The Jeff White and R.Jones Bushcraft Knife

Discovering hidden treasures and then sharing them with others is always exciting to me. That's what I've attempted to do through this blog.  Now, discovering hidden treasures in the custom knife world where function, quality and aesthetics come together well in a single knife is rare.  It is even more rare when those elements in a custom knife are available at a very reasonable cost.  From time to time, I find myself visiting the BushcraftUSA forum.  Back in November, I ran across several posts that caught my attention referring to a custom knife that was designed through the collaboration of  Robert Jones (aka Beo-wulf) and Jeff White a custom knife maker. Robert makes custom, hand-sewn leather knife sheaths; however, the design of this particular knife -- The Jeff White and R.Jones Bushcraft Knife -- was conceptualized by Robert.  The knife can be purchased from Robert either on Ebay or through the BushcraftUSA Vendor forum here.  If you visit Robert's vendor page you will see the excellent reviews and the high praises that this knife deserves.  I must admit, after reading through the forum, I was captivated and convinced that this was a knife worth getting. Receiving and opening the package and inspecting the knife up close and personal confirmed that I had made the right choice. The blade out of the package was sharp, the knife felt good in my hands, and I was immediately drawn to its simplicity and beauty. I was able to hone the knife to a very scary sharp edge in no time. Also, I removed the original finish on the curly maple handles, and finished it with boiled linseed oil. The curly maple really popped by doing this. Here are the specifications:

Jeff White and Jones Bushcraft Knife:

Made from 1095 High Carbon Steel
Full Tang construction - 1/8" Thickness
4.75" Blade Length
4.5" Handle Length
Beautiful Curly Maple Scales
Secured with 2 Brass Pins
Robert Jones Hand-sewn Leather Sheath

The knife blade is stamped with the Maker's marks of both Robert Jones and Jeff White.  What makes this knife aesthetically pleasing is the way 2/3rds of the blade has been left unfinished from the heat treatment and about 1/3rd of the blade is polished and sharpened.  By adding the curly maple scales, the knife has a very rugged, noble and classic look.  The styling and design is quite simple, beautiful, yet effective.  I've used this knife off and on for a variety of tasks in the kitchen for food prep; outdoors prepping wood for a fire; notching; carving, slicing, feathering, etc.  The knife just works well and holds an edge well. I have been very pleased and impressed.  The leather sheath is also of a simple design; made of thick leather and hand-sewn. My impression is that this sheath will last forever.  The sheath complements the knife very well; no doubt, Robert, when he designed the knife, had in his mind the very sheath design that would be a perfect mate for the knife. This a true custom knife, so keep in mind, should you order this knife, your knife will only be similar to what I received.  The finish left from the heat treatment and the polished portion will certainly be different than what I have pictured.  As well, the curly maple handles will, very likely, be different, depending upon the stock used by Jeff White.  Nevertheless, I'm confident that you will be satisfied.  There are certainly no shortages of excellent custom knife makers to choose from; however, the Jeff White and R.Jones Bushcraft knife reminds you of bygone days with its simple and rugged design.  More importantly, it is beautiful, functional and priced right!  ~Keep it Sharp.

ThruNite T21 and ThruNite Archer 1C Flashlight

Over the past few years, I've acquired several LED flashlights.  The very first LED flashlight that I purchased was the Energizer Brand at Target. It's marketed as a tactical flashlight; spec'd with 37 Lumens using AA Batteries and has a simple click on, click off rear switch.  For the price, this has been an amazing light; so much so, I bought several lights for my laptop case, briefcase, cars and day pack. Last year, I became acquainted with the Fenix Brand of lights. I've been very impressed with the overall quality, build and usefulness of these lights, as well. Granted, the Fenix lights tend to be quite a bit more expensive than the Energizer; however, there are additional features that come with the added expense. I've been carrying the inexpensive Fenix E01 on my key chain for about two years now. It's been an extremely useful light, albeit, with only 13 lumens (from a single AAA Battery) but has been very handy and economical. I'm very sure that the battery has been changed out only twice in two years.

