View Full Version : Starter Bushcraft Knife
synoptic
12-09-2006, 12:19
I'm considering getting a reasonably priced knife and wondered whether I should go for a Mora or spend a bit more and go for the Fallkniven F1. I'm thinking that I could get a Mora and if I need to upgrade to something a bit pricier the few quid it cost me won't matter too much.... or should I just spend the extra upfront?
My sharpening skills are negligible so messing the Mora up wouldn't be too bad a deal. Quite like the look of the Classic Knife with red wooden handle...
What do you reckon?
I reckon I better say this before 60 other people do. :lmao:
Get the mora. You may find that the upgrade isn't needed and if it is, you will not be out that much dough to begin with.
synoptic
12-09-2006, 12:28
Blimey, that was a quick response :lmao:
OK, so the question is Classic or Clipper?
Any opinion on the relative merits of either. The Classic looks a bit cooler but I bet the Clipper is more comfortable to use (looks a bit like a kitchen knife though)
but I bet the Clipper is more comfortable to use (looks a bit like a kitchen knife though)
The clipper is a very comfortable knife to use and works great for woodcraft as well as kitchen/game prep duties. I wouldn't get the F1 till you have learned some basic knife use and care.... learn to sharpen you knife to a hair popping edge. If you have enough money for an F1, then I would suggest getting both types of moras you mentioned and trying them both and see which one you prefer. The handles on the classic are easy to remove if you fancy rehandling it as a little project for yourself.
Ed
personally i dont get on that well with the clipper, although nearly everyone i have ever spoken to does, but I end up with blisters from it after heavy use which is something i dont suffer from with my other knife. I also find the blade a little to thin for my preferance and the length a bit too long for its thinness. The finger guard also bugs me a bit.
(All personal gripes rather than actual issues with the knife)
But the main reason i got mine was to practise and master sharpening on without worrying about damaging the blade on my other knife.
In agreement with Ed here:D.
I have both, but would suggest that if you are starting out the Frosts Clipper is definitely the way to go. Get some experience under your belt using the Clipper and when you feel that you want to upgrade then move onto another knife then.:)
The finger guard also bugs me a bit.
Yeah me too....I cut/filed mine off.... not something I'd do with a £100+ knife but I have no quarms doing it with a cheap mora.
Ed
synoptic
12-09-2006, 13:39
Excellent, thanks for the advice. When it comes to gear you can find yourself getting ahead of yourself and going for the item that is just a little bit shinier :rolleyes:
What the best online price you have found for the Clipper? I'm getting figures around 14 quid inc. p+p.
Excellent, thanks for the advice. When it comes to gear you can find yourself getting ahead of yourself and going for the item that is just a little bit shinier :rolleyes:
What the best online price you have found for the Clipper? I'm getting figures around 14 quid inc. p+p.
I'd go for a Frosts 780 rather than a clipper as it's high carbon. I have found it take a great edge, and the edge lasts a long time. I've used my 780 to chop a 12 long 4x4 treated timber post in to kindling, and the edge was still sharp enough to do food prep and a bushcraft weekend. It is easier to sharpen than the clipper, the biggest let down is the sheath.
if you look about you can find both knives for under £12 each posted.
here for example (http://www.countrytrader.co.uk/acatalog/Other_Knives__Saws___Accessori es.html)
and here (http://www.survivalschool.co.uk/acatalog/Knives_and_Saws.html)
all the normal disclaimer apply
9.99 at Attleborough (+4.00 P+P) http://www.attacc.com/acatalog/FROSTS_OF_MORA.html
(usual disclaimer etc!)
Graham_S
12-09-2006, 14:21
i like the red handled mora classic.
the sheath is a bit dire, but the knife is great.
ideal first leatherwork project.
I'd go for a Frosts 780 rather than a clipper as it's high carbon.
You can get high carbon clippers aswell ;)
Ed
synoptic
12-09-2006, 14:44
Lots of great advice, thanks guys.
