The Best Knife

[Tony]

Which knife is best for bushcraft. There seem so many that it is confusing.

[Dave Farrant]

This is a question that has always interested me.
At present I am into my Billing Hook for larger constructions.
The Blade is like a Machette but with a forward curve at the end.
I would like some advice on how to sharpen the curved blade.
Any Ideas?

[Steve Key]

There are several types of metals used for most knife blades, namely Stainless, Carbon Steel and High Carbon Steel, what are the advantages, pros and cons of each metal type?

[bearblade]

I joined a forum yesterday that is all blades, maybe they would be a good place to look for knife info www.britishblades.com
Worth a look

[bagman]

this "cross pollination" between forums is great

Thanks Tony, it works now :wink:

[harry]

I had a peek at the British Blades site, excellent, although way over my head with their technical orientation. But, some really worthwhile stuff to learn there. It would be good if some of them could do some articles on Knives and steels etc.

[Anonymous]

I hang out over at British blades and I enjoy making knives as a hobby. While I may not be the best qualified person to talk about blade steel I will certainly chime in with my ideas and opinions.

When choosing any knife there are several things to consider and the steel type is just one of them. The type or style of knife is also very important and to some greater degree, a matter of taste. To make things simple you have two choices to start with when selecting blade steel.

1. Stainless steel.
There are many types of stainless steel and now that knife making has become popular again there are many good steels that hold an edge better than stainless steels of the past used to. When choosing a stainless steel blade you will get a good knife that will serve you well provided it has been well made and properly hardened. Stainless does not however mean rust proof. All stainless steels will eventually rust if not taken care of properly, especially in contact with salt water. They are much easier to care for than a carbon steel blade and if that is all you want then go ahead. Stainless steel can be hard to sharpen, especially in he field. A diamond hone is a necessity for some stainless blades. Some types of stainless will not hold a good edge as long as a good High carbon or tool steel. Stainless steel is also more difficult to use with a fire-steel apparently. (My outdoor experience is limited to camping trips as a teenager).

2. Carbon/Tool steel
Again there are many types of carbon steel or tool steel and a well made carbon steel blade is an excellent knife to have in any situation. The care is allot more important and that must be considered. A carbon steel blade can be sharpened to a hair splitting edge relatively easily, (with a bit of practice) with regular cleaning and oiling/waxing a good carbon steel blade will equal many stainless steels and outperform others. Several professionals have stated their preference for carbon steel blades and this is not without reason or research.

There are many types of carbon steel and many types of stainless steel so after deciding between Carbon and Stainless you work has only just begun. I would suggest seeking out opinions of those that have reason to test and try different steel types but at the end of the day a certain amount of personal preference will creep in to any decision.

Here is a link to the opinions of a lerned :wink: member of British Blades and what he has to say on the subject of steel.

http://www.synobyte.com/forums/showthread.php?t=355

You might have guessed that I prefer to work with carbon steel and having been apprenticed as a butcher on leaving school I had the opportunity to work with knives of varying quality, Blade steels and handle materials. I must admit however that I have very little experience of modern stainless steels and it has to be said that a production made knife may be good or not, but a good hand made knife is better.

I am sure some of my fellow knife nuts from British blades will pipe up with their experiences and preferences.
I hope this helps.

[cybertrix]

Should have logged in before I wrote all that out. ops: ops: ops:
Still hope it helps.

[Tony]

Thanks for the info cybertrix, it's good to have some of you guys around to feed us the information, we know how to use them and some basic facts about knives but when it comes to the technical stuff you guys are great

Hopefully we will be able to get some of you actually using your blades - shock horror! :!: :!: Take it out of it's box and cut something - NEVER :!: :!: :wink:

[cybertrix]

I must admit, I'm not your average knife nut. I don't own a single production knife, or custom come to that. All the knives I have I made myself. Apart from what’s in the kitchen draw that is, I even made one of those. What can I say, I just like making knives.

[Roger Gregory]

Good to see you over here John

Tony, not all of us at British Blades just collect knives which never see the light of day .... though most of us have one or two of those

I'll see if I can write something more aimed at the real world than Wayne's steel analysis ..... after all, Wayne only uses his knives to open hotdog tins!

