Koyote Knives

moonwilson said:
That was the best-written review I've ever read on Bladeforums. Awesome work, man. And the knives are very intriguing! Another maker on my list!
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:thumbup: I second that!Excellent review!I read a lot of reviews...This one is by far one of the best.
 
JTR357 said:
:thumbup: I second that!Excellent review!I read a lot of reviews...This one is by far one of the best.
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Wow thanks moonwilson and JTR357!

I'm just a knife nut that likes to take too many pictures and write too many words.:D
 
Still loving the Leuku Bushcraft Knife! I have seen many variations of this since this review. Feel free to share some pictures of yours.

-RB
 
Bear, I love your reviews even though they usually cost me money:D I have a Koyote coming this week and I can't wail to start hacking thing up.

I must also agree that we are lucky to have such great knife makers right here on our favorite site. Not just talented but great guys and gals as well. They make you feel great as they keep you broke.:rolleyes:

One more time, _Thanks a lot to all who make this site possible. I don't take it granite.
 
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Awesome review Ruben as usual.

Christof, you do great work. Your knives have a flavor all their own, and the leather is top notch for sure. Keep grindin them out, your work is amazing.
 
Great review!!! It's cool to see a local maker get to the point that his knives are being recommended and praised. Man, I like thin knives too, and the rustic look, I'm gonna have to check these out.

ETA: Oh, man that cocobolo bird and trout on your site is killing me! Now I just need to get my first paycheck, and tell the wife I made $100 less than I actually did...
 
bearthedog said:
Koyote Knives

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Thin knives are back

Davis California, Christof Harper of Koyote Knives is bringing back thin rustic hand forged knives from the early days. After an honorable discharge from the military, Christof started repairing and modifying knives. Building kit knives eventually led to custom knife making. When you want a knife that either you can’t afford or isn’t out there, you make one.
I first noticed the pocket Nessmuk from Koyote Knives a few months ago. It had Osage orange scales and a blade made from 15n20 steel. Thickness was 3/32” thick, 3-inch blade and 6 1/4 overall. The handle was put together with hand peened rivets and had a tabasco patina. Well months later I’ve had the chance and privilege of handling some Koyotes.

Bandsaw Steel-Uddeholm 15n20 .75% C, 2% Ni – nickel steel roughly similar to L6, minus the chrome and Molybdenum.

Ultralight

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Blade
Koyote blades are made to cut, whittle, and slice food, isn’t that what knives are made for? This model has a blade 1/16-inch-thick. If you think this is thin, you are right. Let’s think about this for a moment, what do we need a knife to do in a hiking or backpacking situation? It is important to know and recognize that backpacking is not surviving. First of all you will be carrying your shelter with you .Most likely some firestarting material for emergencies. Most places I backpack into don’t even allow fires so the need for chopping and battoning wood are pretty much out. When backpacking, I like to have a utility type blade that can be used for cutting any kind of cord I may have, this could be for bear bagging, or cutting off a length for someone else to use. I use a tarp while out enjoying the outdoors and find myself cuttling different lengths of Ultralight Spectra line for backpacking tarp guylines. Slicing open food packages and any food preparation are also very common tasks that require a knife. For me if I could whittle wood and carve trap triggers then I feel pretty safe backpacking with a knife this thin. The Ultralight has blade length of 3 5/8, cutting edge 3 7/16. Overall length is 7-inches. The grind is flat with a scandi edge. The weight, a mere 2 ounces for the knife, and 3 ½ ounces w/leather sheath.

