Hey, everyone. David C. Andersen here coming at you from
the KnifeCenter, and today we’re looking at a list of the best bushcraft knives that
you can get your hands on with a range of price points so that everyone can get out
there and use them. Let’s check ‘em out. (KnifeCenter logo)
Now, bushcraft as a subject is a great thing for the whole family. Unlike survival, which is focused on getting
out of danger, bushcraft is about getting out into nature and thriving. The bushcraft mentality is great for sharing
your love of the outdoors by focusing on primitive living skills and how to safely use knives
in service of those skills. The bulk of what a bushcraft knife needs to
do is carve and cut wood. Whether you’re making feathersticks to get
a fire going, making a primitive trap to procure food, or even just whittling by the fire. It’s no surprise then that a Scandanavian
or Scandi grind is prevalent on this style of knife. It’s almost ubiquitous in the world of bushcraft
knives, which makes sense, since the genre is heavily influenced by northern European
heritage. Now, does a bushcraft knife have to have a
Scandi grind? Not necessarily, but that is what we’re
going to focus on today. Since they’re basically like a double beveled
chisel, they’re absolutely phenomenal at wood carving, and they’re very easy to sharpen
too, since you can lay the bevel flat on your whetstone, and not have to worry if you’re
at the right angle or not. Now, I’m going to start with some budget
oriented stuff, and there’s two brands that we absolutely got to talk about known far
and wide for solid and affordable bushcraft offerings: Condor and Mora. We’re gonna start with the Condor Terrasaur,
which is hands-down my personal recommendation for a bushcraft knife on a budget. As you can see, I’ve put this one to some
really good use. This is a full-tang knife, meaning that the
steel of the blade goes all the way through to the back end of the handle. But unlike a lot of full-tang knives, rather
than having two handle scales attached to the side, the tang here is enveloped with
an injection-molded handle. It’s nice and comfortable, and in this case,
you can definitely see some influence from the traditional scandanavian makers, because
of that nature you don’t have to touch any steel when you’re gripping the knife, which
is very important in colder weather. The blade is carbon steel, actually most bushcraft
knives tend to be, although it’s not necessarily a rule, and the reason for that is simple
carbon steels will be able to strike a spark with actual flint, which is something complex
alloys can’t do. We’ve got 1095 carbon steel here with a
rustic finish, about four and a quarter inches long, in a versatile drop point shape. It’s very easy to control, and it also has
a feature that’s common on a lot of bushcraft knives. The spine of the blade is crisp enough to
strike a spark from a fire steel or ferrocerium rod. Unlike traditional flint, this is going to
create a shower of sparks, but you do need a hard corner to make it work, and most of
the knives we’ve got here today are capable of doing that with the spine. The pommel of the tang protrudes from the
handle, and this is also a crisp enough place to throw sparks as well. I also find this feature useful if you’re
using it as a scraper. For instance, if you’re using an ember from
your fire in order to burn out the bowl of a spoon or a cup, this is nice for scraping
away the charred wood as you go. As far as the sheath, it’s also injection
molded, clicks in nicely, you’ve got a couple of holes here at the bottom so water can drain
out, and it’s nice and ambidextrous as well. Considering the price right now is about $42.50,
your dollars go an awful long way with the Condor Terrasaur. Next we’re going to talk about Mora, or
Morakniv if we’re being sticklers about pronunciation, but they’re most commonly
called Mora. They made their name on knives priced super
cheaply, but built with quality construction and durability that punches way above the
price you pay. They’ve got a ton of great options, I’ve
got a few of them here from the Companion, the Bushcraft Black, to the newer Kansbol
and full tang Garberg. All are great and very capable knives, but
today I want to show the Eldris. You may ask why, and that’s legitimate,
because this is perhaps a more whittling or utility knife than the knives that I just
mentioned, but the eldris can be a perfect starter bushcraft knife for the younger generation. The small but fat handle provides a good grip,
and the small blade is easy to control and precise, too. It also has a stainless steel blade, Sandvick’s
12C27 steel. It’s easy to sharpen, pretty tough, and
it’s very precisely ground, in fact Mora’s going to spoil you for the fit and finish
you can get for your money. With that stainless steel, you’re not going
to have to worry about the blade rusting so much. Starting about $25, this knife comes with
a plastic sheath that can then be slipped into the pocket, or for a little bit more
you can get it with a neck lanyard, and that also comes with a fire steel, so you can get
a full beginner bushcraft kit. Some people, of course, are going to scratch
their heads at the concept of a neck knife. It does seem kind of odd, but that’s actually
