Can anyone advise me on what would be a good first time full-tang knife? So far I've been favouring my Opinel 8 and SAK for camp tasks, but would like something affordable (under £80 or so?) for wood prep that can handle the occasional battoning. I really prefer wooden handles too (and leather sheaths). What do you think of the Condor Bushlore? I'm not looking for anything too hefty, just a good quality, fairly easily maintained blade. Thanks!
Affordable first full-tang knife?
- Thread starter Hootch
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Hi Hootch, I have had a Condor Bushlore for over two years, in fact I bought three at the time, with a couple as gifts for my brother and his friend. It appears I got the 'runt of the litter' as the stitching on the belt loop came apart after wearing it for a month and the blade wouldn't keep an edge past single short term use on green wood, with rolling of the bevel, requiring some serious work on a stone to get it back again.
However, my brother and his pal have been very pleased with theirs and there are some very good reviews out there too. I also found a few bad reports about Condors quality control, often around poor heat treatment. Overall, I found it comfortable to hold for daily use, well balanced and a reasonable profile for general bushcraft, just a damn shame I got a 'one off' bad blade!?
I hope some of the other more experienced member's chip in... But be warned, 🔪 knife discussions can get very lengthy on BCUK!😉
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However, my brother and his pal have been very pleased with theirs and there are some very good reviews out there too. I also found a few bad reports about Condors quality control, often around poor heat treatment. Overall, I found it comfortable to hold for daily use, well balanced and a reasonable profile for general bushcraft, just a damn shame I got a 'one off' bad blade!?
I hope some of the other more experienced member's chip in... But be warned, 🔪 knife discussions can get very lengthy on BCUK!😉
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
As I'm fairly new to the knife thing, apart from the pocket knives I mentioned, how would I know if I've picked up a duff blade? It would be good to know so I could return it before using it.
Has anyone used the Mora Garberg? It's at the limit of my budget.
Has anyone used the Mora Garberg? It's at the limit of my budget.
Unfortunately there's no way of telling, you can hope they will take the knife back, which is why I prefer buying such items face-to-face. If you are considering more synthetic handles and good 'bang for your buck' have you ever considered the Mora bushcraft black, not a full tang but I've found it very robust and reliable. You can buy a very good leather sheath for it with the money left over too.
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Linder Piccolo, various handle materials £40 ish ??
Check the websites return policy, if you are not happy with your purchase, return it for a refund.
Check the websites return policy, if you are not happy with your purchase, return it for a refund.
That Linder Piccolo does look nice. I've no idea when it comes to grades of steel, stainless vs carbon blades etc. Anything I should be bearing in mind? And what kind of grind do you recommend?
Any opinions on the Wood Jewel Puuko knives? Like this one:
http://m.uttings.co.uk/p107877-wood-jewel-classic-puukko-10-5-102301/
Any opinions on the Wood Jewel Puuko knives? Like this one:
http://m.uttings.co.uk/p107877-wood-jewel-classic-puukko-10-5-102301/
If I was in your position, I'd be looking at two particular knives from Scandinavia.
The Enzo Trapper: Full tang, curly birch handle, leather sheath. I've seen it on Heinnie's website for £93 so just a smidge over budget. Really nice looking knife, I use it's little sister the Enzo Necker as my primary knife. It's similar but with a 70mm blade and I absolutely love it.
The Casstrom No. 10 Swedish Forest Knife: Full tang, choice of wooden handles, leather sheath. Shop about and you might be able to find one on your budget or just a smidge over.
I've never had either of these knives but you rarely see a bad word spoken about them on reviews/youtube.
The Enzo Trapper: Full tang, curly birch handle, leather sheath. I've seen it on Heinnie's website for £93 so just a smidge over budget. Really nice looking knife, I use it's little sister the Enzo Necker as my primary knife. It's similar but with a 70mm blade and I absolutely love it.
The Casstrom No. 10 Swedish Forest Knife: Full tang, choice of wooden handles, leather sheath. Shop about and you might be able to find one on your budget or just a smidge over.
I've never had either of these knives but you rarely see a bad word spoken about them on reviews/youtube.
It looks ok, but it is a stick tang not a full tang. I like a scandi grind, as it is easier to maintain.
Stick tang or not, I reckon that Wood Jewel would be just about all the knife you'd ever really need. I might even get one myself, I really like the look of it.
Dave
Dave
Hi Hootch, Scandi are certainly easier to maintain than other profiles, unless you're well practiced with a stone etc.. so are good to start with and it works well for shaping wood in bushcraft. They are not so good for slicing food or processing meat / game - which I guess your Opinel will be excellent for.
Blade Steels are a massive area of discussion too, as you will see from some of the threads on BCUK! But in my opinion starting with a 1095 or 01 steel should be within your budget and will be good for learning blade maintenance. I have an Enzo 95 in Scandi profile, 01 steel and curly birch scales and in my experience it has been a great knife, especially as I have small hands. However I find it's a little too thick for some jobs like making small holes/notches and thin shavings on feather sticks.
There are simply thousands of stock knives out there and hundreds of bespoke too... And you will find thousands of varying opinions on them! In my opinion there just isn't an ideal knife for everything, I started with some cheaper Mora knives and once I found which thickness, length and profiles suited the job and were comfortable in my hand, then I eventually moved up the expense scale to full tang models and more technical steels. You can try several different basic Mora's for very little money and they will most likely last you a couple of years while you find which design suits you and your needs, maybe then you could put your money into something more sophisticated... just a thought?
