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A couple years ago I picked up the Jeff White English Trade Knife and the Jeff White Patch Knife as a more traditional kit with the English trade being my belt knife and the Patch knife being the neck knife of choice. I only used these two in tandem for a very short time and then moved on to the Battle Horse PLSK1 and Short Trail Combo. The English Trade knife was used by my buddy Jeremy Moran for the majority of deer season last year for processing five deer (gut, skin, quarter and further process) and I used the patch knife a good bit for processing fishing and small game last fall. Overall I really like both knives but thought they were a little on the thin side for long-term self reliance so I ended up replacing them with thicker knives. Both make good secondary knives and both are great for skinning and game processing but for heavy-duty wood processing are just a little thin, especially when you want to process wet oak or locust. The tip on these knives gets much thinner at the tip than it is at the spine at the handle. So without belaboring the subject too much below is my video review of the two knife kit (Here is a direct link incase the image doesn't work for you- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v1uKwS9jWw).
The English Trade Knife is an extremely nice representation of a 18th Century English Trade
Knife. Hand crafted by a very skilled knife maker, Jeff White. This
about as light & tough of a knife as you can get for this amazing
price of $45.00 plus sheath!
Features:
Replica 18th Century English Trade knife
High carbon steel blade (ANSI 1095) hardened to Rockwell 59 (HRC 58-60)
Blade is 5 ¼”long, 1 ¼” wide, and 3/32” (0.094”) thick
Full tang knife with flat ground durable blade edge
Nicely figured, hand-finished red stained curly maple handle secured with three brass pins
The blade is left with the forging scales on the sides.
Sheath available as an optional purchase
Life Time warranty on the blade
The Patch Knife is a handmade here in the U.S.A. using the same high-quality techniques and
materials as our other Jeff White knives, This little beauty is perfect
for the kitchen or the field. 3-1/2” blade.
Features:
Hi-Carbon (ANSI 1095) steel that Rockwell
Hardness Tests at 59 (HRC 58-60)
Blade s 3 1/2" long, 1" wide, 3/32" thick
Full tang knife with flat ground durable blade edge
Brass pins
The blade is left with the forging scales on the sides
Sheath available as an optional purchase
Life Time warranty on the blade
I have a few carry options for both knives but seem to have a love for scout carry sheaths these days and that love started with the English Trade Knife. I used to use the patch knife as a neck knife but found it was too large for that type of carry and thus its eventual removal from my neck knife carry.
As you can see in the video and the picture above these knives are heavy-duty enough withstand batoning, but wet oak and locust make the blade flex a little more than I would have liked thus why I didn't include either knife as a primary survival knife option. Both are great for fine wood carving and also for processing game due to that same flexibility so when pairing it with a more heavy-duty option it will serve you well.
Both knives have excellent edge retention and can get hair popping sharp with a Lanskey tactical rod or river stone paired with stropping. I would put them up against just about any other knife I have ever used for fine carving, so look no further if you seek a razor sharp knife that is easy to maintain in the field.
Conclusions:
Jeff White puts out some excellent blades and the these two are no exception. While they are a little thin at the tip for my liking, especially for heavy use. The knives are exceptional for processing game and fine carving as I stated above and in the video; honestly, there are very few knives in my kit which have processed as many animals as these two combined so when I say they are great at processing game that is exactly what they are.
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On Tuesday July 14th at 9pm Eastern I will have James Wahls from Indy Hammered Knives on my weekly radio show to talk about his knife making process, his business model, product line and to answer your questions about his products! If you would like to listen to the show you can do so online (CLICK HERE- http://prepperbroadcasting.com/the-7-ps-of-survival/), you can ask your questions in the chat room or please feel free to call in (347)202-0228
(press 1) - to ask your questions live on the air with us! Either way we hope to hear from you Tuesday Night!