down the the Scandinavian people’s influence again. It is a historic method for carrying smaller
blades. In the tundra, there’s always the danger
of falling through ice, which is a hard situation to get out of on your own to say the least. Typically they’d carry their knives with
the handle up and around their neck, that way it’s easier to get to and jam it in
the ice to try and pull yourself out. But today, it still has definite uses. For one, it’s very easy to carry a fixed
blade without the sheath on your belt. That can come in handy day to day, or if you’re
out there hiking and you’ve got a pack on that has a hip belt or something like that,
this is going to stay out of the way when you need to carry that way. Speaking of some of the traditional things,
the next couple knives I’m going to show you are from classic Scandinavian manufacturers,
and the first is the Alden, made by Helle Knives in Norway. The style of construction you see here is
very traditional. First, the use of curly birch for the handle,
which is a prevalent material on historic scandinavian knives. It looks really good, and provides a warm
feel in the hand, too. They’ve shaped it so it’s very comfortable,
and we get some cool features here at the front with some metal rings, and a nice taper
that’s going to make pinch grips even easier. Instead of a full tang, this knife has what’s
called a stick tang, where the blade tapers down a little bit and extends out there toward
the back, again a very classic method of construction for a typical scandinavian bush knife. Blade length is similar to the Terrasaur,
a little bit over four inches, and some of the Helles models like this one use Sandvick’s
12C27 steel again, whereas some of their knives up the ante with a proprietary triple-laminated
stainless. The center layer is usually a high alloy steel
with a higher carbon content that’s treated for edge holding, with layers of a tougher
stainless steel on the outsides to make it stronger. It’s not something you see too much of in
the bushcraft world, mainly Helle and sometimes Morakniv, so it’s definitely a stand out
point. Helle have gone for a higher polished finish
on this blade than most of these others, and as a result, you don’t get quite that crisp
spine that you’re going to need to strike a fire steel, so it’s just something you
want to keep in mind. However it does make it a little more comfortable
when you’re placing you thumb on the spine. The sheath on the Alden is getting more traditional
here, too. It’s made from leather and you’ve got
a simple classic pouch style with a friction fit. What I really love about Helle Knives is they
feel hand crafted, definitely heirloom-quality, but the prices are still fantastic. The Alden is a bargain here at $129 right
now. Another classic-feeling option is the Lars
Falt Bushcraft made by Casstrom. You may have heard of the custom Alan Wood
Woodlore Knife, which is a design made popular and codesigned by Ray Mears, who’s a famous
british bushcraft instructor and TV personality. This Casstrom knife is about as close as you
can get to that Woodlore knife in a production form with its distinctive and very comfortable
handle design with the flare at the back, and tapering drop point blade, and it all
comes in at about $185 right now. We’ve got curly birch handles again, but
here we’ve got a true full tang rather than a stick tang, and since the handles attach
to each side as scale, they’re able to add some thin black liners for contrast and a
more premium look. The steel is Bohler’s K720, which is a tool
steel that’s very tough and can take a nice fine edge. It’ll be able to stand up to a beating and
strop back without too much trouble. The sheath is just as impressive as the knife. Leather pouch again with a nice thick welt
finished very nicely, completes the package which is truly something to be proud to wear
on your belt. Now that we’ve taken a look at some classic
scandinavian brands, I want to round things out with some of my favorite American companies. First and foremost is THE name in handcrafted
bushcraft knives in the U.S., L.T. Wright and his Genesis model which helped launch
the company. This knife is a spin on the Kephart style
of knife, of course originated by Horace Kephart, a name every outdoorsman should know. I could be pedantic and argue that the original
Kephart wasn’t a bushcraft knife per se, but I’m not gonna, because the Genesis with
a scandi grind is one of my top choices for a bomb-proof bushcraft knife. I just so happen to have the flat ground version
of the knife here, it is available that way too, but that’s just because of what I had
handy when we were getting ready to film today. Both are very capable knives with a full four
and a quarter inch spearpoint blade, made in this case from A2 tool steel. Spear point, of course, has its point along
the centerline of the knife to help with accurate tip work and easy drilling through wood. All the drop points so far can drill just
fine, but the spear point is a little more favored for that task, and it comes into play
when you’re making a hearthboard for a friction fire, as well as toggles for traps or around
camp. The broomstick style micarta handle is rock
