Recommendations for "Bushcraft" Knives

[Chance]

I was curious if anyone had any recommendations for "bushcraft" knives. Strictly for utility, not self-defense. Something that can be used for hacking, chopping, whittling, prying, skinning, et cetera. Doesn't have to be anything approaching a surgical instrument, but should be capable of withstanding caveman-caliber abuse with maintenance and proper care. Not looking for a "survival knife" (that being something with a compass, fishing line, fishing lure, signal kit, fire starter kit, life raft, and so forth crammed into the pommel).

I remember being pointed towards Brothers of Bushcraft (http://www.brothersofbushcraft.com/), although their website suggests they're no longer around.

[Sigfan26]

Spyderco Bushcraft and Spyderco Serrata. Also, Mora Bushcraft.

[greyghost]

For a bushcraft or hunting knife I would recommend without hesitation Gene Ingram. Super nice guy and incredible blades. He does have a pretty good wait time but its worth the wait.

http://www.geneingramknives.com/

[Maple Syrup Actual]

I used to cary an Ingram. Nice knife.

I have a Bark River Aurora that is tough to argue with for bushcraft.

But you can get 90% of the performance fir 10% of the cost by buying a plain jane Mora. I have maybe 5 of them in different bags and vehicles and so on. I like the birch-handled ones with laminated steel blades.

[SeriousStudent]

Spyderco Bushcraft and Spyderco Serrata. Also, Mora Bushcraft.

Agreed. I think I have four of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Craftline-Allround-Utility-3-8-Inch/dp/B004GAVOUU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1418799868&sr=8-5&keywords=mora+knife

And probably 5 of these?

http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Companion-Stainless-Military-4-1-Inch/dp/B004ZAIXSC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418799868&sr=8-1&keywords=mora+knife

At a cost of 9-15 bucks apiece, they are basically disposable.

[Lester Polfus]

I have an ESEE (formerly Rat Cutlery) RC-4 (http://www.eseeknives.com/esee-4.htm). It's a nice length, not to long, but long enough to be useful. It's very strong and holds a really nice edge. I've done some serious wood batoning with this knife and it's held up great. It is NOT stainless and will rust and stain if you aren't careful.

We've also got a couple Mora's around here that work just fine too. They aren't quite as heavy duty as the RC-4, but I've never broken one, despite doing a fair amount of batoning with them too. They hold an edge decently and don't rust.

[BobM]

There are a few in the Becker line that would be good for bushcraft use.

[SamuelBLong]

I got the opportunity to rely on some knives while I was doing my DiMM.I really got to abuse all of these and they held up well.

Becker BK-2

ESEE 5 + 6

TOPS BOB


My favorite was the ESEE 6. I've used it to skin game during desert survival, build countless fires and split big chunks of wood, and even carve out blocks of snow to build an igloo up at 12k ft in the Colorado mountains. It does everything.

As with all carbon steel knives, just make sure to take care of it properly every now and again.



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[LittleLebowski]

Agreed. I think I have four of these:

http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Craftline-Allround-Utility-3-8-Inch/dp/B004GAVOUU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1418799868&sr=8-5&keywords=mora+knife

And probably 5 of these?

http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Companion-Stainless-Military-4-1-Inch/dp/B004ZAIXSC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418799868&sr=8-1&keywords=mora+knife

At a cost of 9-15 bucks apiece, they are basically disposable.

Great minds.....

[Cookie Monster]

I have a few Blind Horse Knives, now Battle Horse Knives and they are good values and good knives. The Pathfinders from them are really heavy get some work down knives.

Mora knives are great values and good knives but don't have a lot of weight for chopping and the like. If there is a lot of chopping to be done there is nothing like a tomahawk from 2hawks.

Cookie Monster

[Hatchetman]

I've several Esees and think they are a good choice. My Becker Machax is bigger than I like to tote around, but an absolute chopping machine. Have a Habilis Bush Tool that's more knife than I like to carry backpacking, but is probably the blade I'd grab if a day of bushcraft was in the cards.

With that said, I think the best bang for the buck going would be something like a small Mora and a 12 to 18 inch machete. I've had good luck with Salvadoran machetes, but there are plenty to choose from that will set you back less than $30. They chop great, carry easy, can be used as a spatula to pull things out or the fire, rehone quickly with a file, and the first time you chop through something and hit a rock you won't cry about it. It's what I hang from my pack whenever I'm out in the woods.

[SLG]

Value for the money is definitely Mora. Right up until you push it past its limit. An expert like Mors would not push it that far but the rest of us might.

