Looking for the right knife

[Olumin]

LOL...way overthinking this.....Far too many people rely way too much on and sharpening tools and devices these days. The convex grind is the easiest and simplest grind to fix and sharpen. Hint.....you don't use a stone.. A stone is flat, the convex grind isn't....... A piece of 1x4, a strip of leather, a few sheets of emery paper of varying grits and job done. This isn't exactly rocket science you know.....

With all due respect, I don't think you know what im really talking about here. Have you ever actually fixed a major chip in a full-convex blade (not scandi) made of modern powder steel with nothing but a 1x4 & sandpaper? Personally I like to spend my weekend with something else. I dont really want to discuss this any further because this thread isnt about blade grinds.

 

[fishface5]

A major chip to full convex would indeed suck to fix manually . . . however I'd put that lower in my list of knife priorities since myself I have not seriously chipped edges except choppers and machetes that hit stones in dirt. User error

 

[rlewpolar]

I can highly recommend a Lionsteel T5. Great fit and finish, superb ergos, first rate leather sheath. Readily available right now and way below your maximum. I’m also on the hunt for a Carothers but I have a number of Lionsteels and they are all I need in an upscale bushcraft knife.

Esee knives are great also and if you want to buy a fleet of Bushcraft knives that will blow you away at how nice they are for your budget, check out Joker knives of Spain

 

[irsh]

Another vote for Lionsteel. I have the M4 which is a slightly smaller blade than the M5. I feel they are a good quality knife and the finish is very nice.

 

[Drop bear]

Buy a cheapie. Get a feel for what you want the knife to do. Then go ham.

And part of this goes towards the idea you want an "outdoor knife" without an idea of shape size. That kind of thing.

I could recommend for example a hultafors ok4.

Which would do what you want for as long as you want without you spending much money. And the only issue would be it might rust. Where I believe the 3Vs don't.

And it will be lighter. Because it isn't full tang. And it will be warmer in the hand.

Unless you want it to do some sort of chopping task or prying or vegetable art or something. In which case you don't need a better knife. You need a different one.

Otherwise I tend to go skrama size and miss that 5 inch sort of category all together. And my theory is I sort of can't chop with a 5 inch knife. (Sort of. I can but almost every other option of cutting wood is better. Including just jumping on it.) And it starts to get a bit hinky for first world cutting tasks.

But I then rely on a pocket knife a bit more.

 

[Olumin]

Ive had the Lionsteel M1 & M2M. They both had very thick grinds, almost a millimeter behind the edge. I would Imagine the same is true for the M5 & T5, especially since the former are smaller knives then those two. I dont think they ever resolved those issues. Quality, ergos & design was great, sheaths were good quality, they just didn't cut well.

If you wanna go with the M5 (which, if you can get it in 3V looks very similar to the BFK), I would advice that you grind the edge to a steeper angle. Itll be sturdy enough, dont worry about it.

 

[Comprehensivist]

I strongly concur with those above who recommended the Carothers Basic Field Knife (BFK) as maybe the best choice for your criteria.

It is an amazingly functional and durable tool with many design refinements even though it is their “basic” entry level knife. It also comes with an excellent Mashed Cat kydex sheath from the shop. This one is hard to beat for performance and value.

Nathan the Machinist has stated that he has 800 more of these in process if you can wait a few months to avoid the higher aftermarket prices on the original sold out run. That should give you a good chance of scoring one. It will be worth the wait and effort

Best of luck!

Phil

 

[Arathol]

Another maker of outdoor knives thats been getting a lot of attention is BPS Knives of Ukraine. Great knives for not a lot of money. The Adventurer would be a good choice for what you are looking for.

BPS Knives of Ukraine

Shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a small fixed-blade, posted by @r8shell , caught my eye, and after she told me that it was made by BPS Knives in Ukraine, I thought I would order one myself, both because I liked the knife, and as an act of solidarity. I didn't find it hard to get...

www.bladeforums.com

 

[Dav1]

Lionsteel are great knives the edge is thicker for strength it cuts all woods absolutely perfectly you don't need to regrind it just adjust how you cut/angle the knife.

I've been a carpenter for many years a higher edge angle is used for harder woods and end/cross grain work and lower angle for softer woods. I have different blades for my planes for example for different woods.

Understand the principle and adjust accordingly.

 

[BunsOfSteel]

I strongly concur with those above who recommended the Carothers Basic Field Knife (BFK) as maybe the best choice for your criteria.

It is an amazingly functional and durable tool with many design refinements even though it is their “basic” entry level knife. It also comes with an excellent Mashed Cat kydex sheath from the shop. This one is hard to beat for performance and value.

Nathan the Machinist has stated that he has 800 more of these in process if you can wait a few months to avoid the higher aftermarket prices on the original sold out run. That should give you a good chance of scoring one. It will be worth the wait and effort

Best of luck!

