Best Bushcraft Knife to Buy?

[R_Fonseca]

Interestingly. I actually use a Muela (not that model, but the Rhino but looking at that knife a lot of my comments could apply)

It's not the best for bushcrafty things, though better after thinning out and convexing the edge. I think the factory grind was 25 degrees a side or close to that, which sucked for most things.

I didn't like that knife at all in the beginning. It was given to me and it took a lot of time to get it how I like it. The choil still annoys me too because it's where I would prefer to have an edge for more powerful cuts. The handle also fatigues your hand while carving.

I like to do a thing where I can only use one knife for everything from food prep to practicing carving traps and opening packages, etc. I do this for at least a month with any knife I have. So now I can do most things with that Muela and actually pack it as a camping knife or when I go fishing. The sabre grind is better than a scandi for food prep and I can achieve most woodworking chores with it. Sometimes it's broadness gets in the way for notches.

It stays in rotation along with 2 versions of Marttiini lynx's I have. A stainless one of which is my favourite knife currently and thin enough to not suck at food prep needs. The Marrttiinis are better at almost everything except cutting root vegetables, but they have a stick tang so wouldn't be battoning with them (not that I have much need to do that anyway, but there is a peace of mind in knowing that you could if you needed to)

My point is your preferences come from familiarity a lot of the time. But the scandis are better for bushcrafty stuff than that Muela would be. If you don't an on woodworking and need it mostly for food I would look at flat or sabre ground blade. Maybe that lionsteel, or a joker campero or something.

Side bar... i also have a BPS B1 which does everything well enough, but has fallen out of favour with me because I prefer my Marrttiinis. I think a Mora companion is still a better deal than the BPS knife anyway (I have the MG which is the thinner carbon and you can't really fault it).

Sorry for a long answer with no real answer in it. I agree with the advice to buy a companion and then figure out what you want by using it. Also stick to what you buy for a while before buying more. Get familiar enough to know why you need a change

 

[C_Claycomb]

Just for fun, I have been looking at the knives designed in collaboration with bushcraft instructors.
Lars Falt - Casstrom Lars Falt Knife
Les Stroud - Helle Temagami
Mors Kochanski - Skookum Bushtool
Ray Mears - Woodlore and Woodlore Pro
Paul Kirtley - Raven PK1
David Canterbury - a range from the Pathfinder Knife Shop

While there are differences, there are also quite a lot of common themes.

Apropos describing a bushcraft knife vs a survival knife...there are instructors who say they teach bushcraft, who talk about bushcraft knives, others who say they teach bushcraft but talk about survival knives, and still more who teach the same skills, but call it all survival.

Since you can practice and perform bushcraft skills with a knife that you might not choose ahead of time if you knew your life would depend upon it, I think there must be at least a subjective difference.

It was mentioned earlier that Mors taught with a basic Mora but he also recommended a survival knife as a "pry bar that works wood really well". Teaching skills in the safety of a group camp the Moras were inexpensive and did all the necessary cutting jobs, and by using one himself Mors could show his students that it was the technique, not a quality of an expensive custom "instructor" knife. Mors didn't however call the Moras "survival" knives.

That pry-bar quality tends to mean full tang, but expert opinion (never mind everyone else's) then varies wildly over how thick the blade stock should be, and how large the blade needs to be. The gamut runs from the very modest 1/8th x 4" blade on the Skookum to 1/4" x 6" to 10" on various Ka-Bar and TOPS collaborations. All of which means the most noticeable difference carrying a survival knife vs just a knife that will whittle well, cut string, and slice food, is the weight

Seems to me that whether an individual wants their knife to be a "survival" knife comes down to that person's perception or expectation of finding themselves in an emergency situation. Sometimes it is fun to think that one is living more dangerously than is really the case.

 

[Kav]

Is there actually a recommendation in there?

My post was to cut through some terms, history and pitfalls facing a novice. I didn’t use my 1974 service issue Cammilus American made
Survival knife to do so, nor suggest one. It breaks several ‘rules’ established by pundits born after it was carried on Kodiak, the South China Sea, Oregon coast and forest, the Grand Canyon, Channel Islands, Wyoming, Point Barrow, Yucatán Highlands.
I DID reference the BPS Ukrainian series of inexpensive knives that
Certainly meet the parameters and help a Nation deserving it. Something in the spirit of my William Lennon boots, Spenser’s trousers, Kendall’s mint cake and BCB matches this month.

