- Joined
- Dec 3, 2000
- Messages
- 3,002
I went through most of my admittedly meager (but overwhelming to me!) collection of outdoors knives, and decided to list a few of them with a few remarks on each- kind of a mini review of sorts, I reckon....
Starting with the wee ones...
Bark River Mikro Slither- pretty darn useless. handles too small, blades too small. It would beat not having a knife I guess. As much as anything I think I'm going to make a kydex sheath for it and consider it more of a piece of jewelry...kinda the Bark River that I can always have with me. It is well made, razor sharp, and I really do like the day glo blue handle on it.
Arno Bernard mini knife- this one is an upswept skinner with a narrow blade of about 2 3/4" Warthog tusk handle. As I recall, I got it from him for $25 or so the last year Alaska ever had a dedicated knife show.
Looks better than it works. the blade geometry is just....off on this one the holllow ground ATS-34 has just never, ever taken the razor sharp keep edge I feel a knife of this sort should have. If it ever did, it might make a nice little caping knife.
AG Russell Woodswalker- Great little knife for what it is. takes a pretty decent edge, has enough handle to hang onto, weighs nothing, and performs beyond it's size. The pocket sheath is a real plus, and something I'd like to make for a few of my other knives.
Gerber Pixie- Just got it in a week ago, been playing with it daily. VERY classy, elegant, razor sharp little knife. The blade is thin, takes a scary sharp edge, and seems pretty tough so far. The handle is a wee bit small for my oversized forepaws, but this isn't a knife I'd use to carve out a dozen tent stakes or something with anyways. Definitely one I'd suggest, thus far. Even if you have to steal the wifes out of the kitchen, or buy one off of E-Prey and make a sheath yourself.
Gerber Trout and Bird- Yet another one I've only had a short time- has a great feeling handle, a verrrrrrrry pointy tip and a razor sharp edge. I knicked myself with it the other night and didn't realize it until the wife started hollering at me for my careless blood loss. the handle is plenty to work with, and even has one of those neat little spoony things at the end for those folks who don't like risking blood vein under the finger nail. I can't wait to use it in the field, but from everything I've seen around the house, I think it'll be a winner.
Moving up into the midsize knives....
Bark River Highland- dark green micarta scales, hollow pins-an all out, tried and true "go to" knife. I've had it a few years now, and it's never let me down and always performed like a champ. good ergomic little hunting knife that has no problem performing day to day work, or kitchen duty. Certainly not the flashiest BRK I own, nor the newest and most novel, but time tested and easy to trust. I got this one a few years ago for $35 or so, and it has easily paid for itself dozens of times over.
Bark River North Star- Maple Burl handles- damn I love Maple Burl! beautiful, hard enough to take a beating, but soooo light. I'm pretty sure they're the reason my relatively thick North Star is so light it feels like it's hollow inside. easy to carry, nimble little knife. Only worry is that the handle is just a wee tad uncomfortable on my pinkie as a result of my oddly shaped oversized hands. I'll have to take some time with a little sandpaper and perhaps see if I can rectify that problem. This one is only several months old. Once I get it out some more and use it enough to trust it, I can easily imagine it becoming my #1 all 'rounder.
Bark River Mountain Man- definitely made according to tradition. app 5" blade made of 1095. probably the sharpest knife I've ever owned (I've worked on the blade some) terrifyingly sharp, with barely enough handle to suit me. It's a very well made sharp knife, but I haven't decided what to do with it yet. It's just a little thin for me to take on most canoe or hiking trips, the lack of a guard makes it less than ideal for dedicated game processing. If I had it to do over again, I'd just get a Green River and spend the left over $75 or so on something smarter like beer. I really do like it, I just don't know what I like it for yet! It does great in the kitchen, but my wife rarely allows it since it isn't stainless and has icky nasty rust...
Bark River Lil' Nessy- a beautiful little Nessmuk styled knife with maple Burl handle and a 4"ish blade of 52-100 steel. Scary razor sharp. I haven't used this one much yet. Only enough to wonder what the heck that humpback is for anyways. The lack of a guard may be bothersome to a few people, but to me it's handle is well formed, and generous enough for me to remain comfortable with it. It is very, very well made, well designed and seems pretty useful as far as bridging the gap between a good skinning knife and a good camping knife (I don't always necessarily consider them one and the same) I can definitely recommend it in good conscience from what I've seen thus far though. It's especially a bargain at it's given price point.
