Bushcraft? Now which grind?

urbantrapper said:
I like a good scandi or flat grind. Check out Condors offerings. They have some designs marketed to bushcafters. Some Ka Bar BK&T models are popular as well. I have knives from both these makers and like them very much.
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I seen that BK62 after I ordered my LT Wright Genisis in flat grind.It does look like a good knife for the price in the Kephart style. I gave my new Genisis a work out yesterday,just couldn't wait to put it through it's paces and process wood for a little fire.It did well for me.I did not find it hard to slice into feather sticks and batoning wasn't a big deal for it either.I finished the day off by slicing a smoked pork loin and dicing an onion.Of course being a flat grind,that made that an easy kitchen chore.I was rewarded with a nice blue and brownish natural patina starting to adorn the blade.
I wasn't sure I would like the A2 still because of the larger carbides compared to like O1 but after a brief strop,it was shaving hair and the edge stayed sharp. Goodum nuff fir me.
 
I really do want to thank all of you for responding so completely to my posts.I have only been on your forum for a very brief time but my visit here has been a most rewarding one because of your kind involvement.I look forward to having more questions and gaining your knowledge.
Thank you.
 
In my opinion any grind will work as long as the knife is sharp.
Heck even a piece of broken beer bottle glass can be used in a pinch.
Remember that knives are for cutting stuff , if you want to cut down trees or prepare firewood I would suggest an axe or saw.
Buy whatever you like , it will most likely work just fine.
 
Astrogator said:
In my opinion any grind will work as long as the knife is sharp.
Heck even a piece of broken beer bottle glass can be used in a pinch.
Remember that knives are for cutting stuff , if you want to cut down trees or prepare firewood I would suggest an axe or saw.
Buy whatever you like , it will most likely work just fine.
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I just want to point out the specific irony, maybe poor word choice, in stating the knives are for cutting stuff, but not for cutting trees. Are trees not stuff?

More to a point I would defend, knives can absolutely cut trees if you know how to do it and are selective about it. Axes and saws are not always the better option either. I'm not saying they're bad options, but as a blanket statement that "knives aren't for cutting trees" then I would simply say you have the wrong knife, just like a hatchet isn't great at felling and a felling axe isn't great for carving. Use your tools and get familiar with what they can and cannot do and see how they suit your preferences and terrain. And heck, sometimes the big knife is just more fun, which means something too since most of us don't walk out into the woods expecting to put ourselves into a survival situation so having something tools we enjoy to use makes a lot of sense too.

And I agree that any knife will work, but some knives work better for certain things. And I don't know many people bringing out glass bottles to make notches in sticks but to each their own. My way isn't necessarily right for everyone either.
 
Astrogator said:
In my opinion any grind will work as long as the knife is sharp.
Heck even a piece of broken beer bottle glass can be used in a pinch.
Remember that knives are for cutting stuff , if you want to cut down trees or prepare firewood I would suggest an axe or saw.
Buy whatever you like , it will most likely work just fine.
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Humm, Not so.Would a machete be considered a knife? Long knife to be sure.My point is,we had to cut trees down many a time just to clear an area big enough for a chopper to extract us from the thick jungles of Vietnam.We never seen a need for an axe.The Army didn't issue those.
 
Ripcord 82 said:
Howdy,
Hey,thanks a lot.I now have a better understanding of the difference between the saber and the high saber.Looks like the LT.Wright GNS with saber grind might be a good contender.Although,I like the looks of your Flat grind Genesis as well.
Your Kabar looks like it has a good bit of history and can tell a lot of stories.It looks much like the combat knife my Dad carried in WWII and I carried his knife for two tours in Vietnam,though ours isn't a Kabar and I'd have to rub the jungle patina off of it just to see what make it is.The leather sheath is long jungle rotted out so I had to run green duct tape around it while over there just to keep the knife in.Glad I don't have to worry about jungles here in Northeast Ohio.
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This knife here might of been carried in WWII. It is period correct. I found it back in about 1970ish. She was all bellied out from somebody sharpening only the sweet spot and her sheath was dry rotted. I propositioned a maker here who stripped every loose piece of stacked leather, reglued, reattached the pommel and cleaned up the edge. Then a new sheath.
That Vietnam patina can be removed if wanted.
 
pinnah said:
I personally find true scandi grinds to be difficult to make feather sticks and shavings with. I find the blade has the propensity to "dive" into the wood. On the other hand, I have just as a hard of a time with a flat grind or hollow that is thin behind the edge. I feel like I'm constantly fighting to catch the grain and I struggle to keep a curl going. I'm sure both of these things reveal horrible technique on my part.
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I should have qualified my initial post by saying get a thin edge but not TOO thin. I have this problem too but not with moras. It seems I can pick up any mora and just knockout curls til the cows come home. The one knife I absolutely cannot make feathers with is my opinel 8. :D It’s too thin and aggressive for me.