Now lets review a knife! This is the first knife I have reviewed that didn't meet all ten criteria I have in place for a one tool option, yet it has became one of my favorite knifes to use and will without a doubt see more than it's fair share of time on the trap line and at deer camp! The lack of a spear point is the only characteristic it lacks, yet the choil on the front is plenty sharp enough to be used to make a bow drill starter hole or in some cases a very wide hole drill. To combat the lack of a spear point I merely have to carry my BHK Short Trail (See My Review Here-LINK) or place a spear point into my kit (I have a ready man card in my Micro 10 C's Kit that has several spear points on it). So what do I get by giving up that spear point with this knife? 1) Meat Cleaver, 2) Survival Knife; 3) Draw Knife, 4) Chopper, 5) Pry Bar, 6) Flat Head Screw Driver, 7) Carving Knife and 8) Razor sharp durable edge. If you're ready to pull the trigger on this knife already you can do so on the Indy Hammered Knives Webpage (http://ihknives.com/products/the-bush-cleaver). The knife I reviewed in the video below has the following options: 1) Amboyna Scales; 2) Dangler Sheath; 3) Lanyard; and 4) Matching beads (mine were upgraded further to include pace bears- contact him for pricing on the additional beads). So lets dig into the actual review video and let me show you how this great knife performs for field use.
IHK Bush Cleaver Video Review:
Need A Survival Knife? Try one From The Links Below:
Indy Hammered Knives not only puts out some of the best products on
the market but they also give back to those less fortunate in the
community: Every wool blanket they sell they purchase and donate a
matching wool blanket to someone who is homeless or in need. They plan
to employ people that might not otherwise have a chance to find
meaningful and rewarding employment as they grow. The company also gives
back to customers as each week they give away a knife to one of the
customers who bought a knife the preceding week. The company also states
that 10% of the profits will always go to God first and anytime we can
assist someone with finding secure housing that needs it, we will
assist. Indy Hammered Knives is a place where things are made with value,
with our hands and the talent that God gave us. Each knife is hand
crafted from start to finish…..from the forge to the grinder, each is
hammered, shaped and the edge is ever so perfectly hand ground to reach
the sharpest edge a knife can have. The handles are expertly shaped, of
course, by hand bringing out the delicate and beautiful details of the
material used that often times gets lost in mainstream manufacturing of
knives. Here is a little additional information about how James makes his knives! http://ihknives.com/p/how-they-are-made
Basic Specifications:
10" Overall
5" Sharpened Edge
1 7/8" Wide Blade
3/16" Thick full tang hand forged
1095 High Carbon Steel
90 Degree Sharpened Spine
Convex Grind
Brass Mosaic Pin with company logo and a solid brass lanyard tube
Amboyna Burl Handle Scales
Custom IHK leather dangler sheath
Price $149.99 with no add-on's; $173.99 w/ all Options.
Evaluation of The knife Based on My Survival Knife Specifications (LINK):
Fits Hand Comfortably In All Positions: This knife was build for comfort, function, abuse and to just flat out look awesome! As you saw in the video I held the knife in each position which I plan to use it and this knife is without a doubt the most comfortable knife I have held in a very long time. The unique design of the scales provide the perfect thumb placement for the most control over the knife when doing a wide variety of tasks. The added control is great when using it as a spoke shave or as a draw knife but when doing fine carving it provides the most control of the knife possible. The Amboyna Burl scales work well and still hold a good bit of tackiness when wet to allow maximum control of the knife in all weather conditions.
Manageable Blade Length 4.3"-6.75": This knife has a 5" sharpened straight edge with a Convex grind. This design allows for much easier field sharpening without the curvature of a spear point. While the lack of a spear point hampers this knife as a one tool option it does make this knife so much easier to maintain while not taking away something that I can't makeup by adding a backup knife or a spear point to my carry. While I have been a huge proponent of the Scandinavian grind due to its ease of sharpening but the convex grind on this knife has really won me over. The edge retention is off the charts and it is fairly easy to field sharpen and strop just using the leather sheath.
Solid/Flat Pommel: The pommel is rounded but with the heavier blade and the full tang knife make it easy to crush nuts, hammer tent stakes and generally fulfill the needs of a hammer if it were a one-tool only scenario. The pommel reminds me of the BHK PLSK1 in design and function and performs just as well doing field tasks.