This week I received two new flashlights from ThruNite. Both of these lights are powered by a single CR123 Battery. Here are a few of the specifications on each:


ThruNite T21:

LED:  Cree XM-L
Battery: Uses Single CR123 or RCR123 Battery
Five Modes of Output:  .09 Lumens to 350 Lumens
Aircraft Quality Aluminum Body
Smooth Reflector
Waterproof
2.75" Long X .875" (Bezel)

ThruNite Archer 1C:

LED:  Cree XP-G2
Battery: Uses Single CR123
Five Modes of Output:  .2 Lumens to 281 Lumens
Aircraft Quality Aluminum Body
Smooth Reflector
Waterproof
3.75" Long X .875" (Bezel)

Simply put, both of these lights look good.  The stainless bezel contrasts beautifully with the black, hard anodized finish.  What I've come to appreciate with these two lights is the ease of operation and deployment. These lights don't come with a clip; however, either of these lights will EDC quite easily in a front pocket --- by the way, both of these lights have the ability to tail stand. The Fenix PD32 nor the Fenix LD12 are unable to tail stand. I especially like what ThruNite calls the Firefly mode which is less than 1 Lumen. This mode will be particularly practical for night adjusted eyes. In using these lights outdoors, on the brighter modes, I've noticed the beam on these two lights are different; no doubt since their LEDs are different. The T21 (XM-L) has a noticeably floodier beam compared to the Archer 1C (XP-G2) which is tighter.  So far, I have been pleased with the build quality, the available functions and most important the cost of these two lights. ~Keep it Sharp.

Update: Apparently, these two lights are no longer available from ThruNite. I've also noticed the prices on the ThruNite products have increased significantly.

Becker BK2 and Ramos Custom Leather Sheath

What I have appreciated about the Becker line of BK knives is the opportunity to customize and modify the knife from the way they were received from the factory.  I own and regularly carry the Becker BK14 as a neck knife, and read some amazing testimonies on the durability and reliability of the Becker BK2.  So, I picked up a BK2 about 6 months ago; now, I‘ve not put this particular knife through any brutal torture tests, but, after handling the knife and performing your typical bushcraft/camping related tasks, I see why there is such high regard for the BK2.

For me, there is a real appeal for making a knife my very own, even if it’s just adding different scales or replacing the sheath.  Just like the Becker BK14, I completely stripped the factory coating off of my BK2.  I’ve contemplated adding custom Micarta or wood scales, but I’ve grown accustomed to the standard Grivory scales.  Perhaps someday I will change them out, but, for now, I find them to be plenty comfortable and I like the black color against the naked steel.  

The BK2 is an excellent knife; however, the stock sheath, for me, was a big disappointment.  I won’t go into a lot of details about my dislikes, but the overall serviceability of the stock sheath was definitely lacking.  So, what I really wanted to complement the knife was a quality leather sheath.  Fortunately, I recently came across Freddy Ramos of Ramos Custom Sheaths.  More information can be found here:  Ramos Custom Sheaths. While I have never met Freddy, his dedication to the art of leather sheath making is evident in the products he makes. All of the sheaths he makes are custom made; hand cut and hand sewn.  Freddy’s attention to detail and workmanship are first class; the quality of the leather he uses is exceptional, and I was very pleased with his customer service.  I had the opportunity to email Freddy a couple of times about my sheath order and he was always prompt and courteous in responding to my questions.  I tend to stress in my blogs that every product I purchase have a high cost to value ratio. I have found that this combination between the Becker BK2 and a custom leather sheath from Ramos Custom Sheaths meets the requirement.  ~Keep it Sharp. 

Bushcraft/Survival Knife Sharpening System

Norton 4000/8000 grit synthetic stone (Very Top)
King 1000/6000 grit natural waterstone (Middle)
Homemade Leather Strop (Bottom)

Recently, I've had several folks ask me about my knife sharpening system and how I get my knives so sharp. I have mentioned in some of my posts that I exclusively use waterstones to hone the edges of all of my knives and a leather strop to maintain a scary sharp edge. Now, I realize that there are several sharpening systems available to choose from like diamond sharpeners from DMT or the Lansky sharpening system. I have no doubt that these work great to hone an edge; however, I have found that the versatility and performance of waterstones and a leather strop work best for me.  I use this particular sharpening system on all of my knives; from pocket knives, bushcraft/survival knives to kitchen knives.  This system also is the best method to use on straight razors.  I have always been able to get a super sharp edge on a variety of edge types including scandi, flat and convex grinds.




As it is implied, the waterstones are designed to be used by soaking the stone in water and then keeping the stone wet throughout the sharpening process. The two brands of stones, I'm most familiar with are the Japanese Waterstones made by King which are natural stones; the other is the synthetic waterstones made by Norton.  The combination Japanese waterstone that I have is a 1000/6000 grit.    Because of the design of this stone and the slurry that it creates, this stone alone will handle almost all of your sharpening needs.  The 6000 grit is capable of putting a very decent final polish on the blade edge.  The Norton stone that I have is 4000/8000 grit which I used primarily as a finishing stone for my straight razors; however, I also use this stone for the final polish on my scandi grind knives.

This photo shows the mirrored finish on the Enzo Trapper
with a scandi-grind blade.

