Interesting discussion ( for the newbies or the uninformed ). Unfortunately, at almost 71, I have fallen victim to the evolving technology regarding knife design & materials. I own so many blades that I prefer to carry the small extra weight of several different shapes & sizes of knives in addition to one of three sizes of Silky Saw & a thick machete chopper like the Ontario Spec Plus Gen II SP-53, instead of an axe or hatchet. Where size & weight constraints are not a consideration, these options together make for a much more pleasurable experience for me particularly. Now I get to experience carrying your Blackbird Haversack as well. Thanks for that!!!
Growing up before computers and video games were out I was able to practice a lot of different types of woodcraft with just a 2-3 dollar pocket knife. You do learn a lot about yourself and the limitations your knife has and how to overcome them.
Blackie, here you have put together one of the most interesting discussions on knife design, purpose and selection for woodcraft and bushcraft work. I have favored the carbon steel trade knife designs from Old Hickory to the Jeff White Bush knives. I also pack a Mora as a fine camp knife.
Very well said. I have a lot of skill with a Buck 110 in the city doing my job. Yet that is very different than woods craft. I tend to chose knifes that are very durable because I am very hard on a knife. Yet I don't do much carving. Any knife is simply a tool, and like any tool you need to get one for how you are going to use it. I might just get myself a Mora for carving. As my fixed blade Buck may be very good at mild chopping, it's not a good carver. I really appreciate your perspective!
During CovID19 lockdowns, one of the things that I did to occupy my time was to make two of my own belt knives. One a smaller 6" knife about 1" across, 1/8" thick, intended for camp craft type use, and the other for heavier type work with a blade that was 8" long, 1.5" wide, and 1/4" thick. Both are Skandi grind with handles made from wood and hand made micarta respectively. I then made leather pouches for each one with Ferro storage rod built-in. My point is that the whole process from start to end greatly enhanced my understanding of the shaping, sharpening, care, and use of the knives. Also where they would fit into my "tools" that I could take & use depending on where I was going and what type of cutting tools may be required, including saws, axes, and tomahawks (oh and even chainsaws in some circumstances).
I have learned so much from straightforward, down to Earth people like you. I'll probably never be an expert. But I can muddle by in the outdoors, and enjoy myself whilst doing it. Not too bad for a fat, 59 year old woman. 😊
Sound reasoning as always! Love to see it. I carry now the Fällkniven S1, what I do is mostly starting fires, sticks for cooking, and making "seating arrangements" not shelters since i generally do tenting. Love the knife. Beeing from sweden I've carried more Moras than I can count, I've made my own knives with Mora blades. As I'm writing this I own 4 different moras. . The Eldris, the 120, a spoon knife, one self made knife with a mora classic blade. I would say what increased my knife skills more than anytning else was sloyd (or slöjd as we spell it), was just making spoons and butterknifes. Rudamentary at first, and then going upwards to actually beeing well suited for gifts and home use. Now, the S1, my "always on the hip when outside" is what I would consider a pricey knife. Used it for 6-7 years I think and the darn thing still looks brand new when clean. Again I love it. But I would never say it replaces what my other knives do, it completements my system beautifully thou ;)
I grew up in the country, And camped most of my life. I would say you have gone commercial personally. A lot of knives with which to chose different things such as whittling ,carving ,hunting ,survival, and the list goes on. To this day when I go a field . I carry a pocket knife , folder of coarse Old timer 125 OT . I carry it in my pocket wrapped in a hankerchief ,so as to not lose it , 4 inch blade . And my other knife is always a Bowie knife , for protection and chores . I would suggest to anyone ""Not"" to buy American made ,or stainless for a Bouie . I buy all of mine from India ,they make them out of truck springs , which means they are unbreakable . You don't want your pig sticker breaking when you use it. I also carry a ""Hawk"" or Tomahawk . Between the 3 ,I can build any shelter ,and complete any task , and I'm a formidable foe , to varmints , and squirrels. Peace.
My general belief about bushcraft knives is _"never buy a knife you are afraid to lose"_. (you can really apply that to anything) Price be damned. If you are comfortable beating on a $400 custom knife that’s great. If you’re not, you should probably consider buying a less expensive one. Also remember that prices DOES NOT always equal quality. Moras are great examples of this in action. They’re great knives and are really affordable. Can you do find better? Yeah but it’s probably going to cost you more. As for what style of knives to use. That really comes down to personal taste, experience and environment. Some people do everything with mora, some people do everything with a kukri. The only real way to figure out what you like is to try out a lot of different knives and figure out which you like and which you don’t. However that does mean spending money, and if you’re bushcrafting on a budget, then you’ll have to figure something out.