Bark River Settler- Got this one with a yellow Mulberry handle. At first I thought it looked urine stained, (yech!) but have since come to appreciate it's uniqueness from all of the other golden brown and red hues. It's also pretty hard stuff. The blade is app 5" of Sandvik 12C27. The knife fits me very, very well. I've always liked the 5" blade if I've only got room for a single knife. It gives enough room for batonning and just a wee more horsepower than a 4" blade while still keeping most knives reasonably sized and easy to live with. The Sandvik blade is proving its worth. Perhaps a real nice knife when canoes or other boats may be involved. Not quite as nimble as my shorter bladed knives, but I only do basic knife chores when camping- I'm not looking at trying to carve out totem poles and lawn gnomes or anything.
Bosnian Skinner- 5" upswept blade of Sandvik 12C27 and ebony handles. This one is probably named pretty appropriately. It would be much better for skinning Bosnians than Moose, bear or caribou.
As a wilderness knife, I'm not at all impressed with it. long blade, that's pretty clumsy with an awful geometry for skinning purposes. I'm not impressed with it. My wife is. I guess I'm not too bothered by her carrying it hiking and stuff when I'm not around. If she ever has to use it on a person it's definitely the most suitable choice. Vicious, wicked, mean kick a$$ knife for protection, mediocre knife for everything else, IMHO.
Moving onto the Scandi and misc. knives....
#760, #780 Moras- who can say enough good about these things? The 760 is stainless, the 780 is Carbon Steel Tri-Flex. Both of them priceless in terms of dollar to usefulness ratio. I did a side by side comparison with these two, and was amazed to discover that the stainless model held it's edge slightly better than the carbon model. Next time I get a couple in I'll run them both really hard in testing. (don't wanna break the only ones I've got ya' know) The only thing I can add to these is that if ya' aint gotten Normark to make you a sheath for yours yet, you oughta. The addition of a quality sheath has served to take both of these knives from great to superb. Worth every nickel.
Helle Tollekniv- my substitute for the Mora Puukko styles. at just a few dollars more than a Mora it comes with a much sturdier blade, and far superior fit, finish, sheath and handle comfort. It doesn't have the slicing efficiency of a Mora, but it still does very well. and is a fair compromise for the other improvements ya' get out of it. Definitely worth the few dollars more.
Helle Wind-great knife! plenty of handle, lightweight, and it cut with the same attitude of some knives twice it's size. I'm not a huge fan of the Helle laminated stainless in larger knives, but it's fantastic in this one. Very nice to be able to easily resharpen it on a river rock, back edge of another knife, coffee mug, or whatever else is around, not that it gets dull very often. Best suited for day hikes, or with a saw or hatchet as a companion. As a general rule, I don't like Scandi edges for hunting, but this one may some day prove to be the exception. I have a friend that used one of my Helle knives to clean TWO moose, without ever once resharpening it. It still had a workable edge afterwards. (he forgot to bring his sharpener) I used to have a few thousand dollars worth of Helle knives, now I'm down to just a few. But I sure am glad I've kept this one.
Helle with funny diamond shaped handle- an E-Prey rip off on this one. (gently used never sharpened...yeah right...I believe the never sharpened part anyways...) Thankfully, it cleaned up and sharpened well. carbon steel blade of about 4" The blade is pretty nice, and holds an edge well. The handle sucks. I've thought about rehandling it, but I'm told this may be a bit of a rare knife with a modicum of value, so I've been holding off so far.
Lauri bladed Puukko- app 3 3/4 progressively tempered carbon steel blade. This is one of the first knives I ever made with my own ten thumbs. basic, and lacking style, but an absolute favorite. It's currently an EDC when I'm not on the North Slope, and an all time favorite for day hikes, and knocking around. a definite "go to" knife. I favor the Bark River Highland when hunting, but this one for general camping and knocking around. It's been used enough for the blade to have narrowed a bit, and now looks like something a Hobo would dig out of a dumpster, but she works fine and I still love her!
