Recommend me a knife

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Wayfarer

Member
Dec 31, 2015
22
0
Southampton
I'm after a knife, mainly to be used at home and camping. Ideally I'd like to be able to split wood with it for the fire as well as other generic tasks like prepping food etc. I've looked at some of the Mora knives (know you guys love them around here) but I'm really not loving their look. I prefer much more old school looking stuff wood handles and leather sheaths!

Been looking at the condor bushlore and Joker CO-17 but would love your thoughts and suggestions.

Also I've read loads and loads but really can't see weather carbon steel or stainless is better? (Hope I haven't started a long argument there!)

Thanks

Wayfarer
 

Tantalus

Native
May 10, 2004
1,014
104
60
Galashiels
For food, go stainless. Specially if it is an outdoors in the rain kind of knife.

Nobody wants anything made with a rusty knife !

Sure you "can" keep carbon steel looking ok with the right care and attention but for me it is not worth the hassle, which is a shame as it makes a lovely blade.

Personally 1 knife is not enough for the huge variety of tasks. I wouldn't be chopping firewood with a cooking knife, and I wouldnt be peeling spuds and carrots with a wood chopper.

Hope some of that helps.

Tant
 

Hibrion

Maker
Jan 11, 2012
1,230
7
Ireland
An 01 enzo trapper is hard to beat. If you have the budget and like stainless, the elmax flat grind is awesome.
 

Janne

Sent off - Not allowed to play
Feb 10, 2016
12,330
2,293
Grand Cayman, Norway, Sweden
I do not think you will be able to find one knife to all tasks. Only for kitchen tasks you need several types of knives, at least 3 or 4. Peeler, utility, chefs. Bread?
Outdoors you 'might' be able to function with one. But that multi task knife will be ok for the small jobs, but not splitting wood.
Or good for splitting wood, but too clumsy for the other tasks.
I suggest you get a small axe for the wood splitting, and a knife for the other tasks outdoors.

Oldfashioned knives, wood and leather?
Marttiini makes those.
 

Shelley

Forager
May 27, 2015
140
1
New Zealand
A knife that you use at home, say in the kitchen, is going to be very different from a knife you use in the woods. There is no knife that will perform ideally in both situations.
You are better off getting some quality chefs knives (go slowly not cheaply), never put them in a dishwasher and look after them, they will last a lifetime and will make your cooking better and easier, and here you are better off with stainless.

For an outdoors knife you should have a different knife, with a different shape and grind, it really does not matter if you go stainless or carbon here, both require care (it's stainLESS not stain proof). Carbon require a bit more care but will sharpen easier, stainless requires less care but is harder to sharpen.
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,096
2,825
66
Pembrokeshire
I am not one to lavish too much TLC on my knives (other than keeping them sharp) and have yet to have a Carbon Steel Knife rust on me .
My favourite kitchen knife is a Carbon Steel Sabatier .
I force a patina on my carbon steel knives (the Sabatier was inherited and already patinated).
I much prefer Carbon to Stainless steel - though I happily use both.
The Condor Kephart makes a great little knife for both camp and cooking use ... but is not great for splitting wood...
 

woof

Full Member
Apr 12, 2008
3,647
5
lincolnshire
The fieldcrafter knives, I don't think he's making anymore, would be a good all rounder, they are or were made from 6mm stock, so they can take a bash, but flat ground so will slice, hang round the sales column or put an advert in & get a used one.

Rob
 

C_Claycomb

Moderator staff
Mod
Oct 6, 2003
7,347
2,361
Bedfordshire
I am reading your post a little different to other folk. I am not getting that you want a kitchen knife for home. Rather you want a knife that will see use around your property, and on trips, and its on the trips that you want it to be able to prep food, but that you don't need a full on expedition knife, since you won't always be so far from home (and other tools).

