First Bushcrafting Knife Help Me Decide

R

Rbpwrd240

Joined
Sep 18, 2014
Messages
34
Hey Gang,

First time poster long time lurker. I am in the market for my first Decent Bush craft knife.

I currently carry the following into the bush:
SOGfari Hatchet - Chop small branches
SOGfari Machete - Clear small brush from camping spots
Bear Grylls Ultimate Survival Knife - General Big things knife
KaBar Adventure Piggy Back - I use this as a small things knife and game prep.

I want to decrease from four edged tools to two total, I normally am Kayak camping for 5-6 days in the bush and most knives wont stay sharp long enough. I don’t mind carrying a light way to sharpen the knives and at home I have a variety of whetstones and the old mouse pad underneath sandpaper for convex edges.

I have had the privilege to test about 15 types of steel but from the higher end steels I have tried VG10, 420HC, 425M, AUS6, AUS8, 8Cr14Mov, 7Cr17Mov, D2, 154CM Sandvik 13C26 and Sandvik 14C28N.

I really like D2 but I understand its weak and shouldn’t be used as a chopper. I didn’t like 154CM as it didn’t seem as sharp as D2 and took longer to sharpen. VG10 didn’t seem to get as sharp as D2 or 154CM. The 8Cr and 7Cr seem to be good steels but they are a lot softer then say the 154CM or D2. At the same time I haven’t tried any of the S30V, ATS-34, M2/4 or 1095 steels yet.

So I want to get two knives to perform the following task’s.
Chopping Wood
Baton Kindling
Clearing brush from river banks
Process small game Rabbit, Squirrel etc
Process large game Hog & Deer
Self Defense/Protection
Striker for fire starter
General Bushcrafting
Shave my face 

So to perform those task’s I have selected the following.

Large Knife General Bushcrafting, Protection, Chopping Wood, Batoning, Clearing Banks.
Essee 5 1095 A good overall knife but not so great for clearing banks and chopping wood.
Benchmade Siebert S30V Best Bushcraft design blade but probably not good for clearing
Benchmade CSK D2 Steel Great for slicing not good for chopping due to being brittle
Benchmade Rant D2 Steel Again strong sharp but brittle
Tops Tracker ATS-34 This thing looks silly but its TOPS and expensive what am I missing?
Kabar Potbelly 1095 Bowed for chopping probably rubbish as a general bushcrafting knife

To perform small game cleaning and to perform small intricate task’s
Essee Izula II 1095 May be too small easy to clean
Essee 3 1095 May be a bit too big?
Becker D’ Eskebar D2 Great knife good slicer easy to clean but brittle

Let me know what you guys would do. If there is another knife Im not thinking of please let me know.

Thanks in advance,
Alex R.
 
It sounds like you need a machete for your "big knife".

As far as D-2 goes, where did you get the idea it was brittle? D-2, properly heat treated of course, is a great steel.
 
The tasks you have listed don't necessarily go together well. If you want a chopper, look to something large (9"+). For general bushcraft, something in the 4-5" range works best in my experience, and I prefer the small end of that spectrum.

D2 is a fine steel for a bushcraft knife, I'd be more worried about S30V or ATS-34 chipping out on me than D2. I would stay away from stainless and semi stainless in blades over around 5-6 inches long though.
For some more specific feedback:
For your larger knife I'd look at the ESEE 4, or maybe the 6 if you want something a bit larger. The larger you go the more I would favor carbon steels over stainless. Maybe a BK9 if you want a true dedicated chopper, which when combined with a small knife should cover all of your needs. I use a Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri (great geometry for chopping) for this task, and it's served me very well.
As for the TOPS knife, their designs are often silly. You're not missing anything. They do make some decent bushcraft knives though, like the BOB.

Small game cleaning and bushcrafting/carving - all of the knives you listed are great choices. I recommend the Eskabar (only because it's the only one I own), but the handle can be a bit small and uncomfortable for extended use. I recommend you try to handle your choices before purchase - with a bushcraft type knife the ergos are very important since you're going to be using them hard for long stretches of time. There's just no way to know if a handle is going to work for you unless you hold it yourself.

Just my $.02.
 
Small Fiskars hatchet and a Mora no 1 would be my choice. Or if I was a rich man a Fallkniven F1.

The Mora is super easy to touch up in the field and keep razor sharp. I field dressed four deer last season all at once with only a few passes on a leather strop in between and it stayed sharp enough to so the job.

If chopping is really that big of a priority I would rather have a dedicated chopping tool and a really sharp smaller knife for cutting.

I have spent a lot of time in the woods over the years and I have never once needed to use a knife to baton or chop. That's just me though. I guess I fall into the knives are for cutting not chopping or prying camp.
 
I would recommend the Fallkniven F1. If you're concerned about VG10 dulling too quick, you can always cough up the cash for one in 3G. I've had both, and I'd say you're better off with VG10, honestly. Carry a small loaded strop or diamond stone, and you're good to go. It's an especially good choice considering you'll be on/near the water. For the big guy, I'd go machete like some of the posters above have noted. My personal favorite is the Tramontina Bolo. I've also been impressed by the Condor Golok and the 12" Ontario Cutlass. An 18" latin pattern machete would also be a great choice (many of these to choose from between Tramontina, Imacasa, Condor, Cold Steel).
 
Since you are specifically wanting a two knife setup, check out some of the Nordic knife makers' leuku and puukko knives in combination and in one sheath. There are some awesome rigs out there. You can easily Google a number of them to get a look at the knives. Start with J. Martinni knives in Finland. Most makers' products are readily available from U.S. distributors.

I believe the leuku/puukko combination to be the best and most efficient carry for bush---you won't have to look like a Soldier of Fortune lost in the woods. There are some beautiful combinations out there. These can be very fine knives and are available in any size you'd like.

