Reiff S5 Glider Bushcraft Knife
Throughout this article, we will chat about the Reiff S5 Glider Bushcraft Knife. I’ve already covered the F5 Field Survival Knife here. So…what’s the difference between the two knives, you might ask?
Reiff S5 vs. Reiff F5?
Reiff started designating their Scandi and Saber ground knives with a letter designation on this launch. The S5 is their bushcraft knife with a Scandinavian grind (“S”). And the F5 is their flagship survival knife with a Saber grind (“F”).
What’s the difference between a bushcraft knife and a survival knife?
- A bushcraft knife is similar, but different, to an all-around survival knife. Bushcraft knives are purpose-built for wilderness settings. They are meant to process and work with wooden materials better than any other knife on the market.
- While survival knives can also work with wood, they’re less efficient at fine carving, performing notch work, and doing fire-specific tasks. See my full breakdown of what I look for in an all-around survival/urban knife here.
- To keep this section shorter than I could, a Bushcraft Knife should have a Scandinavian grind, in my humble opinion. A “Scandi” grind is, by far, the most efficient blade grind for working with wood. A bushcraft knife should also have a very comfortable handle while working for an extended period of time on any given project.
Pictured Above: Campcraft Belt Pouch, Reiff Knives S5, 40 ounce Klean Kanteen, Esee Flint Striker, Überleben Zünden 2.0 Fire Starter
Reiff Bushcraft Knife
Reiff’s first Scandi Knife that I ever tried was the F4 (here) and I fell in love with it. Much of what I have to say about the S5 Glider can be carried over from my Reiff F4 Review. But, allow me to hit some high points about the knife here…
- The Handle:
Reiff Knives has perfected this handle design! It is one of the most comfortable handles that I’ve ever wrapped my hands around. And this is, consistently, the consensus from other outdoorsmen when I hand them a Reiff Knife as well. - 5″ Blade:
I am typically a small-blade kind of guy (3-4″ blade length). But, I have been using a lot of 5″ blades for the past 6 months and I have grown to enjoy this blade length a lot. It is one of my top choices if I’m bringing one tool into the woods for an overnight. - CPM-3V:
I’ve touched on CPM-3V in my other Reiff Knife Reviews, but I will say that I have become a big fan of CPM-3V. It is a hard-wearing steel, it does not pick up much of a patina (if you’re into keeping your blades looking new), it does not dull quickly, and on the topic of edge retention, it is easy to maintain with a simple leather strop (see my knife maintenance gear here). - Scandi Grind:
Go back and read my Reiff F4 Review to get my first impressions of Reiff’s Scandi Grind. I am a huge fan of what Reiff has done with their Scandinavian grind. It is razor-sharp. And highly durable. I have used my S5 Glider to process heaps of kindling for the fire pit since I’ve had it and I have not chipped or rolled the edge at all. I mostly burn pine wood. And the pine wood has a lot of knots, which I’ve profusely batoned through with my S5. Again, Reiff’s Scandinavian grind is very durable in my experience.
Reiff S5 Glider Bushcraft Knife
Reiff Knives are available at: ReiffKnives.com • RiversEdgeCutlery.com • SMKW.com • BladeHQ.com
What types of tasks is this knife good for?
The Reiff S5 Glider is certainly a great bushcraft knife. But, don’t let the name “bushcraft” fool you into thinking that this is some thin carving knife. It’s much more than that…
- For starters – The S5 Glider has a .16″ thick blade stock.
In simpler terms, if you’re not good with numbers (like me), she’s a thick one, bud! - This blade thickness gives you the ability to baton through 3-4″ logs without fear of the knife bending & snapping. It is also thick enough to act as a good splitting wedge. This allows the Reiff S5 to branch into “wilderness survival” use cases. If you have spent any amount of time outdoors, you know, ideal fire-making materials are not always hanging off the trees around you. Sometimes, you have to pound through logs and make the necessary materials for yourself through a “one-stick fire” method (which the S5 excels at)!
- Notching, carving, whittling…
The Reiff S5, though it’s a thick knife, does great at all of these woodworking tasks! Yes, the S5 is a thick blade, but Reiff managed to trim the fat off of the cutting edge and it truly is a “Glider” through wood, as its name suggests. - Friction fire set making…
I have carved a couple of bow drill sets with the Reiff S5 so far and it is a pleasure to work with in this regard! From batoning through my initial wood round to flattening the wood into a hearthboard, and carving my “v-notches”, the S5 is a welcomed friend for this task.
In short, yes – The Reiff S5 is a great “bushcraft knife” as the name suggests. But, it can, certainly, be a primary survival knife in wilderness settings where you’ll be working with a lot of wooden resources. In fact, I cannot wait to run this knife through a survival class soon!
Reiff Knives S5 Sheath
Reiff Knives does a great job of offering both Leather and Kydex sheaths these days. If you want to hear about their Kydex Sheaths, check out my Reiff F5 Review here. But, for now, let’s discuss this beautiful Crazy Horse Leather Sheath that came with my Reiff S5 Glider.
- The leather sheath, just like the rest of the knife, is built right here in the USA. In fact, the sheaths are made by my buddy John at Badger Claw. He does fantastic work!
- Crazy Horse Leather takes on some beautiful character as you wear it. Take a look at the photo above to see how mine has started to wear.
- The sheath retains the knife very well with some deep retention. However, it remains easy to remove with a gentle tug of the handle or lanyard.
- The sheath itself is made from 7-8oz crazy horse leather, it has a generous size belt loop and a full welt for years of dependable service.
While I love Kydex Sheaths for things like fishing and EDC, it is hard to beat a beautiful leather sheath for an outdoor knife like the Reiff S5!
Reiff Knives are available at: ReiffKnives.com • RiversEdgeCutlery.com • SMKW.com • BladeHQ.com
One of the Best Wilderness Survival Knives
As I’ve already mentioned, Reiff Knives is making some of my favorite Scandinavian Grind knives on the market right now! They are capable of handling all of my fire-making tasks with ease. They are great at helping with carving and notching tasks. And it is an all-around joy to use around camp.
But again, this is not just a carving knife. I would be 110% confident to go into the woods with the Reiff S5 as my primary tool for an extended period of time. This knife can handle everything from shelter construction to cleaning fish and all of the other things that I’ve already touched on.
See more about the Reiff S5 at ReiffKnives.com
Reiff Knives S5 Glider Bushcraft Knife
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick look at the Reiff S5 Glider Bushcraft Knife. If you’re in the market for one of these, I would highly recommend it!
- As with every other Reiff Knife, the S5 is entirely USA-made and will last you a lifetime.
- If anything does happen to your knife (for example, this worst-case scenario: it gets stolen and you have a valid police report to prove it), you can take advantage of their “Carry No Cares” Warranty!
- Yes, Reiff Knives are expensive as I’ve mentioned in my other Reiff Knife Reviews. But, this is not meant to be an impulse buy that you add to your cart, open 2 days later, use for a month, and toss into a drawer. This is a quality knife that you could trust your life with. You’ll also be able to pass this down to your kids and they’ll be able to pass it down to theirs.
- As for me…
My Reiff S5 will be seeing years of woods-time from here on out! This is, in my opinion, the Goldilocks of the Reiff knife lineup at this point. It is just right for everything I could need while I’m in the woods.
Buy Reiff S5 Glider Bushcraft Knife Here
Reiff Knives are available at: ReiffKnives.com • RiversEdgeCutlery.com • SMKW.com • BladeHQ.com