One Cutting Edge w/ No Serrations: This blade obviously has no serrations making it ideal for processing large fire wood via batoning and easy to field sharpen. The convex grind has retained paper cutting sharpness after a month of use in the kitchen and in the field and has been one of the best blades for edge retention that I have ever tested.
Sharp 90 Degree Edge on Spine: The spine of this knife is quite sharp, as you can see in the video above removed a great deal of fat wood and also tinder material by scraping and was easily able to light those scrapings and shavings with a few ferro rod strikes (would have been one had I practiced a little more with a ferro rod prior to doing this video). This spine can easily be used as a spokes shave is needed as it is that sharp of an edge.
High Carbon Steel: The Bush Cleaver is hand forged high carbon 1095 steel. Unfortunately, I was out minimalist camping with just my EDC Bag (See It's Contents Here- LINK) and forgot to bring my flint/steel kit. After about and hour of looking for flint to no avail (not my normal camp spot) I gave up and decided I would do a flint/steel test this coming trapping season. The mere composition of the knife tells me that I will be able to make a flint/steel fire if needed but like always never trust something until you have done it yourself.
Sharp/Spear Point: This is the one aspect of the knife that doesn't meet my one-tool option criteria. While this is one of the easiest to make up for by carrying a secondary knife or a spear point the choil adds so many options to how you can use the knife it makes up for what you have to give up ten fold.
The ability to have a safe and controllable draw knife, pry bar, screw driver and hand hold make this one of the best design features.
Heavy Duty Sheath w/ Ferro Rod Loop: This Dangler sheath is a thing of beauty! While it does not have a ferro rod loop the sheath can easily be changed out for one which has a ferro rod loop. This knife fits well into my PLSK1 and Jeff White Bush HD sheaths so there is the ability to interchange as needed to fit the specific mission.
1/8" to 3/16" Blade Thickness: This blade is 3/16" thick and is built to process food (cleaver) and wood (bush knife) during your outdoor adventure. This knife glides through firewood when batoning and is actually a joy to use for this task. All of that potential and hope I had when I saw the Habilis Bush Tool (See my review here- LINK) was finally realized in this knife. I would have never imagined that merely inverting the divot of the spine of the knife would make such a huge difference in knife performance. The knife is perfectly balanced and when batoning there is very little offset that you have to worry about.
Full Tang: This hand forged knife is ready to beat the crap out of in the woods. While this knife looks like a piece of art work it functions extremely well as a work horse in the woods. This is an extremely tough knife that I didn't have a second of reservation about putting through the paces in the woods (aside from ruining one of the best looking knives I've ever seen!)
Note On Handle Material:
Just
a little info on the handle. I love this wood and is probably my
favorite as it has so much burl and character and the finish is
absolutely all natural. No varnish or sealer, just a little danish oil
and a high polish (like all IHK knives) so this handle will look like
this 100 years from now. Amboyna
is technically not a distinct species, but is the name of the burl wood
from any of the Pterocarpus species. Most commonly this is Narra
(Pterocarpus indicus), but burl sections of Burma Padauk (Pterocarpus
macrocarpus) are also sold under the name Amboyna.
The name is derived from Ambon Island in Indonesia, where much of the
figured wood is believed to have been initially exported.
Amboyna is among the most expensive and sought-after of all burls, and
is frequently sold as veneer or as small turning/craft blanks. Some
suppliers specify “Red Amboyna” for material with the typical rich
reddish brown heartwood, or “Golden Amboyna” for pieces with lighter
yellowish brown coloration. It’s not unusual for pieces to contain
sharply contrasting yellowish sapwood.
Amboyna is commonly used for fine furniture, turned objects, electric
guitar tops, knife/gun grips, and other small specialty wood items. Amboyna has become a rarity that is very scarce and is even difficult to
obtain in veneer form in America. The wood is dense and course making
it difficult to work and finish. Despite the shortcomings of the
workability of this species it turns satisfactorily and takes a nice
high polish. Amboyna is The World’s most popular and sought after burl
thus leading to a short supply.
