New to knives, but diving in with both feet! SERE Operator v Fallkniven F1 v Bravo-1

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pnwmarc

Joined
Jun 11, 2008
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5
Hey folks -

I'm hoping you can help me narrow down my selection for a fixed blade camping/bushcraft knife. I'm looking for something for camping and general bushcraft. I anticipate doing some battoning, light chopping, whittling/carving, some food prep, occasionally skinning, and generally stuff like that.

After lurking in this and other forums and Googling all the knives that were recommended, this is my potential short list (in no particular order):

- Al Mar S.E.R.E. Operator (What about the sawback? Seems like that would be useful but might interfere with battoning.)
- Fallkniven S1, F1, PHK (probably leaning towards the smaller F1)
- Bark River Bravo-1
- SOG Seal Pup Elite

(I've looked also at the SOG Seal Pup, but if I'm going to buy a knife I would rather bite the bullet now and spend a little more knowing that I'd have a knife for life. I included it on the list to hear what you think of it; if it's well received, it would save me ~$100 or so :) )

So, my questions to the expert are:
- How do you think these knives rank for camping/bushcraft?
- If you've used any of these, what did you particularly like or dislike about it?
- Are there any major drawbacks for any of the three?

Thanks in advance! I'm looking forward to hearing what all you have to say!
 
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Fallkniven S1 & F1 and Bark River Bravo-1 are great knives... I own all three and they are some of my most used knives. I probably use the F1 the most only do to its size and I carry a larger camp knife as well. You cant go wrong with any of these picks. I am sure you will find I am not the only one here that holds these three in very high regards. It looks like you did a lot of research based on your picks :thumbup:
 
I have a Bravo-1, S1 and Sog Pup Elite. Any of them would do just fine for a woods knife. However, Bark River and Fallkniven are both of better overall quality.

I once handled a SERE Operator. Not a bad knife. Where weight is concerned it comes out near top. I remember it being a very light knife, as is the Pup Elite. Never owned any Al Mar knives, but nor have I ever heard a bad thing about them either.
 
Personally, based on the tasks you list I'd go with the F1. Bravo-1 coming in close second. Can't speak to the others, but I don't see any usefulness to sawback edges in the woods. If sawing is something you foresee doing a lot of, there are plenty of very lightweight folding woodsaws. The Bahco is a nice one and weighs about 4 or 6oz. I believe.
In short, F1 or Bravo-1 have my vote. Hope you're happy with whatever you decide on.


Gautier
 
I think for general bushcraft the F-1 is the best deal. Great steel, perfect size for bushcrafting traps, fuzzsticks, etc.
 
I have both the S1 and F1 and I love them both for bushcraft work.I can't comment on the other brands named though the Bark river line gets a lot of praise here.
 
Another vote for the F1! An absolutely superb knife for bushcraft and for less than $100, a terrific value in any camp, trail, outdoors knife
 
I would completely disragard the sog and al mar if I were you. I never had the al mar but I hate sawbacks with a passion. Plus they are more combat type knives, not really the best for bushcraft. You can't go wrong with either the fallknivens or the bark river (have a bravo-1 en route as I type this, plan on doing a huge review so wait for it if you would like;)) But I would choose the bravo just cause I prefer micarta and A2 tool steel over kraton and VG-10.
 
Of the knives you list I own the Falkniven F1 and S1, and the Al Mar SERE Operator, but without sawback. For bushcraft - forget about the Al Mar. It's a nice knife, but more of a fighter/combat style.
Both the Fallkniven F1 an S1 should serve you well, I have a slight preference to the S1.
I don't own the Bark River Bravo, but based on my experiences with other barkies I have no doubt that it's a fine knife.

Regards,

Jos
 
I also highly recommend that you look into Rat Cutlery's RC-4 or RC-3. They can be found for less than $100 and will last you a lifetime. They will also be soon coming out with a RC-5 with a thick .25 inch blade that could double as a carjack LOL

www.ratcutlery.com
 
pnwmarc said:
- I see that Bark River has a line of knives designated "buschcraft knives", but the Bravo isn't one of them; it's a "search and rescue" knife. Why the preference for the Bravo-1 over the Aurora or the North Star?
Click to expand...

The BRKT main site has missing a lot of specifications, but knivesshipfree has them.

http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Bark-....html?osCsid=380f46f4558d13e6be3ef228bac7d2aa
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Bark-....html?osCsid=380f46f4558d13e6be3ef228bac7d2aa
http://www.knivesshipfree.com/Bark-....html?osCsid=380f46f4558d13e6be3ef228bac7d2aa

Bushcraft as it is commonly understood, usually refers to the use of small (<5"), thin, high-performance blades that sacrifice all tactical usage (stabbing, prying, chopping) for pure cutting performance. It has the connotation of skill and finesse, and the Scandinavian knives are the stereotypical image of bushcraft knives. They usually do not have guards, are relatively thing and light, and have flat, convex, or Scandi ground, and have very little finger guard. This sacrifices all tactical/brute force/combat usage for pure leverage and slicing power when woodworking/hunting. The bushcraft culture also often uses hatchets heavily, and so a tactical-styled knife is seen as redundant.

