Brisa Kephart? Or something else from Casstrom or someone else?

[sidpost]

I can get a Brisa Kephart for ~$120USD from Lamnia so, that sent me down the rabbit hole looking at Casstrom options like the Lars Falt ($155USD) or Woodsman ($135USD). Then there is the No 10 series (~$120USD or so depending on handle material mainly) which offers 14C28N as a blade option to Sleipner and flat ground versus Scandi blade profiles.

I will be camping (dry camping meaning no running water, toilets, or showers) from mid-August through mid-September and want a better knife for general camp chores. Last year I spent several weeks under a "DD Hammocks" style tarp so, pretty basic at moderate altitudes of ~4,000' and some time up near the Canadian border.

While I won't be specifically bushcrafting, I will be pretty close with basic supplies to "rough it gently"! I won't be building shelters or splitting wood so, full-tang carbon steel isn't required and stainless steel is slightly preferred for ease of maintenance in wet conditions. I want something in the 3.5"~4.5" edge length range but, that isn't an absolute requirement. It needs to be light enough, thin enough, with a good enough edge (i.e. not a thick edge) to cut food for stews or soups while being strong enough for normal backpack chores.

I will also have a good pocketknife with a roughly 3" blade for light cutting needs, likely a carbon steel Lambsfoot pocketknife with a 9cm blade length though, I have a pretty slick Eye Witness with a 7cm stainless blade that may end up in my pocket.

I won't have specific sharpening gear on me so, the modern "super steels" that need diamond wheels should be avoided so that if I must, a smooth river stone can be used to touch up an edge or possibly some smooth concrete if I must. I would like to add a small diamond hone to my kit but, thanks to COVID those have been missing in action from my local sources, and ceramic rods are pretty fragile so not a good option.

TIA,
Sid from Texas

 

[demographic]

As far as diamond hones are concerned, I've had a DMT Diafold for yonks, it's small enough, tough and does the job.
It also allows me to sharpen blades with ZDP-189 or S110V which in my eyes are so much better for a small penknife than old style carbon steels that it's a joke.
There are a few I'd call alloy steels as they have extra aloying elements as well as carbon to up the edge holding abilities but still aren't stainless. In my mind just calling them "Carbon Steel" isnt helpful so I don't do it.

 

[Kadushu]

From what you've mentioned I'd go with a flat grind, stainless offering from Casstrom. I have the Brisa Kephart and while I love the design for the most part, the steel rusts very quickly. It's a little irksome having to mollycoddle it while more rust resistant options are available.

 

[Kav]

Better than what? Did it fail you in any way? You’re posting. I assume you didn’t freeze, starve to death
Have to amputate a limb after killing susquatch.

 

[sidpost]

As far as diamond hones are concerned, I've had a DMT Diafold for yonks, it's small enough, tough and does the job.
It also allows me to sharpen blades with ZDP-189 or S110V which in my eyes are so much better for a small penknife than old style carbon steels that it's a joke.
There are a few I'd call alloy steels as they have extra aloying elements as well as carbon to up the edge holding abilities but still aren't stainless. In my mind just calling them "Carbon Steel" isnt helpful so I don't do it.

To me, carbon vs. stainless is mostly about rust resistance when used in wet or humid conditions. Alloy steels open up a lot of complexity in the description of the differences IMHO, far beyond the simple applicability of use in wet conditions. The Spyderco Salt series hit this description pretty hard.

With powdered modern steels, I tend to agree that the terms don't accurately describe the performance differences but, still hold meaning for rust resistance.

Regarding the DMT options, those Duofolds around me are few and far between and prohibitively expensive. When I find a good small whetstone, that is probably going to be my best option for something affordable and small.

For things like traditional carbon steels and legacy stainless steels, a traditional whetstone was generally a good option. Only with the advent of the things like 420V/440V and newer options, did the legacy sharpening methods really fall out of favor.

 

[sidpost]

Better than what? Did it fail you in any way? You’re posting. I assume you didn’t freeze, starve to death
Have to amputate a limb after killing susquatch.

I am looking for a good servicable knife for reasonable camping activities.

I don't want to end up with a rusty mess trying to dice a potato for a soup or stew and I don't want to 'mash' stuff instead of of cutting it for the soup or stew.

Then there are general cutting injuries to consider when using a dull knife to cut something due to excessive pressure to perform the cut. Sure most people don't really think about knife safety but, it is important.

And no, I'm not living in the days before indoor plumbing and I am not facing mythical creatures either. However, I don't want to end my fun early because of equipment failure either.

 

[Bearmont]

I second the suggestion of a flat grind for a camp all-rounder. I would look at Brisa Trapper or Trooper in stainless, Elmax if you want to go fancy at 200, but you can get N690 (I think that's similar to a premium 440C) for 150ish. Casstrom would be great too except I only see them as scandi grinds.

Don't forgo toughness in a knife, it actually has an influence on edge retention too, especially in real world tests and unclean surroundings. Cliff Stamp talked about this and it made a lot of sense. Toughness is mostly a mark of steels we thumb our nose at these days, like AUS-8, or 12C27, or 440B, or various Tool Steel / Carbon variants. 3V falls into that category for rust-resistant "super steels" these days so that may be worth a look.

 

[Decacraft]

I have both the casstrom lars falt fixed blade and the slipjoint edc knife. The fixed blade is in the sleipner, and the folder is the bohler n690, and I usually maintain them both with the fallkniven dc4/cc4 and a strop when out, and some Japanese wet stones at home. That being said the sleipner comes up pretty well with just a strop on most occasions.

They both feel very premium for what they cost, and I am more than happy with them both as a matching pair- so much so I have even considered getting the casstrom safari as a food prep/game knife.

 

[Kav]

Mora Kansbol. Stainless Steel with the double grind. Food prep with the forward grind.

 

[sidpost]

Mora Kansbol. Stainless Steel with the double grind. Food prep with the forward grind.

... internet issues ...

 

[sidpost]

Mora Kansbol. Stainless Steel with the double grind. Food prep with the forward grind.

I gave one to my Nephew who just graduated high school and he really likes it. The FS2000 seems to have the same blade as well. I will have to think about this one some more though, I'm looking to get something a bit more compact and more durable than a Kansbol.

 

[sidpost]

I have a pretty Casstrom No. 10 in Curly Birch flat ground on its way to me along with an Orange Kansbol!

Thanks everyone!