Nessie chat. I'm thinking about taking the plunge on a nessie. Sell me on them!!

Noshtero

Noshtero

Joined
Oct 10, 2002
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I am so right on the edge of taking the plunge on a nessie to replace my bush knife. Would anyone be able to tell me a good argument as to why a nessie is superior to a traditional scandi bush knife design? I could go with a setup similar to what Stephen Tolar just posted, only get the stone pouch large enough to put my SAK Outrider in... mmm... that could be good.

So, I saw in my bladeforums search a few topics about various nessies. I didn't, however, see a discussion about whether the Nessmuk design is superior to the traditional mora-esque scandi bush knife design. I'd love to take a nessie for a test drive, as I'm not a wealthy man, so I can't justify buying a nessie just to try it out.

Any nessie fans that carry it as their primary that could sway me towards them? I wouldn't replace mine just for the sake of replacing it. Does it cut better? More ergonomic? More useful? Just plain neat looking? Makes you feel more traditional?
 
The Nessmuk might have an advantage while skinning as well since the rounded unsharpened spine is good at riding inside the gut without puncturing the innards.

Its really a good slicer because of the thin blade.
 
Ya my "bush knife" is really my all purpose fixed blade. It does just about everything short of heavy chopping and splitting (got a big fixed for that) and fine cutting and really small stuff (got a SAK for that).

Everything else inbetween those is what my 4ish" fixed blade is for.

Were you to choose a single medium fixed blade, would it be Mora-style or Nessie? That's a better question.
 
Noshtero said:
Were you to choose a single medium fixed blade, would it be Mora-style or Nessie? That's a better question.
Click to expand...

I would never do this. I rotate. They're probably about equal in usability.
 
Great thread!!

I'll have to add my impressions after my new nessie gets some use but here are a couple of my early observations:

The nessie is a great slicer because of the tall and thin blade. I've used it in the kitchen for food prep a lot and honestly when I camp, food prep is what I use my knife for most.

I like the belly in the blade. I do hunt and I think it will be a great skinner.

Both of these are IMHO advantages over a Mora style knife but I don't think they outweigh some of the Mora/F1/Bravo type blade's benefits.

I think it's just personal preference. I like the looks and the traditional feel of the nessie. It also just feels good in the hand, the hump up front gives it good balance. The tall blade and hump also allow it to be gripped on the blade like an Alaskan Ulu type knife. It's a really uesfull for some skinning and dicing chores.

In the end I don't think I could pick one and usually pack several types for a trip just to play with them all!!

I'm really interested in reading some other opinions!

Stephen
 
You can also eat off of the back of a nessmuk blade and stir with it more easily than a Mora also.

The bush craft blade has more of a point and if that is important then I'd go for the bush craft.

However like was said the thin ness of the nessmuk blade (done right) is great for cooking and slicing and I too mostly use a knife for that, and then the curve of the belly and good sized handle make it a good cutter too, although I'd give the Bushcraft type knife the edge for deep cutting.
 
It's rare that I would go in the woods without a larger chopper/hatchet and a SAK Outrider. I think I'm with you guys in that the niche that my medium fixed most often lands in is cooking and slicing.

It's a guilty confession, but I think I would feel more, I don't know, "rustic?" with a nessmuk versus a bushcraft type knife :)
 
So there are LOTS of interpretations of the nessmuk pattern. If you value eating off the blade, stirring, etc... do you favor the more pronounced spine hump?
 
hollowdweller said:
The nessmuk isn't superior for bushcraft use. I think it is better for camp chores though:thumbup:
Click to expand...

hd is right....:thumbup: the nessie is a great all around knife.. it excels at most cutting chores..... perfect for the camp and kitchen....

my fiddleback nessmuk is one of my favorite knives...:thumbup:
IMG_1027.jpg
 
I have to say that I haven't found any advantage or disadvantage with the Nessmuk pattern when compared to other similar sized field blades that I own. It's a solid design, fun to use and interesting to look at. I don't know what old Nessmuk had in mind when he designed it, but when I am using one it makes me feel as if I'm going back in time. Modern problems slip away, and I'm carving, slicing and dicing with a piece of history :)
 
I recently received a Koster Nessmuk in trade. I have already put it through a series of tests along side other knives. So, I do have some opinions about it.

