Knife for B.O.S.S.

[kayak-man]

I'm planning on taking the Boulder Outdoor Survival School 28 day field course, and am in the market for a GOOD knife. Here's my problem: I really like what I've read about the Rat Cutlery RC5/ ESEE5, and I think that it would be a good knife. I haven't been able to find anything bad written about it. I subscribe to the idea of sharpened prybar instead of a thin razor, and it has a lifetime warranty. It seems like it should be a great knife for 28 days in the middle of no and where, with very little gear. BUT...

But B.O.S.S. recommends a Mora Bushcraft. Logic dictates that I should take the knife that the instructors recommend. Its also a lot cheaper. as in a fifth of the price cheaper... but I'm still willing to spend the cash on a good knife. My gut feeling is that there might be a few tasks that a Mora would be able to accomplish more easily, but that the ESEE 5 is the better knife. I know that the ESEE 5 is tougher than the Mora, but is there anything that the Mora can do that you can't with an ESEE5? Has anyone here broken either of these knives? anyone taken the B.O.S.S. field course that could give me some guidance?

Thanks for all your help.

 

[hso]

A sharpened pry bar is a poor substitute for a knife you can easily make tools and traps with. Read up on what the B.O.S.S course is going to teach you and then think about which knife is going to do the better job at those tasks.

Also, consider that the course isn't likely to recommend some expensive knife that costs as much as the course. It would be a barrier to people getting a good knife.

"better" depends upon what the knife is intended for. There is no one knife that does it all, but the knife that allows you to make a wide range of primitive tools is better than one that tries to be all those tools and doesn't do a great job of any of them.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Scandinavian Blades

. . . recommends a Mora Bushcraft.

And, on balance, I would say that something from the Mora stables would serve you well.

A browse around Ragweed Forge will expose you to plenty of Scandinavian variants, covering a whole range of prices.

If I were shopping for a knife to be used in your application, I might well go for something like the Bushcraft. I own the precursor, the Mora 2000 (shown on this page, about halfway down. Actually, I own a few. The unusual grind gives an edge that does tomatoes with ease and is strong enough for camping and hunting.

The Bushcraft Triflex is also attractive, having a conventional Scandi grind and a quite durable (and sharp) blade.


Now, if the idea of getting real quality for a mere $20 or $30 really bothers you, there's always the Helle line of knives, and the Brusletto pieces. And, hey, don't forget Finland; there's some good stuff from there, too.

Me, I also like Marttiini knives, but Ragnar doesn't carry those.


Oh, yes, you can certainly spend a lot more and, actually, if you snoop around Ragnar's site, you can blow a hundred or more on a good knife without a problem.


I hope you find this excess of data to be of some use.

 

[kayak-man]

That was very helpful. I think I'm still trying to overcome that machismo of "I want a knife that can cut through x number of...."

hso, your last paragraph brought up a good point: I've forgotten that the great thing about knives is that they allow you to make other tools.

I'm going on a kayaking/camping trip next month. I think that might be a good trial run for a Mora Bushcraft.

Thanks guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[hso]

I don't want you to discount the ESEE 5 out of hand. Just be sure that you look at what the course needs and get the best knife you can afford to take. The 5 (or 4) is less a sharpened pry bar than many others out there and it may be the better knife for your use. Just be sure to evaluate with an eye to it's uses.

 

[The Highlander]

I think a Fallkniven would probably fit the bill.

 

[shrpshn]

ESEE Knives are my favorite knives; but, for the price, you cannot beat a Mora. You can buy several for the price of a ESEE.

The MORAs are relatively light, and if you lose one in a spill, you still have backup. They will serve you well without a great outlay of cash, and do most everything you require of them.

Just my 2 cents.

John

 

[SeanSw]

You can't beat a Mora for the money. I have a Bushcraft Force 4 1/4". $30 in ammo won't last 30 minutes but the knife could last a lifetime. The only thing I don't like are the non-traditional looks, but I couldn't justify the cost to replace the triple digit Puuko that was lost on a motorcycle trip.

Makes me a little weepy to think about some guy finding the knife that I bought as a kid earning $4.25/hr shoveling manure.

 

[JShirley]

There are several Spydercos I would like for this type mission. One is the Woodlander. New Graham has ONE in stock left, for an incredible $100!

 

[kayak-man]

I'm going to Email BOSS today to try and get a better idea of what exactly I shoudl expect my knife to be able to do, and what skills I'll need to use my knife for.

I really do like the ESEE5, and I feel like it may be the knife that I take with me on excursions to the middle of no where, but I'm getting the feeling that the Mora is a better knife for BOSS, because I think they may do a lot more fine knife use instead of stuff that relies on gross motor skills.

Untill I get a reply from the folks at BOSS, is there anything you can do with a Mora that you can't do with a ESEE5? Vis-versa? Anyone here ever broken a Mora? Broken an ESEE5?

 

[rcmodel]

"better" depends upon what the knife is intended for.

For me at least, one requirement any survival knife must have, is the ability to sharpen it in the field without needing jigs & diamond hones.

Many of the hi-dollar knives are of such exotic grades of steel, tempered so hard, that you need a machine shop to put an edge back on them.

One thing about the good old K-Bar that made it so good all these years is, you could sharpen it on a flat rock if that's all you had to sharpen it with.

As for the "sharp pry-bar" they call a knife?
It isn't a good knife, and it isn't a good prybar either.

If you break any belt knife, you are abusing it by doing something stupid with it you could have better done with an entrenching tool or hatchet or multitool, or even an oak stick.

rc

 

[The Highlander]

I'm going to Email BOSS today to try and get a better idea of what exactly I shoudl expect my knife to be able to do, and what skills I'll need to use my knife for.

I really do like the ESEE5, and I feel like it may be the knife that I take with me on excursions to the middle of no where, but I'm getting the feeling that the Mora is a better knife for BOSS, because I think they may do a lot more fine knife use instead of stuff that relies on gross motor skills.

Untill I get a reply from the folks at BOSS, is there anything you can do with a Mora that you can't do with a ESEE5? Vis-versa? Anyone here ever broken a Mora? Broken an ESEE5?

Hence my fallkniven recommendation. They have some blades similar in size to the ESEE, but with a narrower blade more akin to the mora.

 

[hso]

The ESEE 3 and 4 are right at the sweet spot for "camp" knives.

The 5 is 1/4" thick and at the upper limit of what I consider a practical camp knife.

I do not like any of them with the "standard" pommel since the pointy tip can gouge pretty badly if carried on the belt. The "modified" pommel is rounded and minimizes this.

Their molle back gear pouches for sheaths are pretty good for putting a "altoids" tin survival kit on the sheath.

The Mora Bushcraft is a well regarded knife as is the Falkniven Pilot.

Usually forgotten because he's only been making hard use knives for 30 years is Ray Ennis's Entrek knives. http://www.ennis-entrekusa.com/Specials.htm I've abused one of Ray's knives for over a decade and while you can pay a lot more for a knife it's hard to get a better one than an Entrek.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

I have a Mora and I love it. It is military surplus.