Hunting Blade Suggestions?

Of all the hunting blades ive tried which is a substantial number, I've settled on the benchmade steep country in s30v and the esee ashley game knife in i believe s35v or something similar. They are both blades that fit my hand very well and will retain an edge for the entire processing of at least one animal. They are also full tang knives that work well for any camp tasks or bushcrafting.
 
Whatever primary knife you buy, also get one of the knives that use replaceable scalpel blades; I use a Havalon. It feels cheap but it is a delight to use when field dressing. There are other brands that use the same replaceable blades.
 
crazy_davey said:
Moras are over hyped junk. A saw blade can give you the same result. Never got the hype other than the $10 cost.

The 2 cent plastic sheaths make them especially classy! šŸ˜‚šŸ¤£
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didnā€™t know being classy was a requirement to be practicalšŸ™„

Moras are cheap but they work too, thatā€™s their appeal, if you loose it in the bush or damage it, itā€™s not a problem to have them replaced

buy what you like, try it, then buy something else and compare, the choose is so personal you may as well ask which gun is better
 
I always recommend looking into and educating yourself on the various steel used by manufacturers. Steel is like engines and can vary greatly.
Also stick with a reputable company that will do a proper heat treat. That will make or break a knifes performance even more so than the steel used.
A freind just found a SOG fixed blade knife and the steel was so soft it was pathetic. It will be used as a thrower only.
I'd recommend something made anywhere but China. Can't trust em.
Benchmade, Esee, Grohmann, Falkniven, Spyderco, Cold Steel, Mora, Casstrom, Lionsteel are a few I'd recommend.
Good luck choosing
 
I have used a number of knives over the years. I have now landed on a north arm knives lynx. Thy are a semi custom knife made in bc. They have magnacut steel and are excellent. After taking apart an animal I just run it on a strop and itā€™s back to shaving sharp. I can do about 10 animals before I have to resharpen. Highly recommend checking them out.
 
crazy_davey said:
Moras are over hyped junk. A saw blade can give you the same result. Never got the hype other than the $10 cost.

The 2 cent plastic sheaths make them especially classy! šŸ˜‚šŸ¤£
Click to expand...

In my experience Moras punch well above their price point. I've used quite a few different knives over the years, and I keep coming back to the Mora. I've never used a $400 knife with one of those fancy super steels, but I've used plenty of $100-150 knives and in my experience they're weren't any better. YMMV of course.
 
Mora's advantage is low cost. They are knives that you can own 5-6 of and keep one in the boat, your ATV, truck etc and not sweat about them getting rusty. I keep one molle'd to the side of my outdoors bag just so I always have something at the ready that I can reach while on the snowmobile or ATV. I would not want a Mora as a primary tool. The bevel are formed by what seems to be a lazer cut and are rough. They are not intended for a long life or lend themselves well to sharpening or profiling. Full tang construction is a minimum requirement for a quality hunting blade.
 
I have more knives than a man needs both Mora's and Grohman's. For a pure hunting knife I always come back to my Grohman #1 in Carbon. It's not modern super steel but it holds an edge well and is easy to touch up with a steel if required. This year I tried the Grohman Mini skinner and was very pleased with the handle shape. It's stainless and I used it to do the skinning on 2 deer and it's still sharp. I have used a couple Mora's for hunting and they will work but the Scandi edge is better suited for wood working and doesn't seem as nimble as a sabre or flat grind. The best part about the Scandi edge is the ease of resharpening. I just strop it frequently and that is all it needs to keep it shaving sharp. I carry an Eldris sometimes and accidentally forgot my normal hunting knife once and was able to field dress but could have used a longer blade for the butt hole removal. For the price of a Mora everyone needs one or 2. There are so many options for a hunting blade , making sure you like the way the handle fits is a start. Good luck
 
38'55 said:
... I always come back to my Grohman #1 in Carbon. It's not modern super steel but it holds an edge well and is easy to touch up with a steel if required.
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Maybe it's the difference between stainless and carbon, but I was left unimpressed by the edge retention on my stainless No. 1. I have a stainless skinner here too, but it seems less of an issue, probably because all it ever does is separate hide from meat.
 
czsuby said:
Hey everyone,
I need a good hunting blade suggestionsā€” something with solid edge retention, good balance, and built to last through tough seasons. I donā€™t mind investing a bit more if the qualityā€™s there.
Lately, Iā€™ve been eyeing some of the Noblie Custom Knives official website custom blade work, and it looks impressive ā€” classic profiles with detailed finishes and premium materials. Anyone here actually used one of their blades out in the field?
Also any other recommendations.
Thanks
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Crazy prices. I would research the company before paying that kind of money for a "custom" knife. Where is their shop where they make the knives? They have addresses in eorope and somewhere else. They make chess pieces? As for what blade for hunting? I like d2. It's still easy to sharpen and holds an edge

