big bushcraft knife, recommendations?

[teef]

hello woodsy folk, i'm wondering what you all might recommend as a good, sturdy bushwacking knife.

i've got an 11 inch bowie that my father made for himself ages ago and it's pretty much perfect BUT he's no longer with us and i'm not keen on risking haven that taken away by some over-eager police officer so ... i'm looking around for a good replacement, something good in the bush but that i can say "goodbye" to without too much heartbreak if it comes to that.

so what am i looking for? something that is good for chopping brush and branches, battoning firewood and splitting kindling, and general camp-side construction.

• long enough blade to work as a decent machete. something around 25-35cm would be about perfect.
• thick enough to have some nice chopping weight. 4mm minimum i'd guesstimate.
• full tang to take a beating and have no issues with it.
• (probably) stainless to keep the general maintenance worries to a minimum.
• anything over £100 is going to be tough to say goodbye to.

these are the kinds of things that appeal to me but have one drawback or another that makes them not an obvious choice. also, nice to post a little eye candy.

the John Nowill British Pattern Survival Knife. design is almost spot on but at 17cm the blade is way too short. if the blade was 10cm longer it would be a shoe-in:

the Condor Hudson Bay (large). pretty close but the blade is a tad short at 20cm:

the Rough Rider Highland Bowie. pretty good actually, some reservations about the overly "combat" look to it. nice price though (£55):

the Winchester Large Bowie. i like the look of this knife, blade is a bit short at 21cm but at £35 it's a serious option nevertheless:

the Ontario Bushcraft Woodsman. possibly the closest to ideal i've seen thus far but a bit over budget (£105) and ever so slightly short at 23cm:

the Condor Moonshiner. another close-to-perfect option, only quibble is the 23cm blade is a tad under-sized:

another Condor, the Solobolo. pushes the budget at £99 and the blade is a bit short at 20cm:

and for sheer beauty the Boker Arbolito El Gigante. at £150 it's too expensive but man what a nice looking knife! ever so slightly short at 23.5cm:

 

[Ystranc]

Martindale Bolo is a great big cheap chopping tool built to be abused but they don't keep a great edge (tough flexible steel rather than hard steel) or if you fancy another Bowie type knife the world is your oyster with loads to choose from.

 

[teef]

i'd certainly considered the Martindale but the idea of losing that edge so easily doesn't much appeal. i think i'd also had some concerns that it would be well suited to battoning given that the blade is a little on the thinner side (IIRC).

i should add that if anyone has experience with any of these knives -- or similar for that matter -- i'd be keen to hear about it.

 

[Ystranc]

I have one and it's great for battoning, if anything the blade is a little thick and benefits from thinning down on the leading edge. I have more agricultural tools like bill hooks and slashers for chopping at stuff and to be truthful they're much more effective than knives.

 

[teef]

that's a good point. i've got a cheapo billhook and i find it a surprisingly good bush tool. i have found that the beak of it gets in the way sometimes when you're doing smaller, knife-like things with it but then it was never designed for that kind of thing so no fault on its part. maybe i should grind off the beak a bit and give that a go. something to think about.

 

[Ystranc]

that's a good point. i've got a cheapo billhook and i find it a surprisingly good bush tool. i have found that the beak of it gets in the way sometimes when you're doing smaller, knife-like things with it but then it was never designed for that kind of thing so no fault on its part. maybe i should grind off the beak a bit and give that a go. something to think about.

There are different patterns with a strait edge or double edge

 

[1 shot willie]

@teef

We have a friend of the forum who sells all types and kinds of knives.......Jorge @ "Hunting and knives".

I have added a link to some possibles that may or may not fit the bill and suit your needs and budget.

If anything appeals......worth giving them a ring and mention you are a member of the LITW forum to secure a discount.

