recommend bushcraft knife under 250$ ,just can buy one

night man said:
If you are a collector and this is your one and only chance to buy one try to buy the best custom handmade knife there is. With that said, you have to keep it under $250. I would look at Bark River, Fiddle Back Forge, or maybe Blind Horse Knives for a good bushcrafter, and other custom makers on this site. Don't waste your one time to buy a knife on a production knife.
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as i mentioned i have my collection ,
but this one i really want to use for my camps .
so i need to buy 1 that really works ,not just a beauty .
i need a beast.
 
I think the MLL Jungle would serve your purpose and then some. Flat grind O1 tool steel 6 1/2 inches, it would be a good chopper. If your good at sharpening and you maintain it with oil and such, it should be the only purchase you'll have to make for its intended purpose. I have nothing against Beckers or ESEE or any of the production knives. I just think if this is your only purchase you can make, go with a handmade piece made out of a really tough steel. A handmade piece has more attention to detail then most production knives, so it may be a higher price but you won't have to worry about the fit and finish at all. Spend the money once, so you can enjoy it for a lifetime.
 
I have already sent some emails to the custom makers that you mentioned .
Waiting for them.

If I can't get the result, I will go for bk7 with Benyamin told me .
 
I hope that it goes well for you, keep us updated on what you choose and if your satisfied with your choice. The BK7 is a good knife for the price, I just lean more towards what some of the custom makers come up with. They have some really well built blades for the price they offer them at.

Esav choice isn't at all bad for the price though.
 
Didn't read the whole thread but if chopping is what you want, have you thought of a small kukri? Himalayan Imports is a good maker.
 
For a great camp knife when I was a teenager, I thought my late Dad's old USN KaBar, which served him well in the S.Pacific during WWII, was a great choice - along with a folding knife of some sort. Years passed and I took my boys camping - with a Buck 119 Special (Bottom, below.). It worked well, along with a Plumb camp hatchet for larger limbs and a Swiss Army Knife or Buck 110 or 301, the latter two also folders. One day I heard the term 'bushcraft', and my search began for the optimum such knife. I have some super Bark Rivers to some basic Condor examples. I have hunting knives from a Puma 'White Hunter' to some excellent Arno Bernard examples. But - send me out to the back yard woods to trim bushes - or go camping again - and I'll likely have a Buck 192 Vanguard on me. It's too short, so I haven't presented one below for you. What I have presented below, top down, is the Buck 120 General, currently still out of production; a Buck 124 Frontiersman, a Limited Edition still available from some sources, and the Buck 119 Special, shortest of the three and still a 6" blade - once available from WalMarts for <$40 - and still widely available.

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All use Buck's 420HC steel - a SS of sorts. The 119 & 120 are ~.176" thick while the 6.75" 124 Frontiersman is .202" thick - Rc 57-59 - and easily re-sharpened with normal stones. All three have a straight secondary bevel and distinct hollow grind, making batoning not suggested. I've done a lot of hand held chopping with a 119 over the years and have never chipped the blade. They do excel at slicing. The phenolic handled 119 & 120 are lighter and easier to find, the 119 weighing 7 ounces. The Micarta handled 124 weighs over 13 ounces. I haven't used the 124 as much - but it is impressive thus far. I know AG Russell still has it in stock (It may be difficult to find!) - with s&h to Canada - if they can ship it there - it should still be just a bit over half your limit. Just a 'different' suggestion!

Stainz

PS The 119 & 120 above are kept in a kichen drawer - they are great butcher knives!!
 
I think for chopping and bushcrafting, I need tougher steel .
Buck 119-124 are better for hunting .am I right?
 
furood said:
I think for chopping and bushcrafting, I need tougher steel .
Buck 119-124 are better for hunting .am I right?
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It sounds to me like you are wanting a knife to chop and baton with so I wouldn't recomend something less than a full width with tang to be your only purchase.

Otherwise I have the perfect knife for chopping/Bushcraft at about 5", my KA-BAR 1247, but I wouldn't go beatific it's brains out splitting wood, it's my favorite knife and out of production. There is a similar one by Ontario, still , go full width tang since you can't replace your knife.

Unless.. Granted it some type of machete blade with a lower hardness and less prone to break.
 
The 5160 carbon steel Ontario and others, including Buck's Ron Hood line, #060-070, are usually heat treated to a Rc of 54-56, softer than the Rc of 57-59 Buck treats their SS 420HC to meet. The 420HC doesn't have the bragging rights of some steels - but it is in use quite good - and not so hard to re-edge. The hollow grind means it is better at slicing - but I've chopped some small saplings down with a 192 & a 119. Oddly, I fish - and will clean fish with a pocket knife if I have to - but I haven't hunted in decades. I do have a collection of 'hunting knives' - which I use camping - or 'bushcrafting'. KaBar original combat knives are .165" thick of 1095 carbon steel - usually Rc of 55-56. I have their Becker BK2 and it's made of the same steel - just .25" thick - but, sadly, it's blade is only 5.5" long. I have the nicer looking ESEE RC-5 (Now ESEE-5), too - same basic knife as the BK2, just drags more in chops/deep cuts due to the pebbled finish - the BK2 is half the price too. These knives aren't so useful in making camp accessories - certainly not a whittler! The BK2 and ESEE-5/RC-5 are full width tangs and of a drop point design. The original KaBar fighting knife is a reduced tang (My Dad's old version broke at the pommel!), while the similar Bowie-style Buck 124 has a full tang. Choices...

