Do any of you have any thoughts on a general purpose knife suitable for camping, fishing and just about anything else you can think of.
I have been thinking about a Bark River Bravo 1. Seems to be a nice solid stainless blade with a good grind to maintain an edge well.
There does seem to be quite a few of this type of production knife on the market, all quite well priced and with similar specs. I just go round and round and round and eventually will buy something nice that I enjoy using.
Do any of you have any thoughts on a general purpose knife suitable for camping, fishing and just about anything else you can think of.
I have been thinking about a Bark River Bravo 1. Seems to be a nice solid stainless blade with a good grind to maintain an edge well.
There does seem to be quite a few of this type of production knife on the market, all quite well priced and with similar specs. I just go round and round and round and eventually will buy something nice that I enjoy using.
Thanks Gav, Probably a bit much knife for me. I would prefer a shorter blade and I am probably better sticking with a stainless steel blade rather than the 1095 Carbon steel.
Some years ago I made a couple of knives using 1095 steel and they kept a lovely edge but they did rust very very quickly when even near salt water. I will have a look at the rest of their range.
I found www.cuttingedgeknives.com.au they have some really beautiful knives and some extremely expensive knives.
Thanks again.
I have been using a military surplus West German combat knife. Very thick blade stainless, unbreakable, Metal scabbard with belt frog. Cost me $45 and never needed to sharpen yet and never once shown any rust.
I have used a Spyderco Rescue Knife for something like 25 years plus now, got many a person out of MVA's and other situations just using the knife alone. The Rescue version might not be what your after but mine has never been sharpened, still has a keen edge, is SS with an excellent locking mechanism. Was ideal for my job as a professional rescue operator.
Am sure the Spyderco range would have what your looking for..
I have the Bravo1 and a couple of other knives by Bark River. I like it, and them, a lot. The only disadvantage I can see in the B1 is it is a little thick and this limits its usefulness. I prefer a fallkniven F1 as my all round knife. It seem to hold off rust better than the others. The other two well regarded knives Bark River make are the Aurora and the Fox Creek. Both great bushcraft knives. But their steel may not suit your needs with fishing. But it's worth noting that for the list of your uses you are not likely to get something that does it all. There will always be a compromise. Anyway I got mine from knivesshipfree out of the US, a great website with lots of other knife options and the owner Derek was always a pleasure to do business with.
Good luck.
Nick
Great site beren. Quite a bit cheaper. I will have a good look around. It's so confusing. Lots and lots of the same only different.
Jason from JPT is helpful to AussieKnives are good to .
You may have been here active forum with a nice buy and sell section......I was able to source some cool and rare sypderco folding knives before the goverment restricted their sale in Au
I have used a Spyderco Rescue Knife for something like 25 years plus now, got many a person out of MVA's and other situations just using the knife alone. The Rescue version might not be what your after but mine has never been sharpened, still has a keen edge, is SS with an excellent locking mechanism. Was ideal for my job as a professional rescue operator.
Am sure the Spyderco range would have what your looking for..
Similar to the bottom knife in the image.
Cheers
Hi John, yes I have an old serrated bade Spyder as well but unfortunately it was great for cutting bulk like rope or seatbelts but for general use it just isn't functional. Bloody hard to get a nice filet off a fish without ripping it apart.
Well I have bitten the bullet and ordered a Fallkniven F1 Black. The blade is a little shorter than the others I had mentioned it is made from V10 Laminated stainless steel then overcoated with black ceracoat for further protection. The handle end looks to be quite a non slip material and it comes with a nice sheath for the tidy sum of $169 including post.
It seems the price of nice knives hasn't gone up as much as everything else.
I still have some ideas regarding a couple of knives I would like and will do what I use to do and make them. I haven't made a knife for quite a few years and with improvements in steel I am sure I can make some nice stainless or toolsteel knives just as a collectable if for no other reason.
I have found the dealer of all things knives although under new owners they still sell all the good stuff at respectable prices. I have also for a gent in Albury who will harden and temper the stainless blades for me. The steel I can do myself quite easily.
Another retirement project.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions.
PS I ordered the Fallkniven this morning and a mate from Benalla dropped in and gave me his Bravo1 which he had never used so it looks like I have 2 very nice blades. Start of a collection.
The Bravo 1 is a spectacular blade with an outstanding edge. It certainly is solid.
I have my 3 favourites, two of these knives have been used extensively for 11 years, yet show hardly any wear and none have needed sharpening so far.
After selecting them personally they were engraved on the blade with my name by the factory (not shown in the pic)
(they were well priced but the airfare to Finland cost a motza )
Hi Matt Your knives look great and to have them factory personalised is a nice touch. Here are a couple of quick pix of the Bark River Bravo1. This really is a very impressive knife. I added the ruler to give some perspective but as you can see the blade is a monster about 1/4 inch thick. The blade has a convex grind which is somewhat new to me. I am use to hollow ground and flat ground blades but if all the hype is true then this convex grind should be spectacular for such a heavy blade. Many years ago a blade like this was the result of a poor craftsman with a file or stone.
It is a beautiful knife and fits my hand so well even taking into account the monstrous blade.
I will post some pictures of the Fallkniven when it arrives (hopefully tomorrow) I also ordered a very cheap Mora Knife after reading some impressive reviews and seeing how inexpensive they are.
Your
I have my 3 favourites, two of these knives have been used extensively for 11 years, yet show hardly any wear and none have needed sharpening so far.
After selecting them personally they were engraved on the blade with my name by the factory (not shown in the pic)
(they were well priced but the airfare to Finland cost a motza )
Trust you to have a set of puukko..
Airfare? Nah, Puukko are all over eBay now and VERY collectible.
I have my 3 favourites, two of these knives have been used extensively for 11 years, yet show hardly any wear and none have needed sharpening so far.
After selecting them personally they were engraved on the blade with my name by the factory (not shown in the pic)
(they were well priced but the airfare to Finland cost a motza )
The 1st one in the picture (left) is similar to one I bought 20 odd years ago when I was hunting goats, camels, deer and other ferals and it still is used now and again when goat hunting. An excellent knife and my favourite. Nice touch to have them engraved as well
Pete
AussieKnives are good to .
