First Bushcrafter?

kgnikon said:
I read that the Bravo 1 is one heck of a knife. Can you give a short list of what you really like about it? TheA1 steel seems like good stuff--however I don't know much about it :-/. Seems like a dry useful knife though. Thanks!
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I like pretty much everything about it. I think it looks pretty, which for some people is important in their tools. The convex grind works really well for me, especially on a thick blade like this one.

My experience with A2 has been VERY positive so far, I own a few Bark River knives in that steel and all have performed flawlessly (they are all in the 4" to 5" blade length range).

The handle is also quite comfortable and large enough for my big hands. Some knives like the excellent Falkniven F1 have relatively skinny and short handles, I like a big handle even on knives with short blades.

The only bad thing about the Bravo 1 is that it's rather hefty, due to it's thickness. In some scenarios it's an issue (when counting grams for a load out that I'll have to carry on foot for a couple of weeks), in some it isn't.

Here are some quick pictures of one of my Bravo 1s with a Fallkniven F1 and a Mora. Sorry for the low quality, just snapped them with my phone in poor lighting.

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Check out the handle size difference with the F1, blade length is similar.
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Blade thickness
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3G is tougher to sharpen and takes a little longer to do so than VG10, as you would expect it to be. The trade off is that it stays sharp longer.

I don't know much about the differences between the two steels other than 3G is a 'powder steel' and costs more to manufacture? I'm not sure about that though. I know that both of my 3G Fallkniven knives get sharper than any other knife/steel that I own, hands down.
 
kgnikon said:
Thank you!!! What are your thoughts about the Mora Black?
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Mora Black is a good knife. Might be a good place to start, can't go wrong for the money.

The Bravo 1 is a good design, but for bushcraft I would look at the Bravo 1 LT that just came out... 3v steel, thinner blade, and there are some "field version" models that have the thumb ramp removed and thumb jimping on the spine in its place. Or you can get rampless with smooth spine. Either would be better than the ramp, it tears up your thumb with bushcrafting tasks.
 
I feel like a fanboy or broken record, but there's also the new Survive! knives... the GSO 4.1 is a very comparable knife to what has been suggested. Great handle, great steel, can get it with or without thumb jimping, a ferro rod notch, or a bow drill divot.

They just opened up orders for the 4.1 in a stainless steel version as well yesterday, so if you're interested this would be a good time to jump on one. Goes right right at $200.
 
Still haven't decided yet. So many good suggestions! I am leaning towards a few:
Spyderco Bushcraft (but as a production knife its almost as much as a semi-custom)
Survive GSO 4.1 (it seems a bot to stout compared to the traditional Scandi Bushcraft knife)
Mora Force or Mora Black.

Ultimately something about the Skookum Tool really intrigues me from what other say about it. ANYONE OUT THERE LOOKING TO SELL a SKOOKUM ;-)??? Usually I pull the trigger on a knife I want pretty quickly just cant make up my mind on this one.
 
Lots of great choices already spoken of. I use different knives a lot and some of my favorites are the F1, Benchmade Bushcrafter, BHK boattail Scandi, Adventure Sworn, and my Skookum.

The F1, and Benchmade have great steel and good ergonomics. My AS is a joy to look at and hold, but it also performs well in the woods. I love my Skookum and have another on order. Great blade shape if you do any woodcraft while outdoors. Holds a good edge and is easy to sharpen. The BHK is like a smaller version of the Skookum.

Everyone has different likes in a bushcraft type knife. Find one you like, use it and decide if it is for you or not. You can always trade or sell to find the ones you like the best. Have fun with the search.
 
kgnikon said:
Still haven't decided yet. So many good suggestions! I am leaning towards a few:
Spyderco Bushcraft (but as a production knife its almost as much as a semi-custom)
Survive GSO 4.1 (it seems a bot to stout compared to the traditional Scandi Bushcraft knife)
Mora Force or Mora Black.

Ultimately something about the Skookum Tool really intrigues me from what other say about it. ANYONE OUT THERE LOOKING TO SELL a SKOOKUM ;-)??? Usually I pull the trigger on a knife I want pretty quickly just cant make up my mind on this one.
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The GS0 4.1 isn't as big or thick as it looks. The blade thickness is similar to a lot of maker's bushcraft blades.

