Odenwolf W-Flat Camp Knife Review
If you want an affordable camp knife and are ready to look beyond Morakniv, then you might want to take a look at the Odenwolf W-Flat Camp Knife.
I’ve tested a lot of knives, and it’s safe to say that I’m not easy to surprise at this point. But the W-Flat Camp Knife from Odenwolf genuinely caught me off guard. Durable, lightweight and able to hold an edge like a champ, this might just be the best budget bushcraft knife that isn’t a Mora.
- HIGH-QUALITY MATERIAL – The fixed blade hunting knife with sheath is made of a single piece of strong D2 steel (60 HRC). It’s known for its exceptional hardness and wear resistance. An ideal choice for full tang knives, ensuring durability in rugged environments.
Odenwolf is a German company that makes bushcraft and hunting knives that mostly retail in the $30-$40 range. From what I can tell, they’ve only been around for a couple of years, and they’re just starting to garner some attention.
A cheap knife from a brand I know almost nothing about? What can I say, I can’t resist. I ordered a W-Flat Camp Knife—part of Odenwolf’s “W Series”—and put it to the test.
First Impressions
This knife has a great look and feel right out of the box. It’s surprisingly lightweight and has some very grippy handle texture, plus thumb jimping on the rear spine. The blade comes lightly oiled and firmly locked into the sheath, and both are wrapped in a plastic wrapper for added protection inside the box.
It’s also good and sharp, and the blade made short work of some paper and cardboard immediately (the Odenwolf passed the paper test with flying colors). It’s well-balanced in my hand, and the flat spine extends to the rear of the handle, where the full tang is exposed to create a lanyard hole. It’s a clean, classic design overall.
Measurements & Specs
For me, the W-Flat is just right as a camp/bushcraft knife—not too big, not too small, not too heavy, not too light. Though it doesn’t quite look like a Mora, I get where the comparisons come from when you break down this knife’s stats. Here’s how the Odenwolf W-Flat Camp Knife measures up:
- Weight — 4.94 oz.
- Total length — 9.25”
- Blade length — 4.53”
- Blade thickness — 0.12”
- Handle length — 4.72”
- Handle thickness — 0.98”
- Steel type — D2
- Grind — Full flat
- Blade shape — Normal/straight back
- Handle material — TPE
- Sheath material — Polypropylene
D2 Steel: Tough & Durable
Let’s talk about D2 steel. It’s become the absolute go-to steel for knives that are budget-friendly without feeling cheap (or premium-looking without being expensive). Though it was once considered high-end, it’s pretty much middle-of-the-road steel now.
A lot of people don’t like D2, partly because the market is oversaturated with it, and partly because it varies widely in quality. Not every brand does D2 well, especially when it comes to heat treatment.
This is all a long-winded windup to saying that Odenwolf seems to do D2 quite well. The W-Flat Camp Knife is not only razor-sharp out of the box, but also holds an edge beautifully. The wear resistance is really great, and this blade has the balance of toughness and hardness that one would expect from good D2. It clocks a solid 60 HRC on the Rockwell Scale.
And while this blade isn’t 100% rust-proof, it’s corrosion-resistant enough that you shouldn’t have to worry about rust if you take reasonably good care of the knife. The squared-off spine makes a good spark with a ferro rod too.
Handle: Comfort & Grip
I really have nothing bad to say about the handle of the Odenwolf W-Flat Camp Knife. It’s made of Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), which is a flexible, rubber-like plastic with just enough softness. It doesn’t have that rigid, hard plastic feel that some cheap polymer handles have.
It also sits in my hand perfectly, and the texture of the plastic, along with the diamond grip pattern molded into the handle, makes it exceptionally grippy. This thing just locks into my palm, and it’s not the least bit slippery, even when soaking wet.
The handle is also perfectly contoured to fit into an average-sized hand just right, including a gentle finger choil where one’s index finger rests. It handles really well whether you’re slicing, chopping or thrusting with the knife.
Cutting Performance
A lot of factors go into deciding whether a knife is a good investment, but it ultimately comes down to how well it performs under rigorous use. Can it take a hard day’s work without breaking, chipping, or losing its edge?
Having put the Odenwolf W-Flat through its paces, I have to say it holds up very well. After chopping and slicing everything from cardboard and paper to wood, rubber tubing and plastic jugs, this knife is unscathed and still nearly as sharp as when I first opened it. The only sign that I’ve put it through the ringer is some slight wear to the black stonewashed blade coating.
