Fallkniven Professional Hunter's Knife PHK 5 For bushcraft?

B

baliodude

Joined
Apr 18, 2009
Messages
219
Hi guys

I am thinking of this one. I love the design but I am wondering how it would be as a woods/bushcraft knife?
Technical Specifications
Model Fällkniven Professional Hunter's Knife (PHK)
Type Fixed blade
Overall Length 9.4”
Blade Length 5”
Blade Material 3G Laminated
Blade Thickness 0.25”
Handle Material Thermorun
Handle Length 4.25”
Weight 6.87oz (knife only)
Sheath Zytel rigid scabbard
Price £174.95
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look like its got a bit more belly at the tip tha I like, but to be honest if you're comfortable with your skill set get what you like, and it will work for you.
 
I'm not sure what a "bushcraft" knife has to do, but I recently purchased one of these to use while hunting. I tried it out on my last deer hunt. It certainly functioned well, and it's nice steel, but for some reason didn't skin as well as I expected, or as well as my usual Dozier. I suspect that it needs to be sharpened differently, perhaps with a sharper bevel and/or not quite a mirror finish edge.

It won't chop, if that's part of bushcraft. And it probably won't stab well, if you're planning on hunting with it. Everything else, it's good to go.
 
I like it, but .20 is a bit thicker than I like for a 5" knife.
 
guns_and_labs said:
It certainly functioned well, and it's nice steel, but for some reason didn't skin as well as I expected, or as well as my usual Dozier.
Click to expand...

Not much will skin as well as a Dozier. Your Dozier is prob a .135, were the PHK is .20 with a much thicker edge as well. Dozier puts a 15 degree max for side(they hand do them and try to get from 13 to 15). Thats thin, but thats what you need on a good hunting/skinning knife.
 
The upswept blade means skinning is possible.
(PHK = professional hunter's knife)

The drop point and guard should allow for some amount of stabbing.
The point would drill.
It would baton/split wood fine.
Being 3G steel, it will hold a wicked edge and be resilient.
Being 3G, it won't rust like high carbon steels.
The extended tang provides a pommel.
The square spine will throw sparks.
It would make fuzz sticks.

It won't chop, but a 5" blade isn't built for that.
It would whittle somewhat, but not as easily or as detailed as a smaller blade...

It would work just fine.
However, it is a hunting knife at heart, not a bushcraft knife...
 
That's not a drop point, it's a swept point. It is supposed to be a skinner. The Scandinavian tradition may be to rely on one knife, which leads to a thicker blade than the main task requires.

I have an H1, which is also not the best for bushcraft, but it's better than the PHK: shorter blade, better control of the tip.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
That's not a drop point, it's a swept point. It is supposed to be a skinner. The Scandinavian tradition may be to rely on one knife, which leads to a thicker blade than the main task requires.

I have an H1, which is also not the best for bushcraft, but it's better than the PHK: shorter blade, better control of the tip.
Click to expand...

The PHK is an upswept drop point...

The scandi tradition is to have a puukko (small blade), and a Leuku (large blade). Although, they also carried 'beater' blades, as they understood the value of good steel...

The Fallknivens are laminated blades, with a core and two outer steels of the same thickness, creating a thicker, sturdier knife. The edge is convexed and mine shaves hairs even after many tasks. The lam. VG-10 is great stuff.

I have an H1 as well, an amazing knife! My favorite of the FK fixed blades! I carve with it, baton, split wood, etc. just fine with it... It has a handle that fills the hand nicely. But yes, it also is a hunter's knife.

You just have to know how to strop a convex blade to keep that wicked edge.
 
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Yup.... We're saying the same thing:D

I was just clarifying that I wasn't calling it only a 'drop point' in my earlier post, rather pointing out each aspect of the design and the function...


A popular 'all-arounder' in the FK line with less of the traditional Scandi look would be the F1. It is also thinner than the H1...

The TK2 is one I've been eyeballing. A very nice blade design, distal taper, 3G steel. Similar to the PHK in classy looks.

The H1, I would say, has the best ergonomics out of them all. The grip really fills the hand.
 
