Advice in buying a bushcraft knife

[zgript]

i was in a trip with some friends, away from civilizations in a forest for like 3 days and there i discovered bushcrafting knifes and i was amazed how good a cheap sweedish knife can do in spliting wood and cutting tree branches or even small sized trees. Also used it to make a wood flat bow in less than 2-3 hours with that knife, as it went through wood like butter.

Therefore i decided i need to buy a bushcraft knife and also something to start a fire ( firesteel )

I still do not know if i should get them together:

Example :

Light my fire sweedish knife : http://www.industrialrev.com/swedish-fireknife.html ( can it be used safely for batooning ? )
Mora Bushcraft survival : http://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/mora-bushcraft-survival-knife-7675-p.asp ( a bit expensive, is it worth it ? )
Bear Gryls ultimate knife : http://www.rei.com/product/816234/gerber-bear-grylls-ultimate-knife ( a bit expensive, is it worth it ? )

p.s. can any bush craft knife produce sparks if i have a firesteel or those 3 above have something special ?

Or normal knifes and buy a separate fire steel

-Mora companion ( i think i would go with the Fluorescent and Orange color one as Military green is extremly hard to see especialy if you cover the blade of the knife - someone made a test on me, and placed the knife 2-3 meters exactly in front of me while i had my eyes closed, couldn`t find it in the vegetation )
-Mora highQ robust / bushcraft signal/power/forest
-Mora Craftline / Craftiline highQ
-Mora Companion Heavy Duty F ( that would be what i would go for atm )
-Anyother ? Enzo would be a lot better ?


The knife would be used for battoning, cutting wood and any bushcrafting activity needed to make a fire from scratch, some arrows - not hunting just fun. Also i do not plan to use it for hunting, bone cutting or anything related to that. Posible use as can opener in desperate situations.

 

[Shewie]

At the risk of getting lynched I wouldn't recommend a Mora if you plan to do much battoning, I've seen a couple snap clean off where the blade meets the handle.

You could use a Mora for lighter work and carry something else for chopping and splitting, small axe or a heavy cheap blade

 

[zgript]

At the risk of getting lynched I wouldn't recommend a Mora if you plan to do much battoning, I've seen a couple snap clean off where the blade meets the handle.

You could use a Mora for lighter work and carry something else for chopping and splitting, small axe or a heavy cheap blade

Thanks for answering and feel free to give me some sugestion on what else to buy.

p.s. Not even a mora companion heavy duty could hold up to the tasks ?

 

[Shewie]

Thanks for answering and feel free to give me some sugestion on what else to buy.

p.s. Not even a mora companion heavy duty could hold up to the tasks ?

I'm not too up on knives I'm afraid, someone will be along soon who can help though

 

[Niels]

I have a mora robust and it will handle batonning.

 

[ged]

Be aware that there is a big difference between a firesteel and a ferrocerium rod. Ferro rods produce much bigger, hotter sparks and produce them rather more easily.

There's no reason to get a knife and a ferro rod together unless you're in a hurry.

If you can take your time before parting with your money why not look around a little more and try a range of other knives before you buy something?

Whatever you want to do with a knife, it doesn't have to be an expensive one. But it can be if you want it to.

I have cheap knives that will cut things, and I have more expensive knives. They will cut things too. I don't have any very expensive knives because that way I can have more cheaper ones.

The knife I use most was not expensive. Sometimes I split logs with it. Once I found a nail in a log with the knife so it's a little bit damaged now but I don't really care about that, at least it shows that I really use it. Most of the time I use an axe to split logs.

The spine of any knife will strike sparks from a ferro rod if it has sharp edges. Many knives have the edges of the spine rounded. I prefer them that way because they are more comfortable for push cuts. I've seen people use the sharpened edge but that just makes my toes curl.

Anyway I don't like to use a knife for striking sparks, I think it is abuse of the knife. A very hard, purpose-made striker does the job better and is very cheap. But it's up to you if it's your knife.

 

[maddave]

I have seen moras beaten and abused and never fail. I myself put them through their paces at work and all they ever seem to need is a sharpen.... Natural bushcraft did a review here [video=youtube;IcTvuBwuqhw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcTvuBwuqhw[/video]

 

[Mr Adoby]

Most good ferro rods comes with a dedicated striker. No need to use a knife. Could even be dangerous.

And there is nothing that says that you have to have a ferro rod. A box of matches in a zip lock plastic bag will work fine. Or why not a BIC lighter?

Ferro rods are made by hi tech materials. Nothing traditional or primitive about them. Good as a backup system for lighting fires.

Steel and flint are more traditional and primitive. But also difficult, compared to a ferro rod or a BIC lighter.

I carry a ferro rod, but I rarely use it. I also carry a BIC lighter, but I usually use matches to light fires.

I never baton with any of my knifes. But I know how, and have tried it. Batoning is for emergencies, as I see it. If I only had one knife I would avoid batoning with it even in an emergency. There are knifes that are intended to be used for batoning, but moras are not, even if they most likely can hold up fine. I use knifes to cut. I prefer to use an axes to split wood. And a saw to cut up logs.

 

[Shovel]

The Condor Bushlore and Kephart may suit you, and of course, the mora

 

[zgript]

The Condor Bushlore and Kephart may suit you, and of course, the mora

Condor Bushlore seems to be expensive, i do not plan to spend more than 50$ for the moment since it`s my first knife and i have no idea how to use it properly

Mora Forest seems to be the best in terms of resistance tho it`s a bit more than a light my fire / companion.