I think that I will go with the Clipper, but I take Tadpoles comments on board - Maybe get both!
OK so what about sharpening? I'm looking at the Fallkniven DC3 stone but wondered if maybe this is excessive given the knife only costs 12 quid? Mind you, a suppose a sharpening stone can be used on multiple knives so it's worth getting a good one. Is the extra length of the DC4 worth it or would the DC3 be fine?
Also, would you recommend a sharpening angle guide or should I just get my own technique sorted out?
Cheers.
If your going to start learning to sharpen get a full size japanese waterstone, or an oilstone if you rather (use the search feature if your unsure of the difference)...like you said the stones can be used for any number of knives, and will last sometime if you look after them, just like any other tool.
The DC3 and 4 are great little field "stones", but unless you have your technique nailed you can end up blunting your blade even more. If you can afford both then do. If they are both too expensive, you can use wet and dry paper of varying grits. Have a search around, there is a guide somewhere on what to do to make a diy sharpener
As for angle, if its a flat grind you just lie the blade flat and tilt it forward so that the bevel is flat and puch forward.
there is a guide somewhere with the whole technique written out. Might be worth a dig around in the articles section of the main page, and aslo the stickies in the edged tools section of the forum.
EDIT:
Here you go....
DIY Sharpener: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=11571
How to sharpen: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=10718
I've got a Clipper too. It's the one with the "hurt your eyes" bright orange sheath and handle. I was thinking of going for the classic wood handled Mora in carbon, but I remembered that I didn't much like how slippery the handles on my old Opinel's became when the clouds above British Columbia decided to open up and drench me.
I don't really have any complaints about the Clipper, but I'll mirror what Andyn said about the blade being a bit thin. On a couple of short bushcraft trips this past summer I used the knife to baton some wood and the blade didn't really hold up all that well. I don't know if that's because it's stainless or because the stock is a bit thin. Other than that, it's a great little knife.
Adam
Lots of great advice, thanks guys.
I think that I will go with the Clipper, but I take Tadpoles comments on board - Maybe get both!
Now you're talking! :D
As for sharpening, I would avoid waterstones until you have a bit more experience. They take some skill to use properly and maintain. The DC4 should be just the ticket though. Lots of ways to go here. Wet/dry sanpaper mounted on a flat block of wood is as good as anything out there and cheap. It's what I tend to use 90% of the time.
Spyderco makes a very nice medium/fine ceramic stone that works a treat as well. Sorry, but I don't have a link to it. You will also want to buy or make a leather strop to finish up your sharpening.
Spyderco makes a very nice medium/fine ceramic stone that works a treat as well. Sorry, but I don't have a link to it. You will also want to buy or make a leather strop to finish up your sharpening.
Is this the one (http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=20452&name=spyderco&user_search=1&sfile=1&jump=0) you were thinking of Hoodoo:)
If it is they are very good, the medium is about the same as the synthetic sapphire on the DC3 / 4 stones and the fine is very fine.
As you say though wet 'n' dry does a good job:)
Nice choice with the Clipper ;)
I, however, also have problems with the handle. I've got paws like dustbin lids, so I find the handle a bit thin for heavy use, though it doesn't bother me too much now...
Definitely a great knife to start with!
Is this the one (http://www.axminster.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=20452&name=spyderco&user_search=1&sfile=1&jump=0) you were thinking of Hoodoo:)
If it is they are very good, the medium is about the same as the synthetic sapphire on the DC3 / 4 stones and the fine is very fine.
As you say though wet 'n' dry does a good job:)
Yup, that's it. :You_Rock_ It's the one on the far left.
synoptic
12-09-2006, 20:58
I made some of those sharpening blocks with wet and dry paper and gave my old leatherman a bit of a polish. Initial results are good but I clearly have a lot of learning to do. It is definitely the sharpest it has been in a long while but its not 'hair-popping' sharp. I'm finding that I'm pretty much guessing the angle really.
