Choosing the Perfect Knife

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”

   ~ William Morris.

 

There is something very beautiful about a good knife.  As a chef I get to play with many different types of kitchen knife, from small peelers through to great big chef’s knives.  As an ‘outdoorsman’ I get to play with ‘Bushcraft’ knives in the wild.  Learning how to use the various parts of a knife to maximum effect is a real joy, knowing how to cut, shape, peel, skin and carve with a blade is a real skill.

I have been looking for the ‘perfect knife’ for some years now, one that will meet all my needs in the wild, a knife I can feel ‘proud’ of and that is a joy to use.

At this year’s Bushcraft Show, I finally felt I had enough knowledge and experience to purchase my ultimate knife, a Bushcraft knife that I will use for crafting and carving. I had already settled on my ‘Field Knife’, the KaBar BK2, which is a bit of a monster but works perfectly for a wide variety of camp related tasks, but is not ‘fine’ enough for carving or whittling.   I had really settled on the idea of buying a Ben Orford knife, as I’ve heard great things about the quality of his workmanship, and the durability and quality of his blades, and I was very happy to hear he had a stand at the show.  I spent a good hour talking with Ben, discussing the pro’s and con’s, trying the feel of the various knives on offer, length of blade, shape of hilt and general feel, and eventually settled on the rather beautiful ‘3.5” Woodlander Classic’ with a birds-eye maple hilt. £350 is a lot to spend on a knife, but – as with everything in life, you get what you pay for.  I felt confident in my purchase because Ben was able to spend so much time with me in helping me to choose the knife that best suited my needs: I think it is the mark of a good craftsman to spend time with his or her customer to help them make the right choice.  Ben’s wife Lois makes all the leather sheaths fro his knives, which is the perfect finishing touch to such a beautiful piece of steel.  I can’t thank Ben and Lois enough for the time he spent with me, which resulted in the purchase of a blade that I am immensely happy with.

So, I thought it might be worthwhile to write this blog, detailing some of the thought processes I went through in choosing the ‘perfect knife’, and provide you with some of the insight I have gained through my researches, hopefully this will help you in your decisions.

I think one of the big challenges I have had over the years is assuming that there is a one-size-fits-all sort of philosophy to a Bushcraft knife.  There isn’t.  There is always the consideration of taking duplicates into the wild, with the constraint on weight and bulk in your load-out, but with knives I am willing to make an exception.  It is such a vital piece of equipment that should it be lost or broken, having a back-up blade is essential.  Also, a small variety of blades and positions on your person / your kit-bag is also a sensible strategy.

So, the first consideration I think it is worth discussing is how many knives do you need on an Adventure? 

It clearly depends on the type of Adventure you are planning to undertake, but I think in general the following knives should be considered in your load-out:

• Field Knife: this is a general purpose, heavy duty belt-knife that you can use for hacking and chopping, working in and around the campsite.  I also use it for cooking once properly cleaned.  My personal choice is the KaBar BK2.

• Throat knife: a small bladed knife that you can wear around your neck, that can be used for more delicate tasks around the camp, such as trimming lines.  These usually pull out one-handed so you can work quickly and efficiently.  Personally I’d use my field-knife in most cases, but I can see the value of them.

• Bushcraft Knife: this knife is only ever used on wood, and then when doing tasks like whittling, making fire-sticks and crafting around the campsite.  Most of the time it stays in my pack in a suitable case, and goes on my belt when I’m settled and doing something like carving or whittling.

• First Aid blade: this knife is only ever used in emergencies and stays in the first aid kit until it’s needed.  No exceptions. it’s a scalpel blade, and has a slim stainless steel handle for it.  The blades are kept in their sterile packaging until needed, then disposed of very carefully.

• Multi-tool: this essential tool stays in my pocket, on my person at all time.  I like one with both a serrated and straight blade, along with a variety of other functions.  There is a review of my personal favourite, the Leatherman Juice XE6, that might be of interest.

• Pack Knife: This is an older / cheap blade that I usually strap to the outside of my pack, in-case I should loose my field-knife.  Its cheap steel, but still kept razor sharp, it’s the only knife I would ever ‘lend’ to someone else.

• Speciality knives: these, for my kit, tend to be for whittling, such as spoon knives and and detail knives.  They go in the same case as my Bushcraft knife.

There are many other types of knife to consider, including those you eat with and even proper kitchen knives, but in general those are the only ones I’d consider, especially if travelling any distance.  Another consideration is what other ‘sharps’ you are taking on your adventure.  I wouldn’t take a hand-axe because my KaBar works very well on branches up to say 6cm in diameter, but if I’m making shelters then a medium forest axe would go in the load-out for sure.

So, once you’ve worked out what type of knife you want, and what purpose you will put it to, the next question is, what features do you look for in a knife?

