good affordable (<$100) fixed or folder for carving/whittling?

beestokk

beestokk

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looking to gather some input/info and the title says it all pretty much. i do have a set of carving knives that used to be my grandpa's but looking for more of a single knife that'd function well as an EDC/whittler/carver for when i don't feel like pulling out the set. i'm probably more interested in fixed blades right now but would consider highly recommended folders esp with an appealing/versatile blade combination (not a fan of duplicate blades in folders if that matters). max price $100 (if it's too hard to pass up) but ideally $60 or less. open to any steels with good heat treat. in a fixed i'm open to most measurements but i'd prefer a handle no smaller than 3.5", ideally closer or equal to 4", but if it's close to either and you swear by it go ahead and feel free to post. thoughts? thanks!

p.s. posted a similar 8 months ago in traditional forum with regards to slipjoints only but wanted to post here to hopefully garner more responses and input, esp on fixed blades and even other folders (slipjoints or otherwise).
 
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I've heard of using Opinels for the task, and heard one guy say he ground a #7 Opinel to increase its functionality.
 
Mora has some awesome blades that are great for carving, and they even make a few specifically for carving (ones for carving bowls, draw knives, sharp pointed jobbies, etc).

Not sure about folders for carving though.
 
Take Mora. Scandi grind is ideal for that task! Opinel is FFG and will be getting stack - my guess.
 
I've done a lot of whittling with a lot of different knives. In general, the edge I like to use for whittling (very thin, low edge angle) does not stand up well to my normal everyday tasks (I work in building maintenence - a lot of renovation type work). For me, the two uses (EDC and whittler/carver) are nearly mutually exclusive. No single blade, folder or fixed, would work for me. The closest I've come is a Craftsman carpenter's knife (Schrade Walden 804 large splitback whittler) with the main blade sharpened for utility tasks and the coping and small clip blades sharpened for whittling.
 
Poez said:
Take Mora. Scandi grind is ideal for that task! Opinel is FFG and will be getting stack - my guess.
Click to expand...

Nope, full convex.

Also, with smaller work, blade size and tip size get to be more important.
 
The Pukko design is great for carving. Kellam uses
A differentially tempered steel on some of their knives, it's pretty great steel, the Wolverine is my personal favorite.
 
I second those who mention mora's woodworking abilities. They are a good general purpose knife.

However, dedicated carving knives usually have a short (under 2") wharncliffe style blade from what I observe. It's hard to get one knife that will do it all, and I also agree with yablanowitz.

There is a folder pattern called the whittler, but they are not necessarily preferred for whittling because of the thick main blade. Maybe another multi-blade pattern like the stockman will suit your needs. Here is a Case seahorse whittler with a nice wharncliffe main blade:
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For $60 you could get 3 Mora knives. 2 dedicated to carving maybe 120(??) and 106(??) (I hope I got the numbers right). And a larger multipurpose knife like the #2. some have larger handles for better control and some have laminated blades Rc 61 for the center steel. The laminated blades get very sharp.
 
There is good news and there’s bad news.

The good news is: there are a lot of knives fitting your criteria.

The bad news is: you’ll have to pick one and lust after all the others (unless you decide to blow that budget northwards in a big way).

With your stated targets (fixed blade and less than $60) I’d highly recommend any one of several “scandi” knives. They’re exceptional for carving wood and in your size/price requirements

Most Mora knives – I have multiple models and all of them excel at carving wood.

Helle Tollekniv – I don’t have this model, but the models I have are great for carving wood.

Karesuando Haren – I don’t have this model, but it fits your needs and the brand is highly recommended from what I’ve seen.

Ahti Metsa – among my favorites, this knife excels at carving.

Ahti Tikka – I don’t have this model, but Ahti is among my favorite brands

Ahti Vuollpuukko – I don’t have this model, but Ahti is among my favorite brands.

Lappin Puukko Whittling knife – I have a version of this knife; it is an excellent choice for carving.

Wood Jewell Carving knife – I have this knife; it is an excellent choice for carving.

Brusletto Profileringskniv – I don’t have this model, but it fits your needs and the brand is highly recommended from what I’ve seen.

Marttiini Lynx Carbon Puukko – I don’t have this model, but the Marttiini I do have is excellent for carving.

Most of the above knives can be found at ragweedforge.com


Other options could include the following

R. Murphy Canadian knife – Not your usual choice for wood carving, but I’ve found mine to be quite good and very enjoyable to use.

AG Russell Woodswalker – Just a real handy little knife at a price that can’t be beat. While I don’t find it to be the carving monster that the above knives are, it will do the job quite well.

AG Russell Deer Hunter – I don’t have this model, but it fits your needs and I love my other AG Russell knives.

If you’re able to stretch your budget just a little bit more, I’d highly recommend a knife from one of the custom makers on this forum.

One particular knife that seems like it would be perfect for your needs is the Potawatomi Slim Necker from JK handmade knives. It’s a new model that seems like it would scratch all of your itches.

I’d also recommend Gray Wolf knives (model #4) for a shorter blade that is coupled with a handle fitting your needs. It too, is an excellent carver.
 
thanks everyone. tahts, special thanks for such a detailed response. i checked out most of those blades you mentioned and really like some of them! great suggestions and much appreciated. keep em comin if anyone else has input!
 
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