Nessmuk ????

[Jd33]

On a lot of the American survival and bushcraft sites they seen to talk a lot about nessmuk knives I was wondering if any of you guys out there have that style of knife . And how you get on with them .
I myself have something like a nessmuk ,
It was a tops loner at some point but I decided to " mod" it ...
I'm happy with the handle but the blade still needs some work .......it's really bloody hard

[David_JAFO]

hello,
I have used one. The design spec of the nessmuk blade is a simple efficient slicer, it has a thin blade & grind, the handle is offset, I found it comfortable to handle & easy to use for Bushcraft. The nessmuk style I recall from conversations with fellow Survivalists/Preppers this had fallen out of favour in a way since the Scandinavian style knives became more popular due to availability & costs etc.. plus used/favoured by Bushcraft personalities which kind of endorses the latter. There's not much more I can think to add to such? There's nothing wrong with your modifications, it's your call, stay with it. My 2p worth.
Regards
David

[OakAshandThorn]

Oh boy, here we go... .
The Nessmuk style is very popular over here, especially among those who lean towards Classic camping, who tout it as a "durable bush-blade" and a "proven design"...however, what you'll actually find among these people are sharpened crowbars to beat on. Nearly all the State-side knife-makers forge them that way because of the demand for "bulletproof gear", but this often comes at the cost of altering much of the original design.
What is largely forgotten about the Nessmuk is that, for one, it was meant to be used for skinning game and other meat processing, as is shown by the blade's geometry and thin thickness. Knives back then were not used for battening - splitting, truncating, and chopping tasks were left to the hatchet or axe. Battening is a fairly new concept and practice, with the general idea to make the knife a more "versatile tool" or a "one tool option". But the problem here is that the historical aspect is lost completely, and we end up with a bulky blade that has a minimum 3.5mm thick spine (4mm and up is more common). G.W. Sears even talks about his main woodworking tool as the folding knife, aside from his custom-made hatchet. It is really annoying when these newer Nessmuk designs are promoted as "original" when they are anything but...at least, that's how it comes across to me.
To that end, I see nothing wrong with modern interpretations of the original knife so long as folks understand that they aren't accurate to history...unfortunately, few seem to get that. I'm sure they are great blades, but not to my personal preference. Each to their own, I guess.

[Blood]

I did look at getting one and asked on here for advice. I never did get it and went with my experience if Scandinavian style pukko. I know it works and they're fair stong.
I do like the look of the knife, but wince at the price for a maybe drawer bound tool. Looks good tho

[Wolfman Zack]

I have a small one, and though it is a very atractive knife it is not ideal for bushcraft, its more of a skinner and butchering blade.

[AJ]

On hardness, which the OP mentioned, Nessmuks (and Kepharts, which were used in similar fashion) had a thin blade as you mentioned, OakAsh&Thorn. Kephart states his blade is 1/8 inch thick on the spine and that other camping blades of his day were tempered too hard for his usage. I think what I'm trying to say is that you should use a knife that suits how you use it.

[bikebum1975]

Don't have it yet but a buddy is doing a custom one for me. I like the design that said do I like it enough to replace my mora? That would be a big no. I see the design as oakandthorn said a kitchen. Utility knife prepping game and such it is after nothing more than a skinning type blade. But yep is still a neat well proven design much like the Kephart style knife a lot make today of which I am also getting one lol. Personally though if I had to guess I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see both men today with the favored mora classic as a main knife and to my taste I still like that style best and couldn't care less what TV personalities use

[OakAshandThorn]

Don't have it yet but a buddy is doing a custom one for me. I like the design that said do I like it enough to replace my mora? That would be a big no. I see the design as oakandthorn said a kitchen. Utility knife prepping game and such it is after nothing more than a skinning type blade. But yep is still a neat well proven design much like the Kephart style knife a lot make today of which I am also getting one lol. Personally though if I had to guess I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see both men today with the favored mora classic as a main knife and to my taste I still like that style best and couldn't care less what TV personalities use

It was actually Cody Lundin who introduced me to Moras through his books .

[Wolfman Zack]

I think another important thing to consider is that Scandinavian knives come from a woodcraft tradition, whereas the American paterns such as the Nessmuk and Kephart are from more of a hunting tradition.

That is not to say scandi knives weren't used for hunting, but the puukko was primarly a woodcarving knife that served other utility tasks well.

The American knives were butchering knives that were used for other utility tasks.

[OakAshandThorn]

I think another important thing to consider is that Scandinavian knives come from a woodcraft tradition, whereas the American paterns such as the Nessmuk and Kephart are from more of a hunting tradition.

That is not to say scandi knives weren't used for hunting, but the puukko was primarly a woodcarving knife that served other utility tasks well.

The American knives were butchering knives that were used for other utility tasks.

Agreed . The "old-fashioned" wood carving knives from the States were primarily folders - fixed blades were the hunting knives.