£300 plus knife ? ?

[Laurentius]

Bit like a new pushbike when you were a kid.
When you first get it you faff on when it gets its first scratch, keep using it and before long you're letting it drop on the pavement outside the local shop and really using the bike.
I'm almost of the belief that tools should come from the maker pre-scabbled, just so the new owners isn't so precious about em.
Oh and Land Rovers should be pre-dented from the factory to stop tthe owners being a wuss with them. Although from what I heard they were coming equipped with factory rust on the chassis a while ago so possibly that was the idea?

Leave a new knife in a drawer too long and you'll never use it for fear of putting a scratch on it.

Completely agree with that, when I had an veteran Landie it saw a bit of damage and then some, but nowadays with a shiny new Jeep on a three year lease I am the very epitome of a wuss. I have knives on my wall which are just too beautiful to use but TBH I did not buy them for use, but so as I could make a nice handle and sheath for them. Same with axes really isn't it, on my allotment I have a cheap Fiskars hatchet that I am not afraid to use and all those nicks in the blade just give it "patina"

 

[Silverclaws2]

After months of watching forged in fire I'm really curious to see what people think ?
Are you using them in the field or just collecting them ?
Im just curious to know if anyone batons a £300 knife ?
I would be really nervous to use one but as they say you get what you pay for ?
thank you I am still learning about bushcraft so just asking Shaun

What perhaps folk aren't considering in these costs one might consider expensive is individual income brackets, where it stands, the more disposable income one has, the more affordable things tend to be and in more affordable to be easily replaced comes the thought to use, even abuse the tool you bought to be used.

But £300 is that truly expensive or is it a fair asking price as it's a fact buyers seem to be under the impression folk who craft as a sole means of income particularly in the countries that have a high cost of living, have no costs to meet, wherein a game to play in considering costs, is to estimate a crafters hourly rate and consider, would oneself work for less before considering all the other costs involved in producing that article.

But there are collectors and investors in every activity, where in some activities it's the collectors and investors that are the target market, because there is something about collectors than can be very lucrative to the maker.

Me, being a maker of stuff, I believe in the right tool for the job in hand, to if I know I am going to be grubbing about in the woods carry a selection of blades for various potential activities, from the smallest ; a scalpel blade to the largest, a billhook, for two other blades bearers to be between those.

 

[Silverclaws2]

Would I buy it I would use it, but I don't see any reason to buy one.

Before one invests so much money in a knife, I usually would recommend to buy a Hilleberg Akto tent, a Carinthia PRG rain suit, a Snugpak Special Forces sleep system, a Savotta Jääkäri L rucksack with large Särmä side pouches and especially in individual measures custom made all leather hiking boots.

After those intelligent investments most people have spend most of their budget and go for a usual industrial 100 to 150€ high quality survival knive like Mora Garberg, Casström Lars Fält Knife or similar stuff.

But should somebody gift such an expensive knife to me, I would use it without any doubt, if it's designed and made in the right way. A knife is a tool, made to be used.

I was gifted an expensive knife once as part of an award I won, a Rodgers of Sheffield Stag handled Switchback Hunter to wish I had left it as an ornament as it was not a practical knife, to in fact find in practice it was a terrible knife, it's still lingering around here somewhere, not in good shape.

 

[MikeeMiracle]

I was on the hunt for a knife a year or so ago and was looking at the TBS Boar (£150,) as they are very nice looking knives and I had held one and been impressed by it. After some research and in particular a post ont his forum, I also found people who felt the knife to "too nice" to use in anger and even though they loved the TBS Boar they mainly used their cheaper knife, a Varustelaka Terava Jaakaripuukko as they didnt care if anything happened to it.......so I did the same and bought the Jaakaripuukko for £30. Perfectly happy with it, I baton with it without fear of anything happening to it and it does the job perfectly fine, it's a no nonsense usable knife.

