Wood\Bushcraft carving shootout (Benchmade, Ritter, Ontario, Gerber, Mora)

[coloradowildman]

Hi everyone,

I have been on a knife buying spree lately and I've been literally salivating over getting to try out some of my new toys Me and my girlfriend spend as much time hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing and fishing in the Rockies as possible, so carrying good equipment is very important to us. Some of the knives in this shootout have already been used quite a bit, some have not (just got the Mora knife this week). Since I find myself frequently using a knife for carving wood when in the field (tent pegs, food prep sticks, bushcrafting, splitting smaller kindling in wet cold weather, whittling, etc) I was really curious to see how these various knives performed in comparison to each other.

The testing is totally unscientific and rather subjective, but I thought I would share my experiences with them. I made sure that all the blades were roughly the same sharpness. What's also interesting about these is that they are all different steels, so if anyone has any info on how different steels perform on carving wood I would love to hear from you.

Here are the knives I tested:

FOLDERS
Gerber LST II (420HC, 2.7" blade)
Doug Ritter Mini Griptilian (Benchmade) (S30V, 2.96" blade)
Benchmade 551 Griptilian (154CM, 3.44" blade)

FIXED BLADES
Benchmade Rant 10502 Drop Point (440C, 4.5" Blade)
Ontario Spec Plus SP2 Air Force Survival Knife (1095, 5.5" Blade)
Mora Craftline Allround (Sandvik 12C27, 4" Blade)

Luckily where I live is in the mountains so I'm surrounded by great test material, and around here the most prevalent wood for bushcraft is Lodgepole Pine, Aspen and Ponderosa Pine. Lodgepole has been severely affected by pine beetles, so there is always tons of it laying around, so it is usually what I use for most things (firemaking, whittling, bushcraft, etc). I went down the road to my favorite hiking trail and batoned some deadfall Lodgepole branches with my new Mora Allround knife (which it seemed to handle just fine) into pieces which would be a good size for general whittling or to make fuzz sticks. After about 40 mins of playing around with the various knives this is what it looked like:

Here are my impressions:

FOLDERS
Gerber LST II- Excellent performance, probably one of the best cutting knives I've ever used. This thing will make fuzz sticks very quickly. It only weighs
1.4oz yet this thing is an incredible cutter\carver\slicer. It opens one handed easily, super light in the pocket, easy to sharpen, comfortable and secure in the hand, and best of all made in the USA and super affordable (these sell on Amazon for $19.97!). I've also used it for food prep, opening dog food bags, opening packages, etc. Great to carry with a large fixed blade for more detailed work in the backcountry or for an EDC one handed opening pocket knife. Feels very durable and tough and has a lifetime warranty.

Doug Ritter Mini Griptilian- Also did a great job, though not quite as good as the LST II in pure cutting power. Definitely feels more stout overall (twice the weight of the LST II) and the Benchmade Axis lock is wonderful. I gotta say though the Gerber is 90%-95% as good as this knife as an EDC or backup to a fixed blade for just a fraction of the price.

Benchmade Griptilian 551- Wood cutting adequate but overall probably the worst of the bunch. I have to admit that this is still one of my favorite large EDC knives or to carry when I do a quick hike and don't want to lug a fixed blade. I have a feeling that a more agressive cutting angle would make this a much better wood carver. I have used this blade to cut meat in the field for food prep and it cut through it like butter. It also cuts other things very well, just not a great whittler compared to the other folders in this test. EDITED to add- I decided to compare this blade against my Victorinox Swiss Champ after the test and it actually does slightly better, which tells me that the Gerber LST II and Ritter Mini Grip are just so good that they made the 551 seem kind of average I'm betting that a better sharpen on the 551 will bring it up a notch. It's a great pocket blade to have when one hikes in politically sensitive areas (i.e. Boulder, Red Rocks)

FIXED BLADES
Benchmade Rant 10502 Drop Point- Overall this is an excellent field\bushcraft knife and carves very well. Easy to make fuzz sticks, baton with, great for food prep, etc. It is built really stout and should be able to stand up to incredible abuse without fail. The stonewash finish really does hide scratches so the knife keeps looking new after rugged use, unlike the Mora which scuffed rather easily (though for the money not a big deal).

