L.T. Wright Handcrafted Knives
Buscrafter HC
Knifer reviews are not always easy. Sometimes I find it difficult grasping at how to explain a feel a knife has in hopes to convey something to someone considering the knife even though they don’t have the opportunity to hold it and use it first. This is especially worrisome when the knife in question starts to exceed two bills and up. It is also worrisome to me when I feel like I am doing this on the website for someone who may not be “in to” knives at all. Say a backpacker who has thru-hiked the Appalachian and was drawn to our website due to some of the tent and tarp manufacturers listed. Yet now that backpacker is looking at knife reviews and wondering if that piece of junk Chinese folder from Academy Sports is such a deal after all. Everything has pros and cons and where that backpacker might spend $400-500 on an ultra-lightweight Cuben fiber tent, explaining the nuances of a $250 knife with super steel might be beyond what the time they want to invest. Plus, truth be told, if they aren’t into the nuances of the different super steels available, they most likely would have difficulty with taking care of a knife made from them.
Well now thanks to L.T. my job at reviewing and recommending a knife for them just got a bit easier. Heck, I believe the entry level knife world was just given a death shot due to their new knife, the Bushcrafter HC. Bold words I know, but, what the folks at L.T. Wright Handcrafted Knives have crammed into one package for a price of $105 is quite amazing. So let’s talk specifics for a bit before I try to convey feeling and opinion.
The heart of any knife is the steel and in this one 1075 was choosen. Wait a second you say, of all the stinking steels available 1075? Yup, good old American made 1075 steel in all its high carbon glory is what the Bushcrafter HC is made of. The knock against 1075 is that it is a “softer” steel that will not hold an edge as long as the harder high carbon steels. Though this may be true the reverse is also true in that touching up an edge, sharpening or redoing the edge entirely is much easier to do and to learn how to do on 1075 steel. Additionally, the blade on this knife is thin, after all with many of the high end knife makers and bushcrafters, thin is in. The Bushcrafter HC is 3/32” thick with a full flat grind. That may sound thin, but, it is thick enough to do what it needs to do and at the same time it is a slicing dream. The overall shape is a spear point with about a 3 5/8” sharpened blade. What is nice is the finish that L.T. puts on these blades with a dual process patina. In order to protect the steel from rusting they use an apple cider vinegar bath and then sponge on mustard for a very unique and cost effective way to protect the blade. It really is quite appealing to the eye. Additionally, as with all L.T. Wright Knives, the Bushcrafter HC has the perfect ninety degree spine on it for throwing tons of sparks from ferro rods.
One of the most frequent questions I get from new knife buyers is how to maintain the edge on their knives. I try to tell them not to let it get dull, use the knife as a knife, as it was intended. Some of us still believe that a knife is to cut things, not to dig in dirt and not to use as an axe to split wood unless forced to in an emergency situation. Right tool for the right job. That said even the thin 1075 blade of the Bushcrafter HC can baton. In fact its full flat grind allows for it to do so easily. But why, unless you have no choice in a survival situation. Thus if you use a knife as it is intended it will go a long way to keeping it sharp. Next, believe in the strop! A leather strop can bring a blade back to wicked sharp if used before you let that edge get completely dull and this 1075 will shine with a little stropping. But, here is the beauty of the steel L.T. choose for this knife, it is so forgiving to learn how to sharpen with. Not everyone had a father who spent hours with them in the woods teaching them, among other things, how to sharpen knives. YouTube is great, but trying to learn with say S30v or 3v or what have you can be a pain. Learning to sharpen a knife with 1075 is a heck of a lot easier. Not only that, but in the emergency field situation it is a lot easier to put a serviceable edge on 1075 with just a flat stone or other natural sharpener you can find.