Phil

thanks! I’m 100% going to wait it out

 

[ferider]

OP: there is a great INFI Ratmandu in the Exchange for you (no connection with the seller, other than liking the knife).

Ratmandu:

BFK:

Steels are very comparable in performance (there are several comparisons on BF, including one by Nathan Carothers).

 

[Olumin]

Lionsteel are great knives the edge is thicker for strength it cuts all woods absolutely perfectly you don't need to regrind it just adjust how you cut/angle the knife.

I've been a carpenter for many years a higher edge angle is used for harder woods and end/cross grain work and lower angle for softer woods. I have different blades for my planes for example for different woods.

Understand the principle and adjust accordingly.

The M5, BFK or knives like them are not made for splitting wood, thats what a splitting maul or cleaver is for. Too many makers still grind their blades like they did 100 years ago, despite our advances in metallurgy. You do not need 0.7-1mm BTE or 45 degree bevels in a common hunting, camp or bushcraft knife. If you are breaking your 0.5mm edges then you are using your knife wrong. My advice, pack a hatchet. The whole point behind steels like Magnacut is that you can grind your blades thinner while not compromising robustness. Thick grinds waste the potential of modern steels. Plane blades are not made of Elmax & are not ground like a knife blade. I dont need or want a 5" knife thats ground like a cleaver.

 

[coolbreezy37]

The M5, BFK or knives like them are not made for splitting wood, thats what a splitting maul or cleaver is for. Too many makers still grind their blades like they did 100 years ago, despite our advances in metallurgy. You do not need 0.7-1mm BTE or 45 degree bevels in a common hunting, camp or bushcraft knife. If you are breaking your 0.5mm edges then you are using your knife wrong. My advice, pack a hatchet. The whole point behind steels like Magnacut is that you can grind your blades thinner while not compromising robustness. Thick grinds waste the potential of modern steels. Plane blades are not made of Elmax & are not ground like a knife blade. I dont need or want a 5" knife thats ground like a cleaver.

Not everyone wants to hike or backpack with a hatchet. I’ve done perfectly fine splitting wood on lightweight day trips using only a medium sized (4-6”) fixed blade. I can personally vouch that the BFK can split reasonable sized logs just fine.

 

[Dav1]

You didn't read or understand what I said. I'll leave it there.

 

[coolbreezy37]

I have no experience with lion steel fixed blades, but I have a Titanium SR2 that I absolutely love.

 

[Olumin]

I understand you weren't talking about chopping. It just seems to me that its one of the reasons most commonly cited as to why knives "need" thick grinds or blades. Apart from batoning, a thinner grind will carve & whittle wood far better, its simple geometry. I advice anyone to get a blade with 0.4 BTE into the field and to compare it against something with 0.7 or 0.8mm. The difference will be immediately apparent.

 

[TC]

(As an aside, and please excuse me for mentioning it, but has anyone else noticed that throughout this entire thread the various posters have consistently exchanged "advice" and "advise"? Perhaps I'm borderline OCD )

 

[bikerector]

Size: I guess under 10 inches total 5again i'm new to this so this based on what I've read is the sweet spot.

Weight: Ill use it mostly for hiking and camping So I guess not too heavy. Let's say 300g max but more towards to 200 mark

Blade thickness: I'm too uninformed as to what the right answer here is. As I will do some batoning and bushcraft I guys I need some thickness but I really have no idea how thick.

Carbon or stainless: I'm leaning towards something modern in the "supersteel" category. As a product designer I like to expérience high end innovations in materials however I can be convinced otherwise. I guess Strength and edge retention are important

Type of Sheath: This is not import at all to me and won't be a factor in my purchase. I'm really a. perfectionist so I will probably be getting a custom aftermarket sheath made for it eitherway.

Ease of Sharpening: Not too much of a factor as my trips will be one week long Max. I like to get to know the blade and learn how to sharpen even if its challenging.

Price: I'm wiling to pay whatever the price is for the right knife however i'm looking to stay more on the Production or semi custom price range. I'm not looking to spend 1000 on a custom knife as no knife is perfect and I'll probably want improvements from this purchase anyway. So maybe 400 max.. although if the right knife is cheaper i'm definetly not against the idea.

Thanks so much for getting back

You can get a handmade knife for under $400. With the prices on many manufactured items currently, at least in the US, handmade knives are pretty competitive.

Thanks. yes i've noticed. I just don't really know what i'm looking for yet. I also have never bought a knife from a forum and I feel like I should buy from a liscensed dealer for now. Maybe i'm wrong but I take comfort int he fact that I'll have some kind of customer service and return option.

