to thank all those involved for giving me the privilege of being involved in this challenge.

Gossman Knives

A solid performer; good blade, good sheath, good handle in my large hand; the choice of handle material was not my favorite (but this did not cost it any points).

　



　

 

[tonym]

First off I before I give my oppinion on any knives I would like to thank all the makers. You guys have shown great patience with us and I appreciate that.

I also want to thank "'The Game" for the idea of this challenge. We would have loved to have you join us here for the testing!

Most importantly I want everyone reading this thread to know that we are not knife or bushcraft experts. We are just three guys who were lucky enough to be chosen to give our oppinions on some knives. Please take our reviews with a grain of salt.

Our oppinions and findings have been compiled after using these knives for a relatively short time. We however tested each knife as equally and fairly as possible. The final scores only reflect our oppinion of the knife. We graded everything, but performance is what we took most seriously in the scoring.

Now onto my review...

Scott Gossman

Like all of Scott's work that I have handles and owned this knife looked like a tank. However, this is a Bushcraft/woodcraft knife challenge and using a tank of a knife would grow tiresome in extended use...

Thankfully Mr. Gossman paid close attention to the ergos of this knife. For a stout knife the balance was great, just forward of the first pin. The handles were sanded smooth with no sharp edges. It was well contoured and simple. He didn't try to do too much with the handle. I like that, as too many curves can make a knife uncomfortable in some grips. I found this knife to be comfortable in all grips. I didn't get any hot spots after whittling with it for about a half hour straight. This knife was mainly tested with a gloved hand as it was cold as hell out that day. It provided a good secure grip.

The willow leaf blade shape was a nice touch. It gives you plenty of purchase to choke up on in a pinch grip for very fine work or skinning game.(which we didn't do.)
Now being this is a bushcraft knife challenge, I paid close attention to the edge geometry. Scott has a good balance of tuff but functional. The knife was very sharp, but a little thick in the edge for me for a woodcraft knife. It whittled good, but not great. I had to work a little harder than I would like to remove material from wood.
It took some effort to push cut through some of the more fibrous cordage like 3/8th's thick Sissal.

We did do some battoning, and this knife was one of the better ones at that.

All in all the knife was a solid performer. It has a damn near perfect fit and finish, and one of the nicest sheaths of the bunch. Scott's grinds was perfectly even. If this was my knife the only thing I would do to it is thin the edge a bit. But truth be told, I would rather get some what of a thick edge from a maker than an edge too thin.


Here you can see the smooth and subtle contours of the knife.


Excellent job on the finish, no glue or tool marks.



This Sissal proved pretty tuff for a lot of the knives in this competition.



Battoning through this maple was a breeze



Damn fine knife Scott!

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Woodsrunner by AA Forge
Hi,

My name is Adam and I’m a full time bladesmith. I first started making knives from old files and saw blades in 2006 as just a hobby. In 2007 I started forging my knives and was instantly hooked. I started working at learning everything I could to get better and turn my hobby into a business. In June 2009 I started AA Forge and since then, my goal has been to make high quality hand dforged knives at an affordable price.

I specialize in hand forged full tang knives from the 1700s and 1800s to modern bush knives and camp knives; although I can do a wide range of styles. I use 5160, 1075, 1095 and coming soon 1084 for all my knives; I believe that no alloy or tool steel gives the balance of edge holding, toughness, and affordability of the simple carbon and spring steels.
I use black walnut, white oak, curly maple, and ash for most of my handles, but I can use a wide range of hardwoods. I use no synthetics for my knives such as micarta and G10, basically because I prefer old fashioned wood to modern materials.

Thanks,
Adam
http://www.aaforge.com
aaforge@hotmail.com

AA Forge Woodsrunner

Use: General purpose woods/bush knife
The knife is about 9 5/8” OAL; forged blade is 5” flat ground 1095 with a convex edge. 1 7/16 wide, 5/32” thick. Blade finish is hand rubbed with file fork on the spine; four steel pins hold the black walnut scales; brass lanyard hole and grip cuts. Forging and heat treat by maker.