The handle comes in natural micarta with secured with marine grade epoxy and two fisheye bolts. The epoxy is strong enough to hold them micarta to blade without the bolts, however, the two bolts add a nice touch and reassurance to boot. Furthermore, the epoxy seals the area between the handle and the steel preventing any moisture from seeping in for further rust protection. The Buhscrafter HC also has an aluminum lanyard hole. The handle itself has one finger grove in it to help keep you hand in a proper position. And this is where the knife excels as it is a handmade knife and the attention to detail in the handle is amazing for a knife at this price point. The handle has had some time and love put into it. The micarta is nicely rounded and fills the hand just enough. The fit from micarta to steel tang to micarta again is custom knife perfection. The finger groove has ever so carefully been shaped and smooth to allow for such a natural feeling that your finger just falls into place. Additional thought went into the narrowing out the slabs on each side slightly from the first bolt toward the tip creating perfect thumb placement for use when changing from a hammer grip to slicing grip. This is where you see the custom quality of a handmade knife really shine and this is where L.T. really starts to blow away the competition at this entry level price point.
The whole package slides into a leather dangler sheath with a ferro rod loop. This quality leather sheath is made by JRE Industries for the Bushcrafter and the knife rides nice and secure at just about the perfect level so that you can easily get enough of a purchase on the handle to draw the knife free. Now you can buy the knife for $75 dollars by itself and make your own sheath or get one made of kydex if that is the way you want to go. However, I don’t think that you can get a better leather sheath for $30 dollars. Making this quite the deal at knife and sheath for $105.
In looking at this knife I understood that L.T. Wright wanted to create an entry level bushcraft knife that could do 90% of what one would want a Bushcraft knife to do. I think he got an entry level knife that can do 90% of what anybody would ever do with a knife regardless of the task. Up till this point when asked what I would recommend for someone as a first do everything but don’t break the bank knife I always suggested an ESEE 3. American made, 1095 steel (with good heat treat), great plastic sheath and a lifetime warranty. Now though, I have to go with the Bushcrafter HC.
In comparing the two the Bushcrafter comes out on top. Price wise they are very close as you can get the ESEE without a sheath for $71 and the Bushcrafter HC for $75. The ESEE with basic sheath is $90 ($110 with molle back) whereas the Bushcrafter with leather dangler sheath is $105. (If you wanted to add a leather dangler to an ESEE 3 sheath it would run over $28). But more the cost, the steels are very similar. Both are very well heat treated and suffice it to say that is very important. Although 1075 maybe ever so slightly more flexible, especially at this thickness, in real world applications I don’t believe you would be able to tell a difference in edge holding capabilities. ESEE use a very durable coating to prevent rust and some believe it hinders slicing performance so they strip it off and patina the blade. Regardless both knives can slice. The weight difference between the Bushcrafter HC with sheath and the ESEE 3 with basic sheath is the Bushcrafter is 0.7 of an ounce heavier (due to the lighter plastic sheath of the ESEE). Otherwise they are within 0.1 of an ounce of being the same weight. However, the big difference is in the attention to detail and the feel of the knife in hand. There is no secret that many find the ESEE 3 handle thin and small leading to aftermarket scales like TKC or LMF to be purchase for the ESEE at additional cost. Even with these additional handles filling the hand better, the fit will not be at a custom level. Again, this is where the L.T. Wright Bushcrafter HC really shines. The fit and finish of the handle, the attention to detail as to how it fits your hand and different grip positions is beyond par. I just don’t believe there is another knife maker out there putting out a quality product like this, with this much attention to detail, at this price.
We have talked about this knife as an entry level knife for a bushcrafter or really for anyone who wants to invest in a quality knife for camping, backpacking or anything they need a knife for. But one thing that became apparent when I talked to L.T. himself about this knife is that it would be a great knife as a first knife for a child. I am of the opinion that a folder is not a good first knife. I have seen to many kids slice their fingers opening and closing folders while learning about knives. I like a solid fixed blade to teach them about knives and the proper handling of them. That includes maintenance, like rust protection, and sharpening. Throw that all in with the fact that the L.T. Wright Bushcrafter HC is an excellently crafted knife with a life time warranty and they now have a knife they will cherish for years to come. Hopefully, when they are much older the knife might bring back fond memories of quality time spent with them learning knife skills along with camping and bushcrafting skills. After all, if we don’t spend time with our children who will and if we don’t hand down knowledge to them what are we teaching them?
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