Medium Sized "Camp Knife"?

[mdauben]

I'm in the market right now for what I think of as a medium sized "camp knife". Basicaly what I am looking for is is something with a fixed blade around 3.5 to 4.5 inches, good general puropose blade style, durable handle material, and a good sheath. I am thinking in terms of a high-end production knife, or perhaps a resonably priced custom "user". Something that will last the rest of my life. Target price range is $100-150US, but I might be willing to go a bit higher if I really thought it was worth it.

I was looking at the following three knives:

Fallkniven F1 A 3.75 inch VG-10 blade. I've seen one of these in person and was very impressed. At around $100 the "elastomer" handle isn't a bad price, although the micarta version (which I prefer) is twice the price at around $200 which is more than I really want to spend.

Bark River Highland A 4.0 inch A2 blade. I've never handled a Bark River knife but I have read a lot of good things about them and this one does look nice. I'm not sure what kind of sheaths Bark Rivers come with though?

Charles May Hollier Special - A 3.75 inch D2 blade, Very nice looking knife from a quality custom maker, although it's pushing my price limit at $185. Is the D2 worth the extra cost?

At this point I am probably leaning towards the Bark River as the best combination of size, features, and price. Does anyone have any comments on these before I commit to one or the other? Are there any other brands I should take a look at before deciding?

Thanks!

 

[T.K.C.]

I LOVE Charles May's work, I would vote for that one.

All the Barkies that I have had, have come with a leather sheath. Barkies ARE great knives. As are Fallkniven. But, I will always choose a Custom knife over a production knife.

 

[Jos]

If price is a problem, you can't go wrong with the Fallkniven F1. But that Charles May knife looks mighty good too.

 

[okbohn]

You have chosen 3 great knives. The Bark River Knives come with very nice leather. The newer run the knife is, the better the leather.

BRKT used to have some pretty poor sheaths, but those days ae past.

 

[Elen]

Out of those three I'd go with a cheap regular F1, without the Micarta handles. The Thermorun handle feels solid and grippy enough for me, and otherwise the knife if very solid and functional. As for why I'd skip the other two:

I don't like the shape of that Bark River, and the price I guess is way higher than the plain F1's. That huge curved ricasso wastes a lot of the blade and makes it much worse for precise cutting and woodworking, in my humble opinion, of course.

The Charles May looks nice, but I don't know how thick that blade is, and I don't very much like D2 tool steel. It doesn't get sharp enough and it's relatively difficult to sharpen, and on the other hand, it's still not stainless while it wastes these two important benefits of traditional carbon steels.

 

[mdauben]

The Thermorun handle feels solid and grippy enough for me, and otherwise the knife if very solid and functional.

Perhaps its just me, but I'm just a bit turned off by the thermorun handle. Maybe it's just asthetics, or perhaps I have seen similar handles on too many inexpensive knives in the past. It's not a deal-breaker by any means, but it is a (slight) strike against the F1 in my eyes.

I don't like the shape of that Bark River, and the price I guess is way higher than the plain F1's.

Actually, the "street price" of the Highlander seems to only be about $15-20 more than the F1 which isn't enough to matter one way or the other. I do see your point about the blade design, though. That's something I'll have to keep in mind.

The Charles May looks nice, but I don't know how thick that blade is, and I don't very much like D2 tool steel.

The May is 0.125" thick (a little thinner than the 0.170" Highlander or 0.180" F1). This may be a drawback in terms of ultimate durability and life, plus the steel issue. Another thing to keep in mind.

Thanks for the comments!

 

[Gramps]

That huge curved ricasso wastes a lot of the blade and makes it much worse for precise cutting and woodworking, in my humble opinion, of course.

Actually that "huge curved ricasso (that) wastes a lot of the blade and makes it much worse for precise cutting and woodworking " on the BRKT Highland is a choil that allows for a forward grip so you can choke up; in essence it enhances control and helps to facilitate precise cuts. I find the Bark River Highland is a VERY well designed knife....but I'm no authority by a long shot ! I know not everyone finds a choil desirable or comfortable. Personally I would rather fore-go an inch of blade length to gain some grip "flexibility"....PARTICULARILY if dressing game or wood-working.

I think you have narrowed down your choices to three fine knives....no wrong choice here.

- regards

 

[Elen]

Perhaps its just me, but I'm just a bit turned off by the thermorun handle. Maybe it's just asthetics, or perhaps I have seen similar handles on too many inexpensive knives in the past. It's not a deal-breaker by any means, but it is a (slight) strike against the F1 in my eyes.

Actually, the "street price" of the Highlander seems to only be about $15-20 more than the F1 which isn't enough to matter one way or the other. I do see your point about the blade design, though. That's something I'll have to keep in mind.

The May is 0.125" thick (a little thinner than the 0.170" Highlander or 0.180" F1). This may be a drawback in terms of ultimate durability and life, plus the steel issue. Another thing to keep in mind.

Well, you're right - Thermorun isn't pretty. But it seems to work fine (has done so very well for many years now - F1 is an old and tested model), and it's not overly expensive. But if you want beauty, then it's not the thing - wood, leather, micarta, g-10, anything would be better than elastomers. But if I were you, I wouldn't let it bother me.

Ah, if the Highlander is only about 20 $ more than the F1, then the price really shouldn't be an issue, if you prefer its design over that of the F1. Sounds good.

As for the thickness, I wouldn't say it's bad to have a thinner blade. It all depends on what you want to do with it. Of course, if you want to do something "extreme" like prying with the knife, then the thinness of the blade may become an issue, but in "normal" use, never.

