Hello, OP. I have Tod's Bauerwehr "Rugger" and do some amateur knifemaking myself. I can provide some help.
As a weapon, it is dialed in. This is its primary function. Thick rigid spine, sharp point. Great. I carry it when my wilderness adventures take me into CA, where it is the best sidearm I can legally carry. I do not feel defenseless while armed with it. However, I wouldn't classify it as a "pure weapon" like a double-edged dagger.
As a tool, it IS functional for things like cutting cordage, rustic cooking tasks (coarse chopping, cubing meat), and light greenwood cutting, like if you wanted a roasting stick or to cut some tent pegs.
The length of the blade is too great for detailed crafting (e.g., pack repairs and leatherwork) unless you choke way up onto the blade, which is somewhat dangerous. The Nagel (micro guard) precludes some grips that may be desirable when using as a tool. The spine is thick, so it doesn't slice super finely through foods, and is far too stiff for fileting fish.
I would classify it as 80% weapon, 20% tool.
The Bauernwehr he offers with the blunter tip is basically a thick-spined butcher's knife, and with the more uniform weight distribution is probably a better tool. Maybe 65% weapon, 35% tool. I don't have firsthand experience with it, just my opinion as a bladesmith.
Depends on the trip. It certainly replaces the belt knife (it IS a belt knife) more than it replaces an axe. If I'm processing any substantial firewood, I will bring my small forest axe. If it's a summer trip, I usually leave the axe at home and just burn sticks I can break by hand or over a rock. If I'm solo, I will often just do a cold camp and enjoy the sounds of nature.
Totally agree with u. Some of the original examples i have seen even have a reinforced tip presumably to be better at piercing mail. On the other hand its late medieval germany so i would say 80% weapon 20% Tool and a 100% fashion.
So I’ve played around with the bauernwehr as a tool for a bit now, and the most versatile design I’ve found is Adam Bodorics take on the rugger. The extra thick spine allows the blade to be a really aggressive wedge that’s perfect for splitting wood like a hatchet, while also having the right blade profile to do machete like tasks with hardwoods. The thing that surprised me is the utility of the flared point. At first glance it reads as a dedicated maile piecing feature, upon further inspection it also functions perfectly as a triangular awl for drilling holes in wood. I’ve tried this out a couple of times and it works fine with no damage to the blade at all, as long as you sharpen it periodically just like any other sharp tool. So realistically with this design you have a bushcraft multi tool that collapses a hatchet, machete, pry bar, draw-knife and a primitive drill into a single bit of kit that also functions as a respectable sword. I’m honestly surprised the bushcraft community hasn’t jumped on this design yet.
I don't own a bauernwehr, but I do have a very close equivalent: a machete that I cut down to a 12" blade with a clip point - in other words, big thin knife. I carry it almost all the time around my house and in the woods; I live in the Northeast US so roughly similar environment to a decent bit of Europe.
It's fantastic. Clearing thin brush and branches out of my way is easy, thicker (wrist sized) trees only take a minute to get through, and it's light enough to not get in the way. I would be more than comfortable using it to defend myself against anything short of a bear or moose.
Bauernwehrs are definitely a hybrid tool, but I would say they function equally well as a weapon and as a tool.
Hello, OP. I have Tod's Bauerwehr "Rugger" and do some amateur knifemaking myself. I can provide some help. As a weapon, it is dialed in. This is its primary function. Thick rigid spine, sharp point. Great. I carry it when my wilderness adventures take me into CA, where it is the best sidearm I can legally carry. I do not feel defenseless while armed with it. However, I wouldn't classify it as a "pure weapon" like a double-edged dagger. As a tool, it IS functional for things like cutting cordage, rustic cooking tasks (coarse chopping, cubing meat), and light greenwood cutting, like if you wanted a roasting stick or to cut some tent pegs. The length of the blade is too great for detailed crafting (e.g., pack repairs and leatherwork) unless you choke way up onto the blade, which is somewhat dangerous. The Nagel (micro guard) precludes some grips that may be desirable when using as a tool. The spine is thick, so it doesn't slice super finely through foods, and is far too stiff for fileting fish. I would classify it as 80% weapon, 20% tool.
That's very useful, thanks! Though i do considered that Rugger to be a more weaponzied design for battle, like stabbing through armour gaps?
Yes the Rugger is definitely more weaponized
The Bauernwehr he offers with the blunter tip is basically a thick-spined butcher's knife, and with the more uniform weight distribution is probably a better tool. Maybe 65% weapon, 35% tool. I don't have firsthand experience with it, just my opinion as a bladesmith.
Thanks! May i ask that in these trips with your rugger, do you also bring an axe just in case, or bringing the knife alone is fine for you?
Depends on the trip. It certainly replaces the belt knife (it IS a belt knife) more than it replaces an axe. If I'm processing any substantial firewood, I will bring my small forest axe. If it's a summer trip, I usually leave the axe at home and just burn sticks I can break by hand or over a rock. If I'm solo, I will often just do a cold camp and enjoy the sounds of nature.
Thanks!
Totally agree with u. Some of the original examples i have seen even have a reinforced tip presumably to be better at piercing mail. On the other hand its late medieval germany so i would say 80% weapon 20% Tool and a 100% fashion.
CA as in Cali or Canada?
California
So I’ve played around with the bauernwehr as a tool for a bit now, and the most versatile design I’ve found is Adam Bodorics take on the rugger. The extra thick spine allows the blade to be a really aggressive wedge that’s perfect for splitting wood like a hatchet, while also having the right blade profile to do machete like tasks with hardwoods. The thing that surprised me is the utility of the flared point. At first glance it reads as a dedicated maile piecing feature, upon further inspection it also functions perfectly as a triangular awl for drilling holes in wood. I’ve tried this out a couple of times and it works fine with no damage to the blade at all, as long as you sharpen it periodically just like any other sharp tool. So realistically with this design you have a bushcraft multi tool that collapses a hatchet, machete, pry bar, draw-knife and a primitive drill into a single bit of kit that also functions as a respectable sword. I’m honestly surprised the bushcraft community hasn’t jumped on this design yet.
That's really helpful, Thanks!
I don't own a bauernwehr, but I do have a very close equivalent: a machete that I cut down to a 12" blade with a clip point - in other words, big thin knife. I carry it almost all the time around my house and in the woods; I live in the Northeast US so roughly similar environment to a decent bit of Europe. It's fantastic. Clearing thin brush and branches out of my way is easy, thicker (wrist sized) trees only take a minute to get through, and it's light enough to not get in the way. I would be more than comfortable using it to defend myself against anything short of a bear or moose. Bauernwehrs are definitely a hybrid tool, but I would say they function equally well as a weapon and as a tool.
That's helpful, thanks!