Knife trials and tribulations ?

[scs.knives]

What has your knife use in the outdoors taught you about what makes a good Wilderness knife ?

What features/characteristics have you found work and which have you found don't work as well ?

I'll start off with a couple of mine that spring to mind:

1) Although 1/4" thick blades can be fun to use I think they are for the most part excessive.

2) Not keen on choils, find them a waste of blade space.

3) As much as I prefer the look of real wood handles I think on hard working knives Micarta or G10 is the most practical option.

4) The handle might even be more important than the blade. You can have the best blade in the world but match it up with a handle that is too small or skinny and the knife will suck. For the most part any knife I have with a blade 4" or over has to have a handle at least 4 1/2" long.

Of course YMMV, let's hear what works for you !

right on! although I like some cord wrapped handles and will only take carbon steel.

 

[pitdog]

right on! although I like some cord wrapped handles and will only take carbon steel.

Good one buddy, I don't care much for stainless myself !

 

[WILLIAM.M]

I like to use Choppers more than I do my Mora's or thinner knives.

I like Thicker (1/4" or 5/16")-

-On Mesquite thinner just does not work very well.

I like G-10,Micarta,and Respirene for Handle Materials(Do not care for wood,Stag,Leather,or any other natural material).

The Handle has to be shaped to be comfortable,secure,and useful in several positions.

Choil--Depends on the knife(I am good enough to use either)

 

[bikermikearchery]

You know, I caught knife-buying-virus like everybody else and I really like some of my choices - Bravo-1, Gunny, RC-3, H.E.S.T. etc., but when it really comes down to it, I'll use whatever I have.

Blasphemy, I know, but which knife isn't really that important. If you have to do small knife tasks with a machete, you'll do it, and vice versa.

For 30 years or more, I used a Mora and a Machete and I never found it to be lacking, and before that some kind of Buck or other and a hatchet.

A knife, some knife is very important, but which knife, not so much. At least, IMHO.

Now please excuse me while I go put on my asbestos clothing.

Doc

now that was funny

Mike
BMA

 

[Gossman Knives]

I think I may have learned a thing or two about knives since I started making them. Best handle material for me hands down is micarta. No worries. Wood is nice but like all natural materials, it is unstable. Blade thickness all comes down to added weight. Thicker is naturally going to be heavier. If the geometry is right, even 1/4" thickness will work. Handle shape is an individual preference. One size does not fit all. I think there is too much talk/debate on blade steel. Any cutlery grade steel will work well if the heat treatment and tempering is done right.
Scott

 

[outdoorsfan]

I prefer carbon to stainless for 99% of tasks (I like my stainless Mora for cooking in camp).

The handle, to me, is as or more critical than most other design features. It is the interface to the knife and a poor handle paired with a great blade is still a poor knife overall. I agree with Pit, minimum of 4-4.5", the less indentations, finger grooves, profiling, the better. It should comfortably fit the hand without the natural grip feeling too tight or too loose. I don't mind wood handles but do lean towards synthetics. Micarta is nice and I do like G10 as well. I also think that even on a small knife (2-3" blade), the closer to that 4"ish minimum, the better the performance will be.

Scandi, convex or v, I use and like them all but do prefer the scandi for working with wood.

Blade thickness, 1/8" is my overall fave. I think I have maybe one or two knives that are 1/4" and they don't get used all that much.

Balance, in a general use blade, for me should be handle heavy. It seems to lessen hand fatigue a bit and the knife kind of "sits" in my hand better.

 

[jackknife]

You know, I caught knife-buying-virus like everybody else and I really like some of my choices - Bravo-1, Gunny, RC-3, H.E.S.T. etc., but when it really comes down to it, I'll use whatever I have.

Blasphemy, I know, but which knife isn't really that important. If you have to do small knife tasks with a machete, you'll do it, and vice versa.

For 30 years or more, I used a Mora and a Machete and I never found it to be lacking, and before that some kind of Buck or other and a hatchet.

A knife, some knife is very important, but which knife, not so much. At least, IMHO.

Now please excuse me while I go put on my asbestos clothing.

Doc

Couldn't agree more!:thumbup:

Sometimes the obsession with knives obscures the reality.

Carl.