Machetes | Buy your High Quality Machete Knife

Buy machettes Online at Hunting and knives. Shop the Largest Online Selection of Machete Knife, hunting machetes, Survival machetes, garden machetes, bushcraft machetes, tactical machetes; survival machetes and more. ✅ High Quality Machete ✅ Buy your machete cheap at the best price

www.huntingandknives.co.uk

Hope is helpful to you.

 

[Ark79]

A bit different to the conventional bushy knife , but what about a large butchers knife ? Designed for rugged use and Most will hold an edge and it’s no bigy if you lose it, just a thought

 

[teef]

There are different patterns with a strait edge or double edge

yes indeed. this is the one i've got:

 

[38thfoot]

Another vote for a bill hook for heavy work coupled with a small knife for the detailed fine work.

38

 

[teef]

... but what about a large butchers knife ? ...

wow! that's certainly thinking outside of the box, as they say.
my experience with butcher's knifes is that they're usually fairly thin in the blade but a quick search showed that this is not always the case. so yeah, the right one might just do the trick.

 

[teef]

Another vote for a bill hook for heavy work coupled with a small knife for the detailed fine work.

38

that's making a lot of sense. largely because i'd have a small belt knife with me anyway, never leave without one, so in a way you could say we're half way there already.

i need to get a sheath on that billhook of mine so there's less reason to reach for something else when i'm packing up to head out.

 

[Ark79]

wow! that's certainly thinking outside of the box, as they say.
my experience with butcher's knifes is that they're usually fairly thin in the blade but a quick search showed that this is not always the case. so yeah, the right one might just do the trick.

It’s not something you will bother to much about losing

 

[saxonaxe]

Have you considered buying a ready made blade of a length/shape to suit you and then fitting your own handle?

Lauri blade, some old brass from a door finger plate and a piece of very old Honey Suckle. About £30 + time.

 

[Ark79]

Ooooh knife porn a really like that sax

Good idea mate , always thinking making something is better than buying it hole

 

[Joecole]

i'd certainly considered the Martindale but the idea of losing that edge so easily doesn't much appeal. i think i'd also had some concerns that it would be well suited to battoning given that the blade is a little on the thinner side (IIRC).

i should add that if anyone has experience with any of these knives -- or similar for that matter -- i'd be keen to hear about it.

The Martindale gollock as used by the military would be a good choice however as Mike said it doesn't hold a good edge. One possibility would be to take the scales off then find a good black Smith and see if the metal can be hardened

 

[Ystranc]

yes indeed. this is the one i've got:

View attachment 31974

I have one like that somewhere, it has just enough weight and takes a razor sharp edge from a shepherd steel. A brilliant bit of kit.

 

[teef]

Have you considered buying a ready made blade of a length/shape to suit you and then fitting your own handle?

that's certainly something i'd be into if i could find a suitable blade.

somewhat related, i like the idea of trying to put a better edge holding temper into the Golok. they say it's Carbon Steel so maybe ...

or just buy a piece of 1075 or somesuch and take that route. a basic blade like the Golok should present no particular challenge in terms of roughing out the shape and giving it a decent edge.

nice little knife Sax, good on you.

 

[teef]

or just buy a piece of 1075 or somesuch and take that route. a basic blade like the Golok should present no particular challenge in terms of roughing out the shape and giving it a decent edge.

hmm, priced out the steel, roughly £15 depending (of course) on how ambitious one wants to get.
on the other hand you can get the Martindale Golok or Paratrooper for around £40.
becomes a question of expediency, time or money? as it ever was.

for me, for now, i think the Martindale route sounds pretty sensible, especially when you add a good belt knife which i'll always have anyway.
or i might just give the billhook a decent sheath and stick with that for now.
if and when i decide i want a more refined bushwacking/campcraft tool then there are obviously good options to pursue.

thank you for your input gents, i do believe that's "problem solved".

 

[Ystranc]

A couple of pictures of my old slimmed down Martindale bolo, a great bit of kit as long as you're well away from public places and PC Keen