The Lanksy "Puck" sharpener is a great all purpose sharpener for machetes, axes and other larger cutting tools. It has two different grit abrasive sides a coarse grit and fine grit. It is made to use in a circular motion and has enough thickness to have a firm grip and not hang you fingers over the edge of the stone, this ensures you do not run any part of you finger across the blade of the tool you are sharpening.
Common Questions About The Lanksy Sharpener:
Q: Does the puck come with directions for use?
A: It comes with some very basic directions, I recommend watching the following video which is more detailed and provides just about all the answers you need:
The military style survival knives are popular based on the rugged appeal and the publics fascination of them from military movies. With that said many of the military style survival knives are very functional blades.
Kabar Becker BK-17
The BK-17 is designed after the pilot bolt knife, it has a clip point blade with a blade length of about 4 inches. The major upgrade of the pilot bolt knife is the BK-17 is full tang, versus a stick tang. This allows the added security of a heavier duty knife.
ESEE 4
The ESEE 4 is a great knife in its own right, it too has a 4 inch blade. The ESEE 4 is full tang as well and is a well respected survival knife. This was actually the first survival style knife I bought.
Kabar Fighting Knife
This is the trademark knife you see soldiers with in the movies, they have a clip point, usually longer than 4 inch blade and they are not full tang. The older Kabar fighting knives are pretty solid but I've see a decent amount of the newer production ones break.
The Verdict
If you are going to functionality I would go with the BK-17 or ESEE 4, if you are going for that classic military look then the Kabar Fighting Knife might be the way to go (just realize its limitations).
ESEE knives is coming out with a camp-lore line of knives, they are expected to ship to retailers sometime in June 2014. There isn't a lot of information about them at the moment but there are three design pictures I have found. Be sure I will update this blog post when I have more information. (**Edit** Last I heard the Camplore line will be released some time in October**)
The first on is a scandi ground knife that looks to have a 3-4 inch blade.
Next is a camp lore knife they designed with the input of Dave Canterbury which looks to be a bigger flat ground knife ( I really like the contoured handle on this model).
The last one shown here I am not crazy about personally.
Here is a video from Shot Show, where they give some background and a live look at the RB-3 Camp-Lore knife (the one that is shown on the first picture on this page)
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The Mora Companion Survival Knife in military green color is a great low cost survival knife. Personally I own about 5 or 6 Mora knives two of which are the Mora Companion MG. They cost under $15 and come with a plastic molded sheath. Do not expect any extra bells or whistles one a knife made of respected swedish steel that will take and hold a fine edge. This knife makes a perfect backup survival knife or neck knife to use for fine tasks when your main survival knife is a big chopper like a Becker BK 9.
The More Companions blade is about 4 inches long and with about a 4 inch handle, the blade is 2.5mm thick(very thin), and it has a scandi grind which is one of the easiest grinds to maintain and keep shaving sharp. This grind works well for carving and general small knife tasks. But do not let that fool you, I have battened my Mora knives through three inch rounds of wood with no issues. You just have to pay attention to technique and avoid any knots in the wood.
If you are looking for the best survival knife sharpener check out our Fallkniven DC4 Review.
Common Questions About The Mora Companion Military Green Survival Knife:
1) Is the Mora Companion Military Green full tang?
Answer: No, the Mora Companion is only a partial tang, the plastic handle is molded over this partial tang. The tang of the knife goes about 1/2 way through the handle.
2) What is the advantages of the Mora companion carbon vs stainless steel?
Answer: The carbon steel version is great, it is easy to sharpen, durable and holds a great edge, being carbon steel it needs to be well oiled to keep from rusting. The stainless version works great, it is more resistant to tarnishing and rusting.
3) What is the advantages of the scandi grind?
Answer: The scandi grind is relatively easy to sharpen, it excels at wood carving and bushcraft type tasks.
The Fallkniven DC4 is a great sharpener that you can use at home and in the field to sharpen all of your knives. Personally I use mine to sharpen my kitchen knives as well as the knives when I am hunting or camping in the woods.
Specifications Of The DC4
The DC4 is 4 inches long and about 1 1/4 inches wide with the included leather protective sheath it weighs around 26 ounces.
The DC4 is a combination sharpening stone there is a rough grit diamond side for removing dings or major damage, followed by a ceramic side that is a fine grit for a finished edge.
Common questions people have before purchasing the Fallkniven DC4
1) Which side on the DC4 is which?
Answer: The course side is a gold color this is a diamond side, the dark gray or black side is the ceramic side which is the fine grit.
2) Do you have to use oil or water on the Fallkniven DC4?
Answer: No you can use it dry, some people like to put some type of lubrication on their stones if you do I would recommend a small amount of water, oil will make the stone messy and isn't recommedned by Fallkniven.
3) Can the Fallkniven DC4 be used to sharpen free hand?
Answer: Yes it is designed to be a free hand sharpener
Here is a great video that shows free hand sharpening:
4) How do you use the Fallkniven DC4 sharpening stone?
Answer: There are numerous ways to use this stone, it comes down to personal preference. Fallkniven recommends using the stone by placing it up to the edge of the knife and doing small circular motions. This works particularly well for convex knife grinds.
5) Can you use the Fallkniven DC4 to sharpen knives with a convex grind?
Answer: Yes, to sharpen convex grind knives line the DC4 up with the edge of the blade and do small circles with very light pressure(only the weight of the knife, no added pressure).
6) Can you use the Fallkniven DC4 to sharpen scandi ground knives?
Answer: Yes, scandi ground knives have a flat primary bevel, since this stone is flat it can be used to sharpen the scandi grind.
This is the standard swiss army basic pocket knife that has been used and loved for generations. Many boy scouts can proudly say this is one of the first knives they received when starting on their scouting journey.
The benefit of any swiss army knife is they are so much more than a knife, even with this basic model which comes with six total tools. It includes a blade, a nail file, screwdriver, scissors, toothpick and tweezer.
The knife is really compact and can be placed in your pocket or attached to a key chain so it is always ready for use.
You also get Victorinox's lifetime limited warranty to protect against any defects in craftsmanship.
The Elite Forces Survival Bowie Knife is a mean looking all around survival knife. It comes in at around 7.25" blade length and is made from AUS8 steel so it will not rust as AUS8 is stainless steel. The handle is made from Kraton much like the Fallkniven survival knives, which is a molded finish which is durable and very grippy when wet so the knife will not slip out of your hands.
Other names retails refer to this knife as:
Elite Forces Survival Bowie Knife - this is the main product name where you can find it online
Elite Forces Hunting Survival Bowie Knife - this is the same knife but some retailers ad the hunting part into the title to appeal to the hunting/survival niche
Elite Forces Military Survival Bowie Knife - again this is the same knife but retails will modify the title to say military to attract the military/armed forces individuals
Elite Forces Survival Bowie Knife Reviews
The reviews on this knife are for the most part positive on Amazon there are over one hundred 5 star reviews. The main thing people like about the knife is its durability, non slip handle, stainless steel construction so it is easy to keep from rusting even in wet environments.
Another benefit is the Zytel sheath which is durable, and won't let you down. Many higher end knife makers use Zytel for their sheaths as it is tried and true.
Check out this article about the Top 3 Survival Knives Under $150 where you can find out the quality knives that you can depend on without breaking the bank.