Varusteleka Jääkäripuukko 140, Carbon Steel - Varusteleka.com

Medium size general purpose utility knife, a solid choice for most situations.

www.varusteleka.com

 

[Erbswurst]

Theoreticly that knive is weaker than Full Tang Knifes like Mora Garberg, Casström Lars Fält Knife, Marttiini Tundra GR, TBS Boar mk2, Fjällkniven F1, Condor Bushlore and so on. But I really doubt that It's possibile to break the Terävä Jääkäripukkos in intended use, especially because the guys from Varusteleka seem to bee quality fanatics.

I looked at the Terävä Jääkäripukko with interest before but I didn't see the price, why ever. That's an incredibly good offer, especially regarding the fact that it's manufactured in Finland.

The with the other knifes i mentioned best compared 110cm blade version costs including leather sheath 73 € but is still very cheap like that in my opinion.

I guess I need to gift it to my nephew for Christmas, because I would like to play with it but can't excuse to buy more equipment for myself, because I still have more stuff here than the army of Luxemburg is storing.

 

[TLM]

Jääkäripuukko is practically a full tang one.

 

[Billy-o]

Everyone should own one of those Varusteleka knives. They are a caution. Whereas every other knife leads inevitably to the buying the next one, a Varusteleka always reminds you that you really don't need another knife. Might be the best money-saving purchase you ever make.

By the way, like others, I've found that 80CrV2 steel they use is very tough and sharpenable, too.

 

[Erbswurst]

@TLM

Because they sell the naked blades too everybody can see it on the Varusteleka home page. Do you own one?

How does it perform at food preperation and usual wood carving?

Is it correctly made as you see and fits well into the sheath?


@Billy-o

So, if you tell me that, I will buy it for myself and gift the Taiwan made Hultafors OK4 to my nephew which I tested recently for half a year with getting a good impression as a beginners low budget knife, let's say a very good Boy Scout knife for poor families.

Fortunately I am packing currently a B-Equipment-Rucksack with all good stuff I don't use currently because I bought even better stuff later. I think it's no fault to have a second complete equipment packed ready to go as a bug out bag for emergencies, for example if a friend comes along in shorts and T-shirt and we discover, that we both have the time to start immediatly into the woods.
For such a case of emergency that Jääkäripukko is surely a good idea to have.

 

[Billy-o]

I find it works perfectly. I like the handle material. It is, essentially, a fairly generic scandi blade (though I am not sure myself exactly what I mean by that) and is as good at all the things that a scandi of those dimensions would be. It is not as thin and able as the thin Kallioniemi's I have. Nor is posessed of the same kind of learned handle geometry as the couple of Hankala's I have. That said, it doesn't have limitations on it either. It will absolutely do. What ever your circumstance or requirement for food, making fires, carving utilitarian things, it works. I have the 140 (was going to get a Peltonen for the longest time) but I like the look of the smaller versions a lot, too. I like the mini one especially so, and am quite surprised at myself for having not bought it yet.

So, in short, it hasn't the finesse of hand-made scandinavian knives, and it isn't suave, but it certainly isn't thuggish like the ESEEs or Beckers one occasionally hankers for, either. I think its appeal lies in its modesty and uncompromising character. The edge really is very good, You can quite easily get it singing sharp and strop it up on your trousers.

 

[Erbswurst]

In Germany the 110 is legal to carry at the belt, nearly always and everywhere. The 140 isn't legal to carry without good reason. Because Germany is a good hiking country that information is also interesting to Brits.

I now rememberd and looked up ones more, why I lost the interest in this knife:

The blade is thicker than 4 mm, it's 4,2 mm and like this it is theoretical an illegal weapon in France!

I will look the law up and send it to the maker, he probably doesn't know that and could produce the next ones according to French law.

But of course that's easily corrected too if one owns the tools and has the skills.

 

[MikeeMiracle]

If you want a "one size fits all" then the Varustelaka Skrama is worth looking at. It can't do delicate stuff as well as a knife, it can't chop as well as an Axe. Then again a knife can't chop wood, and you can't whittle with an axe. The Skrama is capable of doing everything. Using the Lord of the Rings analogy, it's the "One Blade"

Cost is around £100 with the sheath.