https://nobliecustomknives.com/about-us/
 
L86 All Terrain said:
Mora's advantage is low cost. They are knives that you can own 5-6 of and keep one in the boat, your ATV, truck etc and not sweat about them getting rusty. I keep one molle'd to the side of my outdoors bag just so I always have something at the ready that I can reach while on the snowmobile or ATV. I would not want a Mora as a primary tool. The bevel are formed by what seems to be a lazer cut and are rough. They are not intended for a long life or lend themselves well to sharpening or profiling. Full tang construction is a minimum requirement for a quality hunting blade.
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I get moraā€™s are cheap. All of my vehicles, atvā€™s etc. have a knife/multi tool as well as extra gear. Most of those knives are just ones I was kind of happy with but nothing special. All are razor sharp. Kept for emergency purposes. I have a mora in one of my vehicles as a back up, one day Iā€™ll find it.

I just like carrying a good knife everyday no matter where I go.

My kill bag has a skeleton swamp rat and a havalon with extra blades. My hunting pack will always have my custom Stuart Branson knife which he and I designed for what I wanted and has been used lots.

Broken down easily 100 animals with the current kill kit I have in my pack.

Owned two Grohmans, carried them a bit, never liked them much. Decent knife, not for me.

Carry a good blade with you on your EDC, you will never be worried about having the rest.

I could easily break down a full elk with my EDC pocket carry knife, and have. Not optimal, but can do it. My EDC carry knives are Chris Reeves small Sebenza or one of two Civivi Elementums.
 
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I suggest a sheath knife for hunting, one of well less than Rambo size. Buck knives are good starter knives and were in fact the unobtainable quality knives of my Canadian childhood (would gape at them in US outdoor stores, which is to say gun shops). Now knives from companies like CRKT are available and as good or better.

I'll say one thing for Bass Pro, which is that even now they maintain a great selection of outdoor knives in a wide range of prices. If there's no other good store near you, buy one you like the look of, in person or even online, and you'll be happy with it.
 
crazy_davey said:
I get moraā€™s are cheap. All of my vehicles, atvā€™s etc. have a knife/multi tool as well as extra gear. Most of those knives are just ones I was kind of happy with but nothing special. All are razor sharp. Kept for emergency purposes. I have a mora in one of my vehicles as a back up, one day Iā€™ll find it.

I just like carrying a good knife everyday no matter where I go.

My kill bag has a skeleton swamp rat and a havalon with extra blades. My hunting pack will always have my custom Stuart Branson knife which he and I designed for what I wanted and has been used lots.

Broken down easily 100 animals with the current kill kit I have in my pack.

Owned two Grohmans, carried them a bit, never liked them much. Decent knife, not for me.

Carry a good blade with you on your EDC, you will never be worried about having the rest.

I could easily break down a full elk with my EDC pocket carry knife, and have. Not optimal, but can do it. My EDC carry knives are Chris Reeves small Sebenza or one of two Civivi Elementums.
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I had a Civivi Elementum and snapped the tip off quickly. It was way too thin from the factory. I reground it and it was much more robust, carried it as a beater work knife and lost it a few months later. Chinese D2 kind of sucks in my experience and prefer the OKC Rat as a cheap beater blade. Taiwan just does everything better than China.

I don't own any high end flippers like a CR. A few ZT's and some cool Spydercos like the Slycz (sp?) Bowie. My main hunting blade was made by a Canadian maker Paul Beebe a long time ago, not sure if he is still doing the gun show circuits or not. It's 6" blade, full flat grind A2 tool steel and it's pretty thick stock, 3/16 or 1/4". It will easily tear through the breast plate of a deer. Blade profile similar to this, but overall a little bigger.

IMG_2305.JPG
 
9.3mauser said:
Maybe it's the difference between stainless and carbon, but I was left unimpressed by the edge retention on my stainless No. 1. I have a stainless skinner here too, but it seems less of an issue, probably because all it ever does is separate hide from meat.
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I would tend to agree. The edge retention on my 90's vintage Trout and Bird is not great. I have a number 4 in stainless that is a second and it holds it's edge way better. If I remember correctly from past threads Grohman's edge retention is variable. The seconds are the best value if you don't care about warranty.
9.3mauser said:
Maybe it's the difference between stainless and carbon, but I was left unimpressed by the edge retention on my stainless No. 1. I have a stainless skinner here too, but it seems less of an issue, probably because all it ever does is separate hide from meat.
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The Outdoor Edge comes in a folder, with the blade and gut hook thingy. They also make a couple of folding saws in deer and moose size. Then add a Victorinox 6ā€ Skinner.

There is a lot of hype surrounding ā€œhuntingā€ knives. There are very few that serve a practical purpose other than feeding ego, opening a pack of hotdogs and slicing cheese.

Knives should be a fit for use tool. The use for game is primarily knocking out guts and taking the hide off. While there are knives that will do both, they wonā€™t do as well as the ones fit for that exact purpose.

R.
 
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