I've been looking at adding a nicer bushcrafting knife to my collection. The only feature I'm set on is a Scandi grind. Immediately these are the two that jumped out at me. Just wondering if the Spyderco is worth the extra bucks and I I'm missing out on any other hidden gems?
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Enzo trapper vs Spyderco Bushcraft
- Thread starter BIG45-70
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Enzo trapper is a nice knife - I would never recommend D2 steel however so stick with O1 unless you have some magical ability to sharpen D2 in the wild on rocks and whatnot. I can't speak for the Spyderco but from the videos on youtube it seems to hold its own. Other scandi grinds that come to mind...
Dan Koster - flat scandi grinds are common on his stuff. Pricey but nice.
Andy Roy (Fiddleback) - I think he uses convex scandi grinds. Again, pricey, but I don't know anyone who complains about the quality.
Bark River - Convex scandi grinds are only found on a few models (the Scandi, Liten Bror, and Bushcrafter, plus others perhaps). Pricey again but I am a huge fan of them. The BRK Bushcrafter is my current outdoors knife and it works exceptionally well.
If you like flat scandi then there are many options to choose from - Mora, Helle, Jarvenpaa, others. You can get a good knife for anywhere from $10 to $300. If you know how to use your equipment, a $10 Mora basic should suffice (just ask Cody Lundin or Mors Kochanski). I actually prefer higher end knives for learning because they are tough enough to withstand stupidity (there are limits however) and I can practice for hours without sharpening or fixing any damage. I also prefer convex scandi with full tang knives whenever possible, which is pretty much all the time.
As for steels, O1, A2, and 3V are all good. O1 seems to be pretty standard and can withstand numerous beatings without complaint. A2 is comparable I think but others may feel otherwise. 3V has a reputation for being difficult to sharpen but I haven't had too much trouble with it. D2 really gives me problems so I stay away from it and dissuade others from using it whenever possible. 12c27 is a stainless steel used in Mora knives and others, it's cheap and takes an edge easily but requires a bit of maintenance.
You can also find a variety of custom scandis on the Knifemaker's For Sale forum here. Scandinavian knives can be purchased all over the web but ragweedforge.com is a good place to check out different makes and models and you can search for reviews from there.
Hope this helps...
Dan Koster - flat scandi grinds are common on his stuff. Pricey but nice.
Andy Roy (Fiddleback) - I think he uses convex scandi grinds. Again, pricey, but I don't know anyone who complains about the quality.
Bark River - Convex scandi grinds are only found on a few models (the Scandi, Liten Bror, and Bushcrafter, plus others perhaps). Pricey again but I am a huge fan of them. The BRK Bushcrafter is my current outdoors knife and it works exceptionally well.
If you like flat scandi then there are many options to choose from - Mora, Helle, Jarvenpaa, others. You can get a good knife for anywhere from $10 to $300. If you know how to use your equipment, a $10 Mora basic should suffice (just ask Cody Lundin or Mors Kochanski). I actually prefer higher end knives for learning because they are tough enough to withstand stupidity (there are limits however) and I can practice for hours without sharpening or fixing any damage. I also prefer convex scandi with full tang knives whenever possible, which is pretty much all the time.
As for steels, O1, A2, and 3V are all good. O1 seems to be pretty standard and can withstand numerous beatings without complaint. A2 is comparable I think but others may feel otherwise. 3V has a reputation for being difficult to sharpen but I haven't had too much trouble with it. D2 really gives me problems so I stay away from it and dissuade others from using it whenever possible. 12c27 is a stainless steel used in Mora knives and others, it's cheap and takes an edge easily but requires a bit of maintenance.
You can also find a variety of custom scandis on the Knifemaker's For Sale forum here. Scandinavian knives can be purchased all over the web but ragweedforge.com is a good place to check out different makes and models and you can search for reviews from there.
Hope this helps...
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I have the Enzo Trapper in O1 and like it a lot. Very good steel, very good edge.
I can't speak to the Spyderco as I've never used one. I can say that for what Spyderco charges you could choose from a pretty good selection of custom knives. Personally I just can't see spending that sort of money on a factory produced knife.
I can't speak to the Spyderco as I've never used one. I can say that for what Spyderco charges you could choose from a pretty good selection of custom knives. Personally I just can't see spending that sort of money on a factory produced knife.
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Another bushcrafter I've been hearing about is the Condor. Actually there appear to be several - all in the $20-30 range and all made from 1075 steel. They have scandi grinds and wooden handles (not sure what kind of wood).
