Recommendation? CPM-3V Bushcraft / Survival Fixed Blade.

For that money you can also get a custom from Gray Wolf Knives... I have a bushcrafter in 3v from him and it's great!

I also have Bark River Bravo 1.25LT and Gunny in 3v as well as CPK FK2 in 3V and all three are excellent knives. I have smallish hands and the FK2 is pretty large feeling... it's an amazing knife, but I like the ergos of the bravo 1.25 and gunny a little more. for straight up bushcraft I like the GWK the most.
 
rileybassman1 said:
For that money you can also get a custom from Gray Wolf Knives... I have a bushcrafter in 3v from him and it's great!

I also have Bark River Bravo 1.25LT and Gunny in 3v .. I like the ergos of the bravo 1.25 and gunny a little more. for straight up bushcraft I like the GWK the most.
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Thanks rileybassman1 rileybassman1 , which one do you recommend the most? I wish I can afford them all lol but I can't.. Highly doubt I would be able to get my hands on the CPK. Are customs always better than productions?

I guess I have a medium hand with shorter fingers. I held an Esee 5 once and it was too tall/blockly, but my palm swells to the side like a medium and a bit.

Lee D said:
Bradford Knives offers several models in 3V
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Lee D Lee D , I did consider Bradford's Guardian 4.5 and 5.5 (prefer the finger guard over the big choil). The only thing that changed my mind is the blade height (a little tall) and the handle that looks 1" to 1.5" a little too long(?).
 
onionsninja said:
Thanks rileybassman1 rileybassman1 , which one do you recommend the most? I wish I can afford them all lol but I can't.. Highly doubt I would be able to get my hands on the CPK. Are customs always better than productions?

I guess I have a medium hand with shorter fingers. I held an Esee 5 once and it was too tall/blockly, but my palm swells to the side like a medium and a bit.
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"Better" can pretty subjective - CPK is very, very good fit and finish for a production or semi production knife, but what you can do with customs is have a say in blade material/thickness, handle material/thickness etc... at the cost of wait time.

So for "fit and finish" the custom gray wolf is the best... it's handmade by a great knifemaker... I let him know the thickness/material I wanted the handle, the blade material, the grind type (he can do scandi or flat grind... you can pick) and you get something very close to the exact specs you may want.

The CPK is next for fit and finish... again, for a production knife, it doesn't get much better.

The BRK's are both good and don't have anything that really bugs me for fit and finish, but you can see some slight imperfections on some models with regard to scale fitment etc.

Steel wise all are 3V... CPK has a "special" Heat treat (delta 3V) that is very good, GWK has a "peter's heat treat" which is also awesome... I'm not positive on BRK's heat treat, but I have had good performance with their 3V... feels slightly softer then the others, but still one of my favs.

I can't definitively say that all customs are better then all production knives... but I would say 4/5 times they will be if it's a know/respected knife maker.

Ergos are all personal preference... The CPK is not very close to an ESEE, but is closer to them then the BRK or GWK (but still substantially better). The custom is the size I wanted so it's my fav, followed by the Brave 1.25 LT, then the CPK.

Cost wise, the CPK was the most and the BRK were the least... I won't say just in case he has changed the cost, but the GWK is VERY reasonable for what you get IMO... it doesn't come with a sheath, but even with an adventure sworn sheath that I bought separate, it was still cheaper then the CPK.

I think you need to decide if you want a "survival knife that can bushcraft" or a "bushcrafter that can pull double duty"... any of these can go either way, but I feel like the GWK is more for bushcraft, and the CPK is more survival, with the Barkies in the middle (based off of blade grind etc...).

Anyway - here's a few pics. If you have any other questions I'm happy to help!

Top to bottom:
CPK FK2 Delta 3V
BRK Bravo 1.25LT 3V
GWK Bushcrafter 3V
BRK Gunny Hunter 3V

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Yea they are fantastic - Aaron Gray of Gray wolf Knives is Adam Gray of AA forge's brother.

Took me maybe 3 months or so for my order... and his prices are very reasonable IMO.

I have also had the Wolflore which is his take on a woodlore clone and it was also fantastic!

some more pics for anyone interested... the bushcrafter has a smaller handle and is perfect for my size medium hands... the wolflore's handle was a bit longer.

Bushcrafter:

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my old used Wolflore (don't have it anymore) next to a tk2:
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halden.doerge said:
You might consider the Monterey Bay Knives Field Trekker, recently released. Definitely that style of knife, 3V steel, great looking sheath, and what looks like a well executed convex grind as well. Only $190. Overseas made, so if that's an issue for you, there's that. But the knife itself is very well designed (Ray Laconico) and looks to be very well executed. I'm thinking of picking on up myself.
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I have one and it is gorgeous! USA steel IIRC. the blade geometry with it’s what I would describe as a compound flat to convex edge is fantastic. One of the sharpest knives out of the box. Thin BTE was something hard to find in 3V. I think it is a great price although I prefer USA made and not just materials. It is a great EDC fixed and the sheath is one of the best you will ever find in leather. A lot went into making this near perfect EDC fixed blade. I want to have a custom kydex sheath made for when I want to not care about the gorgeous sheath and have another to get dirty. If you want to have a knife that can take abuse or just be a hip princess, this is it imho. Oh, another thing, the polish on the knife makes it easy to clean and limits places for rust. A steal at $190 and I would get one before he runs out. I am just lucky enough to live local and got it without shipping cost lol.
 
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    halden.doerge said:
    You might consider the Monterey Bay Knives Field Trekker, recently released. Definitely that style of knife, 3V steel, great looking sheath, and what looks like a well executed convex grind as well. Only $190. Overseas made, so if that's an issue for you, there's that. But the knife itself is very well designed (Ray Laconico) and looks to be very well executed. I'm thinking of picking on up myself.
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My hands are XL so it makes the knife look a tad small. Canvas micarta is a big plus. It is also not hollowed in the handle so it has a pleasing weight to it and feels lively.
 
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https://montereybayknives.com/product/fieldtrekker

more info...

The original poster mentioned food prep. The Field trekker knife excels at this with its thin behind the edge and blade profile/grind. I tested it and it worked pretty much like a paring knife although much thicker at the spine than any paring knife. I can thinly slice about anything with ease. look at the blade grind and you see how it is not anything like the blunt prybar you usually get in 3V
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My favorite larger fixed knives are the Aurora 2, the Tundra, the Bravo 1 LT from Bark River. All in 3V. I also have about seven smaller ones and I am very happy with all of them.

But if I can have only one, in a survival situation I would prefer my Condor Mini Duku. I like it so much, I bough it in both steels.

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Lots of great suggestions here. I've been very impressed by my Benchmade Puukko 200 in 3V. Benchmade also offers a very similar Leuku, just a bit larger.
 
I have the Benchmade Puukko 200 and can recommend it. The handle is great for medium sized hands. I added scallops to to facilitate a pinch grip. The factory grind was too thick for my taste, so I reprofiled the edge.

It seems like the sheaths can be a hit or miss. My sheath is great and provides just the right amount of friction.

 
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Karl H said:
I have the Benchmade Puukko 200 and can recommend it. The handle is great for medium sized hands. I added scallops to to facilitate a pinch grip. The factory grind was too thick for my taste, so I reprofiled the edge.

It seems like the sheaths can be a hit or miss. My sheath is great and provides just the right amount of friction.

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I liked the blade but thought the sheath was well designed but poorly executed. I used it for a pattern and made another out of heavier latigo saddle leather.
 
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