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karieann69/detail?.dir=2681&.dnm=20da.jpg
"Wayfarer" so named because I considered it a good wandering knife. narrow 5" blade with a Scandi grind and red maple burl handle. very light, razor sharp, and easy to live with. I made this one out of an old file I annealed, and it works just as well as most 1095 knives, and in many cases better. Making a knife like this is tremendously satisfying and highly recommended. Can't thank Sarge and Fiddleback enough for gettin' me started. I sometimes sell similar knives for a few bucks, or more frequently trade them for tools, etc.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karieann69/detail?.dir=2681&.dnm=2771scd.jpg&.src=ph
J. Loose Americanized Puukko- (I think?) a tragedy this one is. beautiful four inch damascus blade, and an ambonya wood handle that feels like it was made for me. a knife that instantly clicked with me- until I used it. After using it a bit I came to realize it's short comings. Simply stated this knife has little in common with a Puukko, but much in common with a Busse. the flat ground blade is way too thick, and the choil is massive. It's absolutely stunning to look at, and absolutely bomb proof, but....just not my speed. I'd prefer to trade some of that massive tank like sturdiness in on some more cutting efficiency, lighter weight, and easier to carry qualities. I'm currently considering some mods to see if I can make it more suited to me. ie; a MUCH higher edge, and seeing if I can get some of that choil ground into an edge. (yes, I'd have it done professionally...)
Nessmuk by Sarge- Hand forged by a friend in the Cantina. High carbon 4" steel blade and a bone handle. Elegant simplicity at it's best. The bone handle fits my hand absolutely perfectly, and is so very well mated to the blade that it doesn't need any brass, spacers, etc. to enhance it's appearance. lightweight, simple, and very effective. The temper on the blade is a bit softer than what we're usually used to these days (think about a Douk Douk...it's very similar) But that's not a bad thing at all in my mind. I'm not a super steel fan, and infact very much like knives that can be sharpened with very simple and accessible tools. This one takes a scary sharp edge, holds it to satisfaction and resharpens easily. So far I've only used it around the house and in the kitchen, but come spring...we's a goin' huntin'.!
Starting with the wee ones...
Bark River Mikro Slither- pretty darn useless. handles too small, blades too small. It would beat not having a knife I guess. As much as anything I think I'm going to make a kydex sheath for it and consider it more of a piece of jewelry...kinda the Bark River that I can always have with me. It is well made, razor sharp, and I really do like the day glo blue handle on it.
Arno Bernard mini knife- this one is an upswept skinner with a narrow blade of about 2 3/4" Warthog tusk handle. As I recall, I got it from him for $25 or so the last year Alaska ever had a dedicated knife show.
Looks better than it works. the blade geometry is just....off on this one the holllow ground ATS-34 has just never, ever taken the razor sharp keep edge I feel a knife of this sort should have. If it ever did, it might make a nice little caping knife.AG Russell Woodswalker- Great little knife for what it is. takes a pretty decent edge, has enough handle to hang onto, weighs nothing, and performs beyond it's size. The pocket sheath is a real plus, and something I'd like to make for a few of my other knives.
Gerber Pixie- Just got it in a week ago, been playing with it daily. VERY classy, elegant, razor sharp little knife. The blade is thin, takes a scary sharp edge, and seems pretty tough so far. The handle is a wee bit small for my oversized forepaws, but this isn't a knife I'd use to carve out a dozen tent stakes or something with anyways. Definitely one I'd suggest, thus far. Even if you have to steal the wifes out of the kitchen, or buy one off of E-Prey and make a sheath yourself.
Gerber Trout and Bird- Yet another one I've only had a short time- has a great feeling handle, a verrrrrrrry pointy tip and a razor sharp edge. I knicked myself with it the other night and didn't realize it until the wife started hollering at me for my careless blood loss. the handle is plenty to work with, and even has one of those neat little spoony things at the end for those folks who don't like risking blood vein under the finger nail. I can't wait to use it in the field, but from everything I've seen around the house, I think it'll be a winner.
Moving up into the midsize knives....