PS: I haven't got too hung up on battoning with knives, except for occasionally splitting thin kindling, as I use a small hatchet / axe for processing timber because it's designed for the job.
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Blade Steels are a massive area of discussion too, as you will see from some of the threads on BCUK! But in my opinion starting with a 1095 or 01 steel should be within your budget and will be good for learning blade maintenance. I have an Enzo 95 in Scandi profile, 01 steel and curly birch scales and in my experience it has been a great knife, especially as I have small hands. However I find it's a little too thick for some jobs like making small holes/notches and thin shavings on feather sticks.
There are simply thousands of stock knives out there and hundreds of bespoke too... And you will find thousands of varying opinions on them! In my opinion there just isn't an ideal knife for everything, I started with some cheaper Mora knives and once I found which thickness, length and profiles suited the job and were comfortable in my hand, then I eventually moved up the expense scale to full tang models and more technical steels. You can try several different basic Mora's for very little money and they will most likely last you a couple of years while you find which design suits you and your needs, maybe then you could put your money into something more sophisticated... just a thought?
PS: I haven't got too hung up on battoning with knives, except for occasionally splitting thin kindling, as I use a small hatchet / axe for processing timber because it's designed for the job.
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I have both the Condor Bushlore (that I've customised - mainly because the dog chewed the handle scales....) and the Enzo Trapper and I really like them both. The Condor is a good, cheap and cheerful knife that I have no qualms about giving a good workout to. It works well for splitting, chopping and batoning and will keep an edge pretty well, especially when given a fairly obtuse bevel angle. The Trapper I use much more as a cutting and slicing tool, and it keeps a more acute edge very well. I use it for gutting and skinning work when shooting rabbits and find that it does a very capable job.
I have that very knife. It looks great, very traditional and is very affordable, but I haven't been entirely satisfied with it. It comes with a secondary bevel, which has it's benefits but I have struggled to get as sharp an edge on it as I can with my Mora. On the other hand though it is quite robust and I have used it for battoning small rounds of wood. The reality is that I much prefer to use my little Enzo Necker.
Blimey, I think I'm disappearing down the knife rabbit hole! So many choices - choice can be bit of a curse can't it. I think that's why I prefer to stay within my budget, as it at least sets a limit on the number of choices. Also, as a newbie it would be pointless spending what to me is a lot of money - I don't even know how to properly sharpen a knife so it wouldn't be wise for me to begin with something I might ruin. The Enzo Trapper looks perfect (especially with a lanyard hole) but a bit pricey. I've found a couple of the Casstrom 10s within budget, which is tempting. Yes, the Moras come up a lot but I do have a thing about natural materials, hence the Puuko (such a great price too) etc. So, so far looks like it's between the Casstrom 10, the Puuko, the Condor Bushlore and if the price is right, a Trapper. I do favour the cheaper knives for now, just because I really haven't a clue so as the price rises it becomes less sensible for me. Just to add, thanks for all the suggestions so far, I really appreciate you all sparing the time to give your advice.
You've given a pretty good budget limit so there shouldn't be too much trouble. That said, there's a way to get still more knife for that budget simply because you want full tang. The handles are usually riveted or bolted on and fairly straightforward to change. What does this mean as regards to getting a better knife for less budget? Quite simply it means you don't have to get the more expensive wood handles from the onset as you can replace them later. Likewise for the sheath.
And yeah, sometimes too many choices hurts more than it helps.
And yeah, sometimes too many choices hurts more than it helps.
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The Terava Puukko 110 with leather sheath is finding a lot of friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40tKXCveLfs
For a start knife its a good one. When you are ready for a higher cost knife then you will know what you want, but at least you will know how to maintain a knife and all the ins and outs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40tKXCveLfs
For a start knife its a good one. When you are ready for a higher cost knife then you will know what you want, but at least you will know how to maintain a knife and all the ins and outs.
If there were only three types of knife available I'm pretty sure we would still see debates Hootch !)... But I'm also pretty sure we would all 'get by' using them for bushcraft tasks... By hook or by crook anyway!
If you were on my doorstep I would happily let you test some of the knives I have Hootch, but you are several hundred miles out of my way mate! I definitely recommend going to a shop to physically see and handle the knife before you make your decision; Although it's not the same as using one for a few hours to find out it if gives you blisters, you will be able to feel the balance, grip, weight and possibly get an idea of whether it's thickness, width (spine to cutting edge), blade length and profile will do the tasks you want from it
I've found everyone on BCUK excellent for advice and have learnt a lot... But I'm still a newbie compared to alot of people here. Because it's also HOW SKILLED you are with a tool that has alot to do with your results rather than the tool itself... some will be able to make a single knife do several different and very varied jobs... but I don't consider myself one of them Hootch!)
All the best with your choice mate.
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If you were on my doorstep I would happily let you test some of the knives I have Hootch, but you are several hundred miles out of my way mate! I definitely recommend going to a shop to physically see and handle the knife before you make your decision; Although it's not the same as using one for a few hours to find out it if gives you blisters, you will be able to feel the balance, grip, weight and possibly get an idea of whether it's thickness, width (spine to cutting edge), blade length and profile will do the tasks you want from it
I've found everyone on BCUK excellent for advice and have learnt a lot... But I'm still a newbie compared to alot of people here. Because it's also HOW SKILLED you are with a tool that has alot to do with your results rather than the tool itself... some will be able to make a single knife do several different and very varied jobs... but I don't consider myself one of them Hootch!)
All the best with your choice mate.
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