The first thing I noticed about this knife was the superb fit and finish. I could not find a flaw. The contrast between the hand rubbed finish and the forge marked flats is striking and very stylish. The file work is even and eye pleasing.

The edge albeit on the thick side is even through the length of the cutting edge. The point, while flawlessly executed is not pointy enough for proper drilling due to the thick grind.

The handle on this knife is about near perfect for my hand and tastes. It is a simple yet elegant mating of wood and steel. Tasteful pin work and cross hatching give this knife a pioneer look to it. I could not help but call my younger daughter “half pint” while testing this knife. No palm swell, just evenly radiused edges all around that gives good purchase for hard use yet is nimble for good control and repositioning in various grips. I could work with this knife for prolonged periods. No hot spots in any of my favored grips.

The sheath on this knife is sturdy and secure. Thick leather is used to make the simple fold-over pouch design. The stitching holes seem to have been hand spaced and could have been done a bit more evenly. No big issue for functionality but for comparison’s sake it suffers.

On performance, the only area where this knife excelled was in batoning. The 5” length allowed for thicker logs to be split. The thickly ground edge truly hurt this knife’s cutting ability. Carving, whittling, fiber cuts were very difficult. As far a ferro-rod striking, it performed fairly but for fairness’ sake I thinck it was because Adam actually softened the spine edges. In the kitchen, it did well with meats, requiring little effort to slice through muscle. It did not peel. Soft veggies like tomatoes were smooshed but it went through hard veggies well enough.

Would I buy this knife? Definitely. I’m sure Adam can give you a thinner edge on request and if not, a little work on a stone of belt sander can give you your desired edge.

Very nice job Adam.

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Big Mike writes:

The AA Forge knife.

A good looking rustic styled knife that worked well in my testing; I usually don't like cross hatched handles but had no complaints with this one.

　

 

[tonym]

AA Forge

I was anxious to get this knife. It looked nothing like any Bushcraft knife I have seen, and I kind of liked that. Adam is a maker I knew nothing of, but man did his work impress me. I loved the finish on the knife, and what he did with the handles. The grooves in the handles were not bothersome in the least and actually gave a little extra traction.

Another simple handle design, and this maker also took great care to smooth out all the edges. The fit and finish on this knife was very very good. His file work was perfectly executed, and looked great. The full flat grind was perfectly even as well as the secondary bevel. The knife was very sharp, and cut paper with ease. The secondary bevel was thick however, and I was worried about how well it wood cut wood.

The blade is wide, not something I prefer in a Bushcraft/ woodcraft knife. However I know allot of guys prefer a good belly on their blade and this drop point has it. In a pinch grip it was comfortable. Pretty much every grip was comfortable for me except the chest leaver grip. That was do to the edge being lower than the handle.

It battoned great, and was fun using it that way. At cutting the various cordage it did well, but had some trouble with the fibrous Sisal like some of the others. I have to assume the shoulders of the edge were hindering it.

In notching and whittling wood that thick secondary bevel really hurt this knife. It wouldn't bite into the wood very well, at times it frustrated me. I have no doubt in my mind I could have knocked the shoulders off the edge in no time with a stone, and have this knife shaving wood like a champ.

The sheath was a classic pouch style. The edges were smooth and the stitches were solid. A good secure sheath.


All in all this knife had everything going for it but the edge, and since we valued performance so high, it suffered in points. But AA Forge is with out a doubt making a very high quality knife. I think this particular design is more camp knife than bushcraft knife, but with a thinner edge this knife would have handled any bushcraft task with ease. I plan on ordering a similar knife from Adam in the future.


A nice deep secure fit in the sheath



A beautiful handle, I love the wide rounded pommel.



Here's a good pic of the perfectly even ground, but thick edge.



Here you can see the knife goes into the sissal half way with ease, but then the shoulders of the edge impede it.



