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THE SPIRIT OF THE WOLF GOES WITH THESE RUGGED, AMERICAN-MADE REIFF KNIVES
The driving forces behind Reiff Knives are Ben and Stu Shank. They are no strangers to American manufacturing startup ventures. The wolf emblem easily identifies these robust, rugged knives. I had to know, so I asked Stu why the wolf was chosen.
Reiff Knives Bushcraft F4 Survival Knife and Reiff F6 Leuku Survival Knife. Two new offerings from the brothers at Reiff Knives are made in the USA.
“In my mind, the wolf is the quintessential representation of the North American outdoors,” he said. “I love that they can go it alone, but are at their best in tight-knit families.
Reiff Knives being a family business, it felt like the best representation of what we wanted to build into our company: the ideas of wild living, family values, and unwavering loyalty to one another. To me, they are a shining example of survival against the odds.”
The Reiff name came from their great grandmother Anna Reiff.
The Leuku-style Reiff F6 was the bruiser of the pair. The author didn’t spare it when batoning through hardwood.
“We really liked the name, and our grandparent’s story resonated with us in relation to this project because she was willing to leave everything comfortable in her life behind her for a noble purpose,” said Stu.
The brothers at Reiff have also taken a huge leap of faith to start Reiff Knives, fueled by a passion for knives and a purpose to be part of America’s solution to bring back American manufacturing.
WHY REIFF KNIVES?
What do you get with Reiff knives? Browsing the Reiff Knives website or holding an F4 or F6 it’s clear: The company is striving for higher expectations for production knives. Everything about Reiff emits quality and confidence. Its practical knife designs ensure that every feature has a purpose.
From beginning to end, Reiff Knives are made in the USA and built by experienced American craftsmen using the most modern manufacturing techniques and highest quality American-made materials.
Two knives, the Reiff Knives Bushcraft F4 Survival Knife and Reiff F6 Leuku Survival Knife, offer CPM-3V Steel and G10 handle scales.
The Reiff Knives F-Series is a line of tough, hard-use outdoor knives made from premium, CPM-3V high alloy steel. They both have drop-point blades and high saber grinds, resulting in a fine 20-degree micro convex. The F4 Bushcraft Survival Knife, with a 4-inch blade, and the F6 Leuku Survival Knife, with a 6-inch blade, are designed to handle any task the wilderness can throw at them.
Black Kydex sheaths with a ferrocerium rod loop come standard with both Reiff knives. A leather sheath from JRE Leather is also an option.
If you ever had a knife that you loved but wished the handle was a little longer or hand-filling, look no further. Calling all large and extra-large hands out there: There is finally a knife handle with which you won’t be disappointed when it comes to the size. These full-sized G10 handles are designed for extended use.
A sure-grip prevents the knife from slipping in your hand, making it safer and reducing fatigue. The thick full-tang is skeletonized to reduce the overall weight and make them ideal carry companions wherever you may roam.
Reiff Knives offers two options for sheaths: leather and Kydex. Both offer a secure hold on your knife and a ferrocerium rod holder.
G10 scales in OD green, black, and coyote tan are available. The handles are perfectly paired with the blade and comfortably contoured.
F6 knife
If the F6 sounds like the name of a fighter jet, that’s fitting as Reiff F6 is aerodynamic like one. It’s a medium to a large knife, but with grace. It is the Reiff Knives version of a Scandinavian Leuku. I treated the F6 like I would any sheath knife meant for light- to medium-heavy tasks, with light chopping in the form of rough shaping and making tools to help make the wilderness more homey.
The F6 excelled in handle comfort when batoning or chopping. Choking back on the handle allows a little more power into chops while staying secure in the hand.
With a seasoned beech tree blown over last year, I decided to make a new maul/mallet for a better-than-average baton. I enlisted the help of a 24-inch bucksaw and cut a diameter that was a little under 5 inches wide and approximately 8 inches long. I sawed the width of the saw blade deep around the beech and stood it up for phase two.
Using a subpar piece of wood as a baton, I hammered the spine of the F6 into the top portion that would eventually be my handle. I like wider handles on these bushcraft-style mauls, so I made sure not to make it too thin. I carved downwards toward my stop-cut made with the saw, so there was a swell towards the end for the handle to grip securely. This project was to aid the next one, and it did that well.
A good saw and knife project is making a super baton called a maul. Cutting around the circumference of the wood with a saw and then using a temporary baton and the F6, the author carved and chipped away to form the handle.
