Koyote Knives Custom Knives by Christof

Koyote Knives







Thin knives are back



Davis California, Christof Harper of Koyote Knives is bringing back thin rustic hand forged knives from the early days. After an honorable discharge from the military, Christof started repairing and modifying knives. Building kit knives eventually led to custom knife making. When you want a knife that either you can’t afford or isn’t out there, you make one.

I first noticed the pocket Nessmuk from Koyote Knives a few months ago. It had Osage orange scales and a blade made from 15n20 steel. Thickness was 3/32” thick, 3-inch blade and 6 1/4 overall. The handle was put together with hand peened rivets and had a tabasco patina. Well months later I’ve had the chance and privilege of handling some Koyotes.

Bandsaw Steel-Uddeholm 15n20 .75% C, 2% Ni – nickel steel roughly similar to L6, minus the chrome and Molybdenum.



Ultralight





Blade

Koyote blades are made to cut, whittle, and slice food, isn’t that what knives are made for? This model has a blade 1/16-inch-thick. If you think this is thin, you are right. Let’s think about this for a moment, what do we need a knife to do in a hiking or backpacking situation? It is important to know and recognize that backpacking is not surviving. First of all you will be carrying your shelter with you .Most likely some firestarting material for emergencies. Most places I backpack into don’t even allow fires so the need for chopping and battoning wood are pretty much out. When backpacking, I like to have a utility type blade that can be used for cutting any kind of cord I may have, this could be for bear bagging, or cutting off a length for someone else to use. I use a tarp while out enjoying the outdoors and find myself cuttling different lengths of Ultralight Spectra line for backpacking tarp guylines. Slicing open food packages and any food preparation are also very common tasks that require a knife. For me if I could whittle wood and carve trap triggers then I feel pretty safe backpacking with a knife this thin. The Ultralight has blade length of 3 5/8, cutting edge 3 7/16. Overall length is 7-inches. The grind is flat with a scandi edge. The weight, a mere 2 ounces for the knife, and 3 ½ ounces w/leather sheath.



I carried the Ultralight on a few dayhikes this past month in the mountains of southern California.

Handle

The handle features hand peened rivets and although you could feel them, they are smooth and nicely rounded. This may be a good place for a kydex sheath to catch onto if you desired kydex. I like the leather sheath if comes with, it is more of a slip sheath for your pocket. There is a length of leather attached to the sheath, sort of a throw back to the Scandinavian style dangler sheaths. This is very simple, a loop made of leather that I passed through my paracord belt while on a long dayhike. The weight of the Ultralight, or should I say, lack of, makes for an easy carry knife. The sheath can be slipped into your pocket while hanging from your belt.



1/16-inch spine





Wood work with the Ultralight is fun; it feels like, peeling carrots. Scandi edges slice through wood rather than scrape it crudely. A blade this thin with a scandi edge will whittle wood all day. Push cuts could be a little annoying when you are using your thumb on the spine, cutting tough material. A sharp thin knife will cut through with less resistance reducing the time and effort needed to cut through the tough stuff.







Leuku Bushcraft Knife

There really is a Scandinavian flavor to some of Christofs work. The Leuku Bushcrafter seems to be a fine example of this. Straight spine with a gentle contour of the handle makes this model very comfortable not just to the eye, but the user’s hand. The overall blade length is 3 7/8-inches with a cutting edge of 3 3/4 –inches. Overall, 7 ¾-inches, with a 3/32-inch thick spine.



IPÊ Handle

IPÊ is an environmentally responsible choice which naturally resists rot, decay, insects, and mold. It is naturally fire resistant. Additionally, IPÊ is an incredibly strong, dense wood, harvested from naturally sustainable forests only. It has very high wear durability in daily use, and is resistant to splintering and checking. It's also beautiful! Weather has little to no effect upon the structural integrity of IPÊ wood. The sun will eventually transform the wood from its original reddish-brown to a beautiful silver patina.



