Knife Selection

[CDFrom]

I am quite practiced at sharpening, had heard a story of my grandfather sharpening to the point a hair dropped onto the blade would split.
I started trying to replicate the task and honed my skills as well as everyone's knives in my company of Marines. K-bars, Gerber MkIIs, my own Buck 119, 110 and the Fred MacOverland? Stag handle from Solingen, that is the one that made my evolution complete. I had successfully done my grandpas trick and sliced my thumb returning the knife to the sheath, unbeknownst to me.
I carry a schrade steel and still the 119. Still sharp after sitting dormant for 8 years once.
I rarely had arm hair, or leg from the knee down when I was out in the field.
EDC is a Kershaw 1556 and is a good folder with decent steel, light handle and assisted opening.

 

[CHAGA50]

I have a couple of great standard knives for hunting that are sharp.

That said, those interchangeable knives with disposable blades in 3-4 blade shapes from honing to caping to gut hook look great!

So should I set aside my standard knife set for a cheap do-it-all knife?

RazorMax®

The RazorMax™ is the best fixed blade hunting knife with our patented RazorSafe™ replaceable blade system and includes two unique blade styles to allow you to switch from 3.5 inch drop-point to 5.0 inch boning/fillet blade. Replacement blades sold separately

www.outdooredge.com

Hey friend . I make my own knives out of planer blades . They stay sharp

 

[tx338]

I've evolved to a "carry both" over the years. 3.5-4" drop point quality fixed blade, havalon piranta with extra blades, and a pocket folder ( and a sharpener), with a Wyoming saw. Have not taken any North American game these won't break down.

I did a gutless quarter on a CO bull elk in 2020 with 2 havalon blades. Bull was shot in the morning, plenty of light to take my time, honestly wanted to see if it could be done. As said earlier, the havalon with 1/2 dozen spare blades is a couple of ounces added to your kit. Not a fan of having to stop skin/quarter process to sharpen in the field. My 2 cents anyway….

 

[JRS3]

I have carried a Randall 21 on my hip for most of my adult hunting excursions and probably always will keep it close.

I keep a Havalon replaceable bladed knife in my pack for caping and delicate work. These really are great products.

This past year, I picked up a lightweight Montana Knife Co Blackfoot that attaches easily to my backpack straps. I'm digging it so far and it's very sharp. I got the Orange blade so it is easy to spot. I wouldn't mind a larger MKC blade later this year for an all purpose camp blade.

 

[Mark37082]

I've tried the quick blade change knives and they work reasonably well. I still carry my old buck and a Fieldcraft knife when in the field.

 

[tony d willIiams]

Way back I provided some of the tools for my industrial maintenance crew.
California began to "outlaw" certain of the disposable razor cutters.
So I purchased new "legal" cutters for the men, and asked them to dispose of the "illegal" ones. ie, do not have them on company premises.
Then California made the "legal" ones illegal. And the cycle repeated so that every few months they were getting new safe knives. It began to seem that if a worker was hurt by one of those extremely dangerous items, then it was outlawed.
I read the laws, and requested they dispose of all razor blades, and break-off blades. Get a good knife and use it.

With care and proper usage, most tools deemed unsafe by the state are safe.

My dad taught me to sharpen my pocket knife when I was a young child. My knives fit in my hands and belong there, just as if they are my fingers.
And sadly I have given the TSA too many of my pocket knives. I began to carry self addressed shipping envelopes in my briefcase.

 

[Danehunter]

I carry HELLE in the GT model shown here with my 6.5 PRC Browning X-Bolt Pro and Bushnell 4.5 - 28 x 44 LRTS scope.
This knife has a laminated blade with the harder steel in the core. It is made in Norway in the little costal town named Helle, naturally. The price of this knife has risen over 25% since I got it as a gift in 2018! Given its high quality it is still worth the money.

 

[RJG_ABQ]

I also have to many knives that I have purchased over the years. All started out with a Buck 119 from my girlfriend - now my wife of over 40 years. I still have that knife and will go to the grave with it, however it does not get much use these days. I have used various Buck knives over the years with my favorites being a Buck Pro-Line engraved by Chuck and then a give away from and RMEF banquet.

I did jump on the replaceable blade ban wagon buying Havalon knives from the basic Piranta, Jim Shockey Signature series, Bone Collector, and my new favorite Hydra. I have processed several elk, deer and antelope with these knives and love the sharpness of these knives but as several folks have mentioned you have to be extra careful with them. The first few animals I processed did leave me with a few finger cuts through the dishwashing gloves. I need to look into the Kevlar gloves for sure.

Most animals can be processed with one of the Havalon blades, but processing a big elk the blade does get dull (compared to a new blade) towards the end of the skinning process. At least that has been my experience.