The full flat grind makes this blade a formidable slicer. It really melts right through materials with ease. Odenwolf also makes a version of this knife with a Scandi grind if you prefer. I won’t get too deep into the pros and cons of each here, but the short version is that a full flat grind is great for slicing, food prep and carving, but makes the blade somewhat weak at the tip. A Scandi grind tends to be stronger and better for chopping, splitting and woodwork.
Given how lightweight the Odenwolf W-Flat is and how relatively narrow its blade is, I consider it to be more of a camp knife or bushcraft knife than a true survival knife. That being the case, I don’t expect it to stand up to extremely heavy-duty tasks.
But it’s no weakling. I cut some stakes, whittled some feather sticks, and even did a bit of moderate batoning with my W-Flat, and it ably handled all of these tasks.
Sheath & Carry
The sheath that comes with the Odenwolf W-Flat Camp Knife is perfectly fine. It’s good, not great. These tactical-looking black molded polypropylene sheaths are a dime a dozen these days, and seemingly every budget fixed blade comes with one. It has enough tension to hold the knife snugly in place (though it does rattle around a bit) and it has a nylon belt loop with a built-in snap strap that wraps around the knife handle to secure it.
It does the job, and I’m not worried about the knife coming loose or falling out of the sheath. The part I’m not sold on is the connection between the sheath and the belt loop; the two pieces are fastened with two screws, and this feels like a real weak point.
Final Thoughts on the Odenwolf W-Flat Camp Knife
Simply put, this is a good knife. And for the price, it’s a great knife. The Odenwolf W-Flat Camp Knife is a worthy contender if you’re looking for a budget-friendly fixed-blade knife for bushcraft, hunting or camp chores.
I would compare it favorably to similarly-priced models from Morakniv or Condor. Another good point of comparison is BPS Knives, a Ukrainian company that has also put out some great low-cost camp knives in recent years. Much like all of the above, The W-Flat scores high marks for durability, materials, build quality and ergonomics.
And hey, whatever your feelings about D2, you have to admit that it’s pretty decent steel for a camp knife. Its only real downside is that it’s not the easiest to sharpen. And when you consider that a lot of D2 fixed-blade knives sell for north of $100 these days, it’s hard to argue that the Odenwolf W-Flat Camp Kind isn’t worth the $35 it’s currently going for on Amazon.
I’ll always have a place in my collection for premium knives. But when it comes to knives that I actually use for regular bushcraft and camp chores, I like blades that I don’t have to be too precious about. The Odenwolf is tough enough that I don’t have to worry about it breaking, and cheap enough that I wouldn’t be all that upset if it did. That’s a pretty good combo in my book.
- HIGH-QUALITY MATERIAL – The fixed blade hunting knife with sheath is made of a single piece of strong D2 steel (60 HRC). It’s known for its exceptional hardness and wear resistance. An ideal choice for full tang knives, ensuring durability in rugged environments.
- HIGH-QUALITY MATERIAL – The fixed blade hunting knife with sheath is made of a single piece of strong 440c steel (58 HRC). The steel is characterized by rust resistance, resilience, and robustness. This makes the full tang knife a faithful companion.
- STRONG D2 STEEL: Our high quality bushcraft machete with sheath is crafted from durable D2 steel. It is known for its exceptional strength and edge retention, ensuring long-lasting performance in various cutting and chopping tasks.
- FULL TANG D2 Blade – The outdoor knife with sheath is made of a single piece of D2 steel. This full tang survival knife is built to last and offers superb edge retention & toughness, making it an ideal choice for a variety of outdoor activities.
- HUNTING GUTTING HOOK – Gutting hook for precise cuts during game processing and skinning. Reliable tool for all your hunting needs, from field dressing to skinning and quartering. The hooked shape allows for quick and easy opening of the abdominal cavity without damaging the internal organs.
Blair Witkowski is an avid watch nut, loves pocket knives and flashlights, and when he is not trying to be a good dad to his nine kids, you will find him running or posting pics on Instagram. Besides writing articles for Tech Writer EDC he is also the founder of Lowcountry Style & Living. In addition to writing, he is focused on improving his client’s websites for his other passion, Search Engine Optimization. His wife Jennifer and he live in coastal South Carolina.