Actually that "huge curved ricasso (that) wastes a lot of the blade and makes it much worse for precise cutting and woodworking " is a choil that allows for a forward grip so you can choke up; in essence it enhances control and helps to facilitate precise cuts. I find the Bark River Highland is a VERY well designed knife....but I'm no authority by a long shot ! I know not everyone finds a choil desirable or comfortable. Personally I would rather fore-go an inch of blade length to gain some grip "flexibility".

Well, yeah, I suppose it's both a choil and a ricasso, no? I'm not quite sure about the English terminology for these things. I've always wondered why many American designs have that finger choil - it would be heck of a lot more efficient in my opinion if the handle and blade allowed precise work without any finger choils, like Scandinavian designs typically do. The F1 isn't the best in this respect, since it has that small pseudo-fingerguard, but if you've ever handled a traditional puukko, you know what I mean. These knives don't need choils, they'd just hurt their precision.

 

[PatriotDan]

Actually that "huge curved ricasso (that) wastes a lot of the blade and makes it much worse for precise cutting and woodworking " is a choil that allows for a forward grip so you can choke up; in essence it enhances control and helps to facilitate precise cuts. I find the Bark River Highland is a VERY well designed knife....but I'm no authority by a long shot ! I know not everyone finds a choil desirable or comfortable. Personally I would rather fore-go an inch of blade length to gain some grip "flexibility".

Gramps, as you probably know scandinavian knife culture doesn't really have finger choils. Or ricassos either in edged tools meant for work. Or guards...

Precise control in scandinavian blades is achieved by using specific holds and using the edge immediately in front of the handle/front guard.

Or that's how I understand it but I'm no expert. I've used choils and scandi blades and scandi style wins in controllability and power. Everytime.

 

[Gramps]

Gramps, as you probably know scandinavian knife culture doesn't really have finger choils. Or ricassos either in edged tools meant for work. Or guards...

Precise control in scandinavian blades is achieved by using specific holds and using the edge immediately in front of the handle/front guard.

Or that's how I understand it but I'm no expert. I've used choils and scandi blades and scandi style wins in controllability and power. Everytime.

....thanks for that bit of education Elen and PatriotDan...never too old to learn !

I think I need a puukko....I have never cut with one. I can now see why the finger choil might be considered "wasted space" in Scandinavian knife culture.

-regards

 

[Elen]

....thanks for that bit of education Elen and PatriotDan...never too old to learn !

I think I need a puukko....I have never cut with one. I can now see why the finger choil might be considered "wasted space" in Scandinavian knife culture.

-regards

It's still very much a question of taste, I'm afraid. Some American guys I know never get used to Scandi-style knives, and some just love them. And some Scandinavian people I know actually like choils, and not only that, prefer knives with choils to knives that don't have choils. Complicated stuff.

 

[caine]

Three great choices. With the Bark River you have alot of diff handles to choose from and the charles may you can get in s30v steel, few diff. handles and scandi ground

 

[Troop]

I love Bark Rivers, but just watch out. The handles run a little, or a lot, small, on some of their models. My Bravo-1, Gameskeeper, and Nebula, all fit my big paws great.. had to get rid of a beautiful Huntsman because the handle was just too small. FYI.

 

[vic2367]

fallkniven f1

 

[untamed]

Good choices already made! Some more for consideration

- The Foster Fear's Survival Knive - 4.25" 440C blade, bright orange G10 handles

- If you like Charles May's stuff, check out Gene Ingram's also specializing in D2! I read somewhere that they live near each other and that it was Gene who mentored Charles.

 

[mmmotorcycle]

I LOVE Charles May's work, I would vote for that one.

All the Barkies that I have had, have come with a leather sheath. Barkies ARE great knives. As are Fallkniven. But, I will always choose a Custom knife over a production knife.

Well said! His D2 is supposed to be only second to Bob Dozier's work. Great knives at great prices if you ask me. I too always will support a craftsman over a corporation if I can.

You also might try Ranger Knives. Justin can make you anything you want for a very reasonable price!

 

[lambertiana]

My son has a Highland, and it is a very good knife. Other Bark River knives in the same class would be the North Star and Canadian Special, I like them better than the Highland for a general purpose knife.

 

[StretchNM]

I recently received a Highland from DLT Trading. .170 of A-2 steel, Impala Horn scales, 4" blade, pretty nice (new-style) sheath with firesteel loop. I guess I got the new "re-designed" Highland D) because there is no "huge" ricasso....it's rather small.

The Highland's handle is the largest yet (excluding the Bravo-1) in the models that I own. My hands are medium-large to large and the handle is just right. The Highland has bumped my mini-Skinners, mini-Canadain, and my Bravo-1 all down one notch to become my favorite Barkie so far.

I can;t speak for the F-1 except to say it always gets good reviews. The Charles May's are nice looking, but I'm no longer a D2 fan (due to inexperience in getting D2 razor sharp).

By the way, speaking of sheaths for a moment, I now make a new sheath for every new knife I get, especially Bark Rivers! Their sheaths are designed to protect the entire knife, all the way out to almost the end of the handle. Only a few of their knives come with wet-molded sheaths (mini-Montana Guide is one I think...don;t hold me to that). So the sheath is more of a pouch-style. I wet-mold mine and make them tight fitting around only a short section of scale near the ricasso. I just like the handle sticking out more so I can grasp it a little better as I draw the knife. All my knives have a lanyard, which can help extract a knife from a deep-pouch sheath, but I still like getting more "finger" on the handle when unsheathing.

 

[mdauben]

Thanks to everyone for the comments and suggestions. After a lot of thought and consideration, I decided to go with the Bark River Highland and just ordered one today. I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on it and giving it a workout on my next weekend camping trip.

Of course being something of a collector, this is really more an issue of which I will buy first, as the other two knives still look very good...

 

[Mongo]

Excellent choice... what handle material did you get?