Stainz
 
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How about a khukuri from Himalayan Imports? The Ang Kola is supposed to be quite a chopper. Something around 18" should be good.
 
Stainz said:
The 5160 carbon steel Ontario and others, including Buck's Ron Hood line, #060-070, are usually heat treated to a Rc of 54-56, softer than the Rc of 57-59 Buck treats their SS 420HC to meet. The 420HC doesn't have the bragging rights of some steels - but it is in use quite good - and not so hard to re-edge. The hollow grind means it is better at slicing - but I've chopped some small saplings down with a 192 & a 119. Oddly, I fish - and will clean fish with a pocket knife if I have to - but I haven't hunted in decades. I do have a collection of 'hunting knives' - which I use camping - or 'bushcrafting'. KaBar original combat knives are .165" thick of 1095 carbon steel - usually Rc of 55-56. I have their Becker BK2 and it's made of the same steel - just .25" thick - but, sadly, it's blade is only 5.5" long. I have the nicer looking ESEE RC-5 (Now ESEE-5), too - same basic knife as the BK2, just drags more in chops/deep cuts due to the pebbled finish - the BK2 is half the price too. These knives aren't so useful in making camp accessories - certainly not a whittler! The BK2 and ESEE-5/RC-5 are full width tangs and of a drop point design. The original KaBar fighting knife is a reduced tang (My Dad's old version broke at the pommel!), while the similar Bowie-style Buck 124 has a full tang. Choices...

Stainz
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Dear stains, it was good info for me.
So it means bk2 chopps better than bk7?? Because it is thicker? And heavier ?


philllll said:
How about a khukuri from Himalayan Imports? The Ang Kola is supposed to be quite a chopper. Something around 18" should be good.
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Kukuries are just good choppers while is hard for me to bring to iran.it is too big .
 
Thicker and heavier is clumsier and tiring. Too thin is too delicate. BK7 is not delicate, but it relies on technique and length to chop with less effort.

Even khukuris depend on technique as much as on mass. Many khukuris are shorter and lighter than the long sirupatis or heavy ang kholas.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Thicker and heavier is clumsier and tiring. Too thin is too delicate. BK7 is not delicate, but it relies on technique and length to chop with less effort.

Even khukuris depend on technique as much as on mass. Many khukuris are shorter and lighter than the long sirupatis or heavy ang kholas.
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so regardless of techniques ,weight and blade shape is important .as i am not sure about my technique ,so i should select a good bushcraft and chopper .
 
It sounds like you just want a knife over 6 inch blade. I prefer 4-5 but I will give you my opinion on 6 inch plus. I like my Scrapyard 711 but if the Res C handles are damaged (or any of the Fallkniven for that matter) it would be difficult for you to get them replaced in your country. If that does not matter to you I would get the Scrapyard 711, the sr101 steel is great in my opinion. There are several makers that can make you a kydex sheath and send it to your friend or to you. Hopefully you could receive that as it is just a "plastic tool holder"

If you want handles that could be replaced locally if necessary I would get a full tang with removable handles. If you have large hands and like big handles get a Becker. If you have smaller hands get the ESEE 6. I like the ESEE 6 better myself for a large knife. I think fit and finish of ESEE is better than Becker and I like ESEE sheath more. But both are strong well built knives. I don't think Blind Horse has a chopper you could get in your price range very quickly. I don't like Bark River at all. Not sure if Fiddleback forge has one in your price range but he makes good stuff. A friend of mine broke my Buck General batoning when we were in Canada. I won't use a buck for that again.

Also, I'm not sure what your sharpening abilities are. If it gets pretty dull, ESEE and Becker are easier to sharpen then Scrapyard in my opinion.
 
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messer454 said:
It sounds like you just want a knife over 6 inch blade. I prefer 4-5 but I will give you my opinion on 6 inch plus. I like my Scrapyard 711 but if the Res C handles are damaged (or any of the Fallkniven for that matter) it would be difficult for you to get them replaced in your country. If that does not matter to you I would get the Scrapyard 711, the sr101 steel is great in my opinion. There are several makers that can make you a kydex sheath and send it to your friend or to you. Hopefully you could receive that as it is just a "plastic tool holder"

If you want handles that could be replaced locally if necessary I would get a full tang with removable handles. If you have large hands and like big handles get a Becker. If you have smaller hands get the ESEE 6. I like the ESEE 6 better myself for a large knife. I think fit and finish of ESEE is better than Becker and I like ESEE sheath more. But both are strong well built knives. I don't think Blind Horse has a chopper you could get in your price range very quickly. I don't like Bark River at all. Not sure if Fiddleback forge has one in your price range but he makes good stuff. A friend of mine broke my Buck General batoning when we were in Canada. I won't use a buck for that again.

Also, I'm not sure what your sharpening abilities are. If it gets pretty dull, ESEE and Becker are easier to sharpen then Scrapyard in my opinion.
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Thanks so much!!!
Useful post and help.
I am looking for big Chris customs knives now, what is your idea??
 
Which steel is better for chopping and bushcragting?
O1
3v
4v
D2
I can select between these .
Please help me.
 
A Big Chris Chopper in 3V sounds awesome!
If You can get one, get it!

I don't own one, but I have seen them on his site - looks serious to me!

Regards
Mikael
 
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