 

[Stew]

My post was to cut through some terms, history and pitfalls facing a novice. I didn’t use my 1974 service issue Cammilus American made
Survival knife to do so, nor suggest one. It breaks several ‘rules’ established by pundits born after it was carried on Kodiak, the South China Sea, Oregon coast and forest, the Grand Canyon, Channel Islands, Wyoming, Point Barrow, Yucatán Highlands.
I DID reference the BPS Ukrainian series of inexpensive knives that
Certainly meet the parameters and help a Nation deserving it. Something in the spirit of my William Lennon boots, Spenser’s trousers, Kendall’s mint cake and BCB matches this month.

I see. It didn’t really seem to cut through any terms to me.

 

[SoldierPalmer]

As this thread has sort of taken a side step. I personally find what are known as bushcraft knives to have a really thick spine which isn’t that necessary. For my own personal use between 2.5 and 3mm are ideal for carving tasks and even battening through wood. What’s everyone else’s thoughts?

 

[C_Claycomb]

As this thread has sort of taken a side step. I personally find what are known as bushcraft knives to have a really thick spine which isn’t that necessary. For my own personal use between 2.5 and 3mm are ideal for carving tasks and even battening through wood. What’s everyone else’s thoughts?

Since I don’t think of most knives I make as survival knives, I am very happy with 3.2mm with distal taper and flat/convex grinds. I think I would find 2.5 a bit thin on a 4” blade, but 3.5“ and under would be okay. I use a Spyderco Scandi at 3.5mm and that is as thick as I would want such a blade.

 

[Stew]

I pretty much agree with Chris.

3mm - 3.2mm - 3.5mm all suit me.

 

[Kav]

I see. It didn’t really seem to cut through any terms to me.

Even the best knife and point fails to penetrate dense materials

 

[Erbswurst]

Welcome to the Foum!
Now we are here already two Berliners.



You can get in Brandenburg -25°C in the night. If you look out of the window now it isn't so easy imaginable, but in can indeed happen, and -15°C is quite usual in most years, of course just for a couple of days in most cases. But we get here sometimes arctic and sometimes Russian winter weather.

So, you don't need to think about Alaska and Canada, Skandinavia and Siberia if we talk about survival knives. It can also become pretty cold at the Alexanderplatz!

In such weather conditions you will prefere a hidden tang knife, because your hand or even bare skin doesn't touch the steel of the tang. Would your hands be whet, whyever, you could freeze with your skin to the steel of the knife, also in the Grunewald.

That's why it is sensible for Germans to buy a knife with hidden tang after Nordic pattern.

You can carry in Germany legally a fix blade knife at the belt in daily life without a special reason that has a blade that is up to 12 cm, measured straight from tip to handle including the non sharpened ricasso if there is one, as usual.

(That point you have to look up yourself in the German weapon law because there are a few here less important details and especially I am no lawyer and am not allowed to give you any legal advice.
What I wrote above is just what I understood myself. But well, I am neither an idiot nor unable to read simple German textes.)

§ 42a WaffG - Einzelnorm

The strongest knives with hidden tang on the market that have blades under 12 cm are the Fällkniven F1, the Terävä Jääkäri Puukko 110 and the Morakniv Garberg.

So far I understood you are allowed to carry the Garberg in your rucksack in France, but not the Jääkari Puukko 110 or the F1 because they are too thick and seen there as illegal weapons.

So, if you want to travel around with your knife and carry it on your belt in Germany the Garberg is the best choice.

It is very robust but because the blade is not too thick it still can be used for food preparation. I wouldn't necessarily choose it to slice carrots but for usual German bread it works well for example. And a belt knife is also - if not mainly - used for food preparation.
I own the stainless version. After I received it I sharpened it with a cheap but new sharpening stone from the hardware shop and afterwards shaved my face with success. It holds the edge very well.
At YouTube you can find videos that show how much effort is needed to break it. Nothing is unbreakable but this knife is as good as unbreakable in intended use.
In my opinion you get nowhere else such a good knife for such a low price. The reason is that it is a really mass produced item, but a Swedish quality product.

I own the multimount sheath that includes the simple plastic sheath and these don't convince me at all, especially if you want it as a survival knife, because these plastic sheath options don't hold the knife really securely. You simply could loose it.
I recommend you to choose the leather sheath and the stainless version because the carbon steel version would rust in the leather sheath while carrying it in wet weather conditions, storing and especially if it got whet, what's not unlikely if you intend to go for canoeing in Mecklenburg or wherever.

If you want you can come along here and try out my knife and see how it fits into your hand. Sticks we have enough.

I offer you to show you how to sharpen another pretty similar knife properly with the most simple tools, a field stone for example but also with industrial made diamant / ceramic sharpening tool and natural as artificial sharpening stone.

I have a few others that you can compare, not so many fix blades though but some classical folders.