My eyesight isn't so great that I can see what is happening at the cutting edge in real detail and I have no idea if I'm raising a burr yet. Still, it seems to work well enough to make a difference so I'd better dig out some old knives!
Cheers again :D
rapidboy
13-09-2006, 21:06
I like both the Clipper and the Mora.
I use a stainless clipper everyday as my work knife and a carbon Mora when im cleaning rabbits because it's so easy to clean.
I find both become uncomfortable for carving / woodwork after a short period of time so i added a third cheap knife ,a K J Erijsson.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/rapidboy1/knives/432_3286_1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/rapidboy1/knives/432_3288_1.jpg
Pretty much a carbon clipper with a much more comfortable handle.
It's a soft rubber handle that is grippy and doesn't cause "hot spots" with sustained use.
The sheaths are at best functional but for budget knives they are fine.
A leather sheath is a nice project and i make mine to accept all 3 so i have 1 sheath for 3 knives and I carry the one most suited to the task in hand.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/rapidboy1/knives/Picture024.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/rapidboy1/knives/Picture020.jpg
But to be honest i'd like kydex sheaths for mine because i tend to keep them for really dirty / rough work where i don't want to use a more expensive knife.
Another knife worth considering that falls between these and an F1 is a Helle Eggen.
These are great value
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/rapidboy1/knives/453_5358_1.jpg
Triple laminated stainless with a chunky curly birch handle that's warm to touch and can be shaped if required with some sandpaper to suit your hand.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v76/rapidboy1/knives/Picture024.jpg
.
They look like Marshalls Driveline 50s in Brindle, you want to get some kiln dried sand in there, or they will start to wander mate.
Excellent advice btw and nice sheafs, as always........
synoptic
13-09-2006, 21:26
Oooohhhhhh, like that sheath very muchly :)
Don't suppose you have the pattern for that do you? ;)
I'll take a look at the KJ but as lovely as the Helle Eggen looks its price puts it one stage ahead of where I am I think.
Thanks for the advice :D
rapidboy
13-09-2006, 21:27
They look like Marshalls Driveline 50s in Brindle, you want to get some kiln dried sand in there, or they will start to wander mate.
:lmao:
They aren't mine, i took the pic's at work and i can tell you that's the least of their worries, new building and it leaks like a sieve :rolleyes:
rapidboy
13-09-2006, 21:30
I'll take a look at the KJ but as lovely as the Helle Eggen looks its price puts it one stage ahead of where I am I think.
Absolutely no need to spend mor eon a knife, any of the cheaper knives mentioned will do everything you need.
Expensive knives are as much about prid eof ownership as anything else.
I have many expensive production and custom knives and i still use a Frosts Clipper everyday because it's a great working knife.
I can sure recommend the Frost and Eriksson knives as well. The quality for the price is really a value.
As for the F-1, from what I know, they are what is called a double bevel or compound bevel design. Which means the actual sharp edge is ground at an angle of about 20 to 25 degrees and is very small in relation to the blade. That is fine, and most modern knives are made this way, like a SAK for example. They come sharp and are great until you need to resharpen it. That can be tricky. In all the years I have owned knives and all the different sharpeners I have bought and tried, I still find it real hard to get a razor sharp edge on this type knife.
On the other side, the Moras use the Scandavian or Norwiegen or sword grind which is a single, wide bevel. They are so easy to sharpen and so easy to maintain, it is really an addictive design.
I usually carry a Clipper stainless or High-Carbon in my pack when I don't really plan to use a knife much, reason is I can count on the Mora and it is really very light, lighter than most lock blade folders.
My favorite knife is a Stewart Marsh custom made like the RM Woodlore, unfortunately they are costly and not a recommended starter knife. Besides, at my age, I make too much money and have little to spend it on :)
Get a good Mora and you may just never buy another knife! Cheers!