Many people would like to have an easy-to-use knife in outdoor scenes such as full-scale camping and barbecue. The full tang knife is recommended for such people. The full tang knife, which is characterized by its high durability, is convenient and easy to chop wood. You can use it for various purposes such as cutting thick ropes and handling hunted fish. In this article, we will introduce the types of full tang knives, how to choose them, and recommended knives in a ranking format.
What is a full tang knife?
A knife with a structure in which the blade penetrates to the back of the handle.
A full tang knife is a knife made by sandwiching a piece of metal including the blade part with a handle. It is one of the survival knives and camping knives and is characterized by its high durability. It is said to be the toughest of all knives. With a size that is easy to carry, it is convenient for outdoor activities that tend to carry a lot of luggage. It will come in handy in outdoor scenes such as camping and barbecue.
Features of full tang knife
Durable, sturdy, and hard to break
Full tang knives feature a seamless blade with a single piece of metal. Therefore, its high durability and toughness are attractive. You can use it with confidence because it does not easily deform or break even if you apply force.
You can also break firewood and play an active part in the outdoor scene
In outdoor scenes that are closer to nature, such as undeveloped campgrounds, it is necessary to do the work of chopping wood and making firewood. Full tang knives are sturdy, making them ideal for padding. You can break firewood without an ax or saw.
Types of full-tang knives
Made of stainless steel
Rust-resistant and water-resistant
Full tang knives made of stainless steel are characterized by their excellent durability and corrosion resistance. It is resistant to water and rust, so it can be used when cooking raw ingredients or near rivers. It is convenient to have one because it is safe even in the rain.
Even if the knife gets dirty, you can clean it by flushing it with tap water and blowing it up. In addition, the stainless steel full tang knife is also attractive because it is easy to sharpen. It is also recommended for those who do not want to spend time on maintenance and for beginners of full tang knives.
Made of carbon
High hardness and excellent sharpness
The carbon full tang knife has a sharp edge. Ideal for wood processing as it has high hardness and excellent durability. Even if the sharpness becomes dull, you can regain the sharpness by sharpening and maintaining it. If you want to enjoy bushcraft to the fullest, carbon is recommended.
The carbon full tang knife has a slight disadvantage in that it is slightly sensitive to moisture and easily rusts. However, there is no problem if you do not neglect the care such as wiping the knife diligently or putting it out for sharpening. Recommended for those who want to stick to sharpness and those who want to enjoy including the trouble of maintenance.
How to choose a full tang knife
Choose by blade length
Knives with a blade length of 10 cm or less are easy to handle and easy to carry
In outdoor scenes such as camping, luggage tends to be large. In particular, full tang knives have a lot of metal parts, so they have a certain weight. If it is too long, it will be bulky and difficult to handle. A full tang knife with a blade length of 10 cm or less can be stored compactly and is convenient to carry. It is also recommended for beginners as it is easy to handle and suitable for detailed work.
If the blade length is 10 cm or more, hard work such as chopping wood is safe.
If you want to enjoy the outdoors in earnest, you may want to make firewood or hunt in the mountains or woods. A full tang knife with a blade length of 10 cm or more is convenient in such cases. A knife with a long blade length is convenient because it is easy to apply force when batoning. It’s a little difficult to carry, but you can use it more powerfully.
Choose by blade thickness
Thin blades can reduce the durability
Full tang knives are highly durable and relatively hard to break. The thickness of the blade does not matter when making feather sticks or when performing detailed work. However, in the case of hard usage such as batoning, if the blade part is thin, it may lose to the thickness of the wood. It is safer to make the blade thicker to some extent.
If you have a thickness of 3.5 mm or more, you can safely baton.
Batoning is a method of hitting a knife vertically against the tree you want to use as firewood, hitting your back with another firewood or mallet, and breaking the firewood with the impact. Therefore, if the plate part of the full tang knife is not thick, it will lose the hardness of the wood and it may not crack as expected. In the worst case, the blade may break. When batoning a tree that is thicker than your arm, you can rest assured that your full tang knife has a blade of 3.5 mm or more.
Choose by blade shape
Sanji grind makes detailed work easy and easy to handle even for beginners
As the name suggests, Scandinavian is the shape of a knife traditionally handed down in the Scandinavian region of Northern Europe. It features a wide straight blade and can be used with high versatility. The appeal is that it is easy to perform detailed work. The blade is relatively long-lasting and easy to maintain. If you get lost, choose a scanji grind-type knife and you will have fewer mistakes.
Convex grind is strong and suitable for harder work
Convex grind knives are characterized by a unique rounded blade shape near the blade. The blade is long-lasting and does not easily spill, so it is attractive because it is stronger than the Sanji grind-type knife. The disadvantage is that it is a little difficult to handle knives, but it is recommended for intermediate to advanced users such as campers who usually handle knives.
Recommended brands and manufacturers of full-tang knives
Shieldon
The high durability that can be used for hunting is attractive
Sheldon’s full tang knife is characterized by its high durability that can also be used as a hunting knife. Using deer horns for the handle, the powerful design can be said to be attractive. It is also a nice point that it is easy to sharpen and maintain.
Mora knife
Recommended for beginners as it is versatile and easy to handle
Mora knives full-tang knives are easy to handle and versatile. Can be widely used for chopping wood, cooking, and bushcraft. The price setting is also easy to get, and it can be said that it is a recommended knife for beginners.
Benchmade
It has excellent wear resistance and corrosion resistance, and its high durability is attractive.
Benchmade full-tang knives are characterized by their excellent wear and corrosion resistance. Originally made for military use, it has excellent durability and is durable with origami. Recommended for those who want a full-fledged full tang knife.
Helle
A knife that shines with craftsmanship that can be used for a lifetime if maintained
A major feature of Helle’s full tang knives is that each one is handmade by a craftsman. It is highly durable and can be said to be a knife that can be used for a lifetime with proper maintenance. It is recommended for those who want to get only one knife in the world and those who want to take good care of it and enjoy aging.
summary
If you are using a full tang knife for the first time, stainless steel is recommended
For beginners who want to feel free to try out how to handle full tang knives, we recommend stainless steel full-tang knives first. A stainless steel full tang knife is resistant to rust, making it ideal for use at waterside or cooking. Since it can be used anywhere outdoors, it is highly versatile. Once you get used to handling knives, it’s a good idea to try a full-fledged carbon knife. In this article, we have introduced the recommended full tang knives. Get the perfect full tang knife for yourself and enjoy the wonderful bushcraft.
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