Great advice , thank you. I'm definitely no expert on knives but I know that there is no one perfect knife. I usually have at least 3 different types of knives with me going into the woods and I'm not an expert with either one of them. Best advice I've seen on knives, thank you Blackie!👍🔪
This video is why I am a fan. I enjoy your knife usage skill and knowledge of the knife edge angle. Learning from you, has taught me patience and confidence when I am out in the field. Great video!
Buck absolutely destroyed their reputation when they started making knives in China. Even the usa made knives, with a few exceptions are junk. Plastic handles, no liners and non adjustable pivots are not a good thing.
@@williammccaslin8527yeah, its a mystery why they did this. I have a buck 110 and it might be the most iconic folding knife ever. Thing is the buck blades are great but its the rest of the knife that suffers. Stay safe.
You just shared a lot of hard earned wisdom about choosing and using a bushcraft knife. I have a lot less experience than you, but like you, I'm still learning. I appreciate your practical approach to the outdoors. Currently, my three favorite bushcraft knives are the More Kansbol, the Dan Ferguson Sloyd knife and a Ben Orford 4" Woodlander. They vary widely in both price point and purpose. All three have served me well.
· WoodsCraft. Wood carving, etc. · Gamecraft. Meant carving, etc. · Bushcraft. Fire Prep, splitting, etc. · Wildernesscraft. Everything but not the best at any of them. But many are great choppers & splicers. Knives to tomahawks.
A good whittling blade doesn't always make the best skinning knife, like you said there is no single perfect knife, carry acouple different knives or learn to get by with the one you do carry..Good to see your feeling better and we all hope the missus is too.
Glad you are doing better, Blackie. Hope the family is well as well. About 20-25 years ago my brother gave me a Buck 426 knife. I have carried that thing everywhere I am allowed to carry a pocket knife, and several places I aint for all that time. The blaze orange handles on it are getting a little dull now, but it is still my favorite knife. Give me a yell some time if you still have ,y e,mail.
Great video. Sooo many different blades and skill levels and just personal preference and approaches. I like mora and condor. Love Bowie knives. But think the best all around knife is something about the size of a Kabar. Takes some practice but it can fit into a lot of nitches. An old hickory is right in there too
Really enjoyed the information/advice. I have a Condor Bushlore among my knives and agree that you need to practice practice practice. I've also got knives with sabre, hollow and flat profiles which also have their uses and strengths as you stated. Keep the vid coming enjoy them immensely. Also loved the Blackbird design too. Atb Malcolm 🏴
Blackie, I recently found your channel and am enjoying your videos. Good advise on knives, thank you. I have two different size mora classics that came with plastic sheaths. I'd like to get a better leather sheath made for each. Is there a good sheath maker down here in the Deep South you know of you'd recommend?
Some folks consider a cleaver knife to be a good woodcraft knife. What’s your thoughts having a Serbian chef knife in the field. I would like to watch you using the WC Camp Tool, for instance. Thanks for making this video.
You may have covered this before and I missed it, but what about pocket knives? I’ve heard of plenty of people using pocket knives for carving, cleaning game, etc.
exacty.. in learning your going to fail (FIRST ATTEMPT IN LEARNING_) so its better to gain the knowledge and hands on skill and if you make a mistake and damage a knife or some other gear..not big loss.. once you have a good working knowledge go invest in what ya really want now that you really do have a idea what ya need
Ok Blackie... too many commercials in this one... we did not watch it... you need to disable mid-roll adds or you will loose a lot of us. This video had commercials about d very two minutes. It seemed to be a good video for my grandkids. I hope it is not becoming all about the money with you. Your buddies Dan Lutz and William Collins have no adds in their videos...as well as many others. Sorry but you will loose us if it becomes all about the money... just saying...