I had a little trouble with fuzzing this stick as well.



Really good clean work, all around on this knife



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Simple and comfortable handle.

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Turley Knives Model #26 Green River by Israel Turley

“Missouri Pride in Every Knife”
Location: California, Missouri
Specialize in: Hunting knives, Camp knives and bushcraft knives
Steel used: o-1 tool steel
Grind types: All heights of convex. I.e. Camp knives will have a lower height grind than kitchen knife giving them a thicker edge that is better suited for chopping.
Heat treat: All knives are heat treated in house using two methods: 1.the edge quench method giving them a hard working edge and a softer spine. This allows the knife to flex under extreme conditions and resist outright breaking. 2. The full quench which is used for knives that will be utilized with a ferro rod. Soft back knives will not throw good sparks from the rod. I use a heat treating kiln for exact temperatures and soak times.
I have many stock patterns to choose from and will also cater to your special needs.
Just send me an email at the address listed on the contact page; I'll be happy to discuss knives with you.
God bless,
Iz
Romans 10:9
Bushcraft knives are my specialty.

http://www.turleyknives.com/

The Turley knife.

I have to be honest here. I did not like this knife out of the box. I felt the handle was too short for the blade and that there were too many angles on the scales.
I was wrong.

Steel type: 3/16: 01
Grind: Varied Convex
Blade length: @ 4 ¾”
Handle construction: Full Tang
Handle Materials: OD Camo G10 scales, black G10 sandwich liners, OD canvas micarta spacers, 1/8” steel pins, 01 Pommel plate.
Sheath: Latigo pouch style 8-9 oz.
All packaged in a nice balsa wood cylinder that’s tied closed.

This knife in my opinion is one of the most original looking of the bunch. At first I couldn’t conceive that the handle would be comfortable at all. After picking it up and holding it in various grips however my doubts started to dissipate. The fit and finish on this knife is on point. No gaps, even grinds, symmetrical. This knife is also one of the sharpest knives I’ve ever used.

The handle for the most part was pretty comfy. There was however a hot spot in the chest lever grip. You can guess from the picture where that would be. The sheath is a high quality job that exhibits craftsmanship and artistry. Burnished edges, even stitching, nice even staining, and embossed to boot. The retaining strap however is a bit loose and will not hold the knife inverted. I am also leery of how thin [the strap] gets and would worry about long term durability.

We started our testing on this one over a week after doing the previous set due to storms and school closings. We weren’t that enthused due to it being such a hassle trying to get together and remembering how cold it was last time. Once we laid out our materials to test, and got started, we forgot all that.
This thing cuts like a laser! Not the cheap dollar store lasers that bratty kids get smack’d out of their hands but real angry shark-head mounted lasers. Truly this knife reawakened our joy in this beastly testing endeavor. It went through everything that we threw at it. Sissal, jute, nylon, paracord, frozen maple, poplar, oak, basswood all fell away. I was very surprised how well the convex grind and thin convex edge held up. Nothing damaged the edge or tip. Iz has his geometry and heat treat down pat. Due to the longer blade and convexity, this one also was one of the better batoneers™ (my word) of the bunch. Afterward, a light stropping was all it took to get the original bite back.

Iz Turley makes an unconventional knife that works. This knife demonstrates that the maker will get what he wants out of a hunk of steel and I would definitely get a knife from him though probably a different model with a larger handle for me.

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Big Mike writes:

Iz Turley

Great blade; the handle is a little funky, a bit small for my large hand, but still worked well enough; excelled at food prep, though the low handle angle was not the best on a cutting board; the strap on the sheath is too loose to retain the knife.

　

 

[Cascade_mtn's]

GREAT REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well done!!!!!!

 

[tonym]

Turley Knives

I first found out about Turley Knives over on Bushcraft USA. I said who is this lanky hillbilly doing all this cool bushcraft stuff. The guy has skill. Then I find out he makes knives and see a couple of them in videos used by Iowa Woodsman. Another man with some serious bushcraft skill. Put those facts together and I had high hopes for this knife.



