Advice for beginner - Fallkniven TK3

[Mattp]

Hi,

Been reading the forum for a few days now and decided to dip my toe in.

I'm interested in treating myself to a decent pocket knife, something that will come in handy with my growing interest in camping and bushcraft. I'm looking for the sort of thing that is practical, well made and a pleasure to use. Oh, and it has to be a folder.

I'm a beginner at all this but I keep finding myself drawn to the Fallkniven TK4. It seems to tick the right boxes and it doesn't hurt that it looks beautiful! If anyone has any thoughts, advice, suggestions I'd be grateful. What sort of grind do these blades have, are they relatively easy to look after, sharpen?

Thanks
m

 

[Bushcraft4life]

The Fallkniven TK3 and 4 are very good folders, but i would not recommend them for several reasons.

In Bushcraft it is always best to have a fixed blade knife, they are stronger, easier to maintain and stand up to abuse more.

Second, the TK3 is over a £100 and the TK4 is £80, thats way too much money to be spending on your first knife.

My recommendation to you would be to buy a Frosts Mora, its a cheap fixed blade knife, highly regarded all over the World as the best starter Bushy, they only cost about £8, they hold a great edge and are generally very good for a beginner and even more advanced knife users.

If it absolutely has to be a folder, you can't go far wrong getting an Opinel or a Spyderco Tenacious, they are cheaper, but still have a great fit and finish.

 

[rancid badger]

first of all; Welcome to the sight
second: Why does it need to be a folder?
third: I have used a Super Swede stainless lock blade for about 15 years and it's never let me down. Actually, I don't know if you can still get them now I come to think of it.I think it was about £15-£20 when I first bought it, I can't honestly recall now

I say I have used it for about 15 years, in fact I have carried it for 15 years but not really used it for the last 5, until very recently when I started canoeing and needed something in stainless.
B4L's right about the Mora, it's a great beginners knife, indeed I know several people who use nothing else, simply because they like them.
I now use a Bernie Garland Bushcrafter, for almost all of my "everyday" knife work. This is an excellent tool.

anyway whichever way you go, good luck and , once again welcome
R.B.

 

[Bushcraft4life]

Yes, Welcome should have said in my first post

You can still get the Super Swede stainless RB, pretty pricey though, they are £45.

 

[Mattp]

Thanks for taking the time to respond. The reasoning behind a folder is portability and also to an extent my location. I live in London and although I've never been stopped by the police (I'm 31 and boringly respectable looking!) I see the metal detectors at stations regularly and would rather have to explain a smaller penknife whilst going camping (even a locking one) than a fixed blade.

I take your point on the practicality of the cheaper blades. I do also appreciate the workmanship that goes into a well made object especially one built to last and "grow old with you" for want of a better phrase.

I'd be interested to hear what you think the difference is between a beginner and someone more experienced that should dictate their choice of knife. I'm a keen photographer and could explain why a "beginners" camera might be more suitable than a pro - could someone help me out by doing the same for pocket knives?

Thanks for your help
m

 

[Bushcraft4life]

Well, i live in London, would you like to see a pic of my knife collection?

Knives take skill to use correctly in Bushcraft, such as carving, general us such as feathers sticks, dressing game etc

Its good to buy a cheap bushy to start off with so that you can get used to all aspects of owning one, not only use, but maintenance also.

You can ruin a good knife by not knowing how to use one properly, you can also ruin a good blade by not knowing how to sharpen it properly.

Would you rather ruin (i am not saying you will) a £10 knife or a £100 knife?

Also, i would find it much easier to justify having a sheathed 8 inch overall knife in my Rucksack than a small folding knife due to the nature of knife crime in London, such as most of it is commited with small cheap nasty lock knives.

The cheaper bushy would not be forever, just a means of sharpening your own skills, then you can move on to a much nicer, quality bushy.

The Mora is a lovely knife to start off with, Ray Mears himself has used them countless times in his shows.

 

[Jedadiah]

Wasn't a certain Bushcrafter using a TK3 or 4 on TV recently? If your serious about Bushcrafting, rigid is the way to go. If you've got a Mora tucked away in a bergan full of 'Scrafting gear, any decent plod is going to recognise your not out to 'Shank' someone. It's not convenient, or obvious and you'll have a much more rewarding time using it than a £100 folder, locking or not.

 

[Mattp]

That makes sense.

Certainly I would be concerned about ruining a good blade through incorrect sharpening. My only experience in that regard so far is the steel I use for sharpening my set of kitchen knives which I like to keep in good nick! I've just ordered a diamond ceramic whetstone online as well which I think might come in handy.

 

[Mattp]

@ Jadadiah - lol!

I sense your cynicism! My recent interest was spaked by camping in the "wild" on Fraser Island in Australia, an experience I enjoyed so much I'm booked to go camping rather closer to home for a weekend in about three weeks time.

I've certainly been watching Ray Mears, particularly the Walkabout series as I have an Aussie girlfriend! I stumbled across Fallkniven from some general internet searching, but having been following posts on here I gather he used a TK4 in one of the eps. Can't say I noticed myself but I was interested to follow the conversations about the Ray Mears effect on here - particularly the cost of the Woodlore knife etc...

 

[British Red]

Matt

I'll run against the grain a little here. I think folders absolutely have a place in Bushcraft - I am never without one. Falkies are very good knives - generally not my cup of tea but a good knife regardless.

Now, given you have a desire for discretion (a generally good thing), I suggest you go for one. There are very few things I wouldn't do with a folder (although there are some - such as batoning a log). However there are, in my view, better folders for Bushcraft. Opinels are good but more for game than wood - however there is a great alternative - the Swiss Army knife

If you want a locking blade - why not a Wenger Hunter? A great locking blade,one handed opening with the bonus of a useful saw, an awl, a can opener and a corkscrew (that most useful of bushcraft tools)

A Victorinox Camper is very capable (and being non locking is legal carry)

Coupled with a good small axe they are often all I need

Red

 

[tom miller]

I have a Super Swede and a 30 odd year old Big Swede, they are both very nice knives.

 

[Mattp]

Hi Red, thanks for your thoughts. I do have a SAK at the moment, a Huntsman which I've owned for years and has often come in handy. I'm a little bit mindful that if I want to try certain things (a featherstick is a good example as I have a fire steel I would like to put to good use) I would probably benefit from a locked blade that is less likely to accidentally close on me! Again I can see the arguments for a fixed bladed knife but I would like to start with a folder as I can see it getting more use. I'm not going to try batoning logs with it though.

On the topic of SAKs, from my lurking I've discovered the Alox Farmer - looks pretty tempting as well but I can't get hooked on this!

 

[rancid badger]

Yes, Welcome should have said in my first post

You can still get the Super Swede stainless RB, pretty pricey though, they are £45.

Blxxdy Heck!!!:yikes:
Very good piece of gear but £45? I'll carry on looking after that then
cheers
Steve

 

[British Red]

Hi Red, thanks for your thoughts. I do have a SAK at the moment, a Huntsman which I've owned for years and has often come in handy. I'm a little bit mindful that if I want to try certain things (a featherstick is a good example as I have a fire steel I would like to put to good use) I would probably benefit from a locked blade that is less likely to accidentally close on me! Again I can see the arguments for a fixed bladed knife but I would like to start with a folder as I can see it getting more use. I'm not going to try batoning logs with it though.

On the topic of SAKs, from my lurking I've discovered the Alox Farmer - looks pretty tempting as well but I can't get hooked on this!

Matt,

That Wenger Hunter (the black one) locks - one of the few models that does. I find myself using the saw on my SAK a lot - it makes light work of the size of hazel I want for a fire crane or shelter.

At days end it still has a certain innocence too "Swiss Army Knife" does not scream "knife wielding maniac"

Or you could go with the 9" bladed monstrosity I use for heavy work

Perhaps not on the tube though

Red

 

[wildrover]

First welcome to the site.
I hope you get as much enjoyment from it as I have.

On the issue of knifes I would agree with pretty much all that has been said.

I would say that If it's just one knife you are after then I would say go for a fixed blade.
If it doesn't have to be just one then buy several(you can never have enough shiny stuff )

As someone who is quite new to practical knife use I would say(since you asked) that you just can't go wrong with a Frosts Mora at around £7-8.
The quality really is not reflected in the price (and if you are just learning to sharpen you won't be knackering an expensive blade).

To be honest if I was told that I could only have one knife and it was a Mora then things could be worse. (I have a few nice pieces but I just keep comming back to them).

If you went down this route you could have the Mora, a Gransfors SFA and a SAK for the price of a TK4.

All the bases covered

ATB

 

[Mattp]

I'm glad you said your 9" monstrosity was bladed, just too many potential jokes otherwise!

The SAK is definitely the least threatening option. I'm only intending to carry a knife when I genuinely think I have a need for it though, the tube just isn't the place for carrying one on the off chance it might come in handy.

My huntsman needs sharpening I think - is this something that can be done with a whetstone? The bevel on those things is quite small,I'm not sure if sharpening isn't a more specialist task with SAK's?

 

[Glen]

Hi, welcome aboard.

If you've already got a couple of OK folders I'm not sure why you want to go for a high end folder next. What you have already may not be the ultimate in folding knives ( I agree with British Red that folders have a useful place in bushcrafting ) just seems to me, also living in London, that anything that would require a better knife than an OK folder will pretty much be done at home/garden rather that spontaneously on the spot in London. Whereas if you were travelling further afield it'd be a planned trip to do stuff so travelling to it with a fixed blade, sheathed and non easily accessable in a rucksack, would be just as legal and unlikely to land you in trouble.

 

[British Red]

Matt,

yep you can sharpen it on a whet stone - tape a paper clip onto the "spine" of the blade to give a nice even angle for the bevel (or just a couple of layer of duct tape)

See the sticky thread "£5 sharpening kit" for the right technique

Red

 

[falcon]

For guidance on sharpening, do a search for British Red's tutorial or Hoodoo's on his "Hoodoo Hone"....it's all you need and cheap as chips and totally effective..
Edit: Whoops....too slow again..

 

[Mattp]

@ Chris - thanks.

The Mora is certainly going to get a serious look given how many recommendations it is getting. I have to admit though, as an object the TK4 looks like it would be a pleasure to own, I just love that wood. Its the sort of knife I wish my dad had passed on to me (although to be fair on the old chap he is very much alive so I'll give him some time).

Not strictly relevant but I remember admiring the grain on the wood of my dad's shotguns and proudly oiling the stock of the air rifle I got on my 15th birthday. I'm a sucker for tools that also come with some beautiful wood, which might be why my preferences aren't as practical and cost conscious as they could be!