Help me build my Koster Bushcrafter!

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kage

Joined
Oct 25, 2006
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I'm getting ready to order a Koster Bushcrafter as a belated Father's Day present from my wife and kids. It's my first custom outdoor knife, so I'm very excited, but I'm also tossed up as to what to get. This will be my main knife when out and about in the woods and also when teaching survival classes.

What do you feel is the best synthetic knife handle material? I'm a huge fan of G-10 and most of my knives are handled in it. I was orignally planning on getting this knife with the blaze orange G-10 handles, but I was reading through some of Dan Koster's old threads in his forum and saw that he recommends the natural canvas micarta as the best material for handles. What are your thoughts on this? If this were your knife would you choose G-10 or canvas micarta and why? I'm looking for toughness. The blaze orange color is a bonus, but I can always throw on a brightly colored lanyard for visibility.

Also, are the liners just for aesthetics or do they help protect the tang from moisture and rust or in shock absorption?

I'm shooting for the Bushcrafter in CPM 3V, with the aluminum corby bolts and lanyard tubing (according to Dan these are just as strong as the brass and stainless, but are a little lighter. Any thoughts?) I'm also ordering the kydex sheath.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Also feel free to post any pics of your Koster Bushcrafter, to help whet my appetite!
 
Nice stuff! Enjoy the bushcrafter. I think it's a great design.

As regards your handle dilemma, I have recently switched from G-10 to Micarta for my primary hiking knife. For about 8 months, I used a Delta 5 that I completed with contoured G-10 handles. This worked really well, particularly during the winter and in rough conditions, where the G-10 was easily cleaned after being covered in snow, sap, and muck. It weathered lots of dings and scratches as well, with little noticeable wear. After some consideration, though, I decided that the G-10 was a bit slick (I had sanded it down to a satin finish). So, when it came time to consider a new knife, I had Stomper (JK Handmade Knives make me an Anniversary Knife with canvas Micarta handles and a slightly coarse finish. The result is noticeably grippier, and I'm happy with my decision to switch.

Bottom line - both G-10 and Canvas Micarta are great handle materials, but I find the latter (depending on how it's finished) to be preferable from a grip retention perspective.

Comparison:

Delta 5 with black G-10

IMG_2899.jpg


JK-AK with black Canvas Micarta

IMG_3172.jpg


All the best,

- Mike
 
General observations:

I like G10 but the grip and strength of canvas micarta would win for me.

Liners can improve the integrity of the bond between tang and scales in some cases. I don't know if this is one of them.

I'd be very vigilant to the small saving in weight with aluminum over stainless bolts. Aluminum can pit in a really nasty way as it degrades. I wouldn't choose it.
 
The Koster Bushcraft is my main outdoors blade. Dan's finish on micarta is excellent. It's very grippy, and looks great. Micarta is tough stuff! Mine is in green canvas micarta, and the blade isnt very shiny, so I took care of the visability issue by getting a lanyard with some blaze orange in it (From Josh K, a regular here in W&SS). The 3V is an outstanding steel, extremely tough and not as hard to sharpen as people make out. Get some 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper and keep the edge in good shape. Now, for a couple pictures.

DSCN0019.jpg


DSCN0025.jpg
 
I've got one of Dan's Bushcraft and a Nessmuk with micarta handles. The micarta is just like it's been already described; grippy and looks great!
 
This knife has what I call a 'grippy' canvas Micarta handle:

IMG_3519.jpg


Yeah, perhaps a bit stout for a 'bushy' knife. 'Just' 1097 steel - but .250" thick. Still - I'm going to give my new RAT RC-5 a try. It was a steal for $135, inc s/h.

Good luck.

Stainz
 
Honestly 3V is so damned hard it is hard to sharpen in the bush.

I am going to go with his stainless - more versital and easier to sharpen.

TF
 
+1 on the Green Canvas Micarta, SS bolts, and liners (not sure what colors he has) and CPM 3V steel. Dan makes a good product. I picked up a few of his kit knives when he offered them and I used the combo of materials listed above with white liners and have been very happy. I had a first run bushcrafter but someone talked me out of it.
 
I'd go with micarta. I've tried a few different knives with G10 and I just can't warm up to it. It never feels as secure in my hand when it's dry and it seems much worse when wet.
 