Again there are many low cost bushcraft knives and people like the aforementioned Mors can run circles around those of us with $200+ knives with his plastic handled Mora (not sure what model he uses but I'm pretty sure he didn't pay any more than $15 for it). I'm no Mors however so in my hands a BRK, Fiddleback, or the Spyderco would outlive a Mora or Condor. I can definitely see myself gravitating to lower end knives as I grow older and, while not always wiser, at least somewhat less stupid.
Again there are many low cost bushcraft knives and people like the aforementioned Mors can run circles around those of us with $200+ knives with his plastic handled Mora (not sure what model he uses but I'm pretty sure he didn't pay any more than $15 for it). I'm no Mors however so in my hands a BRK, Fiddleback, or the Spyderco would outlive a Mora or Condor. I can definitely see myself gravitating to lower end knives as I grow older and, while not always wiser, at least somewhat less stupid.
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I might be mistaken as well. I have some Fiddleback machetes and they have a convex scandi edge, but I don't know if that's his standard.
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I just Googled "Spyderco Bushcraft" and the first result wasn't exactly encouraging: http://www.naturalbushcraft.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?3225-Spyderco-Design-Flaw
What exactly was done to make it break like that I can't say for sure, but one person theorized that it was slightly cracked from the start.
What exactly was done to make it break like that I can't say for sure, but one person theorized that it was slightly cracked from the start.
Thanks for all the replies. I'm really looking for a flat scandi. I have a Mora Triflex which I love and would like to stick with the exact grind and carbon steel as I can get it sharper then any of my other knives. I'm just want something a little nicer 
Some great suggestions, I think the Enzo is still first on my list. I wish Mora offered a carbon steel blade with a full tang I would be all over it.
Some great suggestions, I think the Enzo is still first on my list. I wish Mora offered a carbon steel blade with a full tang I would be all over it.
Check out the BCNW-01 its a mora, on steroids! full tang. i almost got one but opted for the Koster bushcrafter instead. Now dont count out convex knives as bush knives. i got a Fiddleback Forge Bushcrafter with a convex sabre grind. convex is superior to scandi in many ways. scandi bites wood much harder. but convex (a true convex edge) holds its edge WAY better.
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Speaking as someone who isn't very good at sharpening, i would definitely stick with a traditional scandi grind. i can sharpen a scandi while i'm out in the woods with the smallest stone i have in just a few minutes. i'm not sure i could even sharpen a convex edge while i was sitting at home with all the time in the world.
Currently an EnZo Trapper in O1 is my first-string outdoors knife. It is the scandi grind w/ zero edge.
I bought just the blade, and made my own scales out of lignum vitae. My scales are quite a bit fatter than the EnZo scales (judging from pictures and videos). The Enzo scales appear to be on the thin side for bushcrafting knives, but I have never held a factory Trapper so I can't speak to how comfortable they are. My Trapper with fat lignum vitae scales is heavy for a 4" knife and is a bit handle heavy. I imagine it would be significantly lighter with slimmer birch scales from Enzo, and should have excellent balance as the tang is skeletonized.
The overall quality of the blade is fairly high. The major things, like accuracy/symmetry of the grind and flatness of the bevels and shoulders, were spot on. My main gripe was the finish on the steel, which was listed as "satin", and appears to be done on a 120 grit belt-sander. The sanding marks were neatly aligned and it by no means out of the norm for utilitarian knife finishes, but I think the Trapper blade shape deserves a little nicer finish. I ended up putting a (very nearly) mirror polish on mine. They may also offer a "bead blast" finish on the Trapper...I bought another Enzo with the bead blast and did not like it either. But I'm sure it's a good functional finish, I just don't care for finishes other than mirror polished or rough forged.
The finish bothered me mainly because I am so fond of the blade shape. To me it is the best-looking knife of its kind, a perfect blend of grace and power, traditional and modern. The handle and blade lengths are perfect for your typical bushcraft work, and it has just the perfect amount of ricasso and finger guard, which is to say very little. There is no grip that the knife doesn't want to be held in. You can get your hand right up to the edge without feeling like you could slip onto it.
The knife did have some initial problems with edge holding. The first few times I used it I got some significant chipping doing fairly light work. O1 should not do that, and after some intensive sharpening sessions it appears I have worn it down to good steel. The edge must have overheated during grinding at the factory, which is not unheard of for many knives. I have no idea how common that is with Enzo, but this was the case for mine at least. Anyways, currently I am satisfied with the steel. I can power through knots in wood without getting visible damage, just a little micro-rolling like you'd expect doing that with an included edge angle of around 20 degrees. Can be quickly repaired on a strop, though even without repair it doesn't slow down shaving wood. I would say it's a little better than either of my Moras now for edge durability. It is a good batoner, mainly limited by blade length.
