Outdoor Knives

adamshred

*Not sure if this is allowed to be discussed so feel free to delete if it breaches the rules*

Anyone got any interesting outdoors knives? Bushcraft type knives or bowies etc?

Does anyone even have these type of knives over here or is it frowned upon?

Any other enthusiasts out there who appreciate good quality knives?

irishlostboy

i break knives into two main catagories, decorative; they stay at home. and tools; these are practical blades, either beautiful or workmanlike. the dividing line is sometimes by design, but more usually by user. a kayaker needs a good rescue knife. a bushcrafter needs a good bushcraft knife. a guy walking around a city does not need a knife.

rescue knifes: for cutting ropes, clothes, boats and whatever else you need to cut. usually stanless steel, probably have some serration on the edge. see leatherman wave and similar. good knife type for purpose, but watch out for ones with impractical points. there is a school of thought that says such knives shouldn't have points at all, but hey, just use it safe is my attitude.

utility knife: general purpose light jobber. swiss army type deally usually. not ideal for any one job, but can be used for most in a pinch. i would not class the leatherman multitool type thing as a knife though. its blades are really an afterthought.

bushcraft knife: fixed blade, full tang, carbon steel, no serrations. good for carving, wood preperations, and just about everything else. should be very sharp, so handle with care. the Frosts Mora is a good cheap example. their sheathes normally need replacing though. i made my own from veg-tan leather. works fine and looks "rustic" as hell. lol.

"survival" knife. europe has bushcraft, where you develop field skills (possibly for use after z-day, or just to chill and learn) america has survivalism, where you tool up with the most agressive stuff you can find. (doubt this, then spend time over on survivalistboards) american survivalists love their ka-bar's and their bowie knive's. great knifes for skining bears (possibly) and slotting people (perhaps) and being scary. not really suitable as a primary field knife as the weight and size will fatigue you faster, and be awkward in many jobs. jobs too big for a mora, need an axe, not a ka-bar. these are nice knives as collectors pieces, but they are not really outdoor tools for ireland.

black tac knife: these come in black painted metal, in all kinds of nasty evil shapes. the cheap ones are junk, made for people with no clue, the few real ones are made for the military and serve one purpose. killing people. a gerber bootknife or a cold-steel counter-tac are prime examples. again, beautiful collectors pieces they may be, but the only "field-craft" they are suitable for is not the kind anyone in ireland should be involved with.

then there is the legal end of knives. i have no real idea about that. if people behave responsibly i dont think it would be an issue. at least i hope not.

ok, thats my take on knives. hope its of interest. any particular area of knives you wanna explore?

bijapos

I have this. has everything I need, isn't bulky, nice size and lies nicely in the hand. It has a locking blade too. http://www.victorinox.ch/index.cfm?site=victorinox.ch&page=181&lang=E

Dr Bolouswki

Anyone got any suggestions for a knife that also includes a compass and a flint? Only knife requirements are for general bushcraft, small game preperation. Have googled but can't find anything with all 3 functions - and some of the knives are seem a bit rambo-esque.

adamshred

irishlostboy wrote: »

i break knives into two main catagories, decorative; they stay at home. and tools; these are practical blades, either beautiful or workmanlike. the dividing line is sometimes by design, but more usually by user. a kayaker needs a good rescue knife. a bushcrafter needs a good bushcraft knife. a guy walking around a city does not need a knife.

rescue knifes: for cutting ropes, clothes, boats and whatever else you need to cut. usually stanless steel, probably have some serration on the edge. see leatherman wave and similar. good knife type for purpose, but watch out for ones with impractical points. there is a school of thought that says such knives shouldn't have points at all, but hey, just use it safe is my attitude.

utility knife: general purpose light jobber. swiss army type deally usually. not ideal for any one job, but can be used for most in a pinch. i would not class the leatherman multitool type thing as a knife though. its blades are really an afterthought.

bushcraft knife: fixed blade, full tang, carbon steel, no serrations. good for carving, wood preperations, and just about everything else. should be very sharp, so handle with care. the Frosts Mora is a good cheap example. their sheathes normally need replacing though. i made my own from veg-tan leather. works fine and looks "rustic" as hell. lol.

