You is perhaps asking your self, “What is bushcraft, and why are there specific knives for it?” Nicely, in keeping with Dave Canterbury, in his ebook “Bushcraft 101,” bushcraft is a time period for wilderness expertise and the follow of surviving and thriving within the pure world.” This may occasionally lead you to consider, then, that bushcraft knives are survival knives. However they’re not — not likely.
The bushcraft and survival classes typically get lumped collectively within the outside. However there’s a massive distinction between the 2 types. Simply ask anybody who’s tried to separate logs with a carving knife or whittle with a machete.
Whereas survival knives are heftier and customarily designed for life-and-death conditions, bushcraft knives are meant for carving, kindling a hearth, and performing on a regular basis chores within the woods. Concern not — we’ll have a separate checklist for the perfect survival knives, coming quickly.
We’ve spent the yr researching and testing knives in real-life conditions to find out which is the perfect of the perfect. Lead creator Nick LeFort has been writing about knives and blades for ten years and is part-owner of an out of doors knife firm.
Editor’s Be aware: We up to date this text on November 21, 2024, to incorporate the Benchmade Mini Bushcrafter in addition to the GiantMouse JAGT. Via testing, we’ve got discovered that each of those knives outperformed our expectations.
The Greatest Bushcraft Knives of 2024
CPM-S30V Stainless Metal
Optimum hand management and match
Total stout construct
Drainage gap in sheath (unusual in leather-based)
The knife will far outlast the sheath
The sheath is right-hand solely
Josh Wussow
Sandvik 12C27 Stainless Metal
Ferro Rod in Butt
You possibly can’t beat the value
The backbone is damaged making it more durable to make a hearth
Josh Wussow
Nessmuk blade design
Rippled Micarta is EPIC
Improbable hand really feel
Nicely-balanced
Rounded edges decrease your firestarting choices
Backbone jimping could possibly be a stretch for smaller palms
Josh Wussow
Light-weight
Tremendous grippy handles
The sheath is superior
Can’t discover the MagnaCut model anymore
Josh Wussow
14C28N Stainless Metal
A number of carry choices
The hearth-making blow tube/sheath
Do we actually want a ballpoint pen?
Josh Wussow
CPM 3V Metal
G10 Deal with Scales
Glossy Profile
Josh Wussow
Helle’s proprietary chrome steel
Curly Birch handles scales
Scandi Grind
Josh Wussow
Bushcraft Knives Comparability Chart
How We Examined the Greatest Bushcraft Knives
The Zero Tolerance 0006 bridging the hole between bushcraft and survival; (picture/Nick LeFort)
The GearJunkie group consists of avid out of doors people who stay and breathe the merchandise they take a look at. Bringing collectively years of product data in addition to a eager sense of what sort of conditions we’re going to get into, we scour the interwebs for knives and instruments that may meet our wants. Earlier than we even get out on an journey, we’re searching for supplies that we all know are sturdy and dependable. We’re searching for sheaths which can be straightforward to hold, and presumably a ferro rod thrown into the combo.
The entire concept behind bushcraft is self-reliance. The knives we choose want to have the ability to course of meals and timber, and yeah — they could have to act as a line of protection. I imply, who doesn’t need to be in that very same state of affairs that Brad Pitt discovered himself in on the finish of “Legends of the Fall?” Okay, we’re not likely pondering that darkish or that deep. However we do head off on our adventures figuring out that the knife we’ve chosen is the knife we NEED to maintain us alive.
Nick LeFort — out of doors knife professional and lead creator of this information — has been testing and writing about blades for over a decade. He has been round lengthy sufficient to see blade metal evolve and understands the true which means of sturdiness. He’s additionally a part-owner of a boutique knife firm.
So what do bushcraft knives do?
Earlier than we head out on any journey, we do our analysis. An excellent bushcraft knife must be dependable, packable, and sturdy. You possibly can’t all the time determine that out by studying some specs on the web. So, we’ll head out to retail outlets, discuss with our survivalist buddies, and skim up on what persons are seeing and pondering on the market. From there, we make our choices on what bushcraft knives we need to take a look at out.