And you can also have a look at some other equipment if you like. I am a specialist for really affordable high quality outdoor equipment and can show you the good classical stuff and tell you where to get it as cheap as chips.

I use such equipment since more than 45 years and most of it is in daily use.
I mean, I know what I am talking about.

Mora Garberg Bushcraftmesser, Lederscheide

Griffmaterial/Klingenstahl: Polyamid/Sandvik 14C28N Klingenlänge: 10,8 cm Gewicht: 169 g

www.knivesandtools.de

This tool is in my opinion the best option for knife maintenance at home and in forest and field.

Fällkniven Diamant / Keramischer Schleifstein DC4

Kombistein von Diamant und Keramik; der Schleifstein besteht aus einem feinem Diamantstein (25 Mikron) und einem keramischen Stein aus synthetischem Saphir.

www.knivesandtools.de

 

[Erbswurst]

These here are for sure no adequate survival knives but nevertheless worth to mention, because if you just want to learn how to use and maintain a knife they are good enough:

That's good for carving and food preparation:

BAUHAUS Arbeitsmesser Mora 840 (Klingenbreite: 20 mm, Inkl. Köcherscheide) | BAUHAUS

BAUHAUS Arbeitsmesser Mora 840 kaufen bei BAUHAUS: Klingenbreite: 20 mm, Inkl. Köcherscheide Online bestellen oder Reservieren & Abholen im Fachcentrum

www.bauhaus.info

And that doesn't work well for food preparation but is pretty robust.

Hultafors GK Heavy-Duty Knife 380020, feststehendes Messer

Griffmaterial/Klingenstahl: Polypropylen/Kohlenstoffstahl Klingenlänge: 9,2 cm Gewicht: 120 g

www.knivesandtools.de

And this here can't be used for wood splitting with a baton. But it's a very good carving and food preparation knife.
Would you offer me one of these three, I would take the Opinel.

N°08 Karbon

Ganz einfach die Referenz für Messer „made in France“. Das Messer N°08 Karbon wurde in der Werkstatt von Joseph Opinel in den 1890er Jahren geschaffen. Seitdem ist es dank seines Designs und seiner Effizienz zu einem Klassiker auf der ganzen Welt geworden. Seine 8,5 cm lange Klinge aus...

www.opinel.com

But if you can afford it, take the stainless Garberg with leather sheath.

I'll tell you how to save money at other equipment pieces if you like. If you get the right military surplus in the right shops you can save very much money.

 

[Kato28]

Hello everyone! This question has probably been asked before! I'm looking for a new survival knife. In particular I would like my knife to be full tang for doing Bushcraft.
Searching the net I found this Muela Crusader Micarta Leather Sheath 13M.N knife here https://www.knifepark.com/en/bushcraft-knives. I really like the design of the knife, but I don't know the Muela brand, and I don't know if it's a reliable product. Have any of you tried it? Do you know the brand? Do you recommend it? My budget is quite limited, but I'm also open to evaluating alternatives if someone can give me some advice on a product similar to the one indicated. Thank you all guys!

Responding on the original post, I think it’s best to determine the type of activity the knife will be used for, then determine the type of grind, blade size, steel and handle variations.

For example: camping and food prep - flat grind - stainless steel - 3 to 4 inch blade - any handle material = Brisa Trapper, Joker Trampero.

 

[Erbswurst]

Well, but as he lives in Berlin and asked for a survival knife we probably should talk about robust fix blade knives that are legal to carry in Berlin on a daily base and well usable in the here realistically expected weather conditions.

You don't need to go to Poland to get lost in a dark forest and freeze to death. You could even do that in West Berlin while we still had the wall around.

 

[Nice65]

As this thread has sort of taken a side step. I personally find what are known as bushcraft knives to have a really thick spine which isn’t that necessary. For my own personal use between 2.5 and 3mm are ideal for carving tasks and even battening through wood. What’s everyone else’s thoughts?

My thoughts too.

But, there’s a lot of overthinking we all do. Nothing wrong with a bit of beard scratching, but I find I get more into the process of research and choosing than the actual ‘grab a Mora and see if it works’ if you know what I mean?

 

[Broch]

Well, but as he lives in Berlin and asked for a survival knife we probably should talk about robust fix blade knives that are legal to carry in Berlin on a daily base and well usable in the here realistically expected weather conditions.

You don't need to go to Poland to get lost in a dark forest and freeze to death. You could even do that in West Berlin while we still had the wall around.

Oh, how the tide has turned. Suddenly, because the OP is in Berlin we don't have the experience to offer advice and opinion! I'll try and remember that when you advise kit for the UK wet and windy weather

Just pulling your leg

 

[Erbswurst]

Sorry, I got lost in the deep woods of Brandenburg. No, not really, but I had quite a bit to work, so no time to come here.

