Yes, technically "sharpen" was the wrong word to use in regards to "sharpening steels". I never use them, never will. I prefer to strop my knives every so often depending on the hardness/edge retention of that particular steel and rarely have to take them to a diamond or other type of stone. A few seconds on the strop and they are hair popping sharp again.
Quality skinning knives
- Thread starter adosland
- Start date
Yes, technically "sharpen" was the wrong word to use in regards to "sharpening steels". I never use them, never will. I prefer to strop my knives every so often depending on the hardness/edge retention of that particular steel and rarely have to take them to a diamond or other type of stone. A few seconds on the strop and they are hair popping sharp again.
I find your comment strange as well since mine had zero to with the design, use, or ease of sharpening but then I find many of the comments on this thread strange. The op asks for recommendations on a quality knife in the 3-600 dollar range with people then saying that he doesn't need that and start recommending 30 dollar Mora knives. Maybe I'm just strange. Very possible.
Post Knives makes some real good quality knives and he is Canadian.
https://postknives.com/
https://postknives.com/
I would agree ..... what does the OP really want? A general purpose hunting/field knife ..... or a specialty tool for skinning ... a "skinner"?
A good skinner was designed for one task only .... and to skin the hide from a large animal ... and it will excel at that task.
(And in my books ... a good skinner does not have a clip point, or drop point, or a spear point)
But a good skinner is a lousy tool for other tasks ... like boning, gutting, wood carving, batoning, making kindling, fillet a fish ... etc. ....
A skinner is a very specialized tool!!
So what does the OP really want to do with that knife?
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I havn't skinned a moose yet with these knives ... but I am pretty sure my Giesser skinners can do a whole moose without resharpening ... as long as the hand that guides them knows what it is doing ....
Same goes for the Victorinox skinners ....
These are quality knives designed and produced for professional use .... made in Germany/Switzerland ....
They just don't cost a fortune ...
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I havn't skinned a moose yet with these knives ... but I am pretty sure my Giesser skinners can do a whole moose without resharpening ... as long as the hand that guides them knows what it is doing ....
Same goes for the Victorinox skinners ....
These are quality knives designed and produced for professional use .... made in Germany/Switzerland ....
They just don't cost a fortune ...
Well I might have to buy one and give it a try. Not something I would carry in my pack because my "skinning" knives also have to double as survival knives in the off chance I ever need that (hopefully not) but I wouldn't mind one for at home when I'm hanging and skinning quarters, etc.
I havn't skinned a moose yet with these knives ... but I am pretty sure my Giesser skinners can do a whole moose without resharpening ... as long as the hand that guides them knows what it is doing ....
Same goes for the Victorinox skinners ....
These are quality knives designed and produced for professional use .... made in Germany/Switzerland ....
They just don't cost a fortune ...
This design is what I used for years on the trapline, beavers to moose, no worries.
Sharpen on a stone easily and they touch up with a steel with a few swipes.
I have some high end knives now, everything from Grohmanns , Pumas, and Martinnis to custom made knives by Leclair , Chisan and Nesdole.
I could go back to my Victorianox with no issues whatsoever.
Cat
GAIRLOCHIAN
Regular
- Location
- NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA
Stainless Grohman are useless.
Thanks for the comment Cat.
Myself, I have come a long way …. 20 years ago I was into high end knives … and I still have a whole bunch of Pumas, Fallknivens, Bark Rivers, etc. … and which are collecting dust today. Down the road I realized that sharpening those super steels in the field …. was just too much of a pain for me … :-(
Out in the field …. and where I don’t have a belt sander … I just want my knives to work … and I don’t want to spend half an hour sharpening once they get dull ….
Today, …. yes, I am still carrying a general purpose field knife …. (a bastard Mora that one can’t buy in that configuration and that fits my big palms like a glove) …. But, I always try to have a couple of specialty knives handy and where it is feasible ….
Good quality budget knives …. a skinner, a boning knife, a wood carver … a large camp knife … etc. … Knives that only take a couple of strokes on a sharpening steel to realign the edge ….. and which only take 5 minutes to sharpen on a stone should they ever get dull ….
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
You CANNOT buy a Quality Skinning knife for that little money ! This is the COVID Era !
You sure can! A friend of mine has been a knife maker since we were teenagers. He was taught knife making by R.W Wilson, a very well renowned knifemaker from Virginia. My buddy makes a superb quality skinning knife complete with hand made quality fitted sheath for under $200!!
If you are on facebook search Wynn Stitt Custom Knives in North Bay, Ontario.
I was going to say the same thing. I shot my first deer in 1970 and my dad asked me to skin his deer from about 1966 on and I've never used a skinning knife, but whatever knife was on hand.
I currently have a Buck Lite and a Mora Kniv in my day pack.
BigUglyMan
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- New Scotland
I don't understand why people invest in skinning knives that cost hundreds of dollars ....
There are commercial grade and professional butcher/skinning knives that do an excellent job .... and for a pretty small price .... like the Giesser skinning knives ....
They were designed for skinning large game animals and being used every day .... and day after day .... year after year ....
Same reason that people don't only hunt with Remington 710 or Stevens 200 rifle.
Pride of ownership.
They have worked well for me for many years and countless animals.
this is my buck skinner. It has s30v steel and it doesnt get much better no matter what u spend. Its about 150$, ive had it for 10 years, its seen many small and large animals on the farm, 25+ coyotes, many many furbearers, deer, and about 20 rabbits domestic amd wild per year. It looks nearly new. Stays sharp through a few deer. I love it. Cheap in comparison to some.I think this model with the gut hook isnt available right now, and the gut hook is priceless to me
Attachments
- Location
- Saskatchewan
Another vote for Grohman. I've owned a lot of knives over the years including some custom builds. Grohman holds its own with the best.
turbo_bird
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Kamloops, BC
My favourite knife is my grandpa's old Helle. It's not a skinning knife though, just a general purpose hunting knife. The only skinning knife have is a Buck 103, and I'm plenty happy with it. I can get through two beef without touching up the edge, and it works much better than a bigger general purpose knife. When butchering animals on the farm I use a big Buck 119 to knock the legs off and do the other "dirty" work, then use the 103 to get the hide off. If I had to use just one knife for it all, it would be the Helle.
Kristian
Kristian