The web is peppered with individuals testing and reviewing knives and instruments of their storage or at their kitchen desk. In these managed environments, every thing works as meant. So, we take it one step additional and spend time with these knives in real-life conditions. That could possibly be a number of days within the woods on a state campground. It is also a number of days within the woods in the midst of nowhere and not using a path or campsite in proximity.
Right here at GearJunkie, we determined way back that if we’re going to advocate one thing to you, we must be as genuine as we are able to. By way of bushcraft, the one option to decide the highest line of knives is to get on the market in it and depend on them.
Purchaser’s Information: Learn how to Select a Bushcraft Knife
Who stated you may’t begin a hearth with chrome steel? The Victorinox Enterprise Professional makes beginning a hearth straightforward; (picture/Nick LeFort)
Blade Form
The important thing to bushcraft is simplicity. So when searching for the precise bushcraft knife for years of use and abuse, keep away from knives with wild grinds. Recurved blades and serrated blades will solely complicate issues and show to be a royal ache to resharpen.
The best bushcraft knife blade will probably be between 3.5 and 4.5 inches lengthy. The knife itself ought to have an general size of 10 inches or much less. Concerning the general form, drop level and clip profiles are the most typical as a result of they’re probably the most helpful.
In his ebook, “Bushcraft: Outdoor Skills and Wilderness Survival,” legendary outdoorsman, Mors Kochanski states, “All general-use knives should have the blade tip close to the profile center-line of the handle.” This permits customers to extra simply management the blade’s level throughout drilling or element work. This strategy additionally brings added sturdiness to the knife, because the tip is much less skinny than a Bowie design.
Knife Metal
The quantity of knife blade metal and deal with supplies out there’s fairly spectacular. However, the place the deal with supplies appear to have stabilized, there’s new metal popping out yearly. As you may see from the above collection of eight knives, there are seven totally different knife steels. Our suggestion is to think about every metal on a case-by-case foundation. However they need to nonetheless meet or exceed the next necessities:
Corrosion Resistance
The very last thing you need is your knife turning orange on you out within the discipline. Particularly when you’re planning on utilizing it to organize meals. All the metal talked about on this information both has distinctive corrosion resistance or has been coated to remove the incidence of rust.
Abrasion Resistance
Some individuals think about this property to be extra type than operate. However in all actuality, in case your blade can simply get scrapped up that may result in chipping, which then might result in blade failure.
Edge Retention/Ease of Resharpening
It doesn’t matter what knife you carry, the worst knife you could possibly carry is a boring one. That being stated, you need to search for knife steels that both excel in edge retention or could be simply resharpened.
All that stated, plenty of conventional bushcraft subscribers consider that utilizing carbon metal is one of the best ways to go. They consider that as a result of carbon metal is normally softer than chrome steel these blades are much less prone to shatter. The place at one level, we might have agreed to with this speculation, over time it’s confirmed to be a moot level.
Stainless steels like Sandvik 12C27 and 14C28N have been utilized by Morakniv and Victorinox, respectively, for greater than fifty years in bushcraft and utility functions with out fail. Newer stainless steels like S35VN and MagnaCut, which characteristic improved toughness, have began changing carbon steels like 1095 and 440C, that are nice for toughness — however are inclined to rust.
Deal with Materials
When it comes right down to deal with materials it’s all about grip. Ergonomics play a component on this as properly, as you could possibly have nice deal with materials in a bizarre form that may trigger fatigue. Ultimately, you gained’t need to use the knife and also you’ll have wasted your cash. These are among the extra most well-liked supplies available on the market in the present day:
G10 & Micarta
G10 and Micarta are each extraordinarily sturdy supplies. Each excel in grip whether or not your palms are moist or dry which is why these two supplies are so fashionable with EDC, Survival, Tactical, and Bushcraft-style knives.