Best knife period? Skookum Bush Tool or the slightly lighter Carver. When ever I say "best" please take it with a grain of salt as everyone's preferences will be different. However, no bushcraft knife is built better, tougher, or more ergonomically. I have medium sized hands (some would say small) and I find that 95% of the knives out there have handles that are too small for serious work. By serious, I mean able to work correctly with the knife on wood for an hour straight or more. Most handles will fatigue you prematurely and give you blisters. Not the Skookum.

[SeriousStudent]

Great minds.....

....often drink the same Bourbons. :cool:

I'm kinda weird on the bushcraft thing. I like using a inexpensive Mora, and keep oodles of them stashed everywhere. You can use them to baton wood, but nothing beats an axe for chopping.

Therefore, I went to the opposite extreme, and have a pair of Granfors Bruks axes, and a Hults Bruks hatchet. Plus an S.A. Wetterlings hatchet someplace, I have not seen it in ages. It's probably in a pack or duffel somewhere.

ETA: I wish I still had the goluk I bought on a deployment to Thailand. The thing was sweet. Made from an old truck leaf spring from the Crimean War, probably. Polished buffalo horn handles, and a water buffalo hide sheath. You could chop your way through some serious jungle with one.

[MDS]

Details and preferences aside, I think there are a whole lot of good choices out there. A few of the ones mentioned, like the Spydie Bushcrafter and the Esee variants, I can vouch for. The Spydie has a very ergonomic handle for some people, though this is a somewhat personal thing since everyone's hands are different. Some buddies and I recently got together to do a little 'crafting and of course we all brought a ton of sharps to compare and try out. I left most of my sharps at home, but it's still funny that 5 people brought this much cutting capacity to an overnight camp-out. If you look close you might see an official PTC folder by Zero Tolerance:

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac132/crazysanman/Bushcraft/11-15-14%203%20Log%20Wigwam%20Meet%20up/51_zps9b89e19a.jpg

I would be fine with any of the fixed-blade knives in that picture. I deliberately went though a lot of knives in the last year or so. Again, which knife is "best" is a bit of a personal decision, but my favorite right now is the Sargent M3 with a fat handle. SLG speaks the truth about most handles out there being (inexplicably) small. I love the looks and toughness of Adventure Sworn knives, for example, but can't work for 10 minutes without undue fatigue. Mora's have that same shortcoming about a small handle, BTW, though I've put like 6 ranger bands on one to make it better, and for the money you can't beat them with a stick. Or a baton.

I've only held a Skookum once for a minute. My hands might be bigger than SLG's, because the handle still felt a little small for me. But the ergo's were solid, and as SLG says, the thing's a tank - other than the handle size and the fact that my Sargent has no pommel plate, the two seem pretty similar - granted that I've never actually used the bushtool. Maybe I need to visit SLG and we can compare sharps. :cool:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7515/15737015246_415939eff5_b.jpg

I'll stop now. I've finally gotten my bush knife fetish under control and I can't afford to fall off the wagon right now! :D

[NETim]

The Herter's line of cutlery. Nothing else comes close.

http://www.rmurphyknives.com/store/media/Herters-1979-Catalog-Page_83.pdf

[SLG]

MDS's get togethers look at lot like my get togethers...that's some nice steel on display.

The M3 looks like a beautiful piece. I'll have to keep an eye out for one to handle. Very reminiscent of a Skookum's lines.

The Skookum Bush Tool is a tank, but in a good way. Not in the sharpened prybar way. Nonetheless, I usually take the Carver instead, which is thinner stock and a drop smaller with no pommel plate. I view the SBT as a true survival knife in that I can take care of all my survival needs with it and it is basically unbreakable. Its in my pack everyday, just in case. The Carver usually has a GB ax and a good saw to back it up, so I don't feel like I need the absolute toughness of the SBT.

[Clay]

These are my recommendations -

http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Companion-Heavy-Carbon-4-1-Inch/dp/B00EF2RX2C

http://www.amazon.com/Pilot-Survival-Thermorun-Handle-Sheath/dp/B001JA9Y66/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1418866130&sr=1-1&keywords=fallkniven+f1

[Tamara]

I have a McCann Puffin Magnum I've been using for years. I like it.

[Patrick Taylor]

ESEE , I have several of them.

[Isaac]

My bro-in law is taking my for my 1st deer hunt next week when we visit Michigan. As a thank you gift, I'd like to get him a blade.

Are bushcraft blades generally accepted as skinning tools too? Or should a skinner have that little hook on the non edge side?

