Spend my money for me...

[John Boy]

Go on, spend it for me!
After way too long making do with various knives for bushcraft (Chris Reeves fixed and folder, spyderco and Fallkniven), I have decided to buy a quality piece that is designed for what it is intended to be used for. Naturally enough I am tempted to get a Woodlore - would probably buy a Micarta (to get me through the summer) and order an Alan Wood version for 'keeps'. However, there is a fair amount of reasonable alternatives out there, and many good ones pop-up on this site frequently.
So, spend my money for me - let's say that the maximum is enought to get an Alan Wood woodlore (£225) - that is a stack of my cash for you lot to spend so let's hear your recommendations - where I can order/buy would also be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[crofter]

John Boy,
there is such a huge choice that any answer you get is going to be highly personal.
I would go for an Allan Blade Bushcrafter, scandi ground, micarta handle; a Gene Ingram mid sized knife with a nice wood handle; and be left with change enough to buy an Allan Blade Packpal.
Then there is always Gary's new offering in the pipeline..............
Happy hunting.
Ade

 

[Hellz]

Welcome John

I'm going to recommend my favourite maker, Gene Ingram. His knives are quality pieces, the wood he uses is fantastic and they are scary sharp... The biggest plus though is that his prices are suprisingly reasonable...

I have three of his already

Don't forget to check out BritishBlades.com for some ideas, or maybe even find someone to make you one...

There, that's a start

Hellz

 

[Andy]

Few people that make knives I like that get used for bushcraft. These aren't the ones most people have from what I've seen

Dave Barker
Dan Ko (known as ZDP-189)
Guy Stainthorpe (Guycep I think he may be rather busy at the moment)


Allen Blade makes the best kydex sheaths I've seen. For the moeny he charges you could get someone to make you a custom leather sheath if that's your thing.

 

[Paganwolf]

Coo thats the mega question, either the allen blade pack pal at the cheaper end of the range or then you have the Bison bushcraft for useability and quality about £125, then you have the al wood woodlore top end of market £225 but will will be with you for ever and probably never loose value. Id go with the Bison but i have 2 so i would Ooops and the Bearclaw field knife when it lands, ( ive touched it!! ) at the end of the day its what suits you and your pocket matey there are bundles of scandi ground knives out there on the market to choose from and every one has their favorites, just a thought if your not used to scandi grind knives id spend less than a tenner and buy a frosts mora or similar model to practice with (sharpening ect) save your expencive blade taking a hammering when getting used to sharpening, battoning and the like you can do everything with a tenners worth of knife you can with a £225's worth of knife,(well almost)...Oh and a warm welcome buddy and happy knife hunting

 

[Gary]

Coo thats the mega question, either the allen blade pack pal at the cheaper end of the range or then you have the Bison bushcraft for useability and quality about £125, then you have the al wood woodlore top end of market £225 but will will be with you for ever and probably never loose value. Id go with the Bison but i have 2 so i would Ooops and the Bearclaw field knife when it lands, ( ive touched it!! ) at the end of the day its what suits you and your pocket matey there are bundles of scandi ground knives out there on the market to choose from and every one has their favorites, just a thought if your not used to scandi grind knives id spend less than a tenner and buy a frosts mora or similar model to practice with (sharpening ect) save your expencive blade taking a hammering when getting used to sharpening, battoning and the like you can do everything with a tenners worth of knife you can with a £225's worth of knife,(well almost)...Oh and a warm welcome buddy and happy knife hunting

John Boy, Paganwolf's words are true. Any of the knives mentioned above are good, we all have our favourites but al or none of these may suit you.

An expensive knife will not make you a better woodsman, nor will it enable you to quickly master many of the crafts multidude of disciplines. I have seen many expensive knives which are little more then custom accories and by the same vein I have seen some of the 'cheaper' knives which have become trusted work horses relied upon by very experienced owners.

My advice to you would be firstly buy a training knife, a frost clipper or a classic style Mora to learn with. Learn how to use it and also learn the features YOU like in a knife. Secondly wait until you know what you want and then visit something like the Wilderness Gathering or a meet up or social event where you can handle the various styles of more expensive models.

Then make up your mind.

It'll save you money in the long run - money you can spend on the trail which leads you to becoming a better woodsman!

 

[Paganwolf]

And once you start a whittlin under a pile of wood chips you will sit!

 

[familne]

I'd also recommend Roger Linger's fantastic bushcraft knives. The quality and workmanship is second to none!

 

[The General]

If it were my money and you want a knife that will perform superbly and keep its value I would contact Alan Wood directly and get a knife made by him. Guycep also does fantastic work, though Alan is a more well known maker (and a bit more expensive as a result)

If its a production knife, get one of the Bark River Knife and Tool blades, no question.

 

[alick]

OK John, you say you've had enough of making do and want a real "keeper", then I'd go for a top class knife rather than splitting the money between too many blades.

Strictly for bushcraft (heavy duty woodworking) the Alan Wood woodlore is the best among my collection which includes gene ingram, bark river, and handmade scandi. If I was looking for the good one and had the money, I'd rather an original than (say) a WS micarta - for reasons nothing to do with value. On the other hand, £225 is simply over the top. As the General points out, going directly to Alan will get you a slightly different, much more distinctively styled knife of equal quality and save you a good £50.

I'd take the £50 and get an Allan Blade packpal or a decent axe. If you haven't already got both of these, you will before long

Lastly - no matter how hard the money is rubbing in your pocket, hang on until you've seen Gary's new design. It has a whole lot of features aimed squarely at bushcraft and could turn out to be a classic.

Choosing is such fun !

 

[Swampy Steve]

Hi John,
My own personal preference is to go for one of Gene Ingram's knives. They are superbly made and very reasonably priced.

Another great knife maker is American Todd Ore, again worth the money.

I have four Alan Wood knives and again they are surperb, but the price really is taking the p***. You could probably buy one each of the others for about the same amount of notes.
Pictures are great, but try to handle a few knives first to see how they feel in the hand - at the end of the day you will be the one spending hours using it.
Good luck, I can guarantee the more you see the more you will want

 

[The General]

Then there is Bob Doziers work... Words fail me for how good his knives are if you want a working knife that holds a razor edge for an eternity. Sublime, desirable and a sign of collector class!

 

[Gail]

I have heard Ben Orford spoken of very favourably - I believe his equivalent of the Woodlore knife is approx. £195. He also makes and personalises the leather sheaths.

ben_orford@hotmail.com

 

[Swampy Steve]

Then there is Bob Doziers work... Words fail me for how good his knives are if you want a working knife that holds a razor edge for an eternity. Sublime, desirable and a sign of collector class!

When words fail - use a picture

They really are great - see, I said you will want more...more...

 

[Snufkin]

Welcome John

I'm going to recommend my favourite maker, Gene Ingram. His knives are quality pieces, the wood he uses is fantastic and they are scary sharp... The biggest plus though is that his prices are suprisingly reasonable...

I have three of his already

Don't forget to check out BritishBlades.com for some ideas, or maybe even find someone to make you one...

There, that's a start

Hellz

You know, you're not making my wait any easier! I don't want to wish the summer away but I can't wait 'til september.

 

[quarterstaff]

Hi
All the knives listed are all great but my personal fav is Bison Bushcraft knives by Roger Harrington have a search and see what you think.Good luck.

p.s
They are u.k made.