Nylon & Plastic
Nylon and plastic additionally make for nice deal with supplies as a result of they’re sturdy and light-weight, however they’re additionally usually textured. It’s this texturing and styling that will increase the grip on a knife with these supplies.
Be aware: Nylon and plastic deal with scales could be referred to as a litany of names. A number of the extra fashionable names are FRN/Zytel (Fiber Bolstered Nylon), GRN (Glass Bolstered Nylon), GFN (Glass Stuffed Nylon), and Grivory (Injection Molded).
Rubber
In some knife worlds, rubber is the signal of an inexpensive knife. Nonetheless, in bushcraft, rubberized handles is usually a nice profit to you because of their sturdiness in addition to their unsurpassed grip.
Wooden
Wooden is a unbelievable deal with materials so long as it has been stabilized so it gained’t crack. It affords an excellent quantity of grip which usually will increase when the wooden will get moist. It additionally seems to be very good.
Ease of Use
Ease of use is a giant deal when contemplating what knife is best for you. It will possibly are available in many kinds from ergonomics, to lock design, to the {hardware} used to maintain the knife collectively and in good functioning order. All in all, the very last thing you need to do is battle with or be uncomfortable utilizing your knife.
Ergonomics
An excellent knife will really feel proper in your hand. From the form of the deal with scales to the general thickness, and even texturing, ergonomics could be the distinction between you being assured along with your knife or leaving it in your drawer at residence. When you think about a knife, put it in your hand and provides it an excellent squeeze. Then, push down onerous on a tough floor. If every thing feels proper — that’s your subsequent knife.
Sheath
An excellent bushcraft knife is simply nearly as good as its ease of carry. In contemplating your subsequent bushcraft knife, think about a sheath constituted of leather-based or kydex. Leather-based will price you extra, however can final you for years. Kydex, which is broadly utilized by the army, is sturdy and customarily affords not solely a number of carry choices, however room so that you can increase it to hold a Ferro rod.
Lock Mechanism
With out fail, you will see your self ready the place that you must depend on the lock in your knife greater than you anticipated.
A number of the extra widespread lock sorts are liner/body locks that use a bar that indexes into the again of the blade. There are additionally button-style locks that use a metal barrel to maintain the blade engaged. Nonetheless, the most well-liked lock sort is the crossbar lock which additionally makes use of a metal bar to carry the knife in place.
In our time and expertise, we’ve got by no means seen a crossbar-style lock mechanism fail with out some exterior pressure creating a significant disruption in how the knife capabilities. Like a truck working it over.
How a knife carries is a crucial consider selecting the correct one for you; (picture/Nick LeFort)
Worth & Worth
Knife pricing isn’t as reduce and dry as I believe most of us would really like it to be. Sure, identical to with some other client good, components like supplies, design, and performance all play into the ultimate worth of a knife. Nonetheless, there are plenty of issues happening behind the scenes that decide what we pay on the retailer for a knife.
How a lot materials a knife producer buys has a significant impression on the value you pay for a knife. Materials costs, generally, will fluctuate primarily based on how a lot of every merchandise is being purchased general. We’ve most lately seen this with MagnaCut, which turned a well-liked metal seemingly in a single day. As extra manufacturers adopted it in knives, the general worth of the metal itself went down.
Total, bushcraft knives are typically extra reasonably priced. They’re easy knives designed to do plenty of various things. However they’re usually not flashy and composed of widespread supplies. For a distinct segment market, this can be a welcomed departure. As we’ve got seen with different knife classes — like Tactical Knives — typically being purpose-built or labeled a sure means can have a big effect on pricing.
With that being stated, we’re going to interrupt knives down into the next three classes primarily based on pricing generally. However, to be honest, within the manufacturing knife world, there aren’t any clear and defining strains between finances knives, mid-tier knives, or premium knives. The next is a generalization of what you may anticipate from every class.