I love the design on this knife too, and think it would do very well as a general purpose outdoor/bushcraft knife. The only thing I don't like about it is the price-but if that doesn't bother you I would say go for it.
 
guns_and_labs said:
I'm not sure what a "bushcraft" knife has to do, but I recently purchased one of these to use while hunting. I tried it out on my last deer hunt. It certainly functioned well, and it's nice steel, but for some reason didn't skin as well as I expected, or as well as my usual Dozier. I suspect that it needs to be sharpened differently, perhaps with a sharper bevel and/or not quite a mirror finish edge.

It won't chop, if that's part of bushcraft. And it probably won't stab well, if you're planning on hunting with it. Everything else, it's good to go.
Click to expand...

Since you mentioned a "sharper bevel" I wanted to make sure you were aware this is a convex edge knife. Sharpening it like a beveled knife could boogar up the edge very badly. I prefer convex for just about everything-except skinning. Haven't found anything yet to outperform my Dozier master skinner in that category.
 
G'day Esav

Esav Benyamin said:
.....I have an H1, which is also not the best for bushcraft, but it's better than the PHK: shorter blade, better control of the tip.
Click to expand...
As I've used the H1 for nearly 6 years for bushcraft, I've got to disagree with this one :D

Admittedly I've thinned the convex profile a little, but IMO it is an excellent bushcraft knife :thumbup::thumbup:

With regards to a 5mm thick blade being too thick to slice wood, have a look at the video of it being used to form the handle of a spoon from rock hard seasoned Aussie hardwood :thumbup:

[youtube]Txx_gr7-RPI[/youtube]

As has already been noted, its' handle is very comfortable in extended use. The handle fills the hand and for me it allows a full four finger grip. IMO this is a very important feature of a bushcraft knife.

About the only thing it's not good at is chopping (too small & light). But since I carry a hatchet, this is not an issue for me.




Kind regards
Mick
 
SouthernCross said:
As has already been noted, its' handle is very comfortable in extended use. The handle fills the hand and for me it allows a full four finger grip. IMO this is a very important feature of a bushcraft knife.
Click to expand...

Some of that is personal -- I don't really like rubber handles.
Some of it is physical -- the handle is just barely long enough for me.
 
kycolonel said:
Since you mentioned a "sharper bevel" I wanted to make sure you were aware this is a convex edge knife. Sharpening it like a beveled knife could boogar up the edge very badly. I prefer convex for just about everything-except skinning. Haven't found anything yet to outperform my Dozier master skinner in that category.
Click to expand...

Thank you, I was not aware of that. I'm glad I didn't act on my impulse. I'd better do some homework on convex edges before I start making judgements or adjustments.
 
gun and labs,
Thinning down a convexed blade will not "boogar" it up, it's a matter of flattening the radius of the convex and works very well. Not to be confused with putting the knife in a jigged sharpener and putting flat angled bevels on it. I have both the H1 and PHK, both have been thinned or "refined" from factory grinds per the way I use the knives, more bushcraft than hunting. The H1 is my favorite and the PHK is still being evaluated. Everyone has fixed opinions on what a bushcraft knife is, but I haven't found much that the H1 can't do...chopping being the obvious exception. If you like the extra length go for the PHK, it does help a bit with batoning.
 
Stickman said:
gun and labs,
Thinning down a convexed blade will not "boogar" it up, it's a matter of flattening the radius of the convex and works very well. Not to be confused with putting the knife in a jigged sharpener and putting flat angled bevels on it.
Click to expand...

Well, since my "standard" for skinning and game work is the Dozier, and Dozier uses a 15 degree bevel, I was thinking of changing the PHK's bevel to 15 degrees and working from there with the Edgepro. Will that be too extreme of a change for a convex edge? Or should I stick with a strop/mousepad approach?
 
If you take down a convex edge with an Edgepro, it will no longer be a convex edge. For your purposes, it may be a better edge. Before you do anything that extreme, I suggest stropping to get it really sharp, and seeing what it will do for you. A stropped convex edge is very easy to maintain in the field.
 
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