It seems I need some edge bevel and I think it’s because when I make feather sticks I use a very slight scraping motion that sort of rides the edge bevel.
 
Uncle Timbo said:
This knife here might of been carried in WWII. It is period correct. I found it back in about 1970ish. She was all bellied out from somebody sharpening only the sweet spot and her sheath was dry rotted. I propositioned a maker here who stripped every loose piece of stacked leather, reglued, reattached the pommel and cleaned up the edge. Then a new sheath.
That Vietnam patina can be removed if wanted.
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That looks like new.Good job. I might have to take a picture of mine and see if I can figure out how to post it here.
 
Uncle Timbo said:
This knife here might of been carried in WWII. It is period correct. I found it back in about 1970ish. She was all bellied out from somebody sharpening only the sweet spot and her sheath was dry rotted. I propositioned a maker here who stripped every loose piece of stacked leather, reglued, reattached the pommel and cleaned up the edge. Then a new sheath.
That Vietnam patina can be removed if wanted.
Click to expand...
Delete: was going to try and add a photo but can not.
 
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Uncle Timbo said:
This knife here might of been carried in WWII. It is period correct. I found it back in about 1970ish. She was all bellied out from somebody sharpening only the sweet spot and her sheath was dry rotted. I propositioned a maker here who stripped every loose piece of stacked leather, reglued, reattached the pommel and cleaned up the edge. Then a new sheath.
That Vietnam patina can be removed if wanted.
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QQdtWAP.jpg

I think I did this right.Here is my knife that Dad carried in WWII and I carried in the Nam.
 
Ripcord 82 said:
QQdtWAP.jpg

I think I did this right.Here is my knife that Dad carried in WWII and I carried in the Nam.
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I agree with BE. I thank you for sharing a pic of that beautiful knife and your father for his service to our wonderful country.
I would do absolutely nothing to the knife unless you get a will hair and feel the need to carry it on your person from time to time. Then an edge and a new sheath would be in order. But never do anything with the old sheath. It must remain intact.
 
Astrogator said:
In my opinion any grind will work as long as the knife is sharp.
Heck even a piece of broken beer bottle glass can be used in a pinch.
Remember that knives are for cutting stuff , if you want to cut down trees or prepare firewood I would suggest an axe or saw.
Buy whatever you like , it will most likely work just fine.
Click to expand...
Spot on with your comments.Since I have started this thread,I have handled and used different knives with full convex,ffg,saber and scandi.Sharp edge is everything and all will do what I want with just a little different in technique in getting there. It is still a hard choice in picking the grind that I like and enjoy the most but so far,the high saber is weighing heavily in the balance.
 
For out door work the Condor Hudson Bay is a terrific knife. I'm told they do a smaller version of this too. Better informed will tell you about the carbon blade, but the grind on this knife holds its edge, and is exceptionally sharp. Just a suggestion for the grind you're looking for maybe?
 
Well the damage is done.I ordered a L.T Wright Genisis in a saber grind after I found the saber to be a substantial improvement in batoning wood over the flat grind Genisis that I have. The saber takes much less effort . I liked the GNS but because of some arthritis in my hand,I found the size of the Genisis more comfortable in prolong use so I passed the GNS which I most recently bought, onto a friend.What I lost in money,was made up in deer steaks.
 
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Ripcord 82 said:
Well the damage is done.I ordered a L.T Wright Genisis in a saber grind after trying a friend's GNS in saber.I found the saber to be an substantial improvement in batoning wood over the flat grind Genisis that I have.I liked the GNS but because of some arthritis in my hand,I found the size of the Genisis more comfortable in prolong use.
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The saber ground LT's are my favorite.
 
bikerector said:
The saber ground LT's are my favorite.
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I think the L.T's are becoming my favorite too.I had bought the GNS but because of the thinner scales,though I like the contour of the handle,it tired my sore hand,so I gave it to a friend.I think I'll be happier with the Genisis.
 
Ripcord 82 said:
I think the L.T's are becoming my favorite too.I had bought the GNS but because of the thinner scales,though I like the contour of the handle,it tired my sore hand,so I gave it to a friend.I think I'll be happier with the Genisis.
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The LT Bushcrafters are also a good set from LT. Very similar handle but without the thumb scallops.
 
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