I try to make a thing or two with every knife I use to evaluate how it performs. I cut a green branch of witch hazel that was about the length of my leg and no thicker than a broomstick.
I bent the green piece of wood, applied the appropriate amount of tension with my left hand, and made sure to choke back on the handle of the F6 and deliver one concise chop to sever the branch neatly. This 45-degree-angle cut was the first cut of my Figure Four trap.
“You can bet your life on Reiff knives from the backwoods to the front lines.”
The maul and F6 were used to trim the trap parts to size and add two 45-degree angles to the end pieces.
The newly crafted maul (baton) I created minutes before and the F6 would play instrumental parts in this next project. At first, three stop-cuts were made one-third of the way into the wood. With weight-bearing notches for a deadfall, we can always make them deeper. We can’t reverse the operation.
Two diagonal pieces were needed; rather than carve them, I decided to save time and baton them to shape. The finger-to-thumb thickness of the greenwood was no match for the grind of the F6. The blade cut through smoothly without any unwanted splitting you sometimes get with thicker knives.
It took the author about 10 minutes to get the trap carved and set up. The help of a maul made the stop cuts and the 45-degree cuts super fast.
I picked up a hard stick made of beech that I beaver-chewed to length with the F6, leaving the top somewhat rounded. There was a knot that was in the perfect spot to act as a place to catch some cordage. I carved under the knot, making it a natural notch.
The end portion that would stick into the ground was done by choking back on the handle and using short, controlled chops on each side, forming a chisel. A little fine-tune carving and the stake was done, totaling 2 minutes of work.
For fire prepping, the author tests every knife by making feather sticks. If the edge geometry is correct, thin, curly feathers can easily be made.
After carving the maul’s handle, chopping and batoning greenwood for a trap, and carving a hardwood stake, it was time to do some fine carving with the F6 to check the edge.
Straight-grained, dry poplar was used to make feather sticks, which was the type of work a Leuku knife would be called upon to do. Within no time at all, I had a feathery tinder stick that would take a spark. After this great display of woodsmanship, I put the F6 to work in the kitchen.
Making a maul with the F6 was the first project the author employed the Leuko-style knife to complete.
F4
The smaller Reiff Knife is a robust general bushcraft knife called the F4. With a 4-inch long blade and 5-inch long handle, it has the beef of a hard-use survival knife yet retains the elegance of a detailed carver.
Spine thickness is right at 5/32-inch thick. It has a skeletonized handle like its big brother, the F6, to reduce weight and be carry friendly.
While on the go, the author used the F4 to slice up tomatoes, avocados, cheese, and anything needing slicing. It passed the tomato slicing test without a hitch.
A knife this size screams to be used for some bushcraft projects. I strongly believe the best way to get acquainted with a tool, especially a knife, is to use it to make things. And I had a length of green witch hazel from a previous project and made a try stick with it. I put 11 notches on it due to the size.
For the round reduction, I used the front part of the blade, where it curves (belly) to remove a small amount at a time, creating thin shavings. Cutting a square out of the greenwood was easily done with the sharp point of the F4.
One of the ultimate tests performed with a knife is making a try stick. The result of a good try stick is based on blade sharpness, handle comfort, and cutting technique.
Greenwood is tough on a keen blade, and the next task was slicing tomatoes and mozzarella cheese for a Mediterranean wrap in camp. The initial moment the blade of the F4 kissed the tomato, it sliced with absolute grace. The cheese was next, and eventually, the whole wrap was halved. More camp food was cut with the F4 over several weeks and more crafts.
The Burtonsville Cooking Rig is a simple and very effective method of hanging a pot over a fire and adjusting the heat level by moving the pot up and down. I’ve used these for several years and need to replace the adjuster arm with the notches every so often. Having a new F4 gave me the perfect reason to make one.
The sharp tip of the Reiff F4 was perfect for cutting a square out of a piece of greenwood.
A dovetail notch can be tricky if the knife doesn’t have enough taper towards the tip. Clip points and drop points do a good job clearing out the wood, as seen here on this tricky notch.
Making pot hanger notches with the F4 was easy with a maul and making the cuts angled slightly. The angle helps form the bird’s beak tip undercut that rests on the support wedge.
The green sapling can be about arm’s length or shorter and thumb-to-broomstick thick. A series of X-notches with an undercut are carved the length of the stick. If materials permit, a trimmed forked end makes a perfect bale holder and saves us from making an extra notch.