This what piss me off you you tubers Survival experts think no one but u have put in the time or been trained to do this 2 yr boyscout 2 year in Olympia Explorer search and rescue 40 yr camping 10 yr being homeless live out of a backpack U come off as I know nothing about Dont need a class how breath I just do it
this is a complete self promotion. anyone that has read kephart and the ones he drew from can tell it. your assumptions of knives and uses are completely wrong. woodcraft has nothing to do with europe or anywhere else. any one that says that they are from america and does not know that difference does not know what they are talking about. a "woodsman" could build a shelter and process game with nothing more than pocket knife,
Interesting discussion ( for the newbies or the uninformed ). Unfortunately, at almost 71, I have fallen victim to the evolving technology regarding knife design & materials. I own so many blades that I prefer to carry the small extra weight of several different shapes & sizes of knives in addition to one of three sizes of Silky Saw & a thick machete chopper like the Ontario Spec Plus Gen II SP-53, instead of an axe or hatchet. Where size & weight constraints are not a consideration, these options together make for a much more pleasurable experience for me particularly. Now I get to experience carrying your Blackbird Haversack as well. Thanks for that!!!
Blackie that’s some great advice there sir. Your “2 cents worth” is worth a dollar in my humble opinion. Your channel is excellent!
I appreciate that
Growing up before computers and video games were out I was able to practice a lot of different types of woodcraft with just a 2-3 dollar pocket knife. You do learn a lot about yourself and the limitations your knife has and how to overcome them.
I have a kephart, n nessmuk, n a mora h.d. companion, n now getting a boker mini tracker, love them all.
Years following your channel and and I still learn new things with every video. Regards from a Spaniard in Finland.
Best advice “get a couple of Moras”. Best value to learn and use for years. Then you go from there on future purchases.
How is it that every time I watch your channel, I learn something new?! Thanks Blackie!
As I learned long ago, the proper tool for the job.
Many tools Can do the job, but the proper one will do it best.
I have been growing rather fond of the good old Green River knives these days. It covers all my woods bumming needs
Sound wisdom my friend.
Swedish mora classic is my favorite knife! Excellent steel, ergonomic and very affordable!
Blackie, here you have put together one of the most interesting discussions on knife design, purpose and selection for woodcraft and bushcraft work. I have favored the carbon steel trade knife designs from Old Hickory to the Jeff White Bush knives. I also pack a Mora as a fine camp knife.
Started with an old USA made Schrade 165 Woodsman cause it was what I had.
Very well said. I have a lot of skill with a Buck 110 in the city doing my job. Yet that is very different than woods craft. I tend to chose knifes that are very durable because I am very hard on a knife. Yet I don't do much carving. Any knife is simply a tool, and like any tool you need to get one for how you are going to use it. I might just get myself a Mora for carving. As my fixed blade Buck may be very good at mild chopping, it's not a good carver. I really appreciate your perspective!
During CovID19 lockdowns, one of the things that I did to occupy my time was to make two of my own belt knives. One a smaller 6" knife about 1" across, 1/8" thick, intended for camp craft type use, and the other for heavier type work with a blade that was 8" long, 1.5" wide, and 1/4" thick. Both are Skandi grind with handles made from wood and hand made micarta respectively. I then made leather pouches for each one with Ferro storage rod built-in.
My point is that the whole process from start to end greatly enhanced my understanding of the shaping, sharpening, care, and use of the knives. Also where they would fit into my "tools" that I could take & use depending on where I was going and what type of cutting tools may be required, including saws, axes, and tomahawks (oh and even chainsaws in some circumstances).
I have learned so much from straightforward, down to Earth people like you. I'll probably never be an expert. But I can muddle by in the outdoors, and enjoy myself whilst doing it. Not too bad for a fat, 59 year old woman. 😊
As long as you make it back and had a good time, that's what counts!
Blackie, I've enjoyed your videos for some time now. My favorite is the one with the modified Ka-bar. Great stuff. Thank you.
Sound reasoning as always! Love to see it.
I carry now the Fällkniven S1, what I do is mostly starting fires, sticks for cooking, and making "seating arrangements" not shelters since i generally do tenting. Love the knife.
Beeing from sweden I've carried more Moras than I can count, I've made my own knives with Mora blades.
As I'm writing this I own 4 different moras. . The Eldris, the 120, a spoon knife, one self made knife with a mora classic blade.
I would say what increased my knife skills more than anytning else was sloyd (or slöjd as we spell it), was just making spoons and butterknifes. Rudamentary at first, and then going upwards to actually beeing well suited for gifts and home use.
Now, the S1, my "always on the hip when outside" is what I would consider a pricey knife. Used it for 6-7 years I think and the darn thing still looks brand new when clean. Again I love it.