Tests



Paper cuts

This test is perfect to measure how sharp an edge really is right out of the box. Printer paper was used for this test. I just held out the paper freely in the air and started slicing. I used straight down strokes and sideways strokes. There wasn’t any resistance and the edge stayed sharp. Next I did some short quick chops and watched as the white slivers of paper rained down on my desk.

Fuzz Sticks

Making fuzz sticks with the Bushcrafter, this is where the benefits of a thin knife really come to light. It’s no mystery woodcraft with a thick blade is just like golfing with a baseball bat. No real control or finesse, just power. Thin blades excel in the bushcraft game without a doubt. Fuzz sticks done with a thin convex blade give you that curly porkey pig tail look. Whenever I am reminded of Looney Tunes characters while enjoying woodcraft, I know I picked the right knife.







When using the Leuku Bushcrafter I never feel any discomfort or hot spots. Everything on Christof’s knives is smooth and the handle really is one of those things that need to be.

Baton

Normally when a knife is used to baton, it doesn’t put much stress on the cutting edge, the thickness of the knife will start to wedge the wood apart aiding in the split. I wanted to see how a thin knife would do at splitting pieces of wood for kindling. The dangers of doing this with your only cutting tool must be weighed, you could possibly break the tip off or bend it rendering it useless. I have batoned with Mora knives and Tramontina machetes which are around the same thickness, with no problems. If it wasn’t for the blade on a few Mora’s pulling out from batoning, they might be the perfect knife. This is why the Leuku Bushcrafter seems to be a perfect substitute for a Mora, with its full tang and convex edge, it handles all knife cutting chores with flying colors.





After some batoning I wanted to see if the knife would still whittle wood from the pieces I split. Not only did it whittle like a champ but afterwards I used it in the kitchen without any edge loss.





Sharpening

I sharpened the Ultralight on a fine lanky ceramic stick. Scandi grinds are very easy to sharpen due to the large flat bevel. Lay the flat bevel on the stone and push as if slicing a thin piece of cheese. I have not needed to sharpen the Bushcrafter yet.

While field testing the Leuku Bushcrafter and Ultralight, I had the opportunity to handle a few other Koyotes. These were all quality, trustworthy knives that Christof offers as custom orders.



Camp/Nessmuk



OAL 8.25

Blade: 4.25, about 1.5 inches of depth.

Spine max: 3/32 inch

Steel: Uddeholm 15n20

Handle materials: manzanita, brass.

Sheath- snap secured vertical belt carry. This is an excellent camp kitchen and general hiking and chore knife. The handle material really sets off the black sheath and forge finish blade. Convex ground edge, lots of edge curve. Handle is thick and full sized





Spear Point Bushcrafter



OAL 7.825 (7 7/8)

Blade 4.25

Spine 3/32 inch

Steel: Uddeholm 15n20

Handle materials: osage orange, brass hand peened pins and lanyard tube

Sheath: deep pouch with strap, belt loop stitched on for vertical belt carry. RH Bushcrafter design with a drop point blade. Convex grind with a variable bevel - a bit steeper near the base and the tip for heavy work and a bit thinner along the main path of the edge and belly. This is similar to a traditional Leuku grind.





Clip Point Bushcraft



OAL 8.125

Blade 4.125

Spine max 3/32 inch

Steel: Uddeholm 15n20

Handle materials: osage orange, brass

Sheath: deep pouch with straps, belt loop stitched on for vertical belt carry. Nice clip point and convex grind, Peened pins. This is a deep, stout blade with good batoning performance and excellent bushcrafter geometry.



Bushcraft Series





Leather Sheaths

Robust hand made leather sheaths, all made by Christof.





Koyote Knives

If you ever had an affinity for sharp rugged knives that don’t require babying, Koyote Knives is the answer. I wouldn’t be afraid using any of these knives hard in the outdoors. Don’t let the thin stock scare you, a knife doesn’t need to be thick to be tough. If you are hunting, or doing woodcraft, these knives will make the cut!