The perfect knife?
Shawn Sullivan
So I think I found the perfect knife...
The Morakniv Garberg carbon steel!
1. It’s full tang
-this is pretty standard with survival knives nowadays, but a pretty big step for Morakniv. Obviously, if the handle breaks you can re-wrap it with paracord or new scales.
2. Carbon steel
- Easier to sharpen than stainless, makes sparks with flint/quartz and ferrocerium rods. With a little maintenance and care they won’t rust.
3. Scandinavian Grind
- I’ve really tried everything that’s out there. They all have their pros and cons. Flat grinds cut meat the best, but are more prone to chip. Convex (same grind as an axe) is the strongest, but difficult to do any fine carving. This Scandinavian grind is a good balance and works well for skinning and carving. The edge holds up to some significant abuse, and is also very easy to find the sharpening angle. The shape of this knife also makes it more acceptable for skinning game than a long pointed knife, yet more multi-functional than a proprietary skinning knife.
4. Over 4” long
- Dave Canterbury requires 5”+ for his pathfinder class, but I really think 4 inches is acceptable for a belt knife when you carry the right combo of tools. George Washington Sears carried a small folding knife, a skinning/carving knife, and a small double bit hatchet. I think his method works. Also, a 4 inch blade is far more likely to end up on your hip more often than a huge knife, being there when you need it. With that being said, try not to go more than 6 inches. When you go out in the woods, take the hatchet or axe. I don’t see the need for 12 inch knives, 1/4 inch thick, for batoning down entire redwoods (I don’t like batoning anyways, it ruins knives and makes my axe lonely). I have definitely owned those giant knives, but there was never a time when I couldn’t just grab my axe as well and leave that big Schrade knife at camp.
5. 1/8” thick at the spine
- I think this is the magic number. I own some thin skinning knives, some 1/4” thick hunks of metal, and some amazing heavy duty model Jeff White knives at 3/16”. 1/8” just seems to be the best thickness for a multi purpose knife.
6. 90 degree spine, and striker on the pommel.
- The spine is ground to a perfect 90 degrees, which allows for some extra uses. You can shave down sticks for fine wood shavings, strike flint or quartz rocks, and spark ferro rods. The steel on the pommel part of the knife fits this same purpose. All of these tasks can be completed without messing up the edge on your blade. (Never strike a ferro rod or flint on your blade!)
Now let me also make clear that my own personal uses for my belt knife include: meat processing, wood carving, rope cutting, plant harvesting, etc.
I use my axe or hatchet for chopping wood and animal bones... not my knife! (Cool fact: George Washington Sears carried a double bladed hatchet. One edge was thicker and more blunted for cutting tree knots and bones. The other edge was thinner and sharp for cutting clear timber and meat if needed)
My folding knife is more for small tasks like twine or string, cutting my steaks, very fine wood carving, etc.
This knife may not be perfect for everyone’s specific needs & intended uses. As for myself and many others into bushcraft/survival, it’s the knife of our dreams!
PS- The molle mounting system is pretty cool too. You can quickly switch the sheath from your belt, to a secure fit on your pack.
Respectfully,
Preacher
