The Best Scorp to Start Your Next Carving Project
The Best Scorp Models of 2024 in Detail
Best Overall
Carving is tricky sometimes, and even if you can get away with it sometimes, it can be difficult to stick to just one or two knives at a time. Ideally, you’ll want a knife for every situation, so that you won’t waste time and effort using a knife in a way you aren’t supposed to. That’s why carvers have plenty of knives at their disposal – they don’t use them all the time, but when they do, they’re used perfectly.
Key Features
This set of carving knives is perfect if you want to cover every single situation imaginable. Whether you’re just outlining the main shapes or you want to add a little more intricacy with the finer details, these 8 knives will have you covered no matter what. It also helps that the knives are all stored neatly in a container for easy storage after using them.
Runner Up
If you want a carving kit that has everything you need to work immediately, then this is the ideal one for you. It’s got all the bells and whistles that allow you to carve some basic sculptures, as well as some bonus tools to help make your experience a little better than you’d expect.
Key Features
Right out of the box, you get three different knives – the hook knife, detail knife, and sloyd knife. These knives come with their own leather sheaths to keep the blades safe and sharp, and you even have a polish tool to help keep those knives in peak condition for carving at all times. You also get a pair of gloves that are cut-resistant, as well as a blank wooden spoon for you to test your carving skills on.
Also Consider
Carving knives come in many shapes and sizes, each with its own specific use. However, few are more important than the hook knife, which is used to easily hollow out shapes in a wooden block. They aren’t great for making finer, smaller details in the carving, but if you just want to hollow out space in the wood, then you go for a hook knife.
Key Features
This hook knife is, by no means, cheap. In fact, it’s more expensive than some carving kits, those complete with a knife set, gloves, and more. However, if you plan on seriously investing time and money into carving, then this hook knife may just turn out to be your best friend. It’s made out of high-quality wood and metal and will last you for years to come. It also comes with a nice little sheath that keeps the blade in peak condition.
Also Consider
This hook knife is another great standalone knife that you can get if you’re looking to get serious with your carving. As shown on its store page, it’s made out of high-quality materials, and you can expect it to last you quite a while before showing any signs of wear and tear.
Key Features
What really makes the knife special, however, is its intended use. The knife is primarily designed to be used to carve out wooden spoons. It can also be used to carve various wooden utensils such as cups and bowls, but spoons are its primary purpose, and you can expect to make some really good spoons with this knife.
Honorable Mention
If you ever wanted to get into carving for the first time, then this set is a great way to start. It has everything you need to start carving from scratch, and as long as you have the right learning material, you’ll become a carving master in no time. From the basic knives to the various accessories, this set has everything covered.
Key Features
The set has the three basic carving knives, as well as oil wax and a leather strap to hold the tools in one spot as you work. You also have some cut-resistant gloves to help keep your hands safe in case you accidentally move your knives towards your hands. There’s also a polishing strap, a fine frosted sponge, and a crude frosted sponge for even better management of your tools. Finally, there’s a spoon block available for you to practice carving on immediately.
Also Consider
While carving isn’t the most expensive hobby in the world, it does cost quite a bit of money to get started, especially if you’re looking to get accessories such as sheaths, gloves, and the like. However, you technically don’t need any of these accessories at all – as long as you have your set of carving knives, you can carve beautiful sculptures.
Key Features
So, if you prefer saving some money, you can get this simple carving kit instead of spending on extra accessories. You get the three basic carving knives, as well as a whittling kit and a knife sharpener as a bonus. You won’t be able to keep your hands protected, nor will you have a spoon block to test on, but if you want to save some money, this is a great choice.
Buyer's Guide to the Best Scorps
Carving knives and scorpers are essential in doing any sort of carving. Whether you’re hollowing out space or adding finer details and lines to a sculpture, you’ll need the right carving knife for the job. For this reason, it’s important to figure out the right knives to use at all times.
What Is a Scorp?
A scorp, or scorper, is another term used to refer to a carving knife. Carving knives can come in many shapes and sizes, and have different uses depending on their design and shape, ranging from basic carving to more detailed carving.
Why Do You Need a Scorp?
Here’s why you need to get a set of carving knives.
They’re essential for carving
No matter how good you think you may be at carving, you’ll need a set of dedicated carving knives to even get started at the hobby. Sure, you may be able to get away with a chisel and a ton of elbow grease, but carving knives make the process much easier, and are basically the only feasible way of reliably carving out wood.
Now, this doesn’t mean that the tools are more important than the skill of carving. Tools are only as good as the professionals that use them, and you’ll need to put in the effort to get at carving. But if you want to efficiently carve out wood, you’ll definitely be needing a dedicated carving knife set.
They can introduce a new hobby
Some people may just have too much time on their hands, with little else to do than to waste it. If you want to make use of your time without wasting it on social media or other forms of entertainment, you’ll want to pick up a hobby such as carving.
Carving is not only fun and time-consuming, but it’s also productive. You’ll be getting concrete results with every project, and you can even put them up for display if you’re proud enough of them.
Things To Consider When Buying a Scorp
Here’s what you need to remember when buying scorpers.
Type
Scorps and carving knives differ greatly from one another depending on their shape and type. Some knives are meant purely to hollow out an area or to create a certain shape within a block of wood, whereas others give the carvers creative freedom in carving out smaller and finer details.
When starting out carving, you’ll only be needing three different carving knives. These knives will allow you to do most things to a degree and are best for beginners. As you progress in your hobby, however, you’ll find that certain knives will offer better results when attempting to carve in certain ways. They’re far more niche, but they’re reliable and efficient, which is why they’re vital.
For the most part, you really shouldn’t worry about the type of knives that you should buy, especially if you’re buying a carving kit. The kit should have all the basic knives you need to get started. Once you’ve gotten familiar with carving, you can then begin to consider the other types of carving knives available.
Size
The size of the scorp is also very important. If the knife is too small, then it can be difficult to hold the tool without touching the blade part. On the other hand, if it’s too big, you lose some level of control over the carving process since you’ll be too busy actually gripping it. As such, you want to get a scorp that’s the perfect size for holding, so you can be sure you can get the maximum amount of control and precision with every stroke.
Maintaining a Scorp
It’s important to take a few steps to maintain your scorp if you want it to continue to function at its prime. One important maintenance step is to keep it sharp. Barrtools has a great video showing you how to sharpen your scorp:
Scorp Price Range
Scorps can vary greatly in price, and this can be for a variety of reasons. For one, carving knives aren’t exactly household items, and their niche usage makes them more expensive, especially when in large sets. Secondly, they’re also dependent on the materials used. High-quality knives will cost much more than whole carving sets. Cheap carving sets will cost no more than $50 to get started, whereas professional carving sets can go for $200 or more.
How We Chose the Best Scorp
Our scorps are chosen based on their size, shape, design, and purpose.
People Also Asked
What is a scorp used for?
Scorps are used primarily for roughing out blocks of wood. They are made to hollow out spaces for spoons, bowls, cups, and the like.
Are carving knives safe?
While carving knives look a little different from the average kitchen knife, they’re just as sharp and can be dangerous to use without cut-resistant gloves.