 

[VinceMule]

The McCrosky knives put an end to worrying about having a sharp knife to skin and butcher 4 elk in a row.

The Elk skinner is all you need, but after you get one, you will want every knife they make.

I had a variety of Buck knives, 4 Pumas', and a couple of other German knives, sold them all...no regret and that was 15 years ago!

I skinned and butchered 8 deer at our deer camp with the Trapper set, knives would still shave you!

A good knife makes for easy skinning and butchering, not to mention you just enjoy using a quality sharp knife that keeps on going!

I am a customer, not family of

McCroskyknives.com in Stillwater, Ok

 

[Huntsman66]

Puma Hunters Pal, imported from German knife shop.com. lanski knife sharping system, diamond hones. Carry a small diamond hone in your pocket or pack. Learn to use them on cheap knives. Your Puma will stay sharp for many deer and couple of elk. Then only requires a touch up.

Im a puma knife fan as well. Carried a skinner for 45 years.

 

[Hawryluk]

I've got a custom blade made by Bob Lay hands down the best I've used pretty typical to get a couple deer outta one sharpnesses that's said the best was a moose elk and deer split between myself and a friend he's a great guy and knife maker if you can talk him into one here in BC good luck! The metal was sandvik something??

 

[Alibiiv]

I look at knives as I look at my hunting rifles. For me there's a particular knife for a particular job. Right now I carry a Kershaw, finger assist folder. I use it to open cans, cut wire, cut whatever I am working on in the basement, garage, on the tractor, or in the garden. This knife gets sharpened by running it across a course and then a medium grade stone. Every so often when I have the "Wicked Edge" set up and running it will get a treat and done up proper. I also have a Benchmade, Mel Pardue, lock blade folder that I use for my "Sunday go to meeting" knife. This knife gets treated like a queen and only used for particular cutting jobs and "nothing " else. I have owned this knife since 1990, the blade has been replaced with a new Mel Pardue blade (replacing the first Mel Pardue blade) by a friend who is a knife maker. My present hunting knife is a Randall Alaskan Skinner that I purchased new in 1987. It has accompanied me on many hunting trips both in the U.S. and in Canada. Although I like the ruggedness of this knife, I recently found it to be limiting in that there's really not enough point on the blade to do some of the chores that I want a knife to do. I have been looking for a Randall model 26 Pathfinder; however, the ones that I have found are stainless steel blades (prefer carbon) and priced out of sight. I keep a Havalon, Piranta knife that is zip corded to my backpack. It is a very light knife, extremely sharp and for me specialized with the gut hook. I think these knifes are great, however............also find them "very" unforgiving. Knifes are "supposed" to be sharp, however these knives are "very sharp", and a slip means some serious injury. I keep it affixed to the backpack because it is an extra knife that is easily accessible, and it really doesn't weigh anything at all. With the skinning blade installed the Havalon will skin out a bear without any issues whatsoever, and with the precision of a scalpel. As for sharpening I use a Wicked Edge sharpening system. It is a great system, it works well; however, I have found that there's a learning curve with it. But...once it is set up and running it does a great job, and usually I will have all of the knifes that I utilize at hand to sharpen them all. So...I like a "fixed" blade knife, with a blade around 4 inches long that has a drop point as my "go to" everyday hunting knife that is attached to my belt when I go out to hunt. For now the hunting knife is an Randall, Alaskan Skinner until I find what I am looking for and then the Randall will be retired as it has sentimental value to me.

 

[MachV]

Got 2 drawers full of knives and not one replaceable blade in there, actuallly enjoy a sharp knife and getting them that way.
Carried the Kershaw set for years till the buck set was added. The Buck set works great as the licenses fit in the case along with a few servival gismoes. They look pink in this light but are blaze orange=easy to keep track of and clean!

 

[Bruce Treloar]

I have a couple of great standard knives for hunting that are sharp.

That said, those interchangeable knives with disposable blades in 3-4 blade shapes from honing to caping to gut hook look great!

So should I set aside my standard knife set for a cheap do-it-all knife?

RazorMax®

The RazorMax™ is the best fixed blade hunting knife with our patented RazorSafe™ replaceable blade system and includes two unique blade styles to allow you to switch from 3.5 inch drop-point to 5.0 inch boning/fillet blade. Replacement blades sold separately

www.outdooredge.com

There are a lot of excellent blade steels around these days even the stainless rivals the newer high carbon steels. The sharpness and edge holding is my main focus so like 52100 carbon, RWL34 stainless but am trialing some AEBL now that seems difficult to work.
Have made probably 50 or 60 so far, mostly drop point skinners for cutting. I don't really have a need for thicker blades that don't cut well but can be used for chopping down trees or making kindling for the fire. Select a knife for the animals you are skinning or dressing out. There's not really an all round knife that will do everything, bit like an all round rifle that is good for field mice and elephants.