Roger

[Anonymous]

:wink: I know, it's just the devil :twisted: in me!

[Tony]

That guest was me Doh need to sign in ops:

[Anonymous]

I always use Cold-Steel knives. They make their blades from carbon-steel, which, as somone earlier mentioned, are a breeze to sharpen, and stay sharp a LOT longer then rustfree knives. The downside is indeed that you have to take care of them with oils, and non-abrasive polish everyonce in a while.
For smaller carving knives I use a french brand called Opal. These knives are made of similar steel, and rust even harder.
I sharpen all my knives with razor Edge Systems. These people have developed special guides that clamp onto your knife for a consistant angle. After sharpening my knife with these guides, I can shave myself for several days, or until I carve hard woods.

All the best!

Anthonio Akkermans

[acw_akkermans]

Ofcourse I meant Opinel in my previous post, and I also forgot to log in...

Anthonio Akkermans

[Tony]

Is it easy to sharpen the cold steels in the field?
Some of the knife guys have probably got them, I am sure they would be interested in what they are like in the field. Are they good for splitting etc.
:sword:

[Tony]

Ofcourse I meant Opinel in my previous post, and I also forgot to log in...

Anthonio Akkermans

Opinel are good knives at a very good price.
I've used them for years, broken a few but I can be a bit rough

[harry]

I've got a few opinels. I really want to try out the saw. Anyone used it?

[acw_akkermans]

Yeah, I use cold-steel for a lot
I have one, which is a locking foldingknife called Voyager, which I've had for years. I have abused that knife as much as you can abuse a knife, and it is still one of my best. For instance, I use it to split wood, by bashing on the top with a piece of wood (Failing that, stone) Of course over the years some dents have developed in the back, but the lock and joint are as good as ever. Because that particular knife is also quite thick, I have gotten away with using it as a lever at times. A very all-round abuse-tool knife...

The other cold steel I have used over the past years is the masterhunter. A very great knife, though I wish not to abuse it too much! But more for regular carving, skinning and butchering, and other less-demanding chores.

Then I use Opinel for fine carvingwork.

Though, I regularly go on "knife-only" earthliving-trips, when I will only bring the MasterHunter from Cold-Steel.

This, combined with the sharpeningset I mentioned Earlier from Razor-Edge Systems, is ideal in the field. Because of the guides, you can even sharpen your knife razorsharp while walking. Last weekend actually I demonstrated the power of Cold Steel and Razor e=Edge combined by shaving my face with my Master Hunter.

Anthonio

"Survival of the fittest, is very true. We humans have an advantage though! This advantage is skill and knowledge."

[Ed]

The opinel saw is great for hacking at the roses in the garden, but i found it a bit too light and flimsy for bushcraft use. I managed to break my first one within the first week I had it... so I wasn't impressed, but great tool for the garden (which is what I guess it was designed for).

Ed :-D

Love the Opinel knives though... can get em very sharp :twisted:

[Anonymous]

Someone mentioned that Stainless blades don't seem to work as well with a Firesteel. I use a Fallkniven H1 and can find no fault in its performance with the Firesteel - I think the important thing is having a good square edge on the back of the knife, which the H1 does. For those interested the H1 uses a steel called VG10, it's corrosion resistance is incredible and can be taken to shave sharp relatively easily.

I also have no complaints when using Frosts 780 or Clipper knives with Firesteels.

[MartiniDave]

I'd love to get myself a Woodlore knife but can't bring myself to part with the cash!
My first choice fixed blade is presently a Helle Eggen, which is a puukko with a laminated stainless blade that takes a great edge, and feels very good in the hand. I also like to have a swiss army - usually the Huntsman model and or an opinel in my pocket too.
There seems to be quite a fad in the states at present to "customise" opinels by regrinding the blade to a drop point and reshaping the handle, I've tried it but can't really say its worth the effort as I've been using the standard knife for - my god - over 30 years now.
When out and about in my old series 3 land rover I find a leatherman quite handy to keep around too, as you never know what will pack up next!

Dave

[Keith_Beef]

I've got a few opinels. I really want to try out the saw. Anyone used it?

I'm coming in a bit late, here, but yes, I have an Opinel saw...

