Review: Hultafors craftsmen's knife

[jollo74]

Dear all,
Whenever someone asks for a low-budget bushcraft knife that can do it all, a Frosts Mora knife is always the first to mentioned - and rightly so !

However, today I'd like to post a short review for IMO a great alternative to the Moras.

It is the Hultafors craftmen's knife, which I bought for a mind-boggling EUR 5.95 :yikes: in a German online-shop.

The basic data are:
Blade lenght: 9.3 cm (3.75")
Handle length: 11.5 cm (4.5")
Blade thickness: 2.5 mm (0.1")
Steel: Japanese carbon tool steel (?) @ 58-60 HRC

Here are some pictures:

What can I say - I love to use it. The handle is very comfortable, also under prolonged use. The blade bites deeply into wood and takes and keeps a great edge. The factory edge wasn't really good, but once I've sharpened the scandi grind to zero and added a micro-bevel it cuts like dream. In fact better than most of my MUCH more expensive knives . The back of the blade isn't really finished at all:

It doesn't look great but it throws some fine sparks with a firesteel.

Whenever I'm working around my little farm this knife is always with me and it masters every job I throw at it and without me having to worry about ruining an expensive (custom) knife.

The only thing I've modded is adding a clipper to further extend the carrying possibilties (belt loop, button hole):

For some more background here's a link to the manufacturer's homepage: http://tools.hultafors.co.uk/www/live/gemensam/iframe.aspx?TreeID=23981

Hultafors also has some other knifes in their range (e.g. stainless, thicker blade) from which I'll surely by some more in the future.

In closing, I can only highly recommend this knife, you can't really go wrong buying one !

 

[mojofilter]

Looks ok, but the guard section is far too deep for my liking and I think I'd find it a hindrance, particularly compared to a clipper.

 

[Ph34r]

In all fairness though, it is basically a mora with a thinner belly... and german instead of swedish

K, aparrently it was only the site that was german.

 

[telwebb]

I only see minimum qty of ten - am I looking in the wrong place?

 

[michiel]

In all fairness though, it is basically a mora with a thinner belly... and german instead of sweedish

Hultafors is a Swedish company.

 

[jollo74]

In all fairness though, it is basically a mora with a thinner belly... and german instead of sweedish

Hultafors is Sweedish too ...

Of course, its quite similar to a mora, but even cheaper and with (IMO) a better sheath.

@telwebb: I've just posted the link to Huiltafors' homepage. I've bought the knife here (German site): www.hkgt.de.

Cheers
Jörg

 

[telwebb]

Ah - cheers! I'll have to chat up the De branch of the family then!

 

[Shinken]

http://www.thegoodstuffshop.dk/group.asp?group=3828

Brilliant knives, just make the finger guard smaller!

 

[JonathanD]

I used to have one of those. Great knife but the guard used to get in the way for me and gave me blisters on my forefinger. The sheath is much better than the Mora clippers.

 

[brancho]

As shinken says mod it to suit.

I have seen one of these battoned with a mash hammer through some serious wood blocks knots and all and come out unscathed.

 

[drfc-mark]

The Hultafors craftsmen's knife is available in the UK & Ireland at Snickers Clothing (UK) http://www.snickersclothing.co.uk/ ... in fact, they supply the whole range of Hultafors knifes ... at
and Axes at http://www.snickersclothing.co.uk/acatalog/Axes.html

 

[robin wood]

The Hultafors craftsmen's knife is available in the UK & Ireland at Snickers Clothing (UK) http://www.snickersclothing.co.uk/ ... in fact, they supply the whole range of Hultafors knifes ... at
and Axes at http://www.snickersclothing.co.uk/acatalog/Axes.html

Good link and great looking cheap knives. That injection moulded plastic carves really nicely so if you have another knife you can carve it to whatever handle shape you want, remove guard etc.

 

[rancid badger]

Good link and great looking cheap knives. That injection moulded plastic carves really nicely so if you have another knife you can carve it to whatever handle shape you want, remove guard etc.

I quite like that idea Robin

Only concern I'd have with reshaping the handle, would be the security of the sheath.

You might find the knife falling from the sheath at inconvenient moments, so you'd need to factor in modding the sheath too, or making a new sheath to fit.

When I got my first Mora 740, the sheath was terrible, so I warmed it with a heat gun and re-modelled it a bit, to make it more secure. Not very good but better than original. you could easily do the same with the sheath's on these I reckon.

cheers

Steve

 

[forestwalker]

Hultafors also makes a "grovkniv" which is basically the same, but with a 3mm thick blade