Conclusions:
Indy Hammered Knives has put out yet another amazing product at an astounding price point. You get a hand forged knife with hand-made leather sheath, lanyard, toughness of the BHK PLSK1 and 10x the utility of the Halabis bush tool all at a price point that is half of its competitors. This knife brings so much to the table and if you are a trapper, hunter, chef or generally just a lover of all things outdoors this knife brings something to the table that many other simply can't offer. The versatility of this knife is off the charts and the more I use it and the more time I have it in my hands the more I fall in love with the knife. The Bush Cleaver has solidified it place in my kit for trapping season and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great new knife!
Be sure to join us each Tuesday night at
9pm Eastern Time on American Preppers Network's: Prepper Broadcasting
Network for the 7 P's Survival Radio Show (http://prepperbroadcasting.com/the-7-ps-of-survival/).
If you have a suggestion for a show topic or know someone who would
like to be a guest then please feel free to contact me by email (joshsemailfilter-7psblog@yahoo.com).
Have something
outdoor/bushcraft/trapping/preparedness/hiking/camping/fishing/hunting related
you want me to make a post about? Leave me a comment and I will see what I can
do! As always feel free to leave your questions and comment below! Also if you
enjoy the blog please vote for us on the following websites to help us reach a
wider audience:
This is the first of several articles on secondary/back-up/utility knives and I thought it was fitting that the first knife reviewed would be the Blind Horse Knives Short Trail Limited Edition. This knife has been used to light nearly every fire that you see on this blog and is on my person nearly 24/7.This is one of the 100 limited edition versions made and is one of a kind as it has green micarta scales instead of the natural micarta scales from the original batch.
Lets get this started with a breakdown of the knifes specifications:
$80.00 Purchase Price w/ Sheath
Overall Length: 5 inches Sharpened edge:2 inches Handle: 5 ¼ inches 1/8 inch O1 tool steel Full flat grind
Green micarta scales
So what do I look for in a secondary/back-up/utility knives?
Essentially the above video says everything I'm essentially looking for but here is a recap: 1) Meets Mission Specific Needs: Does it need to be stainless for a water or ocean based trip a filet knife or machete for jungle based trip; 2) Extremely sharp and easy to sharpen in the field; 3) Easy to carry so that you will not leave it behind; 4) Able to make fire if your primary survival knife is taken out of commission (i.e. 90 degree spine and high carbon steel); 5) Able to process small game; and 6) Fit your hand well for each task you wish to perform.
Need A Neck Knife, Try One Of These
What Can the BHK Short Trail Do? Watch My Review Below
I simply can't say enough good things about this little knife. While you will not be splitting any fire wood with it's 2" sharpened edge you are able to do just about every other camp task with this knife. I use it for about everything other than to baton fire wood just because it has the best edge retention of all of my knives and takes a shaving sharp edge with just a few minutes using a river rock, sand paper (see how I sharpen with this method- HERE) or a Lanskey sharpener. The Ninety degree spine on this knife is by far the sharpest of any knife I own and removes material from a ferro rod like no other! The same ninety degree spine makes easy work of tinder preparation, scraping a hide and many other uses. This knife has processes hundreds of fish, one deer and a ton of squirrels and does so with ease. The spear point has been use to make many of the starter holes for bow drill fires.
So what stands out about this knife? It is hair popping sharp and easy to maintain in the woods. This knife is always sharp enough to shave with and can make razor thin shavings for fire prep.
The knife just looks great! I got this knife from Bear Holdren over at BHK (shoot me a message and I can connect you with him if you want a custom knife) with the subdued green micarta handle scales to match my PLSK1. As you can see the knife comes with leather neck sheath with ferro rod slot on the reverse side. Everything fits together perfectly with this combo and you can hardly notice it around your neck. In the winter when I wear it over my Lester River Boreal Jacket I can't even feel the knife or its weight but it is always right there ready to work!