The X-notches are placed an equal distance apart. Start by placing the knife’s edge on the greenwood—hammer the spine in two directions (with the help of a baton), forming an X. The blade should sink in about half the width of the stick.
The author plunged the Reiff F4 into a metal ammo canister with the help of a maul. The knife’s tip and edge are greatly tested during this type of test.
The best tip I can offer when making the X-notch is to angle the blade slightly towards the direction of the top of the stick for each X cut. Carve from the bottom of the X up, and there will be a natural undercut, resulting in a pointy bird’s beak that, if done correctly, points down towards the forked bottom.
“For the sake of control, I only lifted the knife 12 inches and didn’t feel the need to go Norman Bates Psycho-style before plunging into the ammo canister.”
The completed Burtonsville Rig arm was made with the Reiff F4. Three to five notches are the norm for this type of suspension system.
The Reiff F4 came out nearly unscathed, needing only light sharpening on one side of the blade. The tip showed no chipping, and the handle remained solid, despite being pounded on with a maul.
The F4 was tested for blade and tip toughness on an ammo canister as a grand finale. I held the F4 in an icepick grip with leather gloves on, the blade facing away from me. For the sake of control, I only lifted the knife 12 inches and didn’t feel the need to go Norman Bates Psycho-style before plunging into the ammo canister.
I used a baton to hammer the blade in about 3 inches and then gave it a few back-and-forth shakes for posterity. The edge wasn’t damaged with chips or tip damage; it just needed to be aligned on one side and sharpened.
QUALITY TO COUNT ON
You can bet your life on Reiff knives from the backwoods to the front lines. These heirloom quality knives will provide generations of fond memories and reliable use. Whether shaving feather sticks, building a fire, or field dressing dinner, these knives will get the job done and ask for more!
“Whether shaving feather sticks, building a fire, or field dressing dinner, these knives will get the job done and ask for more!”
The F6 was on kitchen duty for one month during this review. In true Leuku style, it prepped meat and vegetables well.
SPECS
Reiff F6
Overall Length: 11.25 inches
Blade Length: 6 inches
Cutting Edge: 5.75 inches
Blade Thickness: 3/16 inch
Blade Material: CPM-3V
Blade Style: Drop point
Edge Type: Convex
Blade Grind: Saber grind
Finish: Acid stonewash
Handle Length: 5.25 inches
Handle Material: G10
Weight: 12.9 ounces
Sheath: Black Kydex/leather
Made in the USA
MSRP: $384
SPECS
Reiff F4
Overall Length: 9 inches
Blade Length: 4 inches
Cutting Edge: 3.8 inches
Blade Thickness: 5/32 inch
Blade Material: CPM-3V
Blade Style: Drop point
Edge Type: Convex
Blade Grind: Saber grind
Finish: Acid stonewash
Handle Length: 5 inches
Handle Material: G10
Weight: 7.7 ounces
Sheath: Black Kydex/leather
Made in the USA
MSRP: $334
The Leuku
Leuku is the Finnish name for the Sami knife, a large knife traditionally used by Sami, indigenous people inhabiting the Arctic area of Lapland in Scandinavia. It is also called “stuorra niibi,” which means
“big knife.”
Traditionally, it has a long, wide blade suited for light chopping tasks such as de-limbing, cutting small trees for shelter poles, brush clearing, bone-breaking, and butchering tasks. It’s sometimes used as a substitute for a hatchet, chopping, and splitting small amounts of firewood.
CPM-3V STEEL PROPERTIES
According to its chemical composition and hardness, CPM-3V steel offers the following properties:
Edge Retention: With 58-60HRC steel, the CPM-3V steel is a hard steel that gives great edge retention.
Corrosion Resistance: Even if it’s not stainless steel, the CPM-3V steel has more than 7% chromium, making it great for corrosion resistance.
Wear Resistance: CPM-3V steel offers great wear resistance due to the high amount of carbon and vanadium.
Sharpness: The rule of sharpness is simple. The harder the steel, the harder to sharpen; in this case, CPM-3V is a hard steel with great edge retention.
Machinability: CPM-3V steel is very machinable and easy to grind.
Toughness: Excellent toughness all around; CPM-3V steel has a great break resistance. It may be one of the toughest steels.
SOURCE
Reiff Knives
www.ReiffKnives.com
Hello@ReiffKnives.com
A version of this article first appeared in the Sep/Oct 2022 print issue of Knives Illustrated.