Do I Need a Bushcraft Knife?

L

Lou Castle

Joined
May 9, 2001
Messages
316
Been looking at some bushcraft knives from some of the makers here and elsewhere. Is there anything that they'll do better than my Strider SA? (pictured below) What advantages, if any, do they have over this knife?

Specifically here, I've been considering some of the knives in the Fiddleback Forge line. I know the workmanship is top notch, but are there any specific recommendations from Fiddleback (or other makers) if you think that the Strider will be a disadvantage?

I realize that the smoothness of the handle of these knives will cut down on the discomfort if I have to use it for an extended period of time and that they'll probably be a bit lighter. Anything else?



7Stridersmallutility1.jpg
 
Forget about whatever "bushcraft" is, or isn't. Does your knife do the things you need it to, as well as you would like? Then you're set.

I will say though, that for prolonged work, I'd rather have a nice, full handle than a paracord wrap. But like the rest of it, that's just personal pref.
 
Smithhammer said:
I will say though, that for prolonged work, I'd rather have a nice, full handle than a paracord wrap.
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+1 . My first “bushcraft“ knife was cord wrapped at first as well. When I changed to a nice full handled knife the difference felt like day and night.
Alternatively, you could think about making handles for the strider? The blade geometry looks alright for “bushcraft“-like tasks.
 
You can always take the cord wrap off and put G-10 or micarta scales on it. I had a Strider MFS that was perfect and my brother "borrowed" it a few years ago. It's all about what works for you...
 
I'm not sure about the thickness of your Strider, but most of my Fiddlebacks have 1/8" 01 steel, I like thinner steel for wood tasks. Also, while having a handle vs. cord wrap, you will also experience less fatigue from not gripping so thin a handle design. I have the FBF KE Bushie and Bushfinger and have one or the other anytime I'm hiking, camping, or just generally woodsbumming. But, again, it's all personal!

DD
 
If you have the money and you plan to "bush craft" then you will be happier with one than without one. With that said, I "bush crafted" for years with a paring knife and while I had the obvious issues (discomfort and inefficiency) I made it work just fine.
 
Thanks for the responses. The Strider is a bit thicker than most bushcraft knives, it's about .19". It doesn't slice very well, due to its thickness, and I think that's an important property of a bushcraft knife.

Since that photo was taken, I rewrapped the handle using ungutted paracord as the base. It was a bit too small for my hand. (It comes standard with gutted cord) The rewrap extended the paracord much further up the blade. It's more comfortable now, but still, I realize, that if I used it for any extended period of time, unless I'm wearing a glove, it will be rougher than a standard handle.

One thing that I do like about it, that I haven't seen on many bushcrafters is a big "step" between the grip and the blade. Once, as a friend did some work with the point of his knife, I watched as his hand slid up onto the blade and cut him pretty badly. That could be a disaster in a serious situation and at least, a PITA in any situation. I know that a guard will interfere with any fine work but still ... Could someone make a recommendation for a knife with such a "step" or some other way of keeping the fingers away from the blade?
 
Get a set of Frag Grips from monkey edge (exclusive dealer, last I checked) for the SA and you won't have to worry about the paracord chewing up your hand. If they, too, are too rough you can sand them down and/or fill in the gaps with Epoxy or JB Weld.

It may not fit the stereotype, but you could certainly do a lot worse than the SA for bushcraft-type work.
 
Just ordered a set of Frag Grips from Monkey Edge. Thanks Scouter, for the lead. They'll dress up (down?) the knife even if I decide to get a bushie.
 
lightleak said:
+1 . My first “bushcraft“ knife was cord wrapped at first as well. When I changed to a nice full handled knife the difference felt like day and night.
Alternatively, you could think about making handles for the strider? The blade geometry looks alright for “bushcraft“-like tasks.
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+1. That knife is fine but the handle is going to be its limitation for extended work..
 
Lou Castle said:
Could someone make a recommendation for a knife with such a "step" or some other way of keeping the fingers away from the blade?
Click to expand...

If you still want to pursue the search, look for knives with a big “choil“, that is the specific term for the “step“ you are describing. You won't find that on many dedicated bushcraft knives though, mostly for the reason you already described. Edit: One of the main downsides of large choils is the strong leverage it creates (unless you put your fingers into the choil as close to the blade as possible). You have more power and control when you do strong cuts and the cutting area is as close to your hand as possible without making it dangerous.
 
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Isn't a choil at the back end of the blade but in front of a guard (if the guard is present)? The knife I showed in the first post in this thread has a small choil at the back end of the blade, just before the sharpened edge. I'm talking about a step in the handle as shown on that knife behind the blade, about where the cord wrap ends.

I have quite a few knives that have much larger choils, such as some Busse's and my EDC Hinderer XM-24 flipper. I use them to choke up on the knife for fine work.

BusseBattleMistressAlt2.jpg




I got this knife on this forum awhile back but the grip was too small for my hand, so my wife inherited it. It has the design that I'm talking about.

JKWoodsKnifeAlt2.jpg
 
Here is my take on what your asking:

First that strider looks like its hollow ground (could be wrong) which I find to be the worst for working wood. The thinness of the stock with the only with the paracord will end up killing your hand ( And in "bushcraft" I've come to the realization that you actually don't use your knife that much. What you do use it for mostly, or I do at least, is to play around carving notches (for traps and fire boards) and sharpening ends, and make shavings. Sometimes I split sticks with my knife, but in actuality, its entirely unnecessary.

