Too many knife options... Which one?

[mcseal2]

If I'm taking just one knife I lean toward a little bigger one. They fit my hand better and just make the job quicker for me. I want at least 3.5" of blade and prefer a 4 or 4.5" blade. My current favorite of anything I've tried is the Bark River classic clip point hunter. