Bushcraft Knife under $200.00 and why?

Fubijar03

Fubijar03

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Sep 17, 2014
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I want to get my first dedicated "bushcraft" knife. I was eyeing high end Puukkos, but don't love the idea of ordering from Finland, and would like to save a little money. I am currently eyeing the Bark River Bushcrafter, Spyderco Bushcrafter, or the Spyderco Puukko.

I've been a hunter and backpacker my whole life, but decided to finally get decent fixed blade, as I have been really pushing the limits of my folding knives lately.

I used the search feature but couldn't find much on any of these three knives.

Thanks in advance!

Mike.
 
I am not a fan of either of the Spydercos you mentioned. I have no experience with the Bark River, but its look great.

I personally would buy a Mora Bushcraft Black, and spend the leftover money on a good pair of boots or breathable rain gear.
 
I'm a former Marine Inantryman and take my feet very seriously, ha. I have all the gear I need, just want a new blade. Moras seem to have a great following, and I don't doubt their use, but sometimes you just wanna get spendy.

Sorry about the size/steel being left out. Less than 4.5" blade, steel is whatever. I (think from reading) that I want a Scandi style grind, which is why the BR are a little less appealing. I've always used FFG knives for everything, and never really had an issue. My Dragonfly will always be with me anyways.

Mike.
 
You should look at the Battle Horse Knives Bushcrafter, also the Essiac version of their Bushcrafter, I have both on the way and at a blow out bargain, O1 steel and micarta with really nice leather sheath's, do a search on the popular hmm, hmm, auction site.
 
For $200 or less you've got quite a few good options. These are some I like.

-Fallkniven A1, S1, F1, SK3, KKz, whichever one suits your size preference best. I'm fond of the F1 as a good overall outdoors knife.

-Bark River Aurora, Bravo 1, Canadian Special, Fox River, etc. I've only tried Barkies in A2 and 12C27, the Fox River in A2 is by far my favourite. It's simple and understated, but works great.

-Enzo Badger, Camper or Trapper. I haven't used their N690 blades, but they do a good job with D2.

-Entrek Javalina. Very versatile knife, 440C done right.

-Roselli Hunter in UHC. There are two sizes, 4" and 5 1/2" blades. If you enjoy Scandi knives, you'll probably like it a lot.
 
Thanks for all of the replies guys. I think that I always assumed that the Battle Horse knives were more expensive. They seem like a really good option, and the Bush and Fieldcraft models are both at a great price and seem to check all the boxes, and I can order right from them!

I'm looking at all the other recommendations now, the Roselli has been an option for a while as well, they seem simple and straightforward as well.

Again, thanks a lot for all of the answers!

Mike.
 
Unless you specifically want a factory produced knife it's worth considering the offerings of the BF member knife makers. Keep an eye on the knife makers' area of the Exchange and also look at the hosted forums for makers like JK Knives and Fiddleback. There are some great member makers who do excellent bushcraft knives and have a pretty loyal following.
 
I will check that out as well. It's taking every ounce of willpower that I can muster not to just get the Pasi Hurttila that I want and is finally in stock, just ALOT more than these knives, ha. Something about it being completely hand made really draws me to it.

Strangers dumping info into a thread to help someone never ceases to amaze me. Thanks again guys.

There is just a staggering amount of options, it seems that switching from guns to knives to save money was a huge mistake. C'est la vie.

Mike
 
I have 4 bushcraft knives, a Ray Mears made by SWC, I treasure this knife, a Kellam Wolverine, with STP steel, a Mora Bush-crafter Carbon (black), and a Enzo Trapper in n690c, i love all of them, and every single one is amazing, I really enjoy the steel, and the handle on the Kellam Wolverine. But my Rays knife is near and dear to my heart, for the price I paid for it! haha...but all in all, check out those three, Mora, Kellam, and Enzo, negate the RM SWC bush lore, from RM it will run you over 400.00, but value is in the eye of the man taking that blade out and putting it to the test, happy trails!
 
Forgedfixedblade said:
You should look at the Battle Horse Knives Bushcrafter, also the Essiac version of their Bushcrafter, I have both on the way and at a blow out bargain, O1 steel and micarta with really nice leather sheath's, do a search on the popular hmm, hmm, auction site.
Click to expand...

I have the old Blind Horse version and I really don't need another bushcrafter. Awesome knife.
 
I've always had and issue with that BM 162, mainly the steel they chose and the blade grind. I will always prefer a carbon steel for outdoor activities, i.e. bush, chopping ect. Also i want my bush crafting knife to have either 2 blade edges, convex or scandi ground, thats why in my eyes the BM 162 is not even a good choice for bushcrafting...lol id rather use my Buck 110 in 420hc! and the 110 is a can-do all around knife.
 
Great suggestions. One that I saw missing was a GWK (Gray Wolf Knives). I've got a skinny bushcrafter in O1 steel that I have been very happy with.
 
Can't believe no one has said it yet.... ESEE in a size of your choice would be my choice.. Most of those companies offering 200-300 knives don't come with the warranty of what you'll get for around half that in an ESEE. I have the 4 and love it, also got the Izula on backup. Sorry for the bad pic, was foggy as hell.



 
Marttiini Arctic Carving Knife Carbon, best you'll find apart from a few 300 dollar customs. And it's only 50 bucks. Basically a fancy Mora, conforming much closer to the principles Mors Kochanski set out for the ideal knife than 99.9% of anything else out there.

It's also the puukko style but with a scandi grind. A lot of the other knives recommended are thick batoning knives which won't cut nearly as well as the Marttiini. If you're looking to baton a lot you want one of those, but if you want to carve bushcraft items something like the Marttiini is ideal.
 
Are we still on a puukko here? it's hard to tell....

OP, I think you are making a wise choice. I discovered the value of a good leuku/puukko combo set for bush when I was a teenager. It's been my goto for bush ever since. Nordic reindeer herders north of the arctic circle know their survival/bush knives. Have for centuries.

There are good ones available in the U.S. It's not necessary to buy from Finland unless it's the one you want and the only place that has it. You can familiarize yourself with nearly all the good leukus and puukkus with about an hour on Giggle.

I can highly recommend the J. Martinni knives mentioned above. I own several; one is my original 4,5" leuku, given to me when I was a pup, and still in use. There are other good ones out there too. Again, I'd advise looking at the 2 knife sets, some are really cool. But certainly a puukko alone is a very good knife for for tasks of its size in the wild.

EDIT: Just checked that J. Martinni carving knife. It's probably what I'd get were I buying another puukko. But if you want something fancier, certainly go for it !

Also, the Martinni sheaths are GREAT. Basic and quality leather (they used to use reindeer hides). Lasting---one of mine is over 40 years old. They come undyed and ready to be customized to your tastes in color and finish.
 
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