Also most "bushcraft knives" have about an inch where the cutting edge runs parallel to the spine of the knife, this again aids in cutting wood. You can notice on the strider how the cutting edge curves all the way from the plunge lines to the point. Also I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that that strider knife is made from thick stock 5/32nds or more - which is too thick for a knife in the -4'' committee. I would go for anything 1/8 (.125) or thinner. If you really get into it you'll see what I mean.

ISK
 
The typical bushcraft knife will be a million times more comfortable than that handle, I can tell you that. It won't "do" anything your knife won't do, but it will do things more efficiently and with fewer problems. For example, a good scandi ground or flat ground will be better than that hollow ground. A thinner blade with a blunter/stronger tip will be better for just about any bushcraft cutting task. Typical bushcraft steels (O1, 1095, A2, etc.) will be take an edge easier and be much, much tougher and less likely to chip than S30V. The list goes on.

In short, yes, if you plan to bushcraft, you will find the above suggestions superior to your knife. That said, you can still use your knife to do everything you need it to do, just less comfortably and with more potential problems.
 
Can you make a shelter, split wood, make fuzz's sticks ,clean game and fish with it? That is what I would look at when looking for a Bushcraft knife.
You might p.m. some of the knife makers here on the forum, there are some very good one's here and see what they have that you might like.
 
You do not need a "bushcraft" knife. That is a complete myth. There are a lot of knives more suited to "bushcraft" type work than others, but long as you can get done what you need to do comfortably, your knife is probably fine.

I do a lot of "bushcraft" with the knife on a Swisstool. If I'm going to do a ton of firemaking or something else requiring lots of woodwork, I bring an axe, saw, and whatever other tools I need for the job. A lot of times the concept of a bushcraft knife gets confused with a "survival" knife, the latter needing to be used for everything you need to do to survive (if you assume in survival the knife will be your one tool), and the former tending to be another item in the toolbox of wilderness living. There are many camping trips where my knife never touches a piece of wood, the axe or saw do it all much more effeciently.

That being said, the Fiddleback knives look very nice. I wouldn't mind having one but just don't really need to spend the money on one. Just about anything is going to be better than a cord wrap though. Not only are they not very comfortable, but they get real dirty real fast, especially if you're doing any sort of food or game processing.

Hollow grinds really aren't the end of the world. I think the obsession with batonning has really done more disservice to the hollow grind than is necessary. I never knew any different until the internet told me hollow grinds were terrible for outdoors work.

Far as the choil goes... suit yourself. I think the majority of the discussion is a lot of personal preference thrown about in very absolute terms. Apart from doing a ton of batoning, you're not going to notice much of a difference. As for choils getting caught in what you're cutting... I've noticed it once or twice in cutting cloth, but apart from that, I'm not sure how people are having such problems with them. The larger choils for your finger, I just find unnecessary, at least on small knives. I think big knives are useless, so don't care one lick if a big knife has a choil or not :p
 
Agreed w/Hawkeye. Despite the popularity of the word "bushcraft" right now, I'd suggest just looking at what specific tasks you need the knife to do, and let the intended tasks narrow down your choices. For example, you'll find a number of different blade/tip styles among "bushcraft" knives - there really is no single "bushcraft" design. For me, I want a knife that will do the basic woodworking I need it to do, but that also has enough of a belly to it that it is an effective game knife. For some, the latter isn't important or needed. That's part of the reason I've chosen a particular style of knife over something like a Kephart. I think Kephart designs are really cool, particularly for woodworking tasks, but it wouldn't be my choice for a game knife. Something like my BRKT Bushcrafter, with a modified drop point, is a more versatile design for my needs.

I guess my point here is that "bushcraft knife" has come to be a term that actually encompasses a variety of blade designs, handle designs and grinds. How you narrow it down from there depends on your particular needs, as there is really no strict definition of "bushcraft" that I know of.

And agreed with the above comments about steel choices as well.
 
Can only agree to most of above! A nice handle (excellent example is the Spyderco Bushcrafter) makes it much more comfortable and more fun to use. You can get a Mora Robust with a 1/8 scandi high carbon blade for 20$ or less and you will feel the difference to your Strider - like night and day!

If you consider a custom knife maker here on BF, try to find someone who adjusts the handle to your liking which is not common practice! The spyderco Bushcrafter for instance has a mid handle swell of a full inch (25 mm!).
 
My bushcraft knife is the one I have with me. I am not taken by the the "bushcraft" knives that I see for sale for the most part. I also absolutely do not like handles wrapped with paracord. I would rather handle bare steel. I have been carrying a pair of gloves with me in the woods which reduces the discomfort of some of the knife wacking and bushcraft tasks with a regular knife, even one wrapped in paracord. The glove thing is something I believe I noticed that Mykel Hawke used in "Man Woman Wild" and I have totally taken that to heart. These shows do provide useful information.

I have the Condor bushlore knife and decided it is just not the knife for me. It has been relagated to utility knife use where I don't really care if something happens to it.
 
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