The Turley knife has it's own style. Very different than other knives I have seen. His fit and finish was good. This grind was kind of saber convex. I did notice the grind line started a little lower on one side than the other. Just me being nitpicky.. The convex part was excellent.

The blade shape was spear pointish, but the tip seamed to drop a little lower. The whole knife had a slight sloping angle to it. This continuos curve made this knife excell at power cuts. The thin convex ground edge has serious bite, yet it was easy to control. This knife made short work of the various cordage we through at it. When it came to wood work the knife actually made me smile. It fuzzed sticks with ease, notched wood with precise control, and whittled excellent! Battoning was easy as the flats of the grind helped kick the wood apart.
The handle appeared to have allot going on. This usually turns me off on a knife. Too many little angles here and there can become uncomfortable for me. However, despite the look, those different angles were blended together very smoothly. I had no hot spots develop, the chest lever grip wasn't that comfortable due to the top of the handle near the ricasso being left kind of sharp. I love the steel pommel plate. Great for hammering tent pegs, or straightening out Marcelo when he gets out of line!

The sheath was also very original. Stitching was very nicely done, edges were beautiful, and had a great finish. It is actually quite nice to look at , too bad it doesn't hold the knife in place.. I am sure Mr. Turley will correct that when he gets the knife back.

All in all, I was very happy with this knife. One of the better performers of the bunch. The great reviews I have seen of Turley knives in the past were well deserved. When you combine bushcrafter and knife maker together, you get a tool that works! When I get around to having Mr Turley make me a knife, it will be just like this one, but with a slightly thicker handle, and have that square part of the handle rounded out.
Excellent job Iz!

Here's a pretty good look at the grind and that bit of handle that bothered me a little in the chest lever grip.



A good pointy tip that drilled divots for a hearth board very well!



A decent look at the contours of the handle.



Gotta love that etching job



Very nice work on the butt plate

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Fiddleback Forge Knives
Bushfinger

Maker: Andy Roy
http://www.fiddlebackforge.com/

The knife I’m supplying to the bladeforums WSS Bushcraft knife challenge is my Bushfinger model. It is made of 5/32” thick 01 tool steel, and has a 4” blade, and 4 ¾” handle including the exposed tang The grind is my convex sabergrind The handle is Shadetree burlap micarta with black liners, pins and bullseye tube filler. The sheath is a Diomedes Industries special from Jason Moulenbelt.

I designed the Bush finger with bushcrafting in mind. The grind is strong so it’ll baton, but thin for actual cutting. The steel is tough, and easy to sharpen. The handle is comfortable in your hand in any grip, and indexes itself in your hand, so you know where the cutting edge is without looking at the knife. The sway in the scales just beside the bolster region provides a comfortable safe place for you to put your thumb when doing the chest lever grip. This keeps the fingers away from the blade itself, while still giving control needed for the cut. The edge comes all the way down to the handle for tough leverage cuts, and there is no choil to get caught inside skins or cloth when upcutting. The spine is sharp for using firesteels, but the finger guard area is rounded over for comfort. To facilitate rough use, the tang is exposed.

Sincerely,
Andy Roy
Fiddleback Forge Knives

Well, thank you Andy Roy for writing your own review.


If you’re like me, you’ve followed Andy Roy’s knife making progress through the years. Here’s one individual who has an eye for standout design. Whether an early model or one of his newest works, you know when you see a Fiddleback, and you know when you are holding one.

Andy makes one of the most comfortable, intuitive handles out there. His are knives meant for using, so why does he make them so pretty? Cuz he can. The fit and finish is flawless, and I could not find an issue. The blade, at 4” is the right size for legal carry in many states and provides enough edge for most camp and woods craft. This is a big knife that carries small.

