Knife advice please!

[Bushpig]

Hi folks,

At some point in the ( I hope ) not to distant future I will be wanting to buy myself a knife suitable for a wide and general range of bushcraft needs. I have no knowledge or experience whatsoever with knives, I do not mind spending the money and am happy to save and get a good knife. What are the varying qualities of the different knifes on the market ? What sort of price am I looking at to get a knife of very good quality ( I would be looking for the sort of knife that should last most of a lifetime ! ...or thats my thoughts on it!). I have seen the woolore knifes on raymears website...are these good...or over priced? What knifes would you say are top of the market ? Are there a series of top range knifes, if so what would be the main differences?

Another main point that crops up is due to my inexperience I have not yet learnt how to properly sharpen a knife...therefore maybe buying something cheap to begin with is the better option,...I do not want to waste a very good knife because I dont currently possess the skill's to maintain it.


Any help appreciated



Booosh

 

[Venger]

To be honest Bushpig, I'd suggest you start off with a knife you can 'break' if you like.
Try a Mora training knife or a Lapp Pukko.
That way you can practice sharpening without worry and also get to grips with a knife to see what you like and what you don't.

Nothing like spending £230 to find you don't like it!


Venger

 

[Bushpig]

Indeed it sounds like a good plan venger, you see ultimatly I do want a very good knife, but part of that process is experimentation so getting something cheaper and something less 'special' means i wont be so scared to learn from my mistakes when sharpening etc. Where can I get a mora training knife or a lapp pukko ? How much are they?


Booosh

 

[Venger]

Well a Mora or a Frost will be around £5.00 to £15.00 ish depends where you go.
The Lapp Pukko is around £35 - £40

Lets see:

http://www.thetradingpost.co.uk/ Lapp Pukko is under the J line
http://www.bushwear.co.uk/nested-products.php?prod_type=Knife
http://www.bearclawbushcraft.co.uk/trading/tools.htm
http://www.raymears.com/

I'm sure there are others out there, you just have to look for them


-Venger

 

[MagiKelly]

You'll get lots of advice and ultimately it is best to try a knife to see if it fits your hand well etc before you buy but that said, order and Allan Blade Bushcrafter and while you are waiting for it to arrive get a Mora to practice with. Do a search on this site for Allan Blade Bushcrafter and you will find loads of info.

 

[sandbender]

Hello Bushpig

I have one of those Woodlore RM knifes but I'd have to agree with Venger and Magikelly, you should buy a Mora now and get to work on those 'skilz'...

I would also suggest that you leave off spending any serious money on a knife until after you've attended one of the many BCUK 'meets' where hopefully some kind folks will let you actually do a little work with their knifes. Choosing a knife from a picture on the internet is always a gamble and even if you can hold a potential purchase in your hand you will never know if it's truly the tool for you until you have spent two or three hours making feather sticks, pot hangers, spoons etc. etc.

As for Woodlore knives, I'd happily recommend them, I have been using mine for years, its scratched, stained and with daily sharpening now has quite a different blade profile from the one it was delivered with. I fully expect to hand it on to my grandchildren.

That said I've traveled and worked with people who have the Wilkinson Sword Woodlore and I'm not convinced that there is that much of difference between mine and theirs, same blade shape and style, minor differences in handle shape and I know that these guys are giving them some hard use. So one hundred and twentyish for a micarta WL which is available right now seems like a better buy than two hundred and fifty for something which you will see in two years.

Along with Allan blades you should also try to find someone who has something by this guy,

http://www.bladecutlery.net/default.htm

A lot of folks swear by his gear and they start at around fifty pounds.