Next knife

[Quixoticgeek]

I am pondering replacing my Mora frost knife with something else. It's served me well over the last 10 years, but I'm thinking it's time to get something nicer.

Looking through the options available, it's rather bewildering. The range on the market seems vast.

I mainly want the knife for use in the woods, including batoning (Yeah I know), carving, general cutting use, dinner. I'm thinking something with a 3" blade, and a nice wooden handle. But 3" seems to be at the shorter end of the spectrum of what is on the market. I'm curious as to what advantage a bigger blade would give me? If all else is equal, why might I want a 4" blade over a 3"? What about a 6"?

Can anyone think of shops in London/Kent which sell decent knives where you can pick them up and see how they feel in the hand? Not a fan of buying something as personal as a knife online.

J

 

[HillBill]

Blade length depends on what you want to use it for. I prefer a shorter blade than average. about 3.5" is ideal for me. But i don't batton, so don't need the extra length to hit with a stick.

Whats your budget? I make knives and could make you something to your specs maybe?

 

[sandbender]

How much do you want to spend?

There are quite a few folks here who will make a knife to your specifications, which of course does mean you will probably have buy it online, however if you are not happy someone else on here will probably buy it from you.

HillBill's Knives look damn fine for starters.

Edited to add:

Hillbill posted while I was typing.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

Blade length depends on what you want to use it for. I prefer a shorter blade than average. about 3.5" is ideal for me. But i don't batton, so don't need the extra length to hit with a stick.

Whats your budget? I make knives and could make you something to your specs maybe?

Budget is the easiest answer: "Yes". I subscribe to the Sam Vimes Theory of Economics, if it's a sensible amount of money, I will just save up to buy it.

Currently the blade I've found most pleasant to use is the Brusletto Troll, which I put a handle on myself. I would have prefered it to have a full length hidden tang that I could make a washer handle for...

J

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

If your happy with the mora how about one of HillBills Mora blanks, he has some in stainless for sale.

 

[HillBill]

I could make you any blade you wanted if your happy handling them yourself.

Budget is the easiest answer: "Yes". I subscribe to the Sam Vimes Theory of Economics, if it's a sensible amount of money, I will just save up to buy it.

Currently the blade I've found most pleasant to use is the Brusletto Troll, which I put a handle on myself. I would have prefered it to have a full length hidden tang that I could make a washer handle for...

J

 

[Johno76]

ESEE 4, 5 or 6. Bombproof knives but not a traditional bushcraft knife. I go for functionality and reliability and they cover those bases for me.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

I could make you any blade you wanted if your happy handling them yourself.

If I go the full custom route I wonder about blade materials. I am rather liking the idea of 1095, or 1080...

I can see myself having a play with a pencil and paper...

J

 

[HillBill]

What is it you like about those steels? They are good steel, but rust if you give them a funny look. More so than things like 01.

 

[Johno76]

HillBill, do you make knives out of 154 CM? would you recommend this steel for a bushcraft knife.

Cheers.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

What is it you like about those steels? They are good steel, but rust if you give them a funny look. More so than things like 01.

Rusting I am not so concerned about, I hope to look after my blades to stop it happening. I've been researching the building of my own forge for a while now, and these two come out regularly as good steels that are not too hard to work, and hold their edge very well. But now you ask, I can't find in my notes any reason O1 would not be acceptable over 1095...

J

 

[HillBill]

I've never used 154CM. Its an american steel, so not readily available over here. Also theres the fact thats its got exactly the same composition as RWL-34 apart from silicon, in which RWL has 0.2% more.

So its basically RWL-34, and i do use that a lot. Considier RWL instead of 154CM, same stuff, easier to get. Have a look at the compositions below. The Americans always have their own names for stuff.

154CM contains the following:[SUP][2][/SUP]

• Carbon 1.05%
• Chromium 14.00%
• Manganese 0.50%
• Molybdenum 4.00%
• Silicon 0.30%

http://michaelwest.dk/knive/rwl34-datasheet.pdf

HillBill, do you make knives out of 154 CM? would you recommend this steel for a bushcraft knife.

Cheers.

 

[Johno76]

RWL-34 it would be then Once I win over my better half I will be in touch.... (could be a nice day in hell for a snowball fight lol)

 

[HillBill]

01 is easy enough to forge i think. Could be wrong, but i recall seeing forged 01 stuff.

Dave Budd would be able to answer that far better than i though.

Rusting I am not so concerned about, I hope to look after my blades to stop it happening. I've been researching the building of my own forge for a while now, and these two come out regularly as good steels that are not too hard to work, and hold their edge very well. But now you ask, I can't find in my notes any reason O1 would not be acceptable over 1095...

J

 

[HillBill]

Hell's already frozen over apparently....
http://www.alphadictionary.com/fun/hell.html

RWL-34 it would be then Once I win over my better half I will be in touch.... (could be a nice day in hell for a snowball fight lol)

 

[Ed Edwards]

I'd go for a used Fallkniven F1 - oh, like the one I've got for sale on here