If you compare the three, you'll notice that the Bravo-1 has a lower grind than the others, and that the Bravo and Aurora are made from .215" stock while the Northstar is .170". This makes the Northstar significantly thinner. All other things being equal, the Northstar would roughly have the best cutting performance, with Aurora in the middle and Bravo-1 the least. Lateral strength would roughly run the other way. The Bravo-1 also has a more strongly indexed grip, a large finger guard area, while the Aurora and Northstar have nearly no finger guard.

Whether you like the concept of a bushcraft knife is purely preference. There's a spectrum that runs from thin-blade purists who believe 0.05"-thick, flat ground blades are the "only real knives", to people who rather would have pieces of steel that looks like someone ground an edge onto an I-beam.

Thin-bladed purists call the thick-bladed "unskilled" in that "if you use a thick blade, you are obviously incompetent enough to use your knives as a prybar". Thick-bladed purists will call the thin-bladed naive, in that "apparently nothing ever goes wrong in your world".

Most people will find themselves a good compromise somewhere in between. :) I myself like thin blades.
 
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It would definately be between the F1 or Bravo-1. I also own the S1, which of course has a longer blade, but the handle is too small and uncomfortable for me (I'm going to get a Micarta handle put on that's bigger).

For "bushcraft" duties, the F1 would probably be a little handier, but the Bravo-1 wouldn't be too far behind. As a general camping knife with the ability to do some tougher chores, the Bravo-1 would be my choice between the two.

The Aurora is a great knife as well, but you'll get more "general" use out of the F1 or Bravo-1...just my opinion.

Here's a couple of pictures for comparison:

BarkRiver.jpg


BushcraftVariety.jpg


I had a Micarta handle put on an F1 blank...wow! Big difference from the rubber handle.

ROCK6
 
Just so you have more to chew on, consider the RAT Cutlery RC-4 and the Koster Bushcraft as well. Both are about the same price range as the others you mentioned and also highly respected.
 
I have used the F1 since 2001 and I am very happy with it. I have also used the S1 but I feel it is too big for my needs, it is more tactical than bushcraft. My current favourite right now is the H1, although I sometimes feel it is a cut in my index finger waiting to happen :) The H1 is a modern variation of the classic scandinavian design as mentioned above. You dont stab things, then your index finger comes off :) You could on the other hand pound the handle with something like a chisel if you need to.

You dont really need a big knife. With a knife like F1 or H1 you manage most things you might think of. The heavier "cutting" you instead do with a folding saw.
http://hem.passagen.se/nodh/trio.jpg
A "smaller" knife also means that you will be carrying it along all the time.

The F1 and H1 are really great if you need to baton on them to split wood.

My "Nessmuk trio" now is: Fallkniven H1 (used to be F1), Leatherman Fuse and Bahco 396JT folding saw. I used to have a Fallkniven U2 as well, it will be replaced by a PXL in due time.

Good luck with your choice.
 
I own and have used all of these knives you mentioned. So here is my opinion of them.
Surv001.jpg

The Al Mar SERE Operator is a good knife in S30V steel, but it has a thin point and seems more oriented to fighting than bushcraft. It is slim and light, so I carry it discreetly on the back side of my shoulder bag.
Surv002.jpg

Though less expensive, I prefer the SEAL Pup Elite. It is also light, but handles most camp chores well. It is a pretty good knife, and I have used mine a lot. It seems less delicate than the SERE. The AUS-8 steel holds and edge pretty well.
Surv003.jpg

The BRKT Bravo-1 is a great field knife. Amazingly, it can even do light chopping (not bad for a 4.25" blade). The convex edge cuts like crazy. The handle fits my big hand well, so this is my favorite of your options. You can get a variety of handle materials, and the .20" thick A2 steel is very tough, but not very corrosion resistant.
Surv004.jpg

The Fallkniven F1 is a very tough little knife. The scratches you see on the tip are from batonning through hard oak and spitting it. This knive excells at buscraft and the laminated VG-10 steel blade with convex edge cuts as well as the Bravo-1. The tang extension lets you beat on the pommel without hurting the handle. It is a superb knife, my second choice of those you are considering.
Surv005.jpg

Any of these knives will work, but I'd say the Al Mar is the weakest. Good luck in your choice.
 
Thanks Horn Dog and others for their great input.

So last night I bit the bullet and ordered a Bravo-1 from knivesshipfree.com.

Based on everybody's feedback, I narrowed my selection down to the Bravo-1 and the F1 and finally settled on the Bravo-1. For now. I can totally see myself getting an F1 later to start out my collection.

I'm checking the UPSP tracking every hour to see when it'll get here. I can't wait!

I'll post my complete neophyte's perspective once I have a chance to play with it for a little bit.

Thanks again everyone.
 
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