"survival" knife. europe has bushcraft, where you develop field skills (possibly for use after z-day, or just to chill and learn) america has survivalism, where you tool up with the most agressive stuff you can find. (doubt this, then spend time over on survivalistboards) american survivalists love their ka-bar's and their bowie knive's. great knifes for skining bears (possibly) and slotting people (perhaps) and being scary. not really suitable as a primary field knife as the weight and size will fatigue you faster, and be awkward in many jobs. jobs too big for a mora, need an axe, not a ka-bar. these are nice knives as collectors pieces, but they are not really outdoor tools for ireland.

black tac knife: these come in black painted metal, in all kinds of nasty evil shapes. the cheap ones are junk, made for people with no clue, the few real ones are made for the military and serve one purpose. killing people. a gerber bootknife or a cold-steel counter-tac are prime examples. again, beautiful collectors pieces they may be, but the only "field-craft" they are suitable for is not the kind anyone in ireland should be involved with.

then there is the legal end of knives. i have no real idea about that. if people behave responsibly i dont think it would be an issue. at least i hope not.

ok, thats my take on knives. hope its of interest. any particular area of knives you wanna explore?

haha thanks for that man but I was just asking if anyone else was as interested in blades as myself, wasn't really looking for info, more so discussion but thanks for the input !

I love the craftsmanship of some of the blades on offer from the likes of cold steel and spyderco was thinking of getting one pretty soon possibly a ka bar also.

The cold steel videos on youtube are excellent too for anyone who hasnt seen them!

Evil Phil

I have a Spatha Large which is a great sharp knife. However, the Spatch Small is better for my purposes (used to have one) as the serated blade makes it easier to cut rope/tape etc.

However, they don't lock which is a bit of a design flaw as they are extremely sharp and could close down on your fingers.

irishlostboy

adamshred wrote: »

haha thanks for that man but I was just asking if anyone else was as interested in blades as myself, wasn't really looking for info, more so discussion but thanks for the input !

I love the craftsmanship of some of the blades on offer from the likes of cold steel and spyderco was thinking of getting one pretty soon possibly a ka bar also.

The cold steel videos on youtube are excellent too for anyone who hasnt seen them!

the reason i posted such an exhaustive list of info is; 1. so people can learn stuff, 2. to express the idea that some knives are tools, and some are not. as this is the outdoor pursuits section of boards, i am sure discussion of actual outdoor tools would be great, so long as they are discussed as such.

spiderco do some very nice knifes, but can i ask what you want a ka-bar for? personally i would recomend a good kukri before a ka-bar for practicality. for cutting larger things they do a better job, and they can chop and dig very well too. more practical for everyone except large game hunters.

adamshred

irishlostboy wrote: »

the reason i posted such an exhaustive list of info is; 1. so people can learn stuff, 2. to express the idea that some knives are tools, and some are not. as this is the outdoor pursuits section of boards, i am sure discussion of actual outdoor tools would be great, so long as they are discussed as such.

spiderco do some very nice knifes, but can i ask what you want a ka-bar for? personally i would recomend a good kukri before a ka-bar for practicality. for cutting larger things they do a better job, and they can chop and dig very well too. more practical for everyone except large game hunters.

Its partially a novelty / collection thing, and partly for camping and outdoors use. Nothing wrong with a bit of overkill in the form of a large heavy ka bar bowie. Hey, if the Americans can have em I don't see why we should be allowed indulge!

irishlostboy

adamshred wrote: »

Its partially a novelty / collection thing, and partly for camping and outdoors use. Nothing wrong with a bit of overkill in the form of a large heavy ka bar bowie. Hey, if the Americans can have em I don't see why we should be allowed indulge!

oh, your allowed anything (unless a garda stops you. he will probably not agree, but if its i a pack, limited risk if you are off camping) its your wrists that have to heave it. but really i think we are talking more collector piece here and less outdoorsman tool. each to their own. i have a fair few in this catagory. but they stay at home.

other great outdoor knives which really deserve a mention is the good old love em/ hate em Opinel folders. fantastic sharpness makes all their faults forgivable for me. but you really need to keep these dry. rust so fast, and handle swells so easy. locking mechanism is stink in my book too.

adamshred

oh yeah i've had some experiences with those. I suppose they are fine for the money but once they see some neglect, the locking mech can rust and seize very easily.

The cold steel bowie bushman looks like a great little knife. Might meet my wants half way and just get one of those instead. Probably only 30 euro.

Feidhlim Dignan

i love those opinels i think there a great knife i always carried one when i was younger. now i use 3 different moras and any thing that needs a bit of weight i use an axe on

irishlostboy

Feidhlim Dignan wrote: »

i love those opinels i think there a great knife i always carried one when i was younger. now i use 3 different moras and any thing that needs a bit of weight i use an axe on

i relagated my opinel to back-up knife after it closed on my fingers once too often. i mainly use a wood handled mora these days. moras are the no1 realistic bushcraft/ survival knife in my book. a total work horse, and bits cheap too.
for a large blade i have a home bodged thing made out of a very old lopping hook with the point gone. has the heaft of an axe, but with a very sharp cutting edge. the steel is amazing quality, about 30 years old. a far better blade than any machete i have found. i want a proper kukuri to see how it compares.