I broke one, and have been more careful with the second.

I use mine around the garden, and out in the woods for collecting pieces of robinia and of my "mystery wood"...

I broke the blade, through impatience and inexperience. I was cutting green wood too quickly. The blade jammed, I pushed, it snapped. I think that there is a slight defect with the blade design and manufacture, in that the blade is quite wide, and not backed-off enough above the teeth.

(I'm not sure about saw terminology, but in twist-drill terms, backing-off is a slight reduction in diameter between the cutting tip and the flutes that clear out the swarf and chips; this gives a bit of clearance between the material and the drill, so it shouldn't grip.)

I also have a Fox folding saw. This has a plastic handle with rubber inserts, and feels cheaper. The packaging is a good laugh. Big text on the front announces "Blade made from SK5 Carbon Steel". On the back, there is a helpful explanation: "SK5, steel with a carbon content greater than 50%, exceptional resistance and long life".

Keith.

[Anonymous]

Hi Keith,

Opinels saws have what Japanese call a cross-cut teeth design. It is designed to cut across the wood grain very well, but works a lot less when cutting with the grain. They are designed to be pulled only. The opinel I reckon could receive a bit of setting of the teeth, but that is difficult to do without a proper tool.

[Anonymous]

Hi Keith,

Opinels saws have what Japanese call a cross-cut teeth design. It is designed to cut across the wood grain very well, but works a lot less when cutting with the grain. They are designed to be pulled only. The opinel I reckon could receive a bit of setting of the teeth, but that is difficult to do without a proper tool.

Yes, I know that it only cuts on the pull... in fact there's a big "PULL CUT ACTION" barf along the beech handle... or there was, until it got worn away by my skin.

But the time I broke the blade, I had the limb jutting out to the right, and had'nt thought about going round to the other side, putting my left hand on top of the limb to bear down and keep the cut open... Everything was going well, I was into a good rythm, and after a good pull cut, I pushed forwards, the blade was gripped by the wet green wood, and I snapped the steel...

I still have the blade and the knife. I could have the break micrographed to see the grain structure, but what's the point? Misused blade == no refund.

In any case, it makes a good project: replace the saw blade with a Damascus steel knife blade!

Keith.

[Anonymous]

After reading all the posts relating to folding saws I thought I'd offer my tuppence worth!

For the last year or so I've been using a 'Topgun' folding saw made by Silky Fox. It's excellent - sharp enough to cut you looking at it, no problem in either green or dead wood, a very positive and safe lock, and even available in bright / matt colours (mine is yellow with black rubber finger grips so I can't lose it in the woods!)

In common with many other products available, it works on the 'pull to cut' principle. It is also being offered by many of the companies which supply arborist equipment - I've used it both aloft and on the ground and it even works upside-down!

Seriously though, it is a good product. Perhaps it would make an interesting review to compare a Silky with the Laplander, an Opinel saw and any others anyone would care to recommend. How about it?

[Tony]

Seriously though, it is a good product. Perhaps it would make an interesting review to compare a Silky with the Laplander, an Opinel saw and any others anyone would care to recommend. How about it?

Thanks for that Bob, a timely comment.

We are in the process of getting hold of about 8 different folding saws (it's hard work!) and we plan to do a comparison. We are waiting for Silky to get back to us. Hopefully it will be soon as I am looking forward to seeing if the Laplander is indeed the best for bushcraft.

The announcement of the folding saw test will be out in the newsletter.

Cheers

Tone

[dominic]

I must admit I am a big fan of the laplander, its very robust, stays sharp for ages, has a dependable locking mechanisms, rarely binds and doesn't rust. You can also replace the blade when its finally knackered. I've had mine for about 4 years with fairly regular use and its still going strong. Anyone else have an opinion on these.

[Anonymous]

hiya folks, my first post here, but i see a couple of well used handles from other forums, hiya roger! long time no see...

one saw i'd recommend sticking in the test is the humble stanleyknife saw, you can buy the blade with or without the stanley knife handle in just about any diy shop. if you buy the blade on it's own it's only a couple of quid. they do wood or metal specific blades.

cheers, and.

[sargey]

ahh! bugger, still getting used to the software. sargey here, and that last one was me too!

cheers, and.