Thanks :)


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[Wheeler]

I love my Mora Classic for its excellent blade profile, quality steel, good edge and low price. I don't much care for the handle as I wish it were just a tad longer or the sheath.

I have a Gerber Hiker's Hatchet that I carry if I want to chop stuff. It also has a decent small, fixed blade knife in the handle.

I did a review on a DPx HEST http://wheeler686.blogspot.com/2014/07/dpx-hest-pass-around-and-review.html and while that particular knife hasn't been mentioned, I felt it was worthy of note for what I discovered during testing. Short version is, cleaning the parkerized blade, especially if cleaning critters.

[MDS]

My bro-in law is taking my for my 1st deer hunt next week when we visit Michigan. As a thank you gift, I'd like to get him a blade.

Are bushcraft blades generally accepted as skinning tools too? Or should a skinner have that little hook on the non edge side?

Thanks :)


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People have certainly skinned a lot of game with bushcraft-style knives. Almost by definition, the bushy knives are more generalist tools - they'll do OK for almost anything but not as well as a specialized tool would. If you BIL would be interested in a tough, general-purpose knife that will take a beating, then he might enjoy a good bushcraft style knife. IME, a very sharp edge can overcome a lot of limitations in a knife...but it's a PITA to keep them so sharp all the time in the field.

[rob_s]

Something that can be used for hacking, chopping, whittling, prying, skinning, et cetera.

While I'm not woodsman, for me the "hacking, chopping, prying" is one tool and the "skinning, whittling" is another (although I'd not whittle with a skinning knife unless I was forced to, that's more a pocketknife task IMO). Said another way, small tasks and big tasks, and knowing your actual applications rather than those you think you might have.

Like many others have said, the Mora was my choice. I'm not looking for the big-buck solution, and the Mora is a low-buck solution that allows me to buy often and stack them deep (I have them stashed all over, just like my Streamlights). I have other knives (and other lights) that I think are better, that I like better, that cost more, etc. but the Mora and the Streamlight Polytac are like the Glock to me. Cheap enough to have a bunch, 95%+ as good as the "better" option, and no heartburn if they break, go missing, etc. Hell, the price even lets me do things I might not otherwise with a "small task" knife becasue if I break it splitting a log or whatever I'll just go get the other one. or one of the other ones.

Oh, and I buy them in orange for the same reason I buy my Polytacs in yellow, so I can find them when I need them. If I hunted more, and use the Mora for that task, I'd probably start to color-code them for general use vs. skinning.

[SLG]

We don't "skin" animals in the traditional sense. If you're going to do that, a dedicated skinning knife just makes sense. We also don't gut animals (usually), but when we do, a small knife for just that task makes sense to me. The micro Gerber's are our choice for that. On the other hand, we do skin out the animal on the ground, at least enough to remove each quarter and backstraps. We then butcher them in the field and take all the meat off the bones. My Skookum knives do all of that extremely well, and usually one of them is the only blade I take hunting. Almost any well designed bushcraft knife would probably do just as well.

[greyghost]

My bro-in law is taking my for my 1st deer hunt next week when we visit Michigan. As a thank you gift, I'd like to get him a blade.

Are bushcraft blades generally accepted as skinning tools too? Or should a skinner have that little hook on the non edge side?

Thanks :)


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I'd recommend taking a look at the Havalon Piranta for a dedicated skinning knife. It is very light and fairly inexpensive. It does not have a gut-hook.

It uses replaceable blades that are super sharp. If you go with this I would highly suggest practicing the blade change as it can be tricky the first couple of times especially when your hands are wet and cold.

[bkpker]

Sounds like an ESEE 4 or 5 would fit your needs pretty well. I have an ESEE 4 that Ive been impressed with. Its a good mid size knife that would be useful for skinning and most outdoor tasks. It could be used for small batoning and by reputation is a pretty tough little knife.

Worth consideration is the ENZO trapper. I bought one a few years back as a kit and its probably the best scandi grind full tang knife you can get for the money. I have used mine for all kinds of bushcrafty things and it excels at cutting, carves like a mad thing and is tough enough to baton with. I dressed a deer with it and it worked well. Heres a link where you can get an assembled one:http://www.bensbackwoods.com/enzo-01-trapper-green-micarta-knife/ Its much cheaper if you get the kit and put the handles on yourself. Its kinda fun to make it how you want too.

[Dropkick]

Here's another option for a production knife, Kershaw Skinner:
http://www2.knifecenter.com/item/KS1080/kershaw-1080-skinning-knife-2-38-stonewash-blade-black-g10-handles-black-leather-sheath
But I'm also a fan of the Mora's an ESEE's.