Bark River Highland- dark green micarta scales, hollow pins-an all out, tried and true "go to" knife. I've had it a few years now, and it's never let me down and always performed like a champ. good ergomic little hunting knife that has no problem performing day to day work, or kitchen duty. Certainly not the flashiest BRK I own, nor the newest and most novel, but time tested and easy to trust. I got this one a few years ago for $35 or so, and it has easily paid for itself dozens of times over.
Bark River North Star- Maple Burl handles- damn I love Maple Burl! beautiful, hard enough to take a beating, but soooo light. I'm pretty sure they're the reason my relatively thick North Star is so light it feels like it's hollow inside. easy to carry, nimble little knife. Only worry is that the handle is just a wee tad uncomfortable on my pinkie as a result of my oddly shaped oversized hands. I'll have to take some time with a little sandpaper and perhaps see if I can rectify that problem. This one is only several months old. Once I get it out some more and use it enough to trust it, I can easily imagine it becoming my #1 all 'rounder.
Bark River Mountain Man- definitely made according to tradition. app 5" blade made of 1095. probably the sharpest knife I've ever owned (I've worked on the blade some) terrifyingly sharp, with barely enough handle to suit me. It's a very well made sharp knife, but I haven't decided what to do with it yet. It's just a little thin for me to take on most canoe or hiking trips, the lack of a guard makes it less than ideal for dedicated game processing. If I had it to do over again, I'd just get a Green River and spend the left over $75 or so on something smarter like beer. I really do like it, I just don't know what I like it for yet! It does great in the kitchen, but my wife rarely allows it since it isn't stainless and has icky nasty rust...
Bark River Lil' Nessy- a beautiful little Nessmuk styled knife with maple Burl handle and a 4"ish blade of 52-100 steel. Scary razor sharp. I haven't used this one much yet. Only enough to wonder what the heck that humpback is for anyways. The lack of a guard may be bothersome to a few people, but to me it's handle is well formed, and generous enough for me to remain comfortable with it. It is very, very well made, well designed and seems pretty useful as far as bridging the gap between a good skinning knife and a good camping knife (I don't always necessarily consider them one and the same) I can definitely recommend it in good conscience from what I've seen thus far though. It's especially a bargain at it's given price point.
Bark River Settler- Got this one with a yellow Mulberry handle. At first I thought it looked urine stained, (yech!) but have since come to appreciate it's uniqueness from all of the other golden brown and red hues. It's also pretty hard stuff. The blade is app 5" of Sandvik 12C27. The knife fits me very, very well. I've always liked the 5" blade if I've only got room for a single knife. It gives enough room for batonning and just a wee more horsepower than a 4" blade while still keeping most knives reasonably sized and easy to live with. The Sandvik blade is proving its worth. Perhaps a real nice knife when canoes or other boats may be involved. Not quite as nimble as my shorter bladed knives, but I only do basic knife chores when camping- I'm not looking at trying to carve out totem poles and lawn gnomes or anything.
Bosnian Skinner- 5" upswept blade of Sandvik 12C27 and ebony handles. This one is probably named pretty appropriately. It would be much better for skinning Bosnians than Moose, bear or caribou.
As a wilderness knife, I'm not at all impressed with it. long blade, that's pretty clumsy with an awful geometry for skinning purposes. I'm not impressed with it. My wife is. I guess I'm not too bothered by her carrying it hiking and stuff when I'm not around. If she ever has to use it on a person it's definitely the most suitable choice. Vicious, wicked, mean kick a$$ knife for protection, mediocre knife for everything else, IMHO.Moving onto the Scandi and misc. knives....
#760, #780 Moras- who can say enough good about these things? The 760 is stainless, the 780 is Carbon Steel Tri-Flex. Both of them priceless in terms of dollar to usefulness ratio. I did a side by side comparison with these two, and was amazed to discover that the stainless model held it's edge slightly better than the carbon model. Next time I get a couple in I'll run them both really hard in testing. (don't wanna break the only ones I've got ya' know) The only thing I can add to these is that if ya' aint gotten Normark to make you a sheath for yours yet, you oughta. The addition of a quality sheath has served to take both of these knives from great to superb. Worth every nickel.
