Well my hiking buddy had family stuff so I just used this knife out in the yard.
The convex edge batons very well and creates fuzz sticks well too. I prefer my Kephart for batoning only because of the longer reach of the blade. I could even stand for a 6" version or maybe even a Scout model as a main belt knife. The hunter would serve a great purpose as a game/food knife, which is kept sharp in my pack. It would be big enough to process wood for fires and build shelter, but that wouldn't be the main purpose.
I drove the 1095 knife through about 30 feet (total) of dried hard wood and created a fire with it. My kephart throws sparks better, not sure if its the more finished spine or the blade steel. I think it's just the finished spine. That is nothing against the Budget Hunter, as this is just a blank I'm testing. The 1095 knife still shaves hair off my arm after all that and it started with a very fine edge, one that normally doesn't hold up well to heavy batoning.
I also batoned it cross grain into a 5" piece of Hickory. I went around the log in 5 or 6 different spots and drove it in about 1" all the way around. The log was thin enough for me to break over my knee then. This isn't something I like doing because it is so hard on the edge. I would normally burn this log in half but if it was all I had, this knife could make it small enough for me to baton through, split up, and start a fire with.
I like it a lot so far. More to come...
The convex edge batons very well and creates fuzz sticks well too. I prefer my Kephart for batoning only because of the longer reach of the blade. I could even stand for a 6" version or maybe even a Scout model as a main belt knife. The hunter would serve a great purpose as a game/food knife, which is kept sharp in my pack. It would be big enough to process wood for fires and build shelter, but that wouldn't be the main purpose.
I drove the 1095 knife through about 30 feet (total) of dried hard wood and created a fire with it. My kephart throws sparks better, not sure if its the more finished spine or the blade steel. I think it's just the finished spine. That is nothing against the Budget Hunter, as this is just a blank I'm testing. The 1095 knife still shaves hair off my arm after all that and it started with a very fine edge, one that normally doesn't hold up well to heavy batoning.
I also batoned it cross grain into a 5" piece of Hickory. I went around the log in 5 or 6 different spots and drove it in about 1" all the way around. The log was thin enough for me to break over my knee then. This isn't something I like doing because it is so hard on the edge. I would normally burn this log in half but if it was all I had, this knife could make it small enough for me to baton through, split up, and start a fire with.
I like it a lot so far. More to come...