AB Trekker Backpacking Bushcraft Knife – Magnacut with Firesteel

Description

AB Trekker Backpacking Bushcraft Knife – Magnacut.  Like a lot of my knives, this knife was inspired by the Architect Field Buddy 5.5 which was developed by the KnifeConnection in USA.  It was also inspired by the Bark River Mini Aurora.  I like the Field Buddy a lot but there are some things that I wanted to improve upon.  The Field Buddy has a near full height grind and is traditionally manufactured from 1095 Carbon Steel.  Whilst 1095 is a good steel, it lacks toughness, corrosion resistance and edge retention.  The handle scales on the Field Buddy are removable and are a bit on the thin side.  The Bark River Mini Aurora is a great shaped knife but the handle is too small.  My AB Trekker is a cross between the Bark River Mini Aurora and the Architect Field Buddy and is a scaled down version of my other knives.

The AB Trekker was developed specifically for my old Platoon Commander (AB) who has a passion for trekking.  I made him the first version of this knife so that he had something light weight but substantial to use whilst out on the trail.  He still hasn’t used it but apparently keeps it on display.  Because it’s built from Magnacut, you could do just about anything with this knife.  It is capable of most bushcraft duties and because the blade is relatively thin, it also doubles as a very good food prep knife.  It has hollow pins on both ends so that you can tie it to a stick and use it as a spear.  The AB Trekker is now the biggest selling knife that I make.

The blade is 2.6mm thick and 3.9″ long (98mm).  The blade was heat treated by RJ Heat Treatment in Sydney to 61 Rockwell.

This knife has a Scandi grind.  The steel is the ultimate new Super-Steel – CPM Magnacut.

What is Magnacut?

CPM MagnaCut is a premium stainless blade steel. The big selling points of MagnaCut are its high toughness, high wear resistance, and high corrosion resistance. Many knife steels settle for a tradeoff, like more toughness at the expense of wear resistance, but Dr. Larrin Thomas, professional metallurgist and writer of knifesteelnerds.com, employed some clever tricks to make MagnaCut score high marks in all categories. It has the toughness of CPM-4V (a hard-use steel found on high-end fixed blades) with the stainlessness of CPM-20CV (a tried-and-true premium knife steel used primarily in folders). Thanks to its high wear resistance, it boasts excellent edge retention, but in the same vein, might be a little challenging to sharpen.

Is MagnaCut a good steel?  Yes. It is one of the best all-around knife steels out there. Thanks to some clever composition and manufacturing, it has a fine microstructure that makes sharpening more manageable than other steels of similar wear resistance. These great features make MagnaCut a great choice for small folders, big choppers, kitchen knives, and everything in between!  As in all knife selections, your choice in steel should be dictated by what your intended use is. If you plan to pry with your knife, you’ll get more toughness out of CPM 3V than MagnaCut. If you’re cutting rope all day, Maxamet will still be sharp long after MagnaCut has gone dull. If you need a knife for a nasty or tough job that will probably ruin your knife, something cheaper like Sandvik 14C28N will be the ticket. But for any all-around user knife that fits into multiple roles, MagnaCut is an awesome choice.

The handle scales are Ringed Gidgee with Orange G10 and Black Micarta liners with Brass pins.  I will include some Parapocalypse Survival cord attached to the knife.

Parapocalypse Ultimate Survivor Cord

Includes a custom matching firesteel with Compass

The sheath is hand made Vegetable Tanned Leather