First, I just wanted to say that anyone who has even done a little bit of reading about Nessmuk knows that he never intended his fixed blade to be a “one knife does it all” knife, like many people tend to want. He claimed to never go into the woods without a pocket knife, fixed blade, and a pocket ax. Minimum. So, some things like batoning wood to split it, for felling a small tree with a knife were unnecessary tasks since he had a pocket ax.

All that being said, the Koster Nessmuk has went straight to the top of my list of favorites. I think it will be the knife I carry, even though I like to change up occasionally for variety. I have performed the following tasks with it compared to other typical “bushcraft” knives:
- Cutting down green saplings.
- Sharpening green sticks to a point.
- Cutting notches in green sticks.
- Cutting green sticks to length.
- Making feathersticks for fire starting.

I would consider all of those tasks bushcraft related. In every instance the nessmuk either performed marginally, or considerably better than others. That is the reason it is my new favorite.

One that in particular to note, is making the feathersticks. I have not put my finger on it, and I don’t know what it is, but the nessmuk created the best firesticks with the least amount of effort. I am not sure if it is the curvature of the blade, or what. I was using dried maple. I normally would not use maple because there are better woods to use. But, it is what I had on hand that was dry. The nessmuk EASILY made curls, and was really easy to make very fine ones as well. So fine, that starting them with a firesteel was no issue. You can mess around with other woods and still get them to light with a spark. My experience with maple is that you have to have your technique down, otherwise you are not going to get it to light. The nessmuk was a joy to make feathersticks with, to say the least.

Here comes the BUT. While I personally think that the nessmuk outperformed a bushcraft style knife, in my tests, it did not outperform by such a margin as to discount the advantage of a bushcraft knife. Mainly size and weight. For similar blade length, a bushcraft knife is going to be more compact, less obtrusive, weigh far less, and could even be carried around your neck. For darn near the same performance, you could have barely noticeable light knife.

While I think this knife is on the top of my list (right now)….please don’t make me chose between the two :)
 
The "nessie" pattern wasn't intended to do it all - a hatchet will do a much better job chopping and splitting. Dan Koster's interpretation of the Nessmuk fixed blade is interesting, in that mine is fairly thick at the spine and batons reasonably well. It still slices well enough for food prep, but I don't think you could cut green saplings as well as a mora, due to the much thicker blade. I haven't tried yet, so Brian's user report trumps my guess. A mora (or mora-style) blade is going to be more compact and lighter, which could be a big factor in packing a survival kit. I should note that Dan will make his nessie in different thicknesses and grinds, and that other makers will have different dimensions for their blades.

BTW, I don't think fiddleback forge has a website yet, but he's posting to this thread.
 
P1010750.jpg


This picture should be a convincing argument. I don't know or care how it stacks up to a Mora. I love my Nessmuk.
 
Not only are try to convince Noshtero. You guys are starting to convince me into buying one also. Snow, I really like the one that you got in the pic you posted. Hhhmmm... ( I quickly look at my wallet)
 
I have one I bought off a fellow forum dweller made by Fiddleback. It looks like the pic above 'cept with birch handle. Everything Brian said applies! I even use it to make peanut butter sandwiches!
 
hmm... Sounds like a Nessmuk may be my choice when I'm car camping/woods bumming, and my bushcrafter would be my choice when I'm backpacking.....
 
If I had a choice, I actually like the Kephart design better as an all around field knife. The Nessmuk does quite well as a hunting knife, field dressing and skinning.
Scott
 
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