Mk II TBS Boar Bushcraft Knife - Firesteel Edition - Curly Birch

TBS Boar Bushcraft Knife - Mk II

The TBS Boar Bushcraft Knife has been our best selling model for years now and it has gone through a few changes over the years but we thought it was about time to offer a proper Mark II version.

There have been subtle but important changes to the original and we think it just takes this already great knife to another level. I’ll be honest, the stainless version has been what we would refer to as a “Marmite Knife”, you either love it or you hate it. This has been, it seems, simply because it was only available in 5mm.

Well we have listened (yes, we do that!) and decided that if you want a TBS Boar now it will only be offered in 4mm regardless of the steel you prefer. We have come to the conclusion that if you want something thicker then the Grizzly is for you, it’s a beast and always will be – a real tree beater!

The blades are offered in two different steels, both 4mm thick at the spine, a High Carbon Tool Steel and a modern High Grade Stainless Steel. Old school thought is that a Carbon steel knife will hold an edge longer, is easier to sharpen and stainless can’t be used with a Ferro rod but I am afraid that simply isn’t true and frankly never was. When you have a modern, high grade stainless steel it performs just the same (and better in some cases) and you do not have the issue of corrosion. Of course, to some, they prefer a carbon steel as you will get a “Patina” over time giving the knife more character which is why we don’t pigeon hole you into one option.

The Boar has a full "Scandi" grind that are wickedly sharp straight out of the box. By having a Scandi grind it means we can achieve a wickedly sharp edge that is much easier to maintain on a sharpening stone and makes for a great all round strong knife.

The handle on the Boar has always been a truly important part of the knife and the ergonomics have been extremely important. We have not changed the shape but we have added a liner to the handle scales. This is mainly decorative but, it is thought, that it can help with heat transition. Heat is obviously transmitted differently through metal and wood causing different rates of expansion and contraction, adding a liner can help minimise this.

We are continuing with offering the Boar with Curly Birch or Turkish Walnut as they not look great they perform brilliantly. We also love the fact that it is all sustainably sourced from trees that have been harvested for generations. I am not a fan of all the exotic hard woods on the market at the moment as you simply can’t tell if they have been sourced from illegal logging. Why is it that every year there is more timber being offered to the market than there was ever quotas for…?

Of course, having Timber handles, you will need to maintain them with cleaning and oiling but I believe this is part of the joy of owning a real heritage piece of cutlery that will last generations. We advise oiling with a boiled linseed oil but there are many other oils and waxes out there that will nourish the wood throughout its life and keep it as water resistant as possible and this can be down to your personal preference.

We have also upgraded all of our leatherwork this year and the Boar features our latest Mark II variants of our sheaths. Our modular sheaths have also been phenomenally popular as they offer something different from the norm that everyone churns out. They are all made from high quality Full Grain leather and feature a brilliant array of accessories and carry options so you can really tailor your knife to suit your needs.

Main Features:

• K720 High Carbon Tool Steel – 4mm thick at the spine
• N695 High Grade Stainless Steel – 4mm thick at the spine
• 4 3/8" (110mm) length blade
• 4 3/4" (120mm) length handle
• Super grade Curly Birch or Turkish Walnut
• Mark II Multi Carry Sheath
• Lifetime Guarantee against any defect in manufacturing, material and workmanship.
• More information on the materials and construction (click here)

High Grade Bohler K720 High Carbon Tool steel is one of the toughest steels out there and is used widely to make high precision tools that need to stand up to some serious punishment.

High Grade Bohler N695 Stainless steel which has a high hardness and great wear resistance and is one of Bohlers premium stainless steels. We have decided to make a variant of our knives in this steel as, after quite some testing, we have found that it performs extremely well. It has a higher Carbon content that many other stainless steels which means it holds an edge longer and can be tempered to the same degree as Carbon Steels. This particular steel actually has a higher content than many High Carbon Tool Steels. This makes it perform with pretty much all the benefits of Carbon Steel with the added bonus of great corrosion resistance.

Typical Steel Analysis:
K720 Carbon Tool Steel - Carbon 0.90%, Manganese 2.00%, Chromium 0.35%, Silicon 0.25%, Vanadium 0.10%. (HRC 58)
N695 Stainless Steel - Carbon 1.05%, Molybdenum 0.50%, Chromium 17.00%, Silicon 0.40%, Manganese 0.40%. (HRC 58)