The sheath though not by the maker is a well thought out piece of quality craftsmanship. Mirroring the knife, it is flawless. Normally I prefer a simple pouch but in this case, it worked. Note where the pin is on the retention strap. There is no way that the strap will get cut when sheathing or unsheathing. It holds secure.

It’s uncanny how well this knife fit my hand. There was no hand fatigue throughout all my testing with this knife. It handled every kind of fibrous material with efficiency and it ate through soft and hard woods alike. The point is very sharp and drilled hearth boards with ease. It even batonned well albeit limited only by its length. My only issue with this one is the exposed butt. This is just a matter of taste maybe but I sometimes like to nest the butt In the heel of my hand when drilling or cutting media on a wood backing etc. When I’m able to procure bushfinger, I will try to get one with a covered and thus more decent butt!

This knife is one of the top performers and I would have asked to purchase it had I not been beat to the punch. Just keep making knifes Andy because this is definitely on my short list

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Big Mike writes:

Fiddleback Forge.

Andy hit a home run with this one; great blade, a savage slicer, excelled at food prep, and a handle that fits my hand just right; I like this knife so much that I paid Andy's asking price, I plan to use it as a job site EDC and when bow hunting this fall.

　

 

[tonym]

FiddleBack Forge

What can you say about Andy Roy's work that hasn't been said already? You know when you purchase a Fiddleback knife you're going to get a beautiful knife. This one was exactly as I expected in the looks department.

I was a tad disappointed when I saw it wasn't a scandi, only because I love my Fiddleback Arete so much. However Andy's Saber convex grind is excellent. Perfectly even and the convex ends in a tiny micro bevel that adds extra tuffness.

This is the style of knife IO expected to see more of in a Bushcraft/ woodcraft knife. Small blade with a full size handle. Andy's fit and finish is spot on. Damn near perfect!

I love the Micarta he puts on his knives, it is appealing to the eye, yet functional and grippy! The contours of the knife weren't too profound and the hump makes you grasp the knife where your index finger will be close to the edge for maximum control. I never really cared for exposed tangs, but it doesn't hinder the knife in any way. This knife was comfortable to use in all grips, and a pleasure to use for extended periods of time.

The blade shape was great IMO. Another continuous curve from tip to ricasso. Made quick work slicing through small branches. Push cutting cordage was very easy as well. The pointy and strong tip penetrated wood with ease. All around I felt this knife was a solid performer. He made the spine hard and sharp, not only did it strike a firesteel well, but it shaved wood also.

The sheath not made by Andy was very very nice. I loved how the retention strap sat high, not chance cutting that thing as the knife goes in and out of the sheath.

A home run created by Andy Roy, this was definitely a top performer!


No chance cutting that strap



Not a long blade, but can handle light battoning with ease.



This knife made short work of that pesky sisal



Andy brought the edge way back!



No need for a makers Marke on the sideof the knife, you always know when you have a Fiddleback!

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Fletcher Knives by Dylan Fletcher
Delta Foxtrot

http://www.fletcherknives.com/

I design knives for me. I think about what I want in a blade, what I want it to do, how I want it to feel, and make something that will suit my needs perfectly. By designing knives for myself, I feel like I'm not shorting anyone else. Their knife gets the same attention that mine did, maybe even more. They aren't pretty show knives with exotic lines and crazy rare materials. They're meant to be used. I design knives that I want to beat the crap out of.

-Dylan Fletcher

Total Length: 10"
Handle: 5"
Blade: 5"
Convex Saber Grind
Handle material: Canvas micarta, red-Black-red liners, hollow pins

I think that some of the features of Fletcher Knives get lost in the photos. Sometimes, people may even miss them on knives in real life. Here is a quick thread to clear it all up.

It's important to know the anatomy of your Fletcher Knife. Otherwise, you might think, "Dylan is out of his damn mind. He smoothes out some areas and leaves other sharp." Here is why. Below you'll see a letter. Next to that letter is a description. If you match these letters with the corresponding letter on the diagrams and the areas they are pointing out, you'll now understand why everything is done the way it is.