Any of those on your list would be great, though.
 
Enzo trapper, BHK Bushcrafter, bk16 . mark andrews custom , james terrio custom. those have been my favs.
 
Here are a handful of knives to compare...

Left to right is GSO 4.1 (no thumb jimping), Mora 510 (extra serving of rust, this knife gets neglected), Bark River Bravo 1 (beat to hell and thumb ramp ground off), Busse CABS LE (out of your price range)

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As you can see, the GSO 4.1 isn't really that beefy. It is just right, imo.
 
isp 5353 said:
lots of great choices already spoken of. I use different knives a lot and some of my favorites are the f1, benchmade bushcrafter, bhk boattail scandi, adventure sworn, and my skookum.

The f1, and benchmade have great steel and good ergonomics. My as is a joy to look at and hold, but it also performs well in the woods. I love my skookum and have another on order. Great blade shape if you do any woodcraft while outdoors. Holds a good edge and is easy to sharpen. The bhk is like a smaller version of the skookum.

Everyone has different likes in a bushcraft type knife. Find one you like, use it and decide if it is for you or not. You can always trade or sell to find the ones you like the best. Have fun with the search.
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good advice:-)!
 
Skrapmetal said:
Here are a handful of knives to compare...

Left to right is GSO 4.1 (no thumb jimping), Mora 510 (extra serving of rust, this knife gets neglected), Bark River Bravo 1 (beat to hell and thumb ramp ground off), Busse CABS LE (out of your price range)

1C75808A-D640-4E2A-A90D-248B13307C4A-3216-00000A466B0AC4C7_zpse0a56e5e.jpg

7955A414-2B11-4BA4-B603-3239D714ED3A-3216-00000A466F0DF01A_zps14a0ff74.jpg


As you can see, the GSO 4.1 isn't really that beefy. It is just right, imo.
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Thank you for taking time out of your day and posting these pics. They folks on this forum are stellar :-))))
thank you!!!
 
I have Kosters too. 2 Bushmasters in 3v. What a sharp , tough knife. In the $200+ bracket though , unless you get a loved one. My op on the Fallkniven 3G is it a good steel , but a heavy price bump over Laminated VG-10. I personally didn't think it was worth it. Ymmv. Convex grind those FK's , so bring your sandpaper.

The S1 a previous poster disliked is in my top 5 bushcraft knives. Personal opinions vary greatly about all knives for sure , but I like the S1 over the F1 because of added length , sharper point , and overall feel.

I was hesitant over the Benchmade 162 because of how the handle looked. Boy , was I wrong. That knife fits my med-lrg hands perfect. S30V is best sharpened by diamond sharpeners ( unless your in no hurry ,lol) but once sharp your good to go. I used mine a week straight in the bush and a whole lot of backyard bushcrafting and I never needed to sharpen it yet. Batons , slices wicked , food prep , gutting fish......it flew through it all. A Folding saw , the Benchmade 162 and a BK-9 and Bob's your Uncle..

Stainless or carbon , I love 'em all as long as they do the job. There's certain knives I really like...and I bought a bunch of them from forming my own opinions and especially , using them. Try to handle a knife before you buy it if you can , although I bit the bullet on a lot of them and ordered on Blind Faith. I've had few dissapointments with most of them.
 
I have owned quite a few Syderco Bushcraft knives and really like them. It has the most comfortable handle that I have ever held.

If you like the looks of the Skookum, look into the BCNW-01.

I just got a Survive Knives GSO 4.1 and I am rather impressewd with it so far.

Good luck on your search.
 
Can't believe I failed to mention I just moved to FL a few months back. Give the nature of the weather wet and super humid. Should I be leaning towards a stainless or go Carbon and just patina the blade? This thread has been very fun
 
The Benchmade 162 Bushcrafter is a nice knife. Some have complained about the handle ergos being too blocky feeling, but I love it. The handle was designed for many different grips and bushcrafting tasks. The S30V takes and holds a wicked edge and maintenance is minimal. Which will be beneficial living in Florida too. As mentioned above, the fit and finish Benchmade offers is what others are judged by. Another plus is it's made in the USA.

 
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