 

[TLM]

JP was designed to be a "heavy duty" general purpose puukko for trekkers and soldiers. As such it serves well. It is thicker than traditional ones and that gives it some prying ability where a 2.5 mm blade might not do. The 140 mm version is meant to be a trekking knife with no other tools needed (or something like that).

I don't have one but I have handled one (I actually do have enough knives (almost)). Fits my hand well and from peoples accounts the handle material can take a lot of abuse.

If the thickness is a problem shaving 0.1 mm from each side of the blade might not be very difficult.

 

[Silverclaws2]

Unless one lives in a legal jurisdiction where one can haul around the believed ideal knife for all scenarios without the risk of getting one's collar felt, the best knife one has at any time is the knife one has at the time - of which might motivate thinking creativity in using that knife as opposed to brutality.

 

[Laurentius]

Regarding the cost of custom and hand made knives, in a way I guess it is like the art market. I have been to many fairs where people sell their paintings and other craft work. Some charge very high prices, some don't but it isn't really possible to distinguish the quality between them. The real art I guess is being able to pitch your price such that you are not selling on the margin, and that you are not charging so much that you cannot sell enough to make it worth while. There is a certain amount of psychology in it too. If you sell cheap, you are creating the notion in the buyer that the product is less worthy, if you sell at high price you are giving it a certain exclusice cachet. You only have to look at the fashion industry to realise this.

 

[TLM]

As to the original question, yes I would use one if it made for use. If it just jewellery then not.

 

[petrochemicals]

Steel wise mas produced steel is as good idf not better, the sort that goes into aircraft engines and tooling. Bit they sell gucci handbags dont they, oakley sunglasses, a pair of air max's cost you 150 quid, (but they are comfy) iphones for 1000, so why not, they are not themost expensive kit I have ever seen, how about a diamond encrusted skull ? Fashion. Some of the handeling sheathwork and detail like spinework is delightful

Technically wise, i have horrors at the quality and workmanship, ever since Alan wood himself spoke of sharpening his knife on a belt sander (or linisher as its known in metalwork circles). Have you ever wondered why the swiss knives somehow get a better edge the more you sharpen them ? Honestly if you know of a toolmaker ask him what he thinks of sharpenning his 90 degree 1 inch round punches on a linisher and that will tell you 5hat it is a sodding joke not to be abided. If you want a really good knife ask someone with the technical knowhow. The fact that the whole blade is tempered to the hardness of fragile (particularly like the hard core laminates, very good idea). End of the day a knife is a bit of metal, and a bit of metal can go from cheap to very expensive depending on your specifications.

 

[demographic]

Years ago when I was young and daft (er) I got a bit of tax back from a welding job. Think it was just over ￡400 and for some reason it fairly burned a hole in my pocket.
Figuring that I wanted a fancy knife I had it in my head that the two best choices were a Wilkinson Sword (Dartmoor? The massive sawback thing anyway) that was selling for ￡225 or so at Survival Aids and a Chris Reeve Jereboam 1 also with (jeez, I'm embarrassed to admit it) sawback for ￡182.50 from Framar shooting world.

I pondered for a while and eventually chose the Chris Reeve one piece knife, waited patiently for it to arrive then when it came I cut a few bits of wood with this behemoth...
Realistically, a massive knife might be acceptable in the jungles of South America but it's a bit wally factor nine dossing about on the fells and woodlands of Cumbria.

I've stil got it, in its original box and in basically perfect condition and have recently looked on the internet for the kind of money they go for if I flog it.
Seems they go for €1000 to $2500 (in the US where they still sell more) depending on numbers, if it was made in South Africa or the US and general condition.
Its serial number is less than 20 and its one of the US made ones so I guess what it gains on the swings it loses on the roundabouts.
Whichever way it's more money sitting in an object I never use than I'm happy with. It's going at some point.
For years I would have given that young Me a slap over the back of the lug for buying such a damn stupid knife, nowadays it seems he might not have been as green as he was cabbagy lookin.

Nowadays, I've got a few knives I bought from members on here and a couple of Moras.
Most of that ^ isn't really a comment about cost versus usage.
Its just a realisation that I get far more use out of a four inch blade than a nine.

I would say that the best thing to do is start using them as soon as you buy them though, otherwise their sometimes meteoric rise in value (Woodlore anyone?) means people are a bit frit of scabbling them.

I do have a LOT of woodworking tools, they pay my wages and expensive or no they get used, mostly on building sites so don't get babied.

 

[TeeDee]

Years ago when I was young and daft (er) I got a bit of tax back from a welding job. Think it was just over ￡400 and for some reason it fairly burned a hole in my pocket.
Figuring that I wanted a fancy knife I had it in my head that the two best choices were a Wilkinson Sword (Dartmoor? The massive sawback thing anyway) that was selling for ￡225 or so at Survival Aids and a Chris Reeve Jereboam 1 also with (jeez, I'm embarrassed to admit it) sawback for ￡182.50 from Framar shooting world.

I pondered for a while and eventually chose the Chris Reeve one piece knife, waited patiently for it to arrive then when it came I cut a few bits of wood with this behemoth...
Realistically, a massive knife might be acceptable in the jungles of South America but it's a bit wally factor nine dossing about on the fells and woodlands of Cumbria.

I've stil got it, in its original box and in basically perfect condition and have recently looked on the internet for the kind of money they go for if I flog it.
Seems they go for €1000 to $2500 (in the US where they still sell more) depending on numbers, if it was made in South Africa or the US and general condition.
Its serial number is less than 20 and its one of the US made ones so I guess what it gains on the swings it loses on the roundabouts.
Whichever way it's more money sitting in an object I never use than I'm happy with. It's going at some point.
For years I would have given that young Me a slap over the back of the lug for buying such a damn stupid knife, nowadays it seems he might not have been as green as he was cabbagy lookin.

Nowadays, I've got a few knives I bought from members on here and a couple of Moras.
Most of that ^ isn't really a comment about cost versus usage.
Its just a realisation that I get far more use out of a four inch blade than a nine.

I would say that the best thing to do is start using them as soon as you buy them though, otherwise their sometimes meteoric rise in value (Woodlore anyone?) means people are a bit frit of scabbling them.

I do have a LOT of woodworking tools, they pay my wages and expensive or no they get used, mostly on building sites so don't get babied.

I also had a Chris Reeve ( Aviator ) I picked up second hand , even although I purchased it for a very decent price i couldn't bring myself to use it as I knew its potential value. I ended up holding it for a year or two then flogged it.

I recently purchased one of the Schrade Copies for cheap money ( £80 ) and have no problem using it.

Wish they would make a smaller hollow handled schrade however.

 

[demographic]

I also had a Chris Reeve ( Aviator ) I picked up second hand , even although I purchased it for a very decent price i couldn't bring myself to use it as I knew its potential value. I ended up holding it for a year or two then flogged it.

I recently purchased one of the Schrade Copies for cheap money ( £80 ) and have no problem using it.

Wish they would make a smaller hollow handled schrade however.

Yeah, think when I bought mine the Aviator was going for ￡115 or so, would have been a far and away more usable knife. Mind they're fairly serious cash nowadays.
Think there was an Aviator without a sawback as well.
I'm not complaining about the quality of mine, just my choice of buying something so big.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Technically wise, i have horrors at the quality and workmanship, ever since Alan wood himself spoke of sharpening his knife on a belt sander (or linisher as its known in metalwork circles). Have you ever wondered why the swiss knives somehow get a better edge the more you sharpen them ? Honestly if you know of a toolmaker ask him what he thinks of sharpenning his 90 degree 1 inch round punches on a linisher and that will tell you 5hat it is a sodding joke not to be abided. If you want a really good knife ask someone with the technical know how.

Hi,
Correct me if I am wrong, but this reads to me as if you are being very critical of using a belt grinder for sharpening, that you think this is a sign of incompetence or worse, that you are horrified that Alan Wood would do such a heinous thing. That makers might do this makes you doubtful about the quality of hand made knives across the board. Further, that if one wants to know about knives, their manufacture, use and maintenance, one is better talking to a toolmaker than a knife maker.

Is that how it should have been read?

Cheers

Chris