 

[knivesngear]

for me a wilderness knife has to be simple. i got a gerber lmf II thinking that i would make a good wilderness knife because it was advertised as a "survival" knife but it ended up being too tactical. it weighs too much, has a sheath with tons of features, and had unnecessary accessors. when am i ever going to use a plexiglass breaker in the middle of the woods? i find that bowie knives make good wilderness knives. they are simple, easy to carry, and are great for skinning animals, buttoning wood, and other wilderness tasks. only thing you have to check with bowies is that they have a full tang blade. stay away from serrations because they can be hard to sharpen and not very useful in the woods. basically you want to keep it simple and piratical when choosing an outdoors knife which usually means going with a bit of an "older" kind of knife design

 

[Shotgun]

I've kind of come full circle with knives. Started out with just a hatchet when I was younger and that was it. Then got into the large 1/4" survival knives and then the knives got progressively smaller and thinner. Right now I'm of the mind of not even having a fixed blade when I have a hatchet. Pocket knife is just as useful or more so than a fixed blade for the reason that Rock6 said, it's just easier to pull a knife out of a pocket than a sheath. At least for me. With that said some specifics:

Steel: Whatever has a spot on heat treat. I'm down with stainless, carbon, whatever. I prefer higher end steels but I'm not going to pay a lot extra for them.

Handle size: Whatever's comfy. I haven't noticed a real big difference between thick and thin but I don't do lengthy carving projects so it's less of an issue. Never had hot spots from any knife.

Thickness: 5/32" max. Preference for the 3/32" to 1/8".

Tips: I like a nice useable tip. I'm not a hunter so huge round bellies that give very little point to the knife aren't for me.

Grind: Anything thin bladed works fine. I've noticed scandi is pretty crappy on onions but otherwise I've had good performance from all grind styles.

Jimping: Don't care. Never noticed it to help or hurt.

Guards: I like a guard on the front for use as a last ditch weapon. Use as a weapon is far down on my list of things for a knife but I've never noticed a guard getting in the way of work so why not have that capability?

Choils: In my mind, a maker who uses choils on a small knife (sub 5") is a maker who doesn't know what they're doing. They're useless IMO and only serve to add more weight to the knife. However, a "sharpening hole/notch" is okay and I see that people like the cleanliness and ease of them as far as sharpening, but I don't like them. The blade should terminate at the guard.

 

[TheGame]

I can use thick or thin, as long as the edge is sharp enough to cut. With that said, I do prefer choppers, and thicker knives for that. 3/16 and up, specifically for choppers. If it is a Machete, then I want thinner.

The steel must be Carbon, or a Stainless I am 100% comfortable with using. (For fixed blades)

Handle - I love the look of some of the plain woods, but I really like Micarta more. I like to be able to have more than one way to grip a knife, too. I do not like finger notches that seem to be limiting this.

 

[stanley_white]

3/16" minimum thickness with 1/4" being max.

I prefer traditional grinds over scandi or convex.

I hate knives with rounded spines -- annoying for fire steel use.

Coatings can go either way but I prefer milspec parkerization over crinkle style coatings.

A guard is a must. Single guards are preferred.

Choils are nice but not a go / no-go criteria.

A good sheath is a must with Spec Ops Brand being preferred.

Micarta handles are a must.

Carbon steel is preferred.

I love large handles a la RTAK size.

-Stan

 

[unit]

All I know is that whatever I declare I absolutely must have in a knife will be at least partially wrong in 6 months or less.

On one hand I learn a lot by switching out blade styles frequently...on the other hand I can not seem to stop looking for the next one.

Perhaps the frequent game changes are teaching me versatility? Oddly enough, it seems the more expensive a knife is, the less I end up liking it.

 

[texastonydobbs]

my last few outtings I packed 3 blades
and it being my ESEE3 CP, I like the pointy tip the CP offers and being 1/8" thick, coating was removed and I like micarta scales,the clip point section is used as dedicated fire steel striker.
My Lite Machete is the work horse of the 3 and a SAK Rucksack or Farmer is for finer duties
(SAK not in pic)

Back when the 3CP was new you can see the great tip on it

 

[Rick Marchand]

My preferences change all the time. I agree with everything Scott points out. Steel is only as good as its heat treat. Also, the part about natural materials being unstable. I still prefer them over synthetics. "Vibe" and "Aesthetics" are very important to me. If my tools make me FEEL like a woodsman, I act like a woodsman. The extra care involved in natural materials is insignificant next to my appreciation for them. You can have the best of both worlds with stabilized woods and hard wearing finish coats.