My final effort on sharpening any blade is to strop the blade on a leather paddle strop.  The strop that I use is "homemade" from a piece of 3/8" thick plywood, shaped to my liking with scrap leather glued to it. One side has a smooth finish and the other side is rough. This is a very economical way to maintain that hair popping edge on the knife.  I will often take the leather strop with me on camping trips just to keep a keen edge after working the knife in a variety of bushcrafting tasks. With just the leather strop, I have always been able to keep my knives sharp, even when being out on a multi-night trip.  It is incredible to me that a piece of leather on a paddle can be so effective in getting that hair popping edge.

As I've said before, this is the system that works best for me.  While there may be other good sharpening systems; I've found that I can get a knife scary sharp more effectively and efficiently using the combination of waterstones and a homemade leather strop. Having confidence in a tried and true system that gets the job done is important to me...  I know when I've gotten my knife sharp enough when I get those fine curly shavings when making feather sticks.  ~Keep it Sharp.

Drago Tracker Backpack Mini Review

I just purchased the Drago Tracker Backpack after retiring a North Face Yavapai that served me well for more than 12 years.  I was initially going to stick with the new version of the Yavapai, but the Drago Tracker seemed to be more versatile, especially as an extended Day Pack.  With the Molle webbing, I like having the ability to expand the pack beyond the 4 main compartments.  In the photo you can see that I have added two H2O pouches and a 6.6 pouch  (with blue carabiners) which I was able to get on sale from 5.11 Tactical.  This pack is hydration pack compatible, so is able to carry plenty of water now.  The OD Green Drago pack and the OD Green 5.11 pouches are a perfect match and the material are very similar.

The pack is made of 600 Denier polyester and appears to be well made.  I believe it will take a beating very well; and, that's important since I'd like this pack to last as long as the North Face.  On this particular outing, the pack was loaded with only 15lbs. of gear and was very comfortable to carry.  In fact, I was surprised how noticeably more comfortable it was compared to the North Face.  Due to the way this pack is made, there are ways to distribute the weight of gear and equipment evenly.  I believe that this bag has enough capacity with the way I have it currently configured, for it to easily be an overnight or 2 night pack.  Definitely with the number of attachment points, and even internal pouches, this is a versatile pack.  What I really like about the Drago Tracker Pack is that I can now stow all of my items systematically, so that each item can be stored in its own location.  I couldn't necessarily do that with the North Face.

Since it hasn't been thoroughly field tested at this point, I haven't decided for sure  if it's a favorite pack; but, it certainly has a lot of potential.  ~Keep it Sharp.

Condor Bushlore Knife Review

The Condor Bushlore Knife is one that I have carried in my pack for about two years now.  In fact, I ended up buying a second Bushlore from Ben at Baryonyxknife.com a few days ago...  more on this a little later.  The Bushlore is a knife that has been reviewed countless number of times, so I don't expect to add much to what has already been written.  However, I write this review to not only express my satisfaction and why I recommend this knife, but to also to describe how to avoid some of the pitfalls that accompany this blade. Whenever, I go out into the woods (even on a short day hike) I always carry my Enzo Trapper with Micarta scales on my belt, but the Condor Bushlore always accompanies me inside my pack.  This knife has proven, for me, to be a very versatile blade capable of a variety of tasks from batoning wood, prepping firewood (ie. making feather sticks), and for preparing foods.  The blade has the ability to get a super sharp edge and I have found with proper care and utilization the edge retention on this knife is excellent.  The more I use this knife the more I like it.  Here are it's basic specifications having been made in El Salvador:

Full Tang Construction
1075 High Carbon Steel Blade
4 5/16" Blade Length
1/8" Blade Thickness
Hardwood Handle-Walnut
9 5/16" Overall Length
Quality Leather Sheath

The thing that has caused me to be impressed with this knife is the cost to value ratio.  I would rate this knife to be an excellent value for what you receive in the box.  If you've done any amount of research on this knife you will have read that most folks consider the sheath to be of such high quality that it alone is worth the purchase of the knife.  I wouldn't call the Bushlore a beater knife, yet it has been designed to be a workhorse and to accept abuse (within reason). It's a knife that you don't have to be concerned about when your out in the woods.  While I'm definitely one to keep track of my gear in the woods, if my Condor Bushlore was somehow lost, I wouldn't be as concerned compared to losing a more expensive knife. I've had my Bushlore out in a pouring rain with little opportunity to keep it dry to avoid potentially rusting the blade, yet, this wasn't a concern for me since I paid about $30 for it at the time.  Even so, I found that the blade withstood the moisture pretty well and it has always cleaned up nicely.  From the pictures above you can tell that that there doesn't appear to be consistency in the color of the handle material.  The more rosewood colored handle was the first knife that I acquired.  Both handles were stripped, sanded and re-finished with multiple light coats of boiled linseed oil.  I read somewhere that when boiled linseed oil was used to finish gun stocks, that light coats of oil was put on the wood in the following manner:  1 coat everyday for a week; 1 coat every week for a month; 1 coat every month for a year; and, 1 coat every year for life.  The key to putting on boiled linseed oil is super thin coats and letting it dry between applications so that the coatings don't become gummy.  I've used boiled linseed oil on all of my wood handles and the results turn out very nice.  This is a knife that looks good; I hate to say it, but all of my knives have to have a high aesthetic value; it must perform well and look good.  The Bushlore definitely falls into this category.