The most aggressive ninety degree spine of any knife I own is of course on my BHK Short Trail. Just a quick look at the picture above is enough to see that a simple scraping leaves you with some razor thin fire starting material.
Fire lay prep and fine carving isn't even a challenge for this knife. I have made several try-sticks with this knife and thousands feather sticks without issue. If you have any experience with a try-stick it is basically a way to practice most of the knife skills you will need to effect most wilderness knife tasks.
Fire Making: This knife obviously excels in this area as I have used it to achieve fire in countless weather conditions with a wide variety of tinder material. The 01 tool steel makes it work well as a flint striker, the 90 degree spine works well to remove ferro rod materials and the spear point helps you prepare friction fire sets.
Conclusions:
The Blind Horse Knives Short Trail is without a doubt my favorite secondary/back-up/utility knife, which I guess is an obvious statement as it is in nearly every post related to fire on this blog. I have used this knife nearly daily for close to two years now and it has handled every task I put before it with ease. The knife is comfortable in your hand in every single position in which you use the knife and the micarta scales get even comfortable once the material is wet. This knife is built with the highest quality materials, come razor sharp and are worth every penny that you pay for them. At $80.00 USD this knife was a steal and will last well beyond my lifetime, it is truly an heirloom quality knife!
Be sure to join us each Tuesday night at
9pm Eastern Time on American Preppers Network's: Prepper Broadcasting
Network for the 7 P's Survival Radio Show (http://prepperbroadcasting.com/the-7-ps-of-survival/).
If you have a suggestion for a show topic or know someone who would
like to be a guest then please feel free to contact me by email (joshsemailfilter-7psblog@yahoo.com).
This coming Tuesday (07/07/2015) we will have Josh "Hey Bear" Chavez on the show talking about
his experiences on History's hit new survival show ALONE! Josh is a graduate of several Pathfinder classes, a first responder, outdoorsman and much more so needless to say we have a good bit in common. I'm looking forward to asking Josh all about his experiences, reasoning behind his 10 piece kit, run ins with predators and much more. If you have a question you would like us to address please feel free to call into the show tomorrow night by calling(347)202-0228 or join us in the live chat room by logging into the show page: http://prepperbroadcasting.com/the-7-ps-of-survival/. I hope to talk to each of you tomorrow!
Have something
outdoor/bushcraft/trapping/preparedness/hiking/camping/fishing/hunting related
you want me to make a post about? Leave me a comment and I will see what I can
do! As always feel free to leave your questions and comment below! Also if you
enjoy the blog please vote for us on the following websites to help us reach a
wider audience:
I was getting ready to publish several videos in which I spoke about various knots and realized I had not demonstrated those knots on the blog so I thought I would take care of demonstrating the majority of the knots I use on a regular basis in this two part video series! As I film more knot videos you will find them on my YouTube channel (LINK - HERE) in my knots playlist. I plan to have part two of the series up by mid week next week and then I will dig into several videos concerning shelter setups (I have some future plans for articles on technical rescue evolutions that will also be highly knot dependent).
Need Some Cordage For Your Kit? Try One Of The Links Below:
Part one of the series covers the vast majority of the basic knots I use on a regular basis. Each picture below is a click-able video demonstrating the knot and talking about how use the knot on your various adventures.
Clove Hitch:
Simple Figure 8
Figure 8 On A Bite
Bowline
One Handed Bowline For Self Rescue
Slip Knot
Canadian Jam Knot
Conclusions:
A strong skill set with knots will make your outdoor adventures much easier. The phrase if you can't tie a knot, tie a lot should no longer apply time spent with cordage after reviewing this article and the next one in this series. If there is anything you need clarified or there is a specific knot you would like demonstrated please leave a comment below and I will try to make sure those questions get addressed in part two of this series.
Have something
outdoor/bushcraft/trapping/preparedness/hiking/camping/fishing/hunting related
you want me to make a post about? Leave me a comment and I will see what I can
do! As always feel free to leave your questions and comment below! Also if you
enjoy the blog please vote for us on the following websites to help us reach a
wider audience:
