Staggering Choice!

[Jedadiah]

Hi and thanks for all your advice, it has been educational and the word, apparently is 'Compromise' (or, in some cases, Mora Frost!).

So, here goes, a short list that needs your attention and opinions. These are all recommendations that have been sent to me and i would appreciate it if you could let me know how your experiences would make you choose and why.

1. Helle Egen
2. Helle Jegermeister
3. Helle Fjellkniven
4. Eka Nordic W11
5. Eka A10
6. Bushcraft Knife by AJ Wright (outdoorcode)
7. Fallkniven F1
8. Fallkniven S1
9, 10, 11, 12 Etc ANYthing made by Mora Frosts!

I'm not being ungrateful by any stretch, i will most probably get a Mora Frost, however, i am very interested in peoples opinions on the above knives, pro's and con's, experiences, etc.

Also i was asked the other day, what are the top ten basic essentials you would carry in your daysack or bergen when practising Bushcraft?

Finally, are there any 'Bushcraft societies' anyone knows of in the South Wales area, or do they exist at all? Just wondering if it is at all feasable to meet like-minded people in the local area for and exchange of experiences and ideas, a sort of WI but with exotic hardwoods and dodgy caps?

Before you say anything, no, i'm not looking for 'Dogging UK' and gone to the wrong site!

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[BorderReiver]

9,10,11,12.

Very cheap,very effective.As they are so cheap you can take two or three with you,so if you lose your knife you always have a spare.

 

[hammock monkey]

quote: Also i was asked the other day, what are the top ten basic essentials you would carry in your daysack or bergen when practising Bushcraft?
in no particular order...
sleeping bag,
knife inc strike light,
water bottle,
bino's,
notebook & pencil,
axe,
hammock/ tent/ tarp,
map,
small cooking pot,
first aid kit.
(mobile phone in my pocket)
cant say as i can always be bothered to carry much kit, less the better really for me personally but that'd keep me busy!

 

[Simon E]

Fallkniven F1


Hehehe where is that pesky tree rat?

 

[Shinken]

Id go for one of the helle's!

 

[Squidders]

From that list... Helle Eggen

 

[sc_barker]

my votes go to the Helle Egen and F1 as they are both brilliant knives

 

[British Red]

Fallkniven F1


Hehehe where is that pesky tree rat?

Sorry mate, eating an acorn

The F1 is an absolute horror of a knife Jedadia - its too thick, with a crude grind (even Mike Stewart who advocates convex grinds from Bark River admits this) a point in the wrong place so its poor for boring holes and with one of the worst handles ever made. If you must have a convex grind, I'd suggest a BRKT Aurora. The best value is the Mora though

Red

 

[ArkAngel]

My 2p's worth.....

How experienced are you with knives?

If this is your first outdoor knife then it would be best to go for a Mora. That way you can learn how to cut properly (without blunting the blade too quickly) how to sharpen and look after a knife before you spend £100+ on a different blade.

That way whichever knife you end up with it will last you for years.

 

[sam_acw]

The BRKT knives are nice. I get on better with that grind than scandi. To be honest though a traditional grind which slopes in from the spine gently and finally witha steeper edge (I'm not good with terminolgy) seems to be the easiest to maintain in a world without benchstones.

 

[British Red]

I believe the tem you want Sam is "full flat grind with a secondary bevel"

Its like a Scandi - just not as good

Red

 

[Thorfinn]

I have the Helle Eggen and would have to say that it is a very nice, wellmade knife.
The only problem i found was that the blade didn't make avery good striker for a fire flash, but this is easily rectafied by filing the back of the blade.

10 top things to fling in yer duffle.

1.Small Forest Axe
2.Folding saw
3.Sharpening stone.
4.Fire Flash
5.Matches.
6.Tinder box
7.Crook Knife
8.Tarp
9.Billy cans
10. Bed roll
(hip flask and knife should be on you all the time.)

 

[sam_acw]

I believe the tem you want Sam is "full flat grind with a secondary bevel" Its like a Scandi - just not as good

Thanks Red, of course I disagree

 

[Hoodoo]

I hope you don't mind but I'd like to add one more to your list. The Brusletto Norgeskniven. One of my favorites and an excellent knife for bushcraft and general outdoor use. Very light and comfortable in the hand. It is somewhat similar to the Helle Fjellkniven but without the laminated blade.

 

[oetzi]

The Helle laminated ones are great if you want a SS-blade which wwill bend but not break.
Fjällkniven are way too expensive.
EKA has crap 12C27 as material.
Brusletto has knives with an excellent design of handle and blade, but also mostly 12C27.

 

[Shinken]

I like 12c27 nice and simple with about 0.6% carbon, the usual manganese and 14% chromium

Not too many hardening alloys make it not too hard to sharpen like some other stainless steels. I guess i can be crap if not Tempered to its optimum hardness range, or just hardened improperly

 

[garbo]

I have a Brusletto Profileringskniv my favorite knife of all time
and as soon as finances allow I will buy a Brusletto Kystkniven but I do like a shorter knife, my Helle Harding is just a little too long to control on most jobs
also if H e i n n i e H a y n e s dont sell it I most likley dont buy it

 

[Nathan Sturgess]

The Bruslettokniven is a very good knife, and is less than 30 quid from Bearclaw. It is one knife other than my WS Woodlore, Opinel and of course a classic Mora that I often use

 

[markheolddu]

The EKA s are all good knives have you thought about Roselli the hunter or grandfather. the UHC blades are really good, but you should buy a mora anyway you will not be disapointed with it they would still be good value at three times the price just get a carbon one.

 

[rapidboy]

I must admit to liking the Helle Eggen, i sold mine last year (must get another one) and when i met up with the guy who bought it he had modified the handle slightly to suit him better which is another reason to go with the Helle or other stick tang knives.

The Mora or Clipper's are great, especially as a first knife when your learning to sharpen and use them.
Bacho Lapplander is a good piece of kit, much safer than an axe to start with.
They are cheap on Amazon from time to time.

A recent thread on BB started me thinking about budget kit.
I do buy "expensive" kit but i also use a lot of cheaper kit and i think that sometimes people place too much importance on having the absolute best (read "most expensive") they can have.
Very few of us will ever use our kit to anywhere near it's full potential and it's easy to get bogged down with spec's and forget what it's all really about.
When i started taking an interest in the outdoors i had an old bowie knife that my dad had made from a broken butchers knife, an old army back pack and a home made stove, i didn't know who Ray Mears was and i didn't know that what i was doing was called "Bushcraft" but i loved to cook over an open fire on the shore and build shelters in the wood's.
I own and use a few expensive "bushcraft" knives and I'm still happy to use the Frosts Mora in the pic above, i never feel that it's a compromise or second place to my Woodlore's, i enjoy using them all and each has advantages and disadvantages.
I have 1 sheath that fit's a carbon Mora and also a Stainless Clipper, i like the Mora best but if I'm heading to the shore or out in the boat i will take the clipper.
Together they cost less than the Eggen.
Pride of ownership is another thing entirely and that's why people commission custom knives and pay a lot of money for name brand knives.
I keep a stainless Mora in my fishing tackle box and i don't spare a thought for it when prying limpets off rocks but if i have my Woodlore with me i look around for a stone to knock off rather than use a good blade.
I think sometimes that expensive kit can actually work against you when it comes down to using it.