One persons view on the "secret" of a good Bushcraft knife

S

SouthernCross

Joined
Jun 25, 2008
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1,484
G'day everyone.

First up, let me say that from the point of view of someone who has spent decades learning the trade of genuine Bushcraft, I find it heartening that recently there has been a public recognition that Bushcraft is more about Knowledge & Skills and less about the "perfect piece" of equipment :thumbup::thumbup:

I have also noticed recently that there has been a few posts that relate to knife design & it's suitability for Bushcraft.

So I thought I'd publicly share just one persons thoughts on the secret attribute that a great Bushcraft knife should have.

IMO, the secret to a great bushcraft knife is a handle that is comfortable in a variety of grips and in extended use :eek:

Boring I know, but allow me to explain this idea :D

If you know how to sharpen a knife, then the abilities of "extreme edge holding" or "ease of sharpening" of the steel selected can be negated.

If you know how to clean & care for a knife, then corrosion resistance becomes a moot point for all but long term exposure in a saltwater environment.

The ability of a user to use a knife will to a large extent negate the advantages of a spear point over a drop point over a clip point etc, etc, etc.

The ability of the user will go a long way to negate the advantage of a particular sized blade over another (ie short V's long).

Considering that bushcraft in the wild involves using a knife for extended periods of time, to me the ability to use the knife in hand for a long time without fatigue of the hand is the real secret.

Now before anyone points out that I have neglected to mention hot spots, I counter this with one word ...... Callouses :D

I have a hard time believing that anyone who can lay claim to spending any amount of time in the wild has such soft hands that hot spots / blisters become a problem when using a knife :thumbdn:

Please feel free to comment on my views.





Kind regards
Mick
 
Well said.

Folks don't learn to play guitar without sore fingers - same idea with hand-tools. If you're OK getting callouses, then even the handle shape/design can be more widely 'interpreted', but it's the extended use part of use that requires a good handle design to avoid greater problems than simple blisters.

Excellent post Mick.
 
Great post Mick and that was what I picked up initially when stepping into the "buhscraft" realm. I know there are certain ways to handle and hold a knife for carving tasks, but even if you look at most carving knives the handle needs to be comfortable enought to hold/use for extended times. Your hand can get fatigued carving, and this is where you have accidents, make mistakes and are less efficient.

Still...it's not a bushcaft "anything" unless it has a 4" blade of O1, drop-pointed, Scandi-grind and some really cool wood scales:D

ROCK6
 
kinda like buying a pair of top quality running shoes. If they don't fit, they are useless.
 
SouthernCross said:
I have a hard time believing that anyone who can lay claim to spending any amount of time in the wild has such soft hands that hot spots / blisters become a problem when using a knife :thumbdn:
Click to expand...

I rock climb regularly on both sandpapery indoor plastic holds, and a variety of outdoor stone, usually cheese-grater granite. My hands are basically one big callus.


I've owned knives with lousy handle ergonomics that give me hot spots and blisters.
 
That's the one evolution I have seen the most of in my time on the internet is that as more people have actually used the blades there is more of a call for an ergonomic handle.

I think of one maker in particular who was one of the first well known ones that was making scandi grinds but made the handles really square and thin.

You'd see a lot of people buy the knives without requesting a thicker handle and then you'd see those same blades for sale later on when they realized they really weren't comfortable.

Now it seems like more and more pride themselves on a comfy handle and you even got production companies like Bark River that make truly awesome comfy handles.:thumbup:
 
MustardMan said:
I rock climb regularly on both sandpapery indoor plastic holds, and a variety of outdoor stone, usually cheese-grater granite. My hands are basically one big callus.


I've owned knives with lousy handle ergonomics that give me hot spots and blisters.
Click to expand...

You rock climb MM? Me too! Havent this year but hope to get out soon. My hands are full of callus's from that and sports yet a bad handle will still cause blisters no matter how tough your hands are a great handle is more than appreciated, its almost loved.
 
Agree, wholeheartedly. If the handle doesn't work for you, the knife doesn't work for you. It's the knife's "user interface", and greatly affects the performance realized in actual use.
Great post, and great analogy from Mannlicher about the running shoes.
 
