I enjoy trying out different styles of whittling knives and when I ran across the Butz Carving Knive, I couldn’t pass it up.
This knife is at an affordable price and was designed by someone who is a well known wood carver. Plus, I wanted to try out some German steel to see how well it holds up!
The Butz Carving Knife is an affordable and well made whittling knife that holds its cutting edge and feels very comfortable in the hands. This knife will easily be one of your go to whittling knives for a long time to come.
Quick Stats
| Steel | Solingen Stainless Steel |
| Rockwell Hardness (RC) | 58 |
| Comes Sharp | No |
| Sharp Edge After 30 Min | Yes |
| Average Price | $20 |
| Recommended for Beginners | Yes (if you can sharpen a knife) |
| Blade Length | 1 – 7/16″ |
Video Review
Click the link below to see my favorite knives and full overview on all of my knives:
https://carvingisfun.com/best-whittling-knives/
What I Liked
Of all the whittling knives that retail for less than $20, this one is my favorite. From its comfortable handle to well designed blade, you can’t get much better of a knife for the price.
I plan on keeping this one in my tool kit for a long time to come.
Comfortable Notched Handle
The Butz Carving knife comes with a smooth and very comfortable cherry handle that is easy to hold on to. Plus, with the added notch next to the blade, you don’t have to worry about your finger accidentally sliding down to the blade.
I have found this knife very easy to hold on to for long periods of time and not wear out my hands. It is easy to get behind the blade and make small or large controlled cuts.
Thin Blade
Compared to many knives in the same price range, the Butz knife has a nice and thin blade. This is important as it helps you slice through the wood with less resistance.
Along with the thin blade is the flat grind with a minor bevel at the end. I myself flattened the bevel out a little more for a sharper edge. As it needs to be sharpened out of the box, I figured I would put the edge on it that I wanted from the start.
Quality Steel
Before owning this knife, I had never heard of Solingen Stainless Steel. This steel is made in Germany and I have found it to hold up very nicely. I did an hour long whittling session without any stropping and still found the blade to be sharp enough to whittle with at the end.
The RC may only be 58 and sit at the lower edge of the preferred hardness scale for whittling, but it has good edge retention and easily sharpens to a razor edge.
Affordable Price
You don’t have to spend a bunch of money for a good quality whittling knife and the Butz knife is a great choice for someone on a budget.
One of the reasons why this knife is able to maintain a great price is that it isn’t fully sharpened from the manufacture. I can see this both as a positive and negative as you will have to sharpen it, but you can pick up a knife that surpasses some more expensive knives in quality and usability for cheaper.
Perfect Blade Length
With a blade length of 1 – 7/16″ you have plenty of blade to cut away lots of wood but is small enough to make small details and get into tight corners.
I myself really like my knives to be within the 1 – 1/4″ to 2″ range for maximum control and still be able to remove large sections of wood. This knife is a perfect balance in length and can easily be picked up and used.
What I Didn’t Like
Of course, no knife is perfect and this does have a few issues that you should be aware of. Because it is more on the “affordable” range as far as whittling knives go, there will be some minor flaws that could bother someone who is use to using more finished whittling knives.
Keep in mind, none of these issues prevented me from using the knife properly, well maybe having to sharpen the knife delayed me a bit but it never hindered me at all.
Need to Sharpen and Hone the Blade
Starting off with the blade sharpness. Right on the product description when purchasing for a reputable dealer, it will say that you need to sharpen and hone your knife.
This means that it isn’t ready to use right out of the box and some work is needed to get it up to snuff.
The Butz Carving Knife comes from the manufacture with a very rough grind on the cutting edge. You will need to use it on a fine grit sharpening stone and honed before use.
Some places that sell the knives, like Woodcraft.com have downloadable instructions on how to sharpen the knives so that you have proper directions on how to sharpen your new knife. Of course you will need to do basic maintenance and hone the blade after use, but this will make the knife usable out of the box.
Some Minor Build Quality Issues
This may have only been on my version, but I noticed a wider gap around the blade tang near the front of the handle (see picture above).
This isn’t a major issue as the wood is tight the rest of the way down the tang, but I notice some minor movement when I am really getting into a cut. It hasn’t stopped me from making a smooth controlled cut but I can feel a slight “shift” in my hands sometimes.
Best Places to Buy a Butz Carving Knife
I have found two great places to purchase one of these knives, Amazon and Woodcraft. Both sell them at about the same price, but I want to give emphasis for purchasing from Woodcraft as they have consistent prices and provide directions on how to sharpen as well.
Amazon
You can find nearly everything you want on Amazon at a great price and the Butz Carving Knife is no exception. I constantly see it for under $20 and is Amazon is just convenient to purchase from. Click here to check out the current price on Amazon.
Woodcraft
My preffered place to buy this knife is from Woodcraft.com. This is a company focused on the craft of wood working and has everything you will need to get started. You can pick up your Butz carving knife by clicking here. Don’t forget to check out the sharpening directions!
More Knife Reviews
If you want to see more knives I reviewed, click the link below and find what whittling knife is best for you!
https://carvingisfun.com/category/whittling-knife-review/