The majority of regular visiting members in this forum is in my opinion absolutely able to survive in German forests and even able to recommend a good knife for that.

What I meant is that it's sensible to stay in the legal frame with the recommendations, as we can carry here almost always a fix blade knife with up to 12 cm blade length at the belt, and as we have different to you in Britain the right to enter most forests for recreational use, there is no special reason to carry a longer blade, like you might have it if you have some kind of contract to show a police man if needed, because you want to go for survival training on a defined ground with landowners permission.

Here is theoretically no big difference between wearing a 12 cm fix blade knife in the middle of Berlin or deep in the woods around of it. It's both public space, roughly said regarding a usual hiker and his knife for example.
A 12,1 cm blade can set you into troubles, a 12 cm long fix blade is OK to carry in most circumstances, nearly everywhere in Germany. The exceptions are very rare.

This winter was or is mild enough here that a knife with exposed tang would be fine. Usual full tang knives are common in Germany. But especially in East Germany a hidden tang can become in cold winters a very good idea, and we don't have only traditional Bavarian knife patterns with hidden tangs but Germany was always an important market for Scandinavic knife production due to sometimes pretty similar winter weather conditions.

And due to that, if we talk about a survival knife for a Berliner, my answer is hidden tang and a blade up to 12 cm, fixblade construction! All other details are less important but if you try to follow these specifications your choice isn't endless if we talk about affordable mass produced knives.

It doesn't necessarily have to be a Morakniv Garberg, but I highly recommend to choose a knife that's pretty close to that.

 

[John Elstob]

I have the Garberg, I love the knife. If there was one criticism I have is the handle. But it's a minor criticism. I have other knives from Tops & TBS to name a few, but I find myself going back to the Garberg most of the time. I just find it and easy knife to use and maintain

 

[Artois]

Mora Garberg, its a great all-rounder, good steel and its a piece of cake to keep sharp, mine is carbon but they do it in stainless I believe, probably the best value knife there is. I did have to alter the handle to suit me, but I usually have to do that anyway.

 

[John Elstob]

Yes they do have a stainless one as that is the version I have It’s 14C28N Sanvick I think? Like your carbon model, I have no issues keeping up the maintenance on mine. I can get a consistent shaving sharp edge with just a strop. I have heard said that stainless is a tougher steel to sharpen than a carbon steel!

 

[C_Claycomb]

Yes they do have a stainless one as that is the version I have It’s 14C28N Sanvick I think? Like your carbon model, I have no issues keeping up the maintenance on mine. I can get a consistent shaving sharp edge with just a strop. I have heard said that stainless is a tougher steel to sharpen than a carbon steel!

Stainless being harder to sharpen than carbon would generally date from the days when natural stones predominated (for instance, Arkansas oil stones. ) and there were fewer fine carbide stainless steels around. The chrome carbides are harder than the stone, so sharpening would be slower. In the mid 1990s I managed okay with stainless Mora sharpened on a fine translucent hard Arkansas stone, but a harder 440C blade was a pig to sharpen on that same stone. 60HRc ATS34 was also not nice to sharpen on Arkasas, India and Carborundum stones.

As examples, there are a lot of micrographs on the Knife Steel Nerds site and one can compare size of carbides and percentage in the steel.

154CM - Development, Properties, Use in Knives, and Legacy - Knife Steel Nerds

Update 6/19/18: I have added new toughness numbers from a 1962 publication comparing 440C and 154CM. Go to the bottom of the article to see them. Thanks to Russ Andrews for sending me the article. Thanks to Sal Glesser, Brian Huegel, Mark Bellou, Timothy A. Johnson, Daemon Lindenmayer, and David...

knifesteelnerds.com

AEBL and 14C28N about 1/4 way down page

New Micrographs of 42 Knife Steels - Knife Steel Nerds

How do different steels look on a microstructure level? What can we learn about the performance of steel based on using a microscope?

knifesteelnerds.com

These days, with diamond and ceramic sharpeners, high carbide volume tool steels, and fine low carbide and powdered stainless steels, that old saying really doesn't hold up.

 

[Bearmont]

Really depends on abrasion resistance of the alloy and the hardness of it. High hardness and properly treated D2 is a pain to sharpen because it's originally a tool steel for stamping dies and stuff, it's not supposed to wear easily. Average cutlery steels are more forgiving. 14c28n is something like premium AUS-8 and should be easier to maintain. Mostly it's very tough. Plain carbon steels are similar. It's certain tool steels and certain "crazy" premium steels with extreme properties are the ones that may give you trouble.