It has the normal disadvantages of scandi grinds, especially thicker scandi grinds (the Trapper is about 1/8" thick, which is near the practical limit IMO for a scandi grind). Besides a relatively fragile edge, they are not good slicers, despite having wickedly sharp edges. They are somewhat limited in penetrating wood across the grain (like in cutting a branch in half) due to how thick the blade gets behind the edge. A thinner scandi like a Mora or Helle would do a little better. A full flat or full convex will be ideal for these tasks. But like all scandis, the Trapper excels at making planing cuts along the grain, due to the wide flat bevel and acute angle. The blade thickness also helps when you're trying to break chips or split wood.
Anyways, that's me rambling about my experience with the Enzo. You can't beat it for the money, and with a nicer finish the blade design is absolutely gorgeous in my opinion.
I bought just the blade, and made my own scales out of lignum vitae. My scales are quite a bit fatter than the EnZo scales (judging from pictures and videos). The Enzo scales appear to be on the thin side for bushcrafting knives, but I have never held a factory Trapper so I can't speak to how comfortable they are. My Trapper with fat lignum vitae scales is heavy for a 4" knife and is a bit handle heavy. I imagine it would be significantly lighter with slimmer birch scales from Enzo, and should have excellent balance as the tang is skeletonized.
The overall quality of the blade is fairly high. The major things, like accuracy/symmetry of the grind and flatness of the bevels and shoulders, were spot on. My main gripe was the finish on the steel, which was listed as "satin", and appears to be done on a 120 grit belt-sander. The sanding marks were neatly aligned and it by no means out of the norm for utilitarian knife finishes, but I think the Trapper blade shape deserves a little nicer finish. I ended up putting a (very nearly) mirror polish on mine. They may also offer a "bead blast" finish on the Trapper...I bought another Enzo with the bead blast and did not like it either. But I'm sure it's a good functional finish, I just don't care for finishes other than mirror polished or rough forged.
The finish bothered me mainly because I am so fond of the blade shape. To me it is the best-looking knife of its kind, a perfect blend of grace and power, traditional and modern. The handle and blade lengths are perfect for your typical bushcraft work, and it has just the perfect amount of ricasso and finger guard, which is to say very little. There is no grip that the knife doesn't want to be held in. You can get your hand right up to the edge without feeling like you could slip onto it.
The knife did have some initial problems with edge holding. The first few times I used it I got some significant chipping doing fairly light work. O1 should not do that, and after some intensive sharpening sessions it appears I have worn it down to good steel. The edge must have overheated during grinding at the factory, which is not unheard of for many knives. I have no idea how common that is with Enzo, but this was the case for mine at least. Anyways, currently I am satisfied with the steel. I can power through knots in wood without getting visible damage, just a little micro-rolling like you'd expect doing that with an included edge angle of around 20 degrees. Can be quickly repaired on a strop, though even without repair it doesn't slow down shaving wood. I would say it's a little better than either of my Moras now for edge durability. It is a good batoner, mainly limited by blade length.
It has the normal disadvantages of scandi grinds, especially thicker scandi grinds (the Trapper is about 1/8" thick, which is near the practical limit IMO for a scandi grind). Besides a relatively fragile edge, they are not good slicers, despite having wickedly sharp edges. They are somewhat limited in penetrating wood across the grain (like in cutting a branch in half) due to how thick the blade gets behind the edge. A thinner scandi like a Mora or Helle would do a little better. A full flat or full convex will be ideal for these tasks. But like all scandis, the Trapper excels at making planing cuts along the grain, due to the wide flat bevel and acute angle. The blade thickness also helps when you're trying to break chips or split wood.
Anyways, that's me rambling about my experience with the Enzo. You can't beat it for the money, and with a nicer finish the blade design is absolutely gorgeous in my opinion.
Its actually much easier than you think. In my opinion easier than sharpening a scandi. All you need is a mousepad, some wetdry sandpaper, and a table.
And in the field, you can sharpen it with anything you would use on another knife. The simplest way is just to put a small V-edge bevel on. You can use a flat stone to keep the convex edge if you incorporate a rolling motion. People sharpen axes in the field all the time, and most of those have convex edges.
Actually scandis are the one of the most difficult grinds to sharpen in terms of the amount of metal you have to remove to accomplish anything.
Yeah im still working on getting that art of stone sharpening a convex down... I suggest just getting a mousepad, cutting it in strips, take some sandpaper, cut it in strips. keep it in a bag. nice and compact. you can also keep a strip of leather in there, to keep that edge razor sharp.