A: The Handle
The canvas micarta scales on Fletcher Knives are intentionally left rough. I try to ensure that they are smooth enough to be comfortable and that the shaping is perfect, but I sand and buff the handles in a way that leaves them with plenty of grip. The knife should stay stuck in your grip no matter what gets on it.

B: The grind and Edge
The grind on a Fletcher Knife is almost always a Convex Saber grind and it sports a secondary sharpened bevel. A lot of convex grinds on the market these days go all the way to edge, giving it what is known as a "zero edge". That means that there is no secondary bevel and the primary grind of the knife goes all the way to the edge and also serves as the sharpened cutting edge. This grind/edge has its pros and its cons.

The biggest con, and the one I'm trying to avoid by giving it a secondary bevel, is ease of sharpening. A lot of people think it's very easy to sharpen a zero edge convex grind. This is true if it is done correctly, but it's also extremely easy to do incorrectly and mess your knife up.

With a secondary bevel. It's easy as can be. Just about every sharpening system in the world will work, including using the curb in a parking lot or a gnarly rock by a river. (Please don't ever use either of these tools to sharpen a Fletcher Knife unless it's an emergency.)

If you would like to have a zero edge convex grind on your Fletcher Knife, you are more than welcome to do that yourself after you purchase the knife. I will ship every Fletcher Knife (almost without exception) with a secondary bevel. If you feel you have to have the blade convexed all the way to the cutting edge, that's a modification you'll have to arrange yourself. When you mess it up, ship your knife back to me and I'll fix it for you and send it right back lickidy split. ...with a secondary edge bevel. If you're successful, way to go. My hat's off to ya.

C: The "Guard" Area
Every Fletcher Knife has a nice groove or guard to try and help keep you from accidently slicing you fingers off. It's not that I don't trust you, it's there more for me than you. I have a bad track record. The edges on this area are slightly rounded and smoothed for your comfort.

D: The Thumb Ramp
The thumb ramp on all Fletcher Knives that feature them is meant to be nice and smooth and a natural part of the ergos. It is strategically positioned to put the added force directly over cutting edge. Many thumb ramps on the market today are absolutely useless in the real world because they are over a nice section of handle or choil. I don't know about you, but I don't use either handle or choil to cut anything, so I don't understand why the knifemaker or manufacturer would give me a way of putting added pressure over either of these areas.

I don't put jimping on them. I don't like jimping. After extended use, even with the slightest of jimps, it rubs the skin and I don't like it.

The edges of the thumb ramps are slightly rounded and smoothed for your comfort. On knives without thumb ramps, the area where your thumb rests naturally is slightly rounded and smoothed. The only exceptions to this are earlier Pocket Kilos, which had a sharp spine from handle to tip.

E: The sharpened Spine Area
A portion of the spine on every Fletcher Knife is left sharp. The reason for this is so that you can use it as a scraper, a striker for your firesteel, etc.

Man of few words….

Dylan’s knife came in with Andy’s in the same box. This was my first time handling a Fletcher knife and it immediately gave a good first impression. Dylan has been mentoring under Fiddleback Forge for some time and his attention to ergonomics, grind geometry and to fit and finish are a testament to that. When it comes to style however, a Fletcher knife is its own animal.

Visually, all of his knives display a shared genealogy, and that is very key when getting your name out there. This knife, the Delta Foxtrot, both in name and physically has a military look and feel to it. The sandwiched liners add a tasteful touch and a little more thickness which I like. After donning all my high speed gear, I commenced testing.

This knife is easily one of, if not the most comfortable knife to hold and use. Slightly heavy due to its thickness and length, it is well balanced and surprisingly nimble. It is very comfortable in all my preferred grips.