This subject is the root of many a heated discussion around the camp fire.  As usual, it should always come down to personal choice, tempered by experience.  One of the first decisions to make is the Blade Shape.  There are many many types out there, from ornate looking curved blades, those with serrations, Spear-tipped, Drop-point and Sheepsfoot, to name but a few of the styles you can be confronted with.  In my opinion, a Drop-point is the best blade shape for your field knife, and a Spear-point for your Bushcraft knife.  I’d tend to steer clear of more ornate curved blades, which may look good, but are a bugger to keep sharp.

The second major consideration is the bevel or ‘grind’.  This is simply the profile of the blade as seen from the front.  Typically these fall into five  general forms:

• Hollow-ground where the cheek is concave down to the edge: very good for sharpness and maintains its edge, a nightmare to sharpen properly, especially in the field and chips easily.

• Flat-ground, compound or double bevel, where the cheek has flat sides which are then brought in to a second bevel at the edge.  This is a bit of a challenge to sharpen, but holds its edge well and doesn’t damage easily.

• Concave-ground is the opposite of the hollow-grind, is a bit of a challenge to sharpen, but holds its edge well, though not as sharp as the previous grinds.  Typically, you will find this bevel on axes, though some knives incorporate it. 

• Scandi-ground is the best for Bushcraft knives, is easy to maintain with a stone, and holds a very sharp edge.  It is prone to damage (which is why I only ever use mine on wood)

• Chisel-ground, where the blade is flat on one surface and angled on the other.  Simple to maintain as you really only need to sharpen one face of the blade, though not as sharp as the scandi-grind, and looses its edge more quickly.  Rare on field or Bushcraft knives, common on scalpel blades and chisels, hence the name.

There are many other types of grind available but these are much less common, and are typically fiendish to keep sharp.

The next area of consideration is the angle of the grind.  Typically, this can be between 15 degrees and 15, depending on the preferences of the manufacturer.  The more acute the angle, the sharper, but the easier it is to damage.  The more obtuse, the opposite is true.

Finally, and a serious influence on the price of the knife, is the type of steel used.  This is such a complex subject; it is too much to go into in this article in any detail.  To get an idea of the complexity of the subject, have a look at this Wikipedia article on the staggering array of steels available (and some ceramic and non-ferrous ones just for fun).  As a general guide you want to be looking at Carbon Steel for your field knife (the BK uses 1095 Chrome Vanadium Carbon Steel, which is hard wearing, chip resistant and corrosion resistant) and for a Bushcraft knife from ’01 tool steel’, ‘Damascus’ or ‘D2’.  These are all expensive steels and require looking after (regular sharpening, stropping and oiling) to keep them in top condition.  Also, they are difficult to work with, so make sure whoever is making your knife knows what they are doing…

A final consideration is the handle.  Specifically, material and shape.  Plastic is non-maintenance, Wood requires some care and attention – usually in the form of oiling.  Of critical importance though is the shape of the handle: your hand needs to sit comfortably between the quillions, not crowded and not with sufficient gap that the handle will slip back-and-forth in your hand.  I prefer a flat back to the hilt, so I can feel easily which the cutting edge is without needing to look at the knife.  How moulded the handle is for your hand shape, with finger grooves or with a smooth handle is a matter of personal preference.  Ultimately, the blade is an extension of your wrist, and it needs to fit comfortably and securely in your hand, with no chance of twisting or moving.

A final few points:

• of personal preference for me is to always go for a knife with a ‘full tang’ where the blade runs the full length and width of the handle, down to the butt, in some cases extending beyond the end of the handle, which makes an excellent hammer in a field knife. 

• I steer clear of folding knives in general.  I have seen some really nasty accidents where the knife blade has folded up on the user’s fingers.  It makes me squirm to think about it. 

• It’s worth considering the overall weight of the blade here: heavy is ideal for chopping, and light for finer work where you are likely to be using the blade for extended periods, whilst carving for example.

• Consider how easy it is to maintain your blade in the wild: what sharpening tools will you need to take with you to keep the edge on the knife, how easy is a particular grind to maintain, how will the hardness of the steel affect how long it takes to repair a ‘ding’ in the edge.

It’s a lot to take in if you’re new to this, there is a vast array of opinion and insight to be processed.  I would recommend finding and talking to a quality knife maker, especially the ‘artisan’ ones that the UK is famous for.  And don’t jump-in and spend a fortune on your first knife: get a quality blade from a good ‘generic’ manufacturer (Gerber and Mora are excellent brands), but I’d steer clear of the ‘celebrity branded’ ones such as Bear Grylls: they are good knives, but your paying a significant amount to have a celebrity endorsement.  So get a good quality low-cost knife, learn to use it, care for it and maintain it, and then start looking at what works and doesn’t work. 

I wish you the best of luck in your search… if you want any insight from Terry or me, post something onto our Facebook page, and we’ll get back to you.