Choosing a Bushcraft Knife

Knives are a subject that every outdoorsman, bushcrafter, and hunter love to talk about. Everyone has their favourite type of knife, material, and blade.

A large percentage of knife knowledge isn’t actually knowledge. Especially when it comes to the internet. The chest-beating holier-than-thou know-it-alls will sing their opinion like birds in the morning, and put down anyone’s opinion who is different than theirs. Unfortunately this behaviour will often deter the new person, or help them establish negative attitudes towards blades that are otherwise useful.

This article will talk about metal types and knife types based on fact, with little opinion.

Metal Types

There are two broad categories of metal that knives are generally made from. Stainless Steel, and High Carbon Steel. Like all things related to knives there are literally hundreds of subsets of each material. From 420 Stainless, 440 Stainless, to Die 2 Carbon Steel and 1219 Carbon. Each steel has it’s own individual properties and varied uses. This article will not get into specific details of each steel type as for the beginner, there may not be a lot of difference seen.

Carbon Steel:
Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content up to 2.1% by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states:

• Steel is classified to be carbon steel when:
• No minimum content is specified or required for chromium, cobalt, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, zirconium, or any other element to be added to obtain a desired alloying effect;
• The specified minimum for copper does not exceed 0.40 percent;
• The maximum content specified for any of the following elements does not exceed the percentages noted: manganese 1.65, silicon 0.60, copper 0.60.[1]
• The term “carbon steel” may also be used in reference to steel which is not stainless steel; in this use carbon steel may include alloy steels.

Why It’s preferred for a knife:

Carbon steels are slightly softer steel which makes much easier to sharpen than stainless steel. This is especially important out in the field where you might not have a fancy sharpener system in your pack. A carbon steel blade can be quickly touched up on a diamond rod or wet stone. Carbon steels are also thought of as being able to provide a greater spark when using flint, chert, or ferro rods for fire starting. Carbon steel being slightly softer has a greater chance of bending, rather than breaking under hard use and abuse.

Why It’s not that great:

Carbon steel will rust significantly faster than stainless steel. If you get your carbon steel blade wet, and put it away in a leather sheath it will rust quickly and need refurbishment. Long term storage of carbon steel blades also requires oiling to prevent rust. If you live in a wet, coastal or rainforest environment carbon steel will rust away quickly without constant care.

Stainless Steel

In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French inoxydable (inoxidizable), is a steel alloy, with a minimum of 11% chromium content by mass and a maximum of 1.2% carbon by mass.

Stainless steels are most noted for their corrosion resistance, which increases with increasing chromium content. Additions of molybdenum increases corrosion resistance in reducing acids and against pitting attack in chloride solutions. There are numerous grades of stainless steel with varying chromium and molybdenum contents to suit the environment. Resistance to corrosion and staining, low maintenance, and familiar luster make stainless steel an ideal material for many applications where both the strength of steel and corrosion resistance are required. Stainless steel is usually a harder metal than carbon steel.

Why it’s preferred for a knife:

As the name suggests, stainless steel doesnt rust or stain nearly as fast as carbon steels. As shown in the video, the knives stainless steel knives bought for our bushcraft school in 2013 show no visible wear. The carbon steel knives show several rust patches from general neglect. “I want my tools to take care of me, not the other way around” is what is often stated by those who prefer stainless steel knives. The harder steel may also be an advantage as it will not wear out as fast as carbon steel. If you live in a salt water, or wet coastal rainforest environment stainless steel is a great choice. Knives for scuba divers are almost always stainless steel.

Why it’s not that great:

Stainless steel is a often a very hard steel. Hard steels are very challenging to sharpen in the feild with simple tools such as sharpening stones. Hard steels are often brittle, meaning they can’t take as much overall abuse as carbon knives and tend to break rather then bend.

Basic Knife Types:

Full Tang knife: Knife blade starts at the tip and ends at the butt. Inherently stronger blade for hard use.

Rat Tang Knife: Knife starts at the tip and ends at the hilt. The knife blade then changes into a metal rod where the handle is fastened. Many options for attractive handles, but slightly less strength under hard use than full tang knives. This is one of the most common knife types.

Partial Tang: Seen in knives like the Mora Knife from Sweden, the blade ends at the hilt and becomes a jagged bar. The handle is then attached to the jagged bar and only goes part way through the handle. If done correctly, these knives are very good and rarely have any issues if used properly. Less abuse tolerant than other blades.

Folding: The weakest of blades. Two knife components – blade and handle held together with a small metal pin. If the pin brakes, the knife is significantly less useful. Very safe knife to carry as when folded there is little chance of injury. Significantly less safe knife to use as if the mechanism holding the blade open fails, the knife can cause great injury.