The 5” blade arrived razor sharp and easily slices through free hanging paper. It provides about three inches of straight edge for whittling, carving and notching, and a long elegant curvy belly for skinning and scraping. The high convex saber grind and the convex edge are plenty strong and paired with its length is able to baton through the gnarliest hard wood. There is a light trade of here for that edge strength. Although it doesn’t whittle the finest feathers of wood, and slightly more pressure is required for rough whittling and carving, it scored well in the top half of the group in this aspect. The strong yet sharp drop point drills with no problems whatsoever.

The slightly chamfered thumb ramp on this knife is flawlessly executed and provides an comfortable area that literally locks your thumb in place when needed and the web of your hand when choking up for detail work. Awesome control. The front end of the spine is left sharp and throws sparks like the 4th of Joo-lye.
The sheath is a JRE and is typical of their dependable sturdy attractive sheaths.

Overall, this knife scored very well in all categories. The Delta Foxtrot is a strong mid-size knife that for me falls into the category of a survival knife that you’d be more apt to have on you. I would not hesitate to have this as my one knife and expect that it would outlast me in the long run. We’ll see, as I’ve already put myself down for one of its smaller siblings the Delta 4.

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Big Mike writes:

Fletcher Knives.

Great knife; great blade, great handle for a large hand, excelled at food prep; I'd buy this knife!

　

 

[tonym]

Fletcher Knives

Dylan Fletcher, appears to be good at more than just cracking me up online. A relatively new maker, but man he has a gift! I have been checking out his knives in pictures for awhile now, and liking what I have been seeing. So needless to say when Dylan entered this contest I was excited to see what he would enter.

Now knowing Dylan, I was not expecting anything closely resembling a traditional Bushcraft knife, Dylan isn't the conformist type to say the least. In the knife world, it is important to have your own identifying style, and like other makers in this contest, Dylan has it!

I wasn't expecting his fit and finish to be so good. I mean damn, talk about a learning curve... The handle work was beautiful and the grind was good. Another saber convex grind with the unfinished flats. Their was a secondary bevel at the edge as well.

I found the handle to be comfortable in many different grips. I loved the indent in the blade for your thumb. It felt like it gave me more leverage and control during push cuts.

Another wide blade and kind of thick at 5/32" It did cut good as convex grind was well executed. The secondary bevel had a little bit of shoulder to it, but not bad at all. I wouldn't thin it on this size knife, cause when you get it in hand you don't want to be delicate with it. I am not sure I would consider this knife a bushcraft/ woodcraft knife, but definitely an all around hard use outdoors knife. (Again, just my preference) With the blade's full 5" length and thick stock battoning is where it shined. Also this is one of only two knives I did any chopping with. It had a slight wait forward feel and again it's just a knife you feel you can do anything with. The tip was good, not the best driller but not bad at all. The tip was very strong though and it pried wood apart great. That's another thing I didn't do with many of the other knives.

The fletcher is came with a JRE sheath of time proven design and quality.

Final thoughts on this package were, damn fine knife! Great looking, very good feel, cut really good, and extremely tuff! It can handle all bushcraft tasks and even allot of big knife tasks!

A good look of the really well done subtle contours of the knife.



Really good fit and finish






That strong tip in action





Smashing the knife tip first to split wood

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Bushcraft Challenge knife by
Larry Balchen x39
Jonesport, ME
lbalchen@mgemaine.com

Hello Marcelo, Tony, et al.
Please find enclosed my submission to the Bushcraft Knife Contest. The particulars are as follows:

The knife has a blade about 3 1/2" long, handle about 4 3/8" long.
Blade: A-2, Stock removal
Handle: Maple held in place with copper pins peened into brass burrs. The tang of the knife, while hidden is still quite broad, and extends past the second handle pin, the extent this is almost a full tang knife.
Sheath: Hand sewn leather with an aluminum insert to prevent the blade puncturing the sheath in a fall.
Special feature is the striker/scraping edge on the spine of the knife near the point. I usually choke up on the blade with my fingers when using this edge, handy for striking ferro bars and scraping things that would otherwise damage the edge. The knife and sheath were completely made by myself.

Well guys, have fun and thanks for taking the time to do this….