Helle Tollekniv- my substitute for the Mora Puukko styles. at just a few dollars more than a Mora it comes with a much sturdier blade, and far superior fit, finish, sheath and handle comfort. It doesn't have the slicing efficiency of a Mora, but it still does very well. and is a fair compromise for the other improvements ya' get out of it. Definitely worth the few dollars more.
Helle Wind-great knife! plenty of handle, lightweight, and it cut with the same attitude of some knives twice it's size. I'm not a huge fan of the Helle laminated stainless in larger knives, but it's fantastic in this one. Very nice to be able to easily resharpen it on a river rock, back edge of another knife, coffee mug, or whatever else is around, not that it gets dull very often. Best suited for day hikes, or with a saw or hatchet as a companion. As a general rule, I don't like Scandi edges for hunting, but this one may some day prove to be the exception. I have a friend that used one of my Helle knives to clean TWO moose, without ever once resharpening it. It still had a workable edge afterwards. (he forgot to bring his sharpener) I used to have a few thousand dollars worth of Helle knives, now I'm down to just a few. But I sure am glad I've kept this one.
Helle with funny diamond shaped handle- an E-Prey rip off on this one. (gently used never sharpened...yeah right...I believe the never sharpened part anyways...) Thankfully, it cleaned up and sharpened well. carbon steel blade of about 4" The blade is pretty nice, and holds an edge well. The handle sucks. I've thought about rehandling it, but I'm told this may be a bit of a rare knife with a modicum of value, so I've been holding off so far.
Lauri bladed Puukko- app 3 3/4 progressively tempered carbon steel blade. This is one of the first knives I ever made with my own ten thumbs. basic, and lacking style, but an absolute favorite. It's currently an EDC when I'm not on the North Slope, and an all time favorite for day hikes, and knocking around. a definite "go to" knife. I favor the Bark River Highland when hunting, but this one for general camping and knocking around. It's been used enough for the blade to have narrowed a bit, and now looks like something a Hobo would dig out of a dumpster, but she works fine and I still love her!
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karieann69/detail?.dir=2681&.dnm=20da.jpg
"Wayfarer" so named because I considered it a good wandering knife. narrow 5" blade with a Scandi grind and red maple burl handle. very light, razor sharp, and easy to live with. I made this one out of an old file I annealed, and it works just as well as most 1095 knives, and in many cases better. Making a knife like this is tremendously satisfying and highly recommended. Can't thank Sarge and Fiddleback enough for gettin' me started. I sometimes sell similar knives for a few bucks, or more frequently trade them for tools, etc.
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karieann69/detail?.dir=2681&.dnm=2771scd.jpg&.src=ph
J. Loose Americanized Puukko- (I think?) a tragedy this one is. beautiful four inch damascus blade, and an ambonya wood handle that feels like it was made for me. a knife that instantly clicked with me- until I used it. After using it a bit I came to realize it's short comings. Simply stated this knife has little in common with a Puukko, but much in common with a Busse. the flat ground blade is way too thick, and the choil is massive. It's absolutely stunning to look at, and absolutely bomb proof, but....just not my speed. I'd prefer to trade some of that massive tank like sturdiness in on some more cutting efficiency, lighter weight, and easier to carry qualities. I'm currently considering some mods to see if I can make it more suited to me. ie; a MUCH higher edge, and seeing if I can get some of that choil ground into an edge. (yes, I'd have it done professionally...)
Nessmuk by Sarge- Hand forged by a friend in the Cantina. High carbon 4" steel blade and a bone handle. Elegant simplicity at it's best. The bone handle fits my hand absolutely perfectly, and is so very well mated to the blade that it doesn't need any brass, spacers, etc. to enhance it's appearance. lightweight, simple, and very effective. The temper on the blade is a bit softer than what we're usually used to these days (think about a Douk Douk...it's very similar) But that's not a bad thing at all in my mind. I'm not a super steel fan, and infact very much like knives that can be sharpened with very simple and accessible tools. This one takes a scary sharp edge, holds it to satisfaction and resharpens easily. So far I've only used it around the house and in the kitchen, but come spring...we's a goin' huntin'.!