SouthernCross said:
Now before anyone points out that I have neglected to mention hot spots, I counter this with one word ...... Callouses :D

I have a hard time believing that anyone who can lay claim to spending any amount of time in the wild has such soft hands that hot spots / blisters become a problem when using a knife :thumbdn:

Please feel free to comment on my views.
Click to expand...
Ugh. Must have skimmed over that. Totally disagree. A few years ago I cleared a lot with a few different knives just for the sake of doing it with them. I was used to handling steel bars and sledgehammers, and did it without gloves a lot. I lifted weights with aggressively knurled Olympic bars, and used Captains of Crush grippers regularly. My hands were a series of calloused ridges.
Some knives were deemed unusable almost instantly, particularly a horn handled survival golok that put a ridge right under the side of my pinky.
How can you say "the secret to a great bushcraft knife is a handle that is comfortable in a variety of grips and in extended use", and claim hotspots don't matter:confused:
 
SouthernCross said:
Now before anyone points out that I have neglected to mention hot spots, I counter this with one word ...... Callouses :D

I have a hard time believing that anyone who can lay claim to spending any amount of time in the wild has such soft hands that hot spots / blisters become a problem when using a knife :thumbdn:

Please feel free to comment on my views.





Kind regards
Mick
Click to expand...

Very well said Mick especially this last part of your quote. It reminds me of when I used to shoot on two trap leagues, winter and summer. After awhile your shoulder gets use to a 12 gauge.....no pain after shooting several hundred rounds in a day. I use to shoot a couple thousand rounds a year.
Now when I pick up a shotgun to dove or crow hunt, the shoulder is black and blue and sore as hell the next day.
Scott
 
You've got a point there. Very well explained, too. If the handle has 'it' then you are set to go.
 
Mick,
Having a huge collection of old woodsman's book and articles from the 20's, 30's & 40's one thing that I've noticed is how little there was written about a knife afield. However more focus was on axemanship. Tough hands from swinging a hickory hafted chopper, you bet.
Nowadays there little focus on the adventure and more on the gear toted. I believe the more we rely on technology, the more soft we become, from our head down.
Stay safe Mick,
Ed
 
PayetteRucker said:
The common line of thought in a bushcrafting knife seems to be a very ergonomic light blade for extensive use. Generally we see a good balance of tip and belly, often with the tip centered along the axis of the handle. Thin angled grinds, thinner blades, more finesse and less brawn.
Click to expand...

yep, I have the same ideas-a full comfortable grip is really what sets the genre apart from the rest of the field of 'hunting' and 'survival' and 'companion' knives out there.
 
SouthernCross said:
G'day everyone.

.....extended use[/B] :eek:.....in hand for a long time without fatigue of the hand is the real secret.[/B]..........Kind regards
Mick
Click to expand...

:thumbup:
It's not just calouses either. How do the muscles in your forearm and hand feel after a while with a crappy handle?
 
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Tennis Players have this problem also. They build up some callous. They also re-handle
their rackets with an off-the-shelf product: a long strip of leather-like synthetic material
that wraps around the existing handle. This concept could be used as a field expedient
for an handle that is cracked or split: athletic tape that breaths (cloth surface).

Taping blistered or cut-up hands is very difficult, because hands move in many ways.
Super-glue might work here, but I do not carry it on a regular basis.

Gloves also work, and they have more general uses.

When I use a full sized ax or pick, for an extended period, my fore-arms and fingers get
tired, but not much blistering really. Use an ax every 2 years, and you are never in shape.
 
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SouthernCross said:
I have a hard time believing that anyone who can lay claim to spending any amount of time in the wild has such soft hands that hot spots / blisters become a problem when using a knife :thumbdn:

Please feel free to comment on my views.

Mick
Click to expand...

Maybe I can make a believer out of you.:rolleyes:
In the USA, the Leave-no-trace camping movement started in the 60's more or less.
You could buy light weight gear that did every-thing.

Using tools, for more that a minute, was a thing of the past. Once I got my tent ropes and
auxiliary ropes cut and knotted, I really did not need a knife. SwissArmyKnives were
popular, and handy to tinker with, so I did that for fun. The callouses were on the feet,
not any on the hands. During this time I experimented with saws, axes, knives, guns;
but I did Not Need to.

I am really wondering about your frame of reference; since this kind of camping must
have become popular in your area also.:confused:
 
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