D2 acceptable for 4-5" bladed Bushcraft knife?

T

tholiver

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Feb 22, 2003
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While i love my 01 Enzo Trapper i've been thinking lately i want a little more blade length in my Bush-crafty type knife. Been looking at the Enzo Camper blade blank, seems perfect, similar to the Enzo trapper but with a 5" blade. However the Camper is not available in 01, its only available in D2. Therein lies the problem-is D2 suitable/tough enough for Bushcraft and this especially includes Batoning! I've batoned with my 3.5 inch Trapper without any problems but the camper is unfortunately D2. Not that D2 is bad but the often mentioned (whether real or not) brittleness issue has me worried in regards to batoning. Anybody here have opinions on or experience with batoning with a smaller D2 bladed fixed blade knife?
Anybody know of any good alternatives (either completed knives or blade blanks) in 01 or in the regular varieties of carbon steel, preferably with a scandi or flat grind or Full-flat-grind?
(FYI the Camper blank is in the $70-$100 price range).

And regarding Convexed knives, i'm really not a convex kinda guy. If i was i would have just bought a Bark River Aurora long ago,lol.

Any opinions/experiences about any of the above questions would be greatly appreciated!
:)
 
I'd jump all over a convexed blade in D2 but personally I would be hesitant to get a scandi in D2. Scandi's are prone to micro chipping anyway and if the D2 isn't bang on you could have issues. JMO of course !
 
If batoning is in your future, I'd go with O1, CPM 3V, or 52100. They are excellent and tough steels.

I would shy away from using a wear resistant steel in a scandi grind (such as D2 or 3V), because the large bevel and wear resistance will make sharpening a pain. For those steels, I would prefer a full flat or high flat primary grind with either a v grind or convex grind at the edge.

As always, YMMV. Good luck!
 
Don't worry about it. D2 will make a fine knife for a bushcraft blade. If you are worried about chopping with a 4" knife, then you are worried about the wrong kind of things.
 
kgd said:
Don't worry about it. D2 will make a fine knife for a bushcraft blade. If you are worried about chopping with a 4" knife, then you are worried about the wrong kind of things.
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+1:thumbup:

I have an NWA in D2 that has seen alot use and has held up perfectly. I have seen D2 Doziers get the snot beat out of them with no ill effects as well.
 
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The two Ontario RAT 3 blades I have are D2 and while they are a bit smaller than what you're looking at, they've held up quite well over the past couple years.
 
Too many misconceptions about D2. It's an excellent steel for what you want to use it for.
Scott
 
pitdog said:
I'd jump all over a convexed blade in D2 but personally I would be hesitant to get a scandi in D2. Scandi's are prone to micro chipping anyway and if the D2 isn't bang on you could have issues. JMO of course !
Click to expand...

The EnZo Camper is only available in convexed D2, you might want to check it out.
 
Thanks for all the feedback guys!
:thumbup:
I'm thinking right now that i'm not going to go with the D2 Camper until i know i've exhausted all other carbon steel possibilities. Does anybody here know of a factory produced (completed or blade blank form) (choil-less) scandi ground knife with 4.5 or 5 inch blade and full width tang in some type of carbon steel?
 
Northwoods has a willowleaf pattern in D-2 that is very robust and up to most bushcraft uses.
 
I don't have any complaints with my Ontario made RAT-5 or RAT-7. They do bushcraft tasks like a duck does water.
 
I have the following knives in D2.

enzo2.jpg

minitony1.jpg

knivfn.jpg


I think if you are going to do a lot of batoning and pounding on the blade I'd go for something convex.

If you are dead set on a scandi then go for something in 3V which is the most chip resistant of the steels I've tried (1095,01,L6, 3V)

This is just my experience so take it with a grain of salt, but I think the most chip prone is L6, then D2, then 1095, then 01 then 3V.

I think the advantage of the D2 is it's stain resistant and it's fairly easy to sharpen.

If impact resistance was my goal I'd avoid D2 in a scandi grind although I love it but I dont' do a lot of splitting wood with my knife. Although I've split plenty of small stuff around an inch with my D2's.
 
Nice Scandi folder HD....

Hey, what do you think of A2? Ever tried it in a Scandi?
 
Same here....I have used it in Barkies and Gossmans and absolutely love it. Those are convex grinds though....
 
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