I carried the Ultralight on a few dayhikes this past month in the mountains of southern California.
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Handle
The handle features hand peened rivets and although you could feel them, they are smooth and nicely rounded. This may be a good place for a kydex sheath to catch onto if you desired kydex. I like the leather sheath if comes with, it is more of a slip sheath for your pocket. There is a length of leather attached to the sheath, sort of a throw back to the Scandinavian style dangler sheaths. This is very simple, a loop made of leather that I passed through my paracord belt while on a long dayhike. The weight of the Ultralight, or should I say, lack of, makes for an easy carry knife. The sheath can be slipped into your pocket while hanging from your belt.
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1/16-inch spine
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Wood work with the Ultralight is fun; it feels like, peeling carrots. Scandi edges slice through wood rather than scrape it crudely. A blade this thin with a scandi edge will whittle wood all day. Push cuts could be a little annoying when you are using your thumb on the spine, cutting tough material. A sharp thin knife will cut through with less resistance reducing the time and effort needed to cut through the tough stuff.
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Leuku Bushcraft Knife

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There really is a Scandinavian flavor to some of Christofs work. The Leuku Bushcrafter seems to be a fine example of this. Straight spine with a gentle contour of the handle makes this model very comfortable not just to the eye, but the user’s hand. The overall blade length is 3 7/8-inches with a cutting edge of 3 3/4 –inches. Overall, 7 ¾-inches, with a 3/32-inch thick spine.

IPÊ Handle
IPÊ is an environmentally responsible choice which naturally resists rot, decay, insects, and mold. It is naturally fire resistant. Additionally, IPÊ is an incredibly strong, dense wood, harvested from naturally sustainable forests only. It has very high wear durability in daily use, and is resistant to splintering and checking. It's also beautiful! Weather has little to no effect upon the structural integrity of IPÊ wood. The sun will eventually transform the wood from its original reddish-brown to a beautiful silver patina.

Tests

Paper cuts
This test is perfect to measure how sharp an edge really is right out of the box. Printer paper was used for this test. I just held out the paper freely in the air and started slicing. I used straight down strokes and sideways strokes. There wasn’t any resistance and the edge stayed sharp. Next I did some short quick chops and watched as the white slivers of paper rained down on my desk.
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Fuzz Sticks
Making fuzz sticks with the Bushcrafter, this is where the benefits of a thin knife really come to light. It’s no mystery woodcraft with a thick blade is just like golfing with a baseball bat. No real control or finesse, just power. Thin blades excel in the bushcraft game without a doubt. Fuzz sticks done with a thin convex blade give you that curly porkey pig tail look. Whenever I am reminded of Looney Tunes characters while enjoying woodcraft, I know I picked the right knife.
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When using the Leuku Bushcrafter I never feel any discomfort or hot spots. Everything on Christof’s knives is smooth and the handle really is one of those things that need to be.
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Awesome Collection Of Koyote Custom Knive's Bearthedog ! Christof has a Knife makeing Style that combine's Period Correct "BackWood's American Knife making Skill's with Modern Edge Technology, Thank's for sharing the picture's of your Koyote Knive's Collection and the Excellent review !
 
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Anyone else have Koyote Custom's, I'd sure like to see them ! Here's 3 Knive's I just got from Christof last Week, And I got three more on Order, The one on top Is his Modern Seax, On the left Is a Medium PSK, And on the right Is his Puukko Style Neck Knife,

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Great reviews on some great looking knives. Koyote's work, and ML knives as well, really appeal. I don't know if the correct term is "distressed" or "rugged" or what, but I love that rough, old-timey look to the blades.
 
Snake Dr. said:
Anyone else have Koyote Custom's, I'd sure like to see them ! Here's 3 Knive's I just got from Christof last Week, And I got three more on Order, The one on top Is his Modern Seax, On the left Is a Medium PSK, And on the right Is his Puukko Style Neck Knife,

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Puukko Necker looks nice. Got any other pics?

John G said:
Great reviews on some great looking knives. Koyote's work, and ML knives as well, really appeal. I don't know if the correct term is "distressed" or "rugged" or what, but I love that rough, old-timey look to the blades.
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I agree about ML and Koyote.
Thanks for the kind words.

-RB
 
the puukko style neckers- aka the pattern 2 neckers- are the slim scandi grind ones:

(the cord wrap ont he far right is a convex ground medium PSK series)

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I have a pattern 2 necker that I promised Christof I would have you play with Reuben, now that you are back home for a bit..... time to play!
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For Snake Dr. :
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