When this knife came out of its box, I held it in my hand, changing grips, turning it over and over, examining and admiring all the details that were put into this knife. Both elegant and strong were words that came to mind. I had seen a few of x39’s posts on the forums but had no idea he made knives. He is no beginner.
The blade is a well thought out instrument. Slight drop, scandi grind, micro edge, very cool scraper edge on the first inch and a half of the spine, this is purely a working blade.

The handle is craftsmanship at its finest. At first simple, the guardless, generously sized and contoured grip is of a design perhaps hundreds of years old in Scandinavia. What sets this knife apart is the fully mortised tang and pins. It at once addresses many users concerns about the actual or perceived strength of hidden tang scandi knives, and does it with style. I could not find a flaw with any aspect of workmanship in this knife.

The sheath is a simple yet well executed pouch style form fitted to the knife. The knife clicks in like the best kydex and stays put. The peened copper pin adds a nice rustic touch. As stated, the aluminum insert does its job. I was falling all over the place with this knife on my belt and no issues arose.

In use it performed like a champ. It handled all chores before it with ease. (We put every knife through the exact same set of challenges.) Tony and I disagreed about the edge in that he thought that the edge could have been brought to a finer finish, and I feel that Larry put a micro bevel on his knife for durability. It wasn’t the sharpest of the two true scandis tested (almost impossible not to compare)but it was sharper than many tested. The difference in effort required to do push cuts was minimal, and in whittling, barely perceptible. The payoff in this case was no loss of sharpness at all. We didn’t forget that this is A-2 steel which is known for its strength and toughness. Paired with the edge geometry and heat treat put on this knife, this is a sleeper of a performance machine.
Truly comfortable in all grips, it scored highest rating in this category. I experienced no fatigue while using this knife.
Overall I am very impressed with this entry. I truly hope this isn’t the last knife we see from Mr. Balchen

 

[Marcelo Cantu]

Big Mike writes:

X-39

Nice knife; well made, good looking, and a solid performer.

　

 

[tonym]

X-39

What's this? A maker is entering a scandi ground hidden tang bushcraft knife in the Bushcraft knife challenge??? BALLZ!

I had never before seen an X-39 knife, and man have I been missing out.

The sheath this knife came in is very nice. Very good finish, thin but strong leather, and molded to the knife perfectly. It also incorporates an aluminum liner. The knife is held very securely in the sheath!

The knife is what I really liked. This in my opinion is what a Bushcraft knife is about. Small, quick in the hand, comfortable, with a blade profile that's all about wood work.

I have no idea what kind of work is involved with a hidden tang. All I can say is that the blade is perfectly centered. I can barely see any seams in the wood. The handle is contoured and shaped beautifully. The grinds are perfectly even as well.
My only nitpicky complaint is that the bevel isn't polished. However allot of scandi's come like that, I just wind up polishing the edge up myself. So what I am saying is fit and finish is great on this knife.

I already mentioned how well the handle is shaped and contoured, did I mention how comfortable it was? This knife was a joy to use in every grip!

The blade shape was interesting. The clip point made it a superior driller. It wasn't the best at power cuts, but it made up for it in controlled cuts. It whittled great as well, I could have carved with this thing all day. The spine of the knife was rounded off to allow you to place your thumb on the edge for extra leverage on push cuts.. I really liked that feature.
Don't worry you firesteel freaks, the maker though of you also. He put a great 90 degree edge on the the spine near the tip. That part was great at striking a firesteel.

The knife left me with a "wow" impression. I really liked this knife. It wasn't the sharpest scandi I have handled, but the edge geometry was great. I ricasso was a little big, but control didn't seam to suffer in the least. Great work from X-39!

Knife and molded sheath



Here you can see the liner



So comfortable









Here's that rounded but sharp spine.



Great driller, a strong tip!



Here you can see the edge bevel is about the same finish as the flat.



You can see with the knife in hand, that the big ricasso is nullified in a full grip.