But
I would never say it replaces what my other knives do, it completements my system beautifully thou ;)
I grew up in the country, And camped most of my life. I would say you have gone commercial personally. A lot of knives with which to chose different things such as whittling ,carving ,hunting ,survival, and the list goes on. To this day when I go a field . I carry a pocket knife , folder of coarse Old timer 125 OT . I carry it in my pocket wrapped in a hankerchief ,so as to not lose it , 4 inch blade . And my other knife is always a Bowie knife , for protection and chores . I would suggest to anyone ""Not"" to buy American made ,or stainless for a Bouie . I buy all of mine from India ,they make them out of truck springs , which means they are unbreakable . You don't want your pig sticker breaking when you use it. I also carry a ""Hawk"" or Tomahawk . Between the 3 ,I can build any shelter ,and complete any task , and I'm a formidable foe , to varmints , and squirrels. Peace.
My general belief about bushcraft knives is _"never buy a knife you are afraid to lose"_. (you can really apply that to anything)
Price be damned. If you are comfortable beating on a $400 custom knife that’s great. If you’re not, you should probably consider buying a less expensive one.
Also remember that prices DOES NOT always equal quality. Moras are great examples of this in action. They’re great knives and are really affordable. Can you do find better? Yeah but it’s probably going to cost you more.
As for what style of knives to use. That really comes down to personal taste, experience and environment. Some people do everything with mora, some people do everything with a kukri. The only real way to figure out what you like is to try out a lot of different knives and figure out which you like and which you don’t. However that does mean spending money, and if you’re bushcrafting on a budget, then you’ll have to figure something out.
Blackie , good video , thanks for sharing , God bless !
Great advice , thank you. I'm definitely no expert on knives but I know that there is no one perfect knife. I usually have at least 3 different types of knives with me going into the woods and I'm not an expert with either one of them. Best advice I've seen on knives, thank you Blackie!👍🔪
This video is why I am a fan. I enjoy your knife usage skill and knowledge of the knife edge angle. Learning from you, has taught me patience and confidence when I am out in the field. Great video!
I'm a old school carbon steel guy, but its what we grew up on, SS for a pocket knife, for work an pocket, think "Buck" knives, thx for the vid.
Buck absolutely destroyed their reputation when they started making knives in China. Even the usa made knives, with a few exceptions are junk. Plastic handles, no liners and non adjustable pivots are not a good thing.
@@janetowens7288 well its what I grew up with back in the 60's, an I only buy the U.S.A branded knife's, NO CHINEESEUM KNIVES EVER.
@@williammccaslin8527yeah, its a mystery why they did this. I have a buck 110 and it might be the most iconic folding knife ever. Thing is the buck blades are great but its the rest of the knife that suffers. Stay safe.
I love the garberg , best knife I have had , don’t see any use in getting another , but I don’t collect knives either
You just shared a lot of hard earned wisdom about choosing and using a bushcraft knife. I have a lot less experience than you, but like you, I'm still learning. I appreciate your practical approach to the outdoors. Currently, my three favorite bushcraft knives are the More Kansbol, the Dan Ferguson Sloyd knife and a Ben Orford 4" Woodlander. They vary widely in both price point and purpose. All three have served me well.
That AEBL steel takes a nice patina
Love your videos. Down Dirty, to the point. Good ol' boy passing on the passion and knowledge. Much thanks.
I wish William Collins would make a kephart style of knife! BTW great video thanks Blackie. ATB Sam Adler
I still love my WCSK! But a mora does come in handy for a backup.
Mora black bush craft is a hell of a blade
Great Advice Thanks
I like my Mora, and I Love my Blackbird!
Thank you for teaching me, I have learned much and more to go.
My goal is to watch everyone of your videos.
For me I love the condor sapien. It’s basically the mora classic but thicker stock and full tang
Excellent Blackie!!
· WoodsCraft. Wood carving, etc.
· Gamecraft. Meant carving, etc.
· Bushcraft. Fire Prep, splitting, etc.
· Wildernesscraft. Everything but not the best at any of them. But many are great choppers & splicers. Knives to tomahawks.
A good whittling blade doesn't always make the best skinning knife, like you said there is no single perfect knife, carry acouple different knives or learn to get by with the one you do carry..Good to see your feeling better and we all hope the missus is too.
I carry a Case Trapper,a Buck 110 folder,then a Leather Man,in my pockets. Then a variety of fixed blade in my bag.