Mora Allround- Great feeling knife in the hand and this thing will really remove a lot of wood fast. Maybe it's my technique but it seems difficult to carve lighter amounts without the blade digging deeper into the wood. This makes finer work a bit more difficult. Out of all the knives this is the only one that did this. I'm thinking this Mora would be a great food prep knife, either in the field or at home in the kitchen. Maybe the other Moras carve better without digging in so much, not really sure though as this is my first Mora knife. EDITED TO ADD- After further reflection I think this blade along with something like a Gerber LST II or Benchmade Mini Grip would be a great bushcraft combo, as the Mora is great to remove large amounts of wood fast while using the smaller folder for finer work. However, because it digs too easily I wouldn't want it for my only blade.

Ontario SP2 Air Force- Wow, what a great field knife! Even though this was the biggest blade it seems to be "one with the wood" when carving. This knife can carve as lightly as one needs with lots of control or you can quickly reduce a stick into shavings for kindling if needed. I've use this knife several times this winter as my main fixed blade in the field and used it for batoning and carving tent pegs, bushcraft, etc. I bought it new from a surplus store for only $39 and it has become one of my favorite bush knives (I've owned Gerbers, Pumas, Case, etc). It's not as good as my Benchmade Rant for food prep due to the thickness and wedge shaped blade but it cuts well enough overall that it will still slice and dice fairly decent. I consider this my "off-trail" knife because it also big enough to use if God forbid one gets attacked by a mountain lion (it's now well documented that several people have lived after being atacked by mountain lions because they were able to fight back with a folding or fixed blade knife).

So my overall impression is that the Ontario SP2 Air Force and Gerber LST II are the standouts here, along with the Benchmade Rant, which is probably the most well rounded knife for a multitude of tasks. Since I got my Gerber LST II last month I've had a hard time justifying that the Ritter Mini Grip is worth the extra $100. The Benchmade Rant is a great knife and can be bought for around $55-$60, and the Ontario SP2 as I mentioned is easily found online for under $40. The Mora does feel great in the hand and seems to be really high quality for only $16, and I would highly recommend it as a food prep knife or even a main field knife. I just don't like how it carves finer pieces when compared to the much larger Ontario knife (seems to dig in too easily, maybe it's just my technique).

 

[Esav Benyamin]

VERY nice comparisons of these knives. I hope we'll get a lot of comments. Reviews of good working knives instead of heavily advertised or popular models are really valuable.

I moved the thread to Knife Reviews & Testing.

 

[coloradowildman]

VERY nice comparisons of these knives. I hope we'll get a lot of comments. Reviews of good working knives instead of heavily advertised or popular models are really valuable.

I moved the thread to Knife Reviews & Testing.

Thanks Esav, appreciate that.

 

[1066vik]

nice review - and not out of place.
there are a lot of folks on this forum who can't justify a Ritter but can afford to pick up a Gerber out of the case at Wally or a sporting goods store. (similar "bang for the buck" explains my personal fondness for the RAT-1 and several CRKT knives)

 

[Esav Benyamin]

What people should realize is, many small knives, thin blades, simple designs can be extremely effective as cutting tools. The high-end (wanna see my CRKs? ) are superior in many ways but that doesn't mean even a small cheap slipjoint won't clean a deer or get your fire going -- all you need to go with it are the skills.

Actually, we've had this sort of discussion from time to time. The new guys tend to be more open-minded, not having invested in those high-end beauties, and maybe are still looking for what works that they can afford.

 

[1066vik]

no argument here.
in fact, it's no coincidence that while single my 2 favorite kitchen knives were my #2 and #3 Eriksson moras. Very aggressive cutters.
For fine woodworking/carving, a sloyd knife - with it's shorter, thicker, and more pointy blade works better, because it's not as aggressive. YMMV.
Also, I don't argue that a CRK or William Henry knife are built with better materials and higher fit/finish, but a knife that costs 1/10th as much and gives 85% of the performance is a perfectly functional tool for those of us without that level of disposable income.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

no argument here.
in fact, it's no coincidence that while single my 2 favorite kitchen knives were my #2 and #3 Eriksson moras. Very aggressive cutters.

When my daughter got her own place, I told her I would get her a good set of kitchen knives. She grew up knowing how to use them. But until I could get her something better, I gave her a Mora clipper. She had never seen a knife that sharp and found it was a perfect kitchen utility knife.

 

[Stainz]

I was amazed, several years back, at what a great carver - in the Bushcraft scale down - my new Bark River 'T.U.S.K.' was - it reminded me of an old Boker Tree Brand my Dad had - and it's Wharncliffe-style blade. Seemed to be the ideal carver - for my horrible flutes, etc. I piddled with the Barkie... pretty expensive for that. Great for making walking sticks, thus far.

Some months back, an epiphany struck me - what I needed was a folder with a carver Rick Butz style blade, a sort of smallish Wharncliffe. That German-made Boker Tree Brand, in the form of a Congess style, has several blades in different sizes to choose from on the same knife. I got a new one from evil-bay - ~$32 with s/h from a dealer - good buy - CS blades - hyper sharp. Great carver, as long as you remember it's a slippy - and don't inadvertently close the blade. I'm careful, having become fond of my fingers. I've come full circle... I am now my father - sadly, with severe CTS & arthritis problems - and not on SSI - yet. Still - it's fun - and, without my readers, looking at my carvings, well, they don't slurp nearly as badly as they do with the readers - a definite requirement for my carving, however!

Yeah, simple is sometimes better. I like my Barkie T.U.S.K., however. But that Boker Tree Brand slippy is an easy EDC.

Stainz

PS Another, possibly underappreciated, larger Wharncliffe-style folder - The Kershaw 1820 'Needs Work'.

 

[Gambrinus]

The scandi grind of the mora might be the reason for the deep carving.
Al the other knives are conventional ground.

 

[coloradowildman]

The scandi grind of the mora might be the reason for the deep carving.
Al the other knives are conventional ground.

I was wondering if that might be the reason. I've been using the Mora as a kitchen knife and it is great. Are there other Moras with less aggressive grinds? I've heard some other reviewers say that the Allround has a more aggressive grind than some of the other ones. Can you confirm this?

 

[coloradowildman]

nice review - and not out of place.
there are a lot of folks on this forum who can't justify a Ritter but can afford to pick up a Gerber out of the case at Wally or a sporting goods store. (similar "bang for the buck" explains my personal fondness for the RAT-1 and several CRKT knives)

1066vik thanks for the comments. Yeah I think the Ritter is a really impressive folder, but the US made Gerber LST II has proven to be such an incredible cutting instrument and the one handed opening and lock back work very nice on it. It is not as nice looking as a Benchmade or Spyderco but it gets better looking after use because of it's high functionality. I tried the LST II on some generic uncut English muffins that I was fixing for breakfast the other day (something I wouldn't normally do with a small folder) and to my amazement it just sliced through them like butter, whereas many of my other sharp straight blades get hung up in the bread part. I have the black LST II but I think the grey and black handle is a better looker.

 

[Gambrinus]

The big Hultafors short/stout GK has a standard grind, my Moras are all scandi.

 

[Smash05]

Isn't that Rant great in the woods!!!! I carry mine all over, only complaint I have is the sheath, as from time to time I have difficulty re-sheathing it. I used it to cut down a fairly stout live sappling, processed the sappling into an imporvised walking stick and fishing rod, and used it to carve some sticks for grilling, and it still shaved hair.

 

[rinos]

Good comparison ,it is best to find by yourself what works for you.
Mora's are great in kitchen but IMHO they are extraordinary for woodworking,(scandi grind itself is just perfect for woodwork).

 

[coloradowildman]

Isn't that Rant great in the woods!!!! I carry mine all over, only complaint I have is the sheath, as from time to time I have difficulty re-sheathing it. I used it to cut down a fairly stout live sappling, processed the sappling into an imporvised walking stick and fishing rod, and used it to carve some sticks for grilling, and it still shaved hair.