If you want to use for food prep, either a very thin blade (like the 2mm max Mora) or a full flat grind are going to work better than a thick edge Scandi ground blade. If I am away from home, I will and do use the same knife for food prep and firewood prep...what else is one going to do, pack a knife for all reasons? Generally though I have found if you go far enough to have a heavy knife for wood splitting you sacrifice quite a lot of utility for food prep and fine work long before you get anywhere near a light axe's performance in wood splitting. I was excited by the idea of a US style "camp knife" and made myself one from 5mm O-1, 9" long, and have yet to find a situation where it is really worth the weight.

Helle make some knives that might be worth a look for you. They use 12C27 stainless, which would be a good choice. Sadly no full flat grinds, but most blades are 3mm stock, which isn't a bad compromise if you are going to do more wood work than food prep.
 

Johnnyboy1971

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Dec 24, 2010
4,155
26
52
Yorkshire
My personal choice is to carry either a stainless Opinel or Victorinox for smaller tasks and food prep and a larger blade for camp duties
 

Swallow

Native
May 27, 2011
1,545
4
London
Dave Budd makes a bushcraft knife (the greenman?) which I think is a full flat grind (suiting food prep) is carbon and is forged (meaning it it doesn't rust I think). A unhandled blade was around £60.00 last time I looked and he will also make to your spec. Though I'm not sure he will make anything other than a full flat.

If I was bying a new this is what I would be looking at.

http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...- Bushcraft UK :&txt=dave budd handmade tools
 

Tonyuk

Settler
Nov 30, 2011
933
80
Scotland
For years i stuck with Mora & Hultafords knives, these were great but i decided to invest and bought an Esse 4. It's an excellent and very well made knife, i would recommend it.

Tonyuk
 

Terry.m.

Forager
Dec 2, 2014
214
26
Kent
I have to say , I have now collected so many knives now and spent a fortune on getting them,
But over the years I seem to use a bushcraft knife (ray Mears Woodlore) or similar for around the camp so to speak
And swiss army or opinal for other bits and bobs.
As others have said it really does depend on your needs at the time. I just love to chop and change, if I am sailing or on around water Mora does the trick as they are cheap to replace , you don't want to be leaving / losing a few hundred quids worth in the drink.! We all have our favourites and different views get a few in your hands and you will soon know...
 

Wayfarer

Member
Dec 31, 2015
22
0
Southampton
I am reading your post a little different to other folk. I am not getting that you want a kitchen knife for home. Rather you want a knife that will see use around your property, and on trips, and its on the trips that you want it to be able to prep food, but that you don't need a full on expedition knife, since you won't always be so far from home (and other tools).

If you want to use for food prep, either a very thin blade (like the 2mm max Mora) or a full flat grind are going to work better than a thick edge Scandi ground blade. If I am away from home, I will and do use the same knife for food prep and firewood prep...what else is one going to do, pack a knife for all reasons? Generally though I have found if you go far enough to have a heavy knife for wood splitting you sacrifice quite a lot of utility for food prep and fine work long before you get anywhere near a light axe's performance in wood splitting. I was excited by the idea of a US style "camp knife" and made myself one from 5mm O-1, 9" long, and have yet to find a situation where it is really worth the weight.

Helle make some knives that might be worth a look for you. They use 12C27 stainless, which would be a good choice. Sadly no full flat grinds, but most blades are 3mm stock, which isn't a bad compromise if you are going to do more wood work than food prep.

Yes, that's how I intended the question/spec to be. Appologies for not making it clear before. Given what I've read on this thread I'm starting to think the combination of a opinel for food prep and then another larger knife for camp tasks. Thoughts and recommendations? As for a budget maybe like £40 but it's not set in stone
 

Corso

Full Member
Aug 13, 2007
5,249
449
none
For years i stuck with Mora & Hultafords knives, these were great but i decided to invest and bought an Esse 4. It's an excellent and very well made knife, i would recommend it.

Tonyuk

funny I sold my esee and bought 4 Moras....
 

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