Now, some of the things to be aware of...  When I purchased the Bushlore back in June 2011, the folks at Condor had made a change to the Bushlore design.  The knife previous to the current design was much thicker and the useable edge on the knife was shorter.  It seemed that there may have been some quality issues with making the transition on the knife.  While the heat treatment on the blade was acceptable, the knife edge was not ground properly so that the blade was not sharp along the edge closer to the handle. I spent a lot of time and energy getting the full edge to be acceptable.  This knife is now super crazy sharp, is easy to maintain and a joy to use.  While we are on the subject of the edge, the Bushlore does not have a true Scandi grind; rather, it has a secondary micro-edge.  It's important to recognize this in order to get the edge to it's sharpest potential.  The handle also came very rough, but that was easily solved by stripping and sanding.  The other thing that I find on the first knife compared to my newest Bushlore is that the tang extends a wee bit past the handle material.  While this doesn't impact the comfort or practical use of the knife, some folks may find this unacceptable.  I suppose when I first purchased the knife I didn't have very high expectations of the quality. The good news is that on the second knife I purchased (dark brown handle) was from Ben at BaryonyxKnife.com.  The advantage of doing this is that Ben inspects every knife that he sells to insure that you are receiving a knife that meets his expectation ultimately for your satisfaction.  You can also request what he calls a "Special Grade" Bushlore where the blade has been thinned and the factory edge is refined.  When I received my Bushlore, I was very impressed with the quality; it simply looked better and came much sharper than my first purchase; and it was sharp along the entire edge. After a few strokes on a leather strop this knife was super crazy sharp.

Sharp enough to make paper curl.  These
 cuts were made against the grain using
the old Bushlore.

The overall fit and finish of this knife was superb compared to the first Bushlore.  So there is a real advantage to purchasing a knife from someone who provides this type of service.  For only a little more than what you would purchase the knife from Amazon or another dealer, you get the peace of mind knowing that you're going to get a knife that has been looked at and will be ready for service.  By the way, I have no financial interest in the Baryonyx Knife Co.; my only interest is getting quality gear at a reasonable price and knowing where they can be found. So my bottom line is that the Condor Bushlore may be considered a budget bushcraft knife and may only be a Woodlore clone, however, it is not a budget blade.  There is genuine value and performance in this piece of equipment that will not disappoint even the most hardcore bushcraft or knife enthusiast. ~Keep it Sharp.

Kelly Works Small Axe

Every once in a while you run into a treasure that can't be passed up.  That was what happened to me today at a local antique store.  The hunt began after I had read on the Bushcraft USA forum of a guy who received an axe.  He basically entitled his post as a "Journey" in re-finishing an axe head.  Now, I already own a couple of axes, but there seemed to me some nostalgia in finding an old axe head or even and old axe that was not only serviceable, but, also had a story to tell.  So what I came across today was a small axe that had  "Red Rover" and "Kelly Works" stamped on the head.  The axe head also has a unique design called the Kelly Bevel on the head; and appears to be consistent with early model small axes.  I was able to find an old 1917 and 1925 hardware catalog on line; both displayed the Red Rover axe.  This axe was called a 'Boys" axe because of its more diminutive size.

My particular find measures out at 26" handle length and it would appear (based on the old catalogs) that the head weighs in at around 2.5 lbs.  This seems to make sense since the entire axe only weighs in at 3.5 lbs.  I was pleased to discover that the axe handle was still in serviceable condition.  There was just a bit of play in the head, but this was remedied in short order.  The axe head was in terrific condition and only required a slight bit of work on a course and fine stone to get the edge sharp.  So, while I had set out to find only an axe head with the intention of re-finishing the head and adding a new handle; instead, I found this little gem for a very reasonable price at $21.  Now imagine the possibilities of where and how this little axe has been swung if, indeed, it is more than 90 years old.  How many shelters did it build, how many trees felled and groves cleared.  Did it see military action overseas or did it stay home to help protect and serve?  I have no doubt it has a story to tell, and I hope more stories to come. Overall, I'm very happy with the new acquisition.  ~Keep it Sharp.