Even if you don't go with these you'll see some beautiful examples of knife/handle making.

EDIT: Some of the sheaths are virtual works of art as well.
 
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I typically go into the woods with three knives (in addition to a pocket knife): Mora Companion, BRKT Bravo-1, and Becker BK-9. There's not much you can't do with that trio. If I had to go with just two, I'd keep the BK-9 and opt for a BRKT Gunny or similar (and I'm keeping the pocket knife!).
 
link2derek said:
I typically go into the woods with three knives (in addition to a pocket knife): Mora Companion, BRKT Bravo-1, and Becker BK-9. There's not much you can't do with that trio. If I had to go with just two, I'd keep the BK-9 and opt for a BRKT Gunny or similar (and I'm keeping the pocket knife!).
Click to expand...

This is almost exactly what I've settled on for my setup. I have a bk9 that I use for breaking down wood, a Mora for bushcraft, and a sak farmer (used to carry a bk2 as well).

Anyway, it really does sound like a machete/golok could be right up your alley. Check out the svord kiwi machete. It's a 12 machete made of extremely tough L6 steel. It should handle the brush clearing and chopping just fine, and should baton anything within reason. It would be prone to rust though, that might be worth considering. You could also do a 14in tram.

And really, a Mora would be great for the smaller tasks. Other options are a Becker bk16, and a JAB gamestalker.

If it were me, I'd start with a Mora and a tram machete, because that will cost you just about $20 (total). And if you don't like them, you have a good basis for what your next purchase should be.

Good luck with whatever you do :).
 
I agree about three knives.

12" Ontario machete
4-5" knife of choice- ESEE 4, the five is to thick for most things
Izula II is awesome for s small knife, I keep one piggy backed on my Busse Basic 11, love it.

Look at Shaerk knives, google the Mook and Big Mook. Would make an awesome pair.
 
Rbpwrd240 said:
So I want to get two knives to perform the following task’s.
Chopping Wood
Baton Kindling
Clearing brush from river banks
Process small game Rabbit, Squirrel etc
Process large game Hog & Deer
Self Defense/Protection
Striker for fire starter
General Bushcrafting
Click to expand...

Rbpwrd240 said:
To perform small game cleaning and to perform small intricate task’s
Click to expand...

The Tops 0.170 Machete is the greatest discovery I've made, gearwise, for lightening my load while still being more than capable. The smallish 0.170 machete is big enough for chopping through foliage, and light enough to do it all day. The handle is as comfortable as can be, rounded micarta over the full tang, with a finger groove to keep it in place. It has a choil that allows the user to choke up for detailed carving. It's just heavy enough to chop wood, but obviously isn't tailored as a heavy duty chopper. It is perfect for batoning. It also comes with an incredible sheath, the best I've ever seen for a machete.

I really no longer need a smaller fixed blade, I can do the rest with a folder like a Spyderco Military or ParaMilitary 2.

Rbpwrd240 said:
Shave my face 
Click to expand...

wut :confused:
 
A great bushcraft knife is the Tops B.O.B. Fieldcraft. 3 or 4 different colors all starting at around 100. It's nice n thick to baton with, stays nice and sharp. 1095 is very easy to bring back to sharp. It's convex on a scandi grind so she really bites in when you want it too. The blades I think 4 3/4" long and 3/16" thick. It's a lot of knife for $100! I have many others pushing 2-300 and the tops keeps in stride with all of them for the most part. But if you got cash to through around there's a lot of options on this site. Keep an eye open for custom makes like fall creek, aa forge, and the like for a decently priced custom. There's too many production 'bushcraft' blades to list off as good choices but I love my bark rivers in 3v. Actually there's a great bark river aurora cpm3v now in the individual's production sales area. Regular listed price of 220-250 and guys got it for sale for 130. And in great condition.
 
Thanks guys for all the advice.

To recap a bit here I like the BK9, the TOPS B.O.B. and that svord machete looks sweet definitly worth considering especially since I was already looking at the Essee machete.

Not a fan of those custom made twin bush craft knives. They look a little too rustic for my tastes but yes indeed they were great works of art.

As for D2 being a brittle steel I got my info over here as well as else where on the net.
http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/805038/

Im gunna ponder my choices but for right now I am again leaning toward a D2 Benchmade and a TOPS B.O.B. Im glad I was right about the TOPS Tracker becouse I have a rambo buddy that carries one and I make fun of him constantly. It would be hard to go and say hey I think this thing is okay after all. LOL

As for the idea of a dedicated chopper I do have my eye on a mini or wildlife size gransfors brurs hatchet. I got a chance to use a mini once and let me tell you that no other hatchet will ever compare. However If I go with a hatchet Im back to a three item carry. I am trying to lighten my load so I can go farther and feel better during my adventures.


I was interested in an ESSEE 6 but I really like the bow drill divit in the 5. I hadnt heard baout the blade being too thick?

Thanks again for the info, feel free to keep it coming.
 
The ESEE is to thick for its size, I should have clarified when I made tht statement. I have large 9-11" choppers in that size, it's just a bit much for a 5" knife. It's to short to chop with, and to thick for its size while batoning IMHO. The ESEE 6 is much better at 3/16" and you can always add a bow drill divot. It's easy, or you can replace the scales with TKC scales with it already added. They are more comfortable anyways. If spender $350 isn't an issue I love my Busse Basic 11 and highly recommend it. A large chopper, a 4-6" main user and a smaller knife for intricate things, like the IZULA 2 would make a nice kit.
 
Also, keep in mind, the designer Jeff, hates the ESEE 5. He made it for SERE, he thinks it's the worst knife they make, it's talked about often on the ESEE forums. He admits this openly. He much prefers the 3 and 6 out if them all combined with a machete.
 
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