$215 is a steal for a dependable bushcraft knife just like the GiantMouse ACE Jagt; (picture/Nick LeFort)
Finances
Finances bushcraft knives are normally constituted of carbon or chrome steel and have easy designs to be used and carry. Though some bushcraft knives can excel in ergonomics and be extra advanced than others, the widespread recipe is to maintain the shape easy so it capabilities with ease. With that being stated, an excellent finances bushcraft knife might simply be beneath $50.
The Morakniv Companion Spark is constituted of Sandvik 12C27 chrome steel and makes use of a easy polymer deal with that shops a ferro rod within the butt. Like different Morakniv knives, the Spark is what you must anticipate from a finances to even mid-tier bushcraft knife with the additional benefit of getting a firestarter included. In the event you don’t want a ferro rod, you may all the time save one other $10 by going with the usual Morakniv Companion.
Mid-Tier
An excellent mid-tier bushcraft knife will probably be prime out at $200. In the event you have a look at this checklist, a majority of the knives on it are mid-tier. Once more, bushcraft is about sturdiness and reliability. Positive, there are a few carbon fiber dealt with bushcraft knives on the market, however when you convey one among them on the market by the hearth, somebody goes to offer you a tough time.
The Victorinox Enterprise Professional is a multifunction knife designed particularly for bushcraft and the Scouts. For $115, you may have a dependable chrome steel knife that comes with a ferro rod, tweezers, pen, and two sheaths, making your carry and deployment experiences fulfilling.
We additionally actually just like the Demko FreeReign ($200). It’s an day-after-day, all-day type of knife that works very well within the bushcraft scene. It has a easy, easy design that enables it to adapt to quite a lot of duties. Being constituted of MagnaCut makes it sturdy, environment friendly, and simple to take care of.
Premium
A premium bushcraft knife is one which goes above and past the demand of bushcraft. It’s one that’s constructed from premium supplies, and hosts superior ergonomics. In some circumstances, that is the place you’ll begin to see a transition from a polymer or Kydex sheath over to a leather-based one, however that’s not all the time the case.
Benchmade’s Mini Bushcrafter ($380) is the definition of premium. In each type and performance, it is going to give you a lifetime of reliability whereas getting used and abused. It’s not solely constituted of premium supplies however there’s an additional layer of consideration baked into all sides of the knife. This may be seen within the tapering of the handles, the false edge on the blade, and even the notch behind the blade for the ferro rod. This carries over to the premium leather-based sheath, which has been stylized to cradle the knife and has a spot for a built-in ferro rod.
Often Requested Questions
Bushcraft is the follow of utilizing a number of fundamental instruments to rework the pure assets of the forest into the issues one must survive. Issues like carving, constructing shelters, beginning fires, and laying snares and traps all fall beneath the umbrella of bushcraft. That is usually seen as extra of a pastime for outside fanatics. That is totally different from the idea of survival, which has to do nearly completely with life-and-death conditions.
Bushcraft knives are medium-size fixed-blade knives, largely using carbon or high-quality chrome steel. Their hallmarks embrace comfy grips, sharpened spines for scrapping a ferro rod or different firestarter, and edges appropriate for carving and splitting pure supplies equivalent to wooden.
Most bushcraft knives are supposed to be carried on a belt with a shaped sheath constituted of kydex, leather-based, or plastic. Whereas some can be utilized for high-stress work, most bushcraft knives fall right into a medium-duty position.
Whereas some would argue that edge retention or a precision Scandi grind is crucial characteristic of a bushcraft knife, deal with consolation must be on the prime of the pile. Having a blade that’ll cut up wooden and featherstick a complete tree is nice, however it’s going to be a depressing expertise if the knife doesn’t slot in your hand.
One of the best bushcraft knife is the one which covers all of your wants. Do you take pleasure in constructing shelters? Then possibly you need one thing slightly harder. Or, if carving feathersticks and beginning campfires is the spotlight of your day, then possibly one thing with a cushty grip would match the invoice. The checklist we’ve assembled above ought to assist you to select the bushcraft knife that’s best for you.
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