Thanks anyway

Someone else mentioned it and maybe some more later as I stoppes reading on page one, but I would start with a few knives and get experience before putting all my money into on "THE knife."

I also do design work and there are some things where you can't substitute experience. I find knives and knife design to be one of them, especially if you look at some of the production knives out there that look cool but aren't ideal for use. However, an ugly functional knife isn't always great either.

CPK makes some of the better functional knives, but there are aspects of them that don't suit my tastes. Great knives, my favorite was the Kephart but I made a deal with a good friend since it was the only way he was ever going to get one. I'll get another eventually. I think the DEK is probably the one I should try as well, their field knife is thicker than I want. But, it is an "everything" knife and in that regard, really well done.

It may have been recommended by now but the jaakaarri puukko (probably spelled that wrong) from Varusteleka is a really solid knife for not a ton of money and there are a few sizes to pick from. If I were starting out my collection of usee knives, that would be really high on my list. I have the fortune of having my own stuff for what I think a knife should be for a given task, along with having cycles thru and tried hundreds of knives so some of the "blah" looking knives stick around as long. Not because they aren't but because they aren't great.

Another that falls into this is the Kabar Mark I. I wouldn't baton the daylights out of it but if you're sensible about what you're splitting and what you're hitting the knife with, you'll be fine. Knives hold uo to batonning pretty well if you're not really careless about it. More, lighter power hits still get the job done. And, if you're using something like a twig stove, you don't need nearly the amount of fuel as in an open fire pit.

I usually carry a camp knife (5"-6" blade) and a folder (cold steel golden eye lately) for most of my trips. Sometimes a SAK or other small multitool as they help with field repair, but it all depends on what I have and what may need repaired enough to get the rest of the way.

You mentioned lionsteel, I really like their fit and finish in a production knife. Their bushcraft series knife is very good. It's beefier than it would look in pictures and their sleipner steel is going to hold up well to beating.

I know there's plenty of people here that have already commented and there's many knowleadgable people here, so this may be a useless offer. But, if you want to chat with me about knives, feel free to message me at Goodknifeco@gmail.com

 

[coolbreezy37]

You can get a handmade knife for under $100. With the prices on many manufactured items currently, at least in the US, handmade knives are pretty competitive.



Someone else mentioned it and maybe some more later as I stoppes reading on page one, but I would start with a few knives and get experience before putting all my money into on "THE knife."

I also do design work and there are some things where you can't substitute experience. I find knives and knife design to be one of them, especially if you look at some of the production knives out there that look cool but aren't ideal for use. However, an ugly functional knife isn't always great either.

CPK makes some of the better functional knives, but there are aspects of them that don't suit my tastes. Great knives, my favorite was the Kephart but I made a deal with a good friend since it was the only way he was ever going to get one. I'll get another eventually. I think the DEK is probably the one I should try as well, their field knife is thicker than I want. But, it is an "everything" knife and in that regard, really well done.

It may have been recommended by now but the jaakaarri puukko (probably spelled that wrong) from Varusteleka is a really solid knife for not a ton of money and there are a few sizes to pick from. If I were starting out my collection of usee knives, that would be really high on my list. I have the fortune of having my own stuff for what I think a knife should be for a given task, along with having cycles thru and tried hundreds of knives so some of the "blah" looking knives stick around as long. Not because they aren't but because they aren't great.

Another that falls into this is the Kabar Mark I. I wouldn't baton the daylights out of it but if you're sensible about what you're splitting and what you're hitting the knife with, you'll be fine. Knives hold uo to batonning pretty well if you're not really careless about it. More, lighter power hits still get the job done. And, if you're using something like a twig stove, you don't need nearly the amount of fuel as in an open fire pit.

I usually carry a camp knife (5"-6" blade) and a folder (cold steel golden eye lately) for most of my trips. Sometimes a SAK or other small multitool as they help with field repair, but it all depends on what I have and what may need repaired enough to get the rest of the way.

You mentioned lionsteel, I really like their fit and finish in a production knife. Their bushcraft series knife is very good. It's beefier than it would look in pictures and their sleipner steel is going to hold up well to beating.

I know there's plenty of people here that have already commented and there's many knowleadgable people here, so this may be a useless offer. But, if you want to chat with me about knives, feel free to message me at Goodknifeco@gmail.com

Solid advice, Terävä’s offerings are the best bang for the Buck going in my opinion.
View attachment 2169389

 

[Dav1]

Tbf the Terava blades are imo hard to beat at any price a great well HTed hard use steel that is easy to sharpen, great basic design and very tough.

They don't look flashy or have the latest steel but do what a knifes meant to do. Sometimes we over think things or want the "best" newest steels or pretty designs, but these are fantastic user knives.

A 110/140 and 240 Skrama and it's all the knife you really need but most of us love knives and a couple of knives is never enough