solid and is shaped by hand so there’s no hot spots. It fills your grip nicely and reduces fatigue
when you’re using it heavily. It’s also got a nice pair of thumb scallops
for easy pinch grips at the top. Completing this packages is a full leather
pouch sheath made by JRE Industries. Not only does it have a loop on the side for
holding a fire steel close at hand, it also features a dangler attachment. This lets the knife ride lower, gets it below
the hem of a long winter coat, or even the hip belt on a good backpack. You can always remove it if you want, or just
tuck it under and use the main loop so the knife rides higher on your side. Altogether, the L.T. Wright Genensis is a
hard working tool to last a lifetime and can be had for $210 right now, which is no a bad
investment at all in a quality handcrafted tool. If you want to spend a little bit less, though,
but still want to buy American, there are some other options in the L.T. Wright line,
including the Bushcrafter H.C., but I’d also direct you to take a look at the ESEE
RB3 coming in just over $120. Although ESEE of course is primarily known
for their survival knives, the RB3 is their first proper bushcraft knife. The blade is 1095 carbon steel, and is just
3.5 inches long, a little bit shorter than most on this list, but it’s just big enough
and even easier to control. It really does feel like a perfect size. The handles are micarta and bolted on, and
they’ve got a nice round profile. We’ve got a matte texture that feels nice
and grippy. I find them very comfortable, but with that
bolt on nature, it would be easy to modify if you wanted to. The sheath follows the formula we’re seeing
a lot, a simple and effective leather pouch. This style is often preferred by bushcrafters,
because it’s a little bit better than some of the snap-type systems, because the friction
holds the knife in, there’s no danger of a snap coming undone and dropping your knife
in the middle of the woods. Got one more to look at now, the TOPS Brothers
of Bushcraft Fieldcraft Knife, affectionately known as the BOB. This typically comes with 1095 carbon steel,
but the one I have here is actually 154CM for those out there that want a stainless
option. It’s a little bit of a larger blade than
most shown so far, almost five inches, we’re about four and three quarters, and thicker
too at a full 3/16 of an inch thick. The grind is also a bit different. TOPS calls this their Scandi vex grind, instead
of a full flat bevel, we actually get a straight edge followed by convexed right there at the
edge itself. The BOB is a very capable knife and it kind
of fits my idea of what a “survival bushcraft” knife would be. We’ve got bolt-on handles with G10 or micarta
and they feel great and they’re feature packed as well. Comes with thumb scallops for pinch grips,
it’s also got a protruding pommel you can use for scraping, and it even has a little
bit of an extra feature there, too. Because the spine of this knife is not as
crisp as the others, the protruding tang here has what they call the Shango notch, which
is specifically designed for striking a fire steel. That’s not all though, this handle actually
comes with a divot which is designed to make a bow drill friction fire easier. Just make sure you sheath the knife first,
and that allows you to use these handles as a bearing block to press down on the spindle
of wood while your bow spins it around to build up the ember that you’re going to
need to get your fire going. Again, like I said, just make sure the knife
is sheathed before you do that, and the Kydex sheath here makes it very easy to do. It comes with a few extras, we’ve got TOPS’s
survival whistle attached to it, and it also comes with a fire starter. You’ll notice when I pull that out, this
is not just a ferro rod, we’ve actually got two rods of magnesium with a smaller ferro
rod on the side. Magnesium, of course, is very flammable, so
if things are bad enough where you really need to get a friction fire, then you know
you’re in trouble, because you’re gonna want to use this first. But getting to practice your friction fires
now is a great thing to do in your backyard or at camp, that way you’ll have some experience
with it, plus it’s just a great excuse to spend some time outside. That’s all I’ve got time to show you today,
which really is a shame, because there are some very cool knives that I would have loved
to have talked about. The Real Steel bushcraft series is a phenomenal
budget option, the new Gerber Principle, as well, and also the Bark RIver Bushcrafter
series. There’s even some legitimate bushcraft folders
out there, like the Cold Steel Finn Wolf, the Condor Krakatoa, the Hella Bleja, all
of them are great knives. Make sure to let us know your favorite bushcraft
knives down in the comments, and let me know what you thought of my list as well. To get your hands on any, we’ll leave links
in the description to take you over to KnifeCenter.com, and make sure you’re signed up for our knifeRewards
program while you’re there, because you might as well earn some free money to spend
on your next knife while you’re buying the knife now. I’m David C. Andersen from the KnifeCenter,
I hope you’re all staying safe, sane and sanitary. See you next time. (KnifeCenter.com)