Yes it is great in the woods My biggest complaint with the sheath is that it sits too high on the belt to work with backpacks and daypacks with belt straps. I've solved that by putting it on the backpack beltstrap but when I take off the pack it's no longer on my side. I'm in the process of getting a low hanging leather sheath with a firesteel loop made. Will use my Ontario SP2 Air Force until I get the new sheath made as the Ontario sheath sits low and is easy to belt carry with backpacks. The Rant is just very well rounded so I want to eventually make it my main wilderness blade after I solve the sheath issue. If one doesn't carry a pack with a belt the the sheath works fine.

Thanks for sharing

 

[Smash05]

Yes it is great in the woods My biggest complaint with the sheath is that it sits too high on the belt to work with backpacks and daypacks with belt straps. I've solved that by putting it on the backpack beltstrap but when I take off the pack it's no longer on my side. I'm in the process of getting a low hanging leather sheath with a firesteel loop made. Will use my Ontario SP2 Air Force until I get the new sheath made as the Ontario sheath sits low and is easy to belt carry with backpacks. The Rant is just very well rounded so I want to eventually make it my main wilderness blade after I solve the sheath issue. If one doesn't carry a pack with a belt the the sheath works fine.

Thanks for sharing

The rant will fit in the SP2 sheath, last time I checked. I have done that a few times. I bought a RAT5 sheath for it, and it works very well, but its nylon if that's not your thing. Enjoy it in good health.

 

[midnight flyer]

What people should realize is, many small knives, thin blades, simple designs can be extremely effective as cutting tools. The high-end (wanna see my CRKs? ) are superior in many ways but that doesn't mean even a small cheap slipjoint won't clean a deer or get your fire going -- all you need to go with it are the skills.

Insightful as always.... I like my "better" blades, but I did just fine with some of the old stuff I had for years. Back then it was all about what the knife could actually do, not all about the knife itself.

Actually, we've had this sort of discussion from time to time. The new guys tend to be more open-minded, not having invested in those high-end beauties, and maybe are still looking for what works that they can afford.

LMAO.... how true is that?

When I started as a carpenter's helper, one of the guys had an old CASE sodbuster. It was his only knife. He carried it in his nail bags at work, and when we went hunting he used to to gut/skin game, make fires, etc.

One knife... for everything. He even used it when he was barbecuing.

He swore by that old CASE. At that time (35+ years ago) he told me he paid something like $10 - $12 bucks for it. They are still a great value today.

Robert

 

[coloradowildman]

The rant will fit in the SP2 sheath, last time I checked. I have done that a few times. I bought a RAT5 sheath for it, and it works very well, but its nylon if that's not your thing. Enjoy it in good health.

Hey Smash, I do like leather but that Rat 5 sheath would be great if it fits the knife well. Question- does the sheath fit the knife well enough that it could functionally replace the original leather Benchmade sheath? I really like that the Rat 5 sheath has a pocket for a stone or other survival goodies (noticed it's only $17.95 online at Knifecenter).

Thanks!

 

[Smash05]

Hey Smash, I do like leather but that Rat 5 sheath would be great if it fits the knife well. Question- does the sheath fit the knife well enough that it could functionally replace the original leather Benchmade sheath? I really like that the Rat 5 sheath has a pocket for a stone or other survival goodies (noticed it's only $17.95 online at Knifecenter).

Thanks!

Thats where I picked it up, and it fits great. You could even form fit the plastic liner if you wanted. The keeper strap is adjustable and adjusts well to hold the knife in. Try it out, cheap solution, and it will fit the SP2 as well.

 

[coloradowildman]

Thats where I picked it up, and it fits great. You could even form fit the plastic liner if you wanted. The keeper strap is adjustable and adjusts well to hold the knife in. Try it out, cheap solution, and it will fit the SP2 as well.

Smash you saved me quite a bit of time and money, so thanks again. Didn't know the 5 1/2" blade of the SP2 would work with this sheath as well, that's good to know. When I can afford it I'd like to have a nice brown leather sheath with a fire steel loop made for the Rant. For now though this might be a great way to be able to start using the knife when I'm backpacking again.