Right now, I'm into the big, thick Bushknives.... but all that could change on my next outing.

Rick

 

[Gene K]

Not much experience but I will play...

My Favorite...

Steel - 5160

Blade - 4.5" x 5/32". Profile similar to a Bark River Aurora

Handle - 5" Symmetrical Hickory. Reduces blisters in heavy use and good for reverse grip.

Ive tried others but then I keep coming back to the one my Grandfather made for me 36 years ago.

 

[Briarbrow]

Nicely stated Rick.
--
The couple high quality kitchen knives I use are treated with care, but the bulk of them and for most of my adult life have been plain ole stainless blades with riveted, unfinished, wood scales. I can think of one that cracked. These are often run through the dishwasher every few days, or at times left in the sink soaking wet. Even after this harsh treatment they remain as functional as they ever were. No, not the same thing as a hard use woods knife-but then a lot more care is put into securing the grip in place as well as protective coating

I don't view my knives as eternal or static. In fact they are always changing. Stains, scratches, dents, chips, dulling, resharpening, repolishing all take their toll.

I made a hilt from elk leg bone. It never dawned on me until using the blade to chop with what a bad choice it was. It is tough enough for the use, but a case of way too round.

 

[kage]

Like many here, my tastes seem to change. Some of that is whim, some of it is change of needs, some of it is change of terrain or season, and some of it is change of technique. Always though, I prefer pure function in a blade. I like my equipment to compliment what I'm doing and not distracting me from them because I'm worried about durability.

My preferences lean towards a 3-4" blade for most uses, which gives me exceptional control, and is more than enough blade for what I usually do, especially if I have a chopper or saw to compliment it. I strongly prefer thin blades (I preferred heavier and thicker blades when i was in the military, and whatever was the lightest folder when mountain guiding). I prefer carbon for ease of sharpening and how sharp it gets, but I also really like good stainless steels, too because of their ease of maintainence. I don't care for choils, except on compact folders, which gives you a full sized handle with a small footprint (I like the design of the handle and choil on the Spyderco Native, but don't care for the blade design). I like flat ground and convex, but prefer scandi now for ease of sharpening in the field.

I like a full length handle, at least 4.5" and much prefer synthetic materials, especially G-10 and micarta. I like fat handles, which for me is much more comfortable and much less fatiguing when working with the knife for long periods of time. I like solid pins and a large lanyard hole (so that I can larks head/cow hitch a bright and reflective lanyard onto it and remove it easily if I'm going to be gutting or skinning), even if I don't use a lanyard, so I have the option.

I prefer kydex sheaths over leather every time. Again, low maintenance and doesn't hold in moisture. I also like a drop sheath or baldric when wearing a pack or a neck sheath for quick access.

 

[GingivitisKahn]

I think the big lesson (for me, anyway) is get what you like because that's what you will carry and use. Reading through the responses is interesting because in many cases you can just see the writer looking at his goto knife and describing that one. I like Beckers and would describe the "right" knife as thick (oh I dunno - maybe a quarter inch), about 5 inches of blade and so on but would I be just fine with an ESEE or a Mora or a SAK or whatever? Yep.

That's one of the things I love about knives - there's something out there for YOUR tastes and if not - there's some custom guy that will make whatever it is for you.

The correct answer is Becker BK-2, by the way.

---

Beckerhead #42

 

[hiwa]

Over 40 yrs of using knives has taught me a few things.

Flat ground blades are easiest to maintain
Carbon steel sharpens up easier and quicker (at least for me) than stainless
Batonning strength in a knife is not it's most important virtue
Choils pose no problem , just don't make them too big
Artificial handles ( micarta, G-10 , etc.) are tougher and last longer than natural items ( I've seen wood and bone split a lot of times)
4-6" blade length is the most practical for most uses
Knife handles must be long enough to fit your hand- 4 1/2 " long is good for most hands . A lot of handles are too small or poorly designed.
Most knives are way stronger than you think they are
Leather sheaths are great if well built
Most sharpening jigs and gizmos are a waste of money. I have owned more than a few and always go back to freehand.

 

[mtwarden]

I've found that smaller knives fit my needs better than large, with that-

3/32-1/8" works
prefer G10/Micarta over wood
prefer convex
prefer "sharp" spine for firesteel
prefer slight drop point, not too much belly
handle shape is important
I spend too much $ on knives