Thanks for the responses so far.

Sounds like canvas micarta is the way to go. I know that the texture is dependent on how it is finished and it sounds like Dan's is nicely textured. All of the G-10 handles are fairly heavily textured so they've not been too slippery, but it sounds like the canvas micarta will be even better.

Thanks Bald Taco II, I didn't realize that the aluminum would pit. I've never dealt with aluminum on handles before, so good advice. I'll upgrade to the stainless steel bolts.
 
Talfuchre:
Is 3V that hard to sharpen and is it more difficult to sharpen than 154CM? I own multiple knives in 154CM (although not Crucibles version) and only like S30V better for performance (although I don't enjoy sharpening S30V much).

Sharpening is not my strong point, which is why I have gravitated more and more towards scandi grinds = ease of sharpening in the field. Typically I just carry a ceramic rod to keep the edge touched up and scandi's have been ideal for this for me. I plan on getting a Fallkniven DC3 or DC4 as a field sharpener. Can I sharpen 3V in the field with this?

Does anybody else have experience with both CPM 3V and CPM 154CM?
 
The thing with 3V is, if you maintain the edge good at home, you probably wont -need- to sharpen in the field. It holds an edge -very- well.
 
EMT_Lee said:
The thing with 3V is, if you maintain the edge good at home, you probably wont -need- to sharpen in the field. It holds an edge -very- well.
Click to expand...

This is exactly right - so it depends on what you want out of a knife.

If you have it on you and only are out in the field for a week at a time, say, and don't use the knife so very hard that it needs to be resharpened - you will be fine forever.

If you want a knife that you can touch up in the field if not fully take out some dings - you are fairly screwed with 3V. The only thing that half ass touches it is diamonds hones - and if you have to take out a ding you will be there forever.

If you need to take out a ding you NEED a selection of wet dry and a uber flat surface.

You need to decide what you want in this knife and then allow that to make your steel choices.


TF
 
Hmmmm, sounds like 3V is along the lines of S30V when it comes to sharpening. I know that it's a nearly stainless carbon steel, so it would be hard, but I was hoping that because it is still carbon that it would be easier to sharpen than stainless.

Dan Koster calls 3V "the best steel" so I was going to get it, but maybe I need to be rethinking this.

Is 3V harder to sharpen than 154CM? If it is then what's the real advantage? I'm assuming toughness. Does it hold an edge longer?

When checking out the sign up list the overwhelming majority have chosen 3V over 154CM. Why?

I was planning on getting a stainless bushcraft knife and a carbon. Maybe this needs to be the stainless and I can get 01 or A2 for the other.

Any other thoughts?
 
kage said:
Is 3V harder to sharpen than 154CM? If it is then what's the real advantage? I'm assuming toughness. Does it hold an edge longer?

When checking out the sign up list the overwhelming majority have chosen 3V over 154CM. Why?

Any other thoughts?
Click to expand...

I think it is a combination of higher toughness combined with an affordable 3V alternative to try out this new steel for the first time, at least for me.
 
I ordered mine with Black G10. I like G10. :thumbup:

I also ordered mine in 3V. Ive never tried 3V, so I figured Id give it a whirl.

Im gonna trya and pick up a stainless one in orange g10 later if he has any extra blanks. :thumbup:
 
Kage,

If it were me - I would do Stainless for this knife - and do an 01 down the road. If you like the design - he DOES make them in 01 as well.

TF
 
j williams: he's definitely not selling too many of the stainless versions, so you should be good to go.

Talfuchre: yeah, that's probably good advice. I think I may go with the 154CM. It's a good steel that I'm very familiar with. I was going with 3V based on wanting to try a new steel, the belief that because it's a carbon steel it'll be easier to sharpen than the stainless counterpart, and because Dan said it's the best steel.
 
kage said:
j williams: he's definitely not selling too many of the stainless versions, so you should be good to go.

Talfuchre: yeah, that's probably good advice. I think I may go with the 154CM. It's a good steel that I'm very familiar with. I was going with 3V based on wanting to try a new steel, the belief that because it's a carbon steel it'll be easier to sharpen than the stainless counterpart, and because Dan said it's the best steel.
Click to expand...

If the maker tells you it's the best steel, that alone should speak volumes... YMMV.
 
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