Great video Blackie.
Glad you are doing better, Blackie. Hope the family is well as well. About 20-25 years ago my brother gave me a Buck 426 knife. I have carried that thing everywhere I am allowed to carry a pocket knife, and several places I aint for all that time. The blaze orange handles on it are getting a little dull now, but it is still my favorite knife. Give me a yell some time if you still have ,y e,mail.
Thank you for the video 😊👍
Love my master woodsman an jr also
Ka-bar 2221 Mark 1 Leather handle, it's smaller and decent for bushcraft and easy to carry.
Even the ka-bar 1236 model seems good for light uses
I like the kepheart k bar .. esse pr4 and esse jg5
Too bad I could only but one like give!! This video is excelente!!!!!
Thank you!
Gd advice.
Lots of good info!
I found your channel years ago though your black powder revolver series I have been using a green river hunter for years it does what I need it to do
Great video. Sooo many different blades and skill levels and just personal preference and approaches. I like mora and condor. Love Bowie knives. But think the best all around knife is something about the size of a Kabar.
Takes some practice but it can fit into a lot of nitches. An old hickory is right in there too
Great points! Most ppl finance their cell phones tho.. lol, to bad custom knife makers dont generally finance, lol
Would have loved to have listened in peace but 6 sets of ads ruined the vid. But so glad you are doing better.🤠
Really enjoyed the information/advice. I have a Condor Bushlore among my knives and agree that you need to practice practice practice. I've also got knives with sabre, hollow and flat profiles which also have their uses and strengths as you stated. Keep the vid coming enjoy them immensely. Also loved the Blackbird design too. Atb Malcolm 🏴
I have a spring assist Buck 110 for small stuff and an 8 inch Ontario OKC 3S USMC combat knife/bayonet for mt hip knife
Blackie, I recently found your channel and am enjoying your videos. Good advise on knives, thank you.
I have two different size mora classics that came with plastic sheaths. I'd like to get a better leather sheath made for each. Is there a good sheath maker down here in the Deep South you know of you'd recommend?
By the way, thank you for for the Black Powder series as I learned quite a lot from you, you just have a down to earth way of explaining things
Would like u to test the more black bush craft .. I own the bush lore an the mini bushlore
I love my black bird.
I still want your mini blackbird
Some folks consider a cleaver knife to be a good woodcraft knife. What’s your thoughts having a Serbian chef knife in the field. I would like to watch you using the WC Camp Tool, for instance. Thanks for making this video.
You may have covered this before and I missed it, but what about pocket knives? I’ve heard of plenty of people using pocket knives for carving, cleaning game, etc.
Personally, I still love my Army K-Bar.
I use my full size K-bar and the smaller version. Love My K-Bars!!!!!!!
But......never tried to fillet a fish!!!!!
@@n8sot I have a little K-Bar too :)
@@book3100 LOL!!!! Great combo!!!!
@@n8sot sure is. I do use the smaller one a lot more than the larger, but they're great knives.
The one knife option. There isn't .that's why I carry two or three. I love my t.r.c from bwk .but ya give a skilled person they can do
So start with software (use and training) before investing in hardware (big dollar knife).
exacty.. in learning your going to fail (FIRST ATTEMPT IN LEARNING_) so its better to gain the knowledge and hands on skill and if you make a mistake and damage a knife or some other gear..not big loss.. once you have a good working knowledge go invest in what ya really want now that you really do have a idea what ya need
Ok Blackie... too many commercials in this one... we did not watch it... you need to disable mid-roll adds or you will loose a lot of us. This video had commercials about d very two minutes. It seemed to be a good video for my grandkids. I hope it is not becoming all about the money with you. Your buddies Dan Lutz and William Collins have no adds in their videos...as well as many others. Sorry but you will loose us if it becomes all about the money... just saying...
This what piss me off you you tubers
Survival experts think no one but u have put in the time or been trained to do this 2 yr boyscout 2 year in Olympia Explorer search and rescue
40 yr camping 10 yr being homeless live out of a backpack
U come off as I know nothing about
Dont need a class how breath I just do it
this is a complete self promotion. anyone that has read kephart and the ones he drew from can tell it. your assumptions of knives and uses are completely wrong. woodcraft has nothing to do with europe or anywhere else. any one that says that they are from america and does not know that difference does not know what they are talking about. a "woodsman" could build a shelter and process game with nothing more than pocket knife,