Camp knife for me.

B

Big Bo

Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
231
I like the 5-6 inch blades. I have a CS Master Hunter that I bought 15 years ago. Never used it. Various other skinning knives. I also have the BK7 and BK9. I want another knife, and have been looking at the Bark River line. The Fox River Magnum has really caught my eye. I do not see the Magnum listed on the Bark River site, has it been discontinued? Why?
How is the stainless steel that the Magnun is made from? Corrosion resistance? Edge retention? Will I be better off getting a D2 blade? If so how corrosion resistance is D2.

Thank you.
 
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i can only comment on d2 steel in general.

its considered semi-stainless, and may corrode if stored damp or otherwise left to the elements uncared for. just keeping it dry prior to storage should do fine.

i've always liked the edge i can get on d2, and it seems to hold it longer than many other steels. i have knives in s30v, bg42, ats34, 154cm, vg10, and infi, but d2 is always one of my favorites.
 
I own a BRKT Camp Knife, and it's a sweetheart. Get ready for convex sharpening if you get a Bark RIver.

D2 is an enemy of mine :D
I stay away from it whenever possible. Give me 154CM or and old-fashioned A2 anyday.
 
Big Bo said:
The Fox River Magnum has really caught my eye. I do not see the Magnum listed on the Bark River site, has it been discontinued? Why?
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Bark River's produces a lot of limited production knives. Quite often a new model with get one production run and that's it. This is no reflection on the quality or popularity of any particular design, its just the way they do buisness.

How is the stainless steel that the Magnun is made from? Corrosion resistance? Edge retention? Will I be better off getting a D2 blade? If so how corrosion resistance is D2.
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The stainless that Bark River uses for the FRM (Sandvik 12C27 IIRC) is good stuff and is one of the better stainless steels, as far as edge holding goes. D2 is fairly corrosion resistent for tool steel, but it's not a true "stainless" so it will require a bit more care. Personally, while I think that D2 is a fine steel and while its very popular amoung the "steel snobs" I would not turn my nose up at 12C27 as it produces perfectly good knives, too. ;)
 
As far as D2 goes, I brought my Kershaw Outcast with me to Kauai around Christmas, and I used it briefly one day while out hiking and thought I had dried it off properly. I didn't look at it again until I got home, and the whole uncoated portion of the blade had corroded quite badly. Granted I had brought it to the "wettest place on Earth" but still I was very surprised at how bad it got.
 
I had my mind all set to order a Fox River Magnum until I looked at the vides about sharpening the convex edge. It looks like a real pain. Is there another 5" camp knife that is stainless that you would recommend?
 
Big Bo said:
I had my mind all set to order a Fox River Magnum until I looked at the vides about sharpening the convex edge. It looks like a real pain. Is there another 5" camp knife that is stainless that you would recommend?
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Somebody'll probably shoot me for saying this, but there's no reason a convex edge has to stay convex. :eek: If you sharpen it on a conventional rig using your standard methods, you'll end up with your standard edge.

So if you like the Bark River, just buy it and sharpen it as a non-convex.
 
I'll go the opposite tack.
It took me about an hour to learn to sharpen a convex blade.
Now almost all of my blades have a convex edge.
For me: convex edge= strong, sharp & easy to maintain.
 
The very top of my BRKT wishlist (yep, Blaze orange G-10 handles and all). Its the Canadian Special's big bro -

Canad_Camp_Blaze_Orange_S.jpg
 
I thought Convex was difficult to maintain as well, it is not. I had a person show me, and instantly was a convex convert. It looks much more intimidating than it is.
 
Big Bo said:
I had my mind all set to order a Fox River Magnum until I looked at the vides about sharpening the convex edge. It looks like a real pain. Is there another 5" camp knife that is stainless that you would recommend?
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Bob Dozier's Professional Guide's Knife, the KS-3. You'll never look back.
 
superflyafro said:
I would think the Dozier D2 is not a good knife for a wet environment...with its rust factor
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Rust isn't a problem with basic care, even in straight carbon steel.
D2 is "semi-stainless"

If your definition of a camp knife is "a really butch kitchen knife" I'd suggest the Dozier Pro-Guide or even his Fillet. The fillet knife isn't a super flexible knife, it works well in the kitchen, but it is still way more than an old Hickory.
If you definition of a camp knife is "something that splits and chops wood" I don't know what to suggest.
I'd get an axe, but that's me :D
 
superflyafro said:
I would think the Dozier D2 is not a good knife for a wet environment...with its rust factor
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Never had a problem with any of mine. Rainy/snowy deer hunts and long days fishing on the Sound.
No more maintenance required than any other blade I've owned. They are hard working users for sure!
 
Another very good camp knife is the RC6 from RAT cutlery. I have convexed the edge on mine though it isn't neccessary. It is one sharp cuttin machine.

Great knife from a great company with probably the best warranty in the business.
 
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