Cheap kitchen knife for bushcraft?

K

kirko

Joined
Dec 4, 2004
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I have a lot of fixed blades, but I want a Mora-style with a thin blade for bushcraft utilities, like whittling, making traps/notches for traps, etc. I was thinking of instead of ordering a mora, possibly just picking up a cheap full tang paring knife of the sort from walmart. Anyone use a kitchen knife for bushcrafting utilities. I have a RAT for woods usage, just want a thin blade. I would guess the only downside would be it could chip easily if it were some cheap stainless, but I think they still make carbon steel kitchen knives on the cheap. Let me know what you think....

-Kirk
 
When ya look at how cheap a Mora is or even a Coldsteel version then it doesn't pay to try getting a kitchen knife for the same purpose !
 
Tramontina kitchen knives do pretty well in the woods, and they are really cheap. But, might as well splurge and get a mora.
 
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I've used my mora for cutting steak and fish while eating in the wild. It can also be a good bush craft knife. Let's say you lose your primary knife, that walmart paring knife would really suck for outdoor use probably using some steel dedicated to rust resistance and not building traps or whittling a tent stake. For $10, sometimes less I'd get the mora, which I have done. Amazon has clippers, triflexs and the #1, some others too.
 
Cool ill just do that. This was just brought up by a whim because I was bored on a sunday afternoon, and was thinking about getting one and playing with it just because.
 
Yea Old Hickory is the way to go. get one used on the bay
 
do one up yourself! get a blade from Jantz. or some of the makers here will do blanks.

Old hickory is decent, if you want a shopping trip, find any of the paring knives from a decent knifemaking house- someone in WSS, i can't remember who- uses a IIRC wusthoff 'hawbill' paring knife for bushcraft.
 
I think it would be fine. A lot of the bushcraft designs resemble paring knives IMO. I think you're right in that the steel wont be as good but you could compensate that by thickening up the edge angle.
 
The old mountain men got pretty far with a Green River pattern butcher knife, and a 'hawk for the chopping. I think Russells-Dexter still makes the Green River pattern.
 
Another vote for the Moras I have a couple of the 840's, carbon steel version of the 860 12c27's
Excellent knives.
Carl
 
Another vote for Mora's here, they are very cheap. I've bought my Mora's when I was in Sweden, for just 5 euros each. :)
 
A paring knife will work fine for alot of tasks. I used a paring knife for a long time until I scrounged up the $ to start buying knives, a couple years ago.

What may surprise you, though, is how thick the mora is. I know I was surprised when I got my first. They are normally around 3/32" thick, which is about twice as thick as most cheap paring knives, and nearly the same thickness as the RAT 3. A nice, stiff blade.
 
jackknife said:
The old mountain men got pretty far with a Green River pattern butcher knife, and a 'hawk for the chopping. I think Russells-Dexter still makes the Green River pattern.
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I would go with Russell too. You can also just get the blade and make the handle slabs. IMHO, it cuts better than OH.

God Bless
 
vote 4? for old hickory - in memory of my mother also asking where her knife was when cooking....when i was in the woods with it :)
 
all the knives that tamed the frontier were kitchen knives. which sounds cooler? indian scalper knife or french chef knife. they are one in the same.
 
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