From what i can tell either i buy knife + that fire making system included or i would go for mora companion / bushcraft forest.

would those be bad decisions ? still not sure what to choose and if the light my fire/ survival versions have good quality knifes or knifes are a little lower in quality than the other knifes so they can maintain an affordable price.

 

[rik_uk3]

Light my Fire do a ferro rod that comes with a striker (most do) so no need to use a knife. Another plus vote for the Mora.

 

[almac]

if bushcraft is something you plan to do a lot of, I recommend buying something better than a mora. don't get me wrong, mora make great knives, but if you buy a mora a few years from now you will want to 'upgrade'.
I would avoid the grylls knife at all costs, apparently they have a dangerous design flaw(try google). IMO they are just a gimmicky POS. but that's my opinion.
don't be in a rush to buy something as important as a knife.
shop around.
watch yt video reviews.
and most importantly hold it in your hand.

My criteria for a good knife is:
a 3-3.5" blade(anything larger will be clumsy IMO). nothing larger. I use an axe for 'chopping'.
full tang.
carbon steel.
comfortable grip.

finding the 'perfect knife' is something of an adventure for me, considering the knives i'm interested in I cant buy locally.
if you don't mind wiping down your blade regularily get a carbon steel blade. if not get stainless. high carbon is easier to sharpen, and holds an edge well. stainless takes a long time to sharpen right, but it shouldn't rust if you forget to wipe it off after wading a creek or cleaning fish.

stick to brand names if you can: enzo(their O1 trapper is excellent), BRKT, BHK, gerber, there are many. budget for around $200. if you can't afford it right now, save your money. you will be happier in the long run; buying something better that will last you 20+years.

as for firesteels? shop on ebay. you can get a few for cheap. and yes the Chinese ones work fine, I own several including a 'strikeforce' knockoff that works well. http://bradclarkston.com/blog/2012/05/12/new-toy-in-the-mail-strike-force-firestarter-clone/
I bought half a dozen generic firesteel blanks without handles for about $8. I will make my own handles for them later. http://www.ebay.com/itm/5x-Ferrocer...689?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item589b61fe91
I looked at firesteels.com and they are excellent, but their shipping is REALLY expensive.
whatever firesteel you get, use the back of the spine of the knife blade to strike it. DO NOT USE THE BLADE EDGE. you will damage it.

good luck with your knife hunting adventure.

 

[Albus Culter]

Hi my friend.

All great advice above. My personal choices are as follows.

Buy a separate fero rod. I personally don't like the bulk on the sheath so prefer to keep it in my pocket on a lanyard or in my fire starting kit. Carbon blades strike sparks better than stainless in my experience also as said the striker it comes with is the better option. looks good to use the spine of your knife but not needed really.

As for a knife, if its your first one and your budget is limited, go with a Mora. Best model you like and can afford. It's very true you will probably want a more expensive knife at some point. But to learn to use, sharpen, etc it won't break the bank. That way if you do loose it, break it, make a mess of sharpening it, you can learn and know what YOU want from your next knife. If you have friends with knives look at theirs and ask what they think. But don't worry too much. Everyone one here (bar one or two wierd exceptions) owns more than one knife. We all have to start somewhere, then we develop or get seduced by a shiny new one.

Best of luck and let us know what you get, and take pics of its use

 

[sandbender]

"...As for a knife, if its your first one and your budget is limited, go with a Mora. Best model you like and can afford. It's very true you will probably want a more expensive knife at some point. But to learn to use, sharpen, etc it won't break the bank. That way if you do loose it, break it, make a mess of sharpening it, you can learn and know what YOU want from your next knife..."

+1

Buy two Moras, get one in stainless and one in carbon, it can be quite wet in parts of Romania, the stainless will be handy for then, both will strike a spark, if you grind the rounded back of the blade near the tip you can use that as your striker, don't use the blade to do so, thats just daft.

Take pics of your progress, take pics of your surroundings, you live in a country with some fabulous woodland.

 

[Two Socks]

If you want to batton a lot you could look at the hultafors range. They are cheap but more chunky then moras. Especially the one with the green handle.

 

[zgript]

Thanks to everyone for their kind help and fast answers.

I got to test a triflex mora, carbon steel. Worked like a charm in both precise cutting and cutting a almost blade size tree. He even invited me to do it saying i only need to put the blade at an angle and hit it with a bat he made.
No scratch on the blade and no sing of fear on his face while i was doing my job. He gentely cleaned the blade with a cloth and that was all. Also he advise me to get a falkvinen DC 3 diamond sharpener.

i`ll go for cheap since it`s first knife and i have no idea how to sharpen one, how to treat it and what i should and what i shouldn`t do with it.

If anyone ever owned a lighmyfire and a mora bushcraft survival please post here impresions and how it compares to a normal knife (+ if it`s known, what type o knife is )

 

[zgript]

I got in the end a Mora companion, Carbon-steel Military Green.

As fire source i got a FireStarter replacement for the bear grills knife ( something similar to this :
http://www.gerbergear.com/Survival/Knives/Ultimate-Knife-Fire-Starter-Replacement_30-000573 )

I got the DC 3 as knife sharpener.

Questions :

1. My mora suprinsingly camed very unsharpened ( couldn`t even cut a piece of paper properly ). Is that the way they deliver them ?

2. I tryed sharpening it and ended up with some scratches, are those ok ?
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p119/matacherazvan/DSCF6697_zps2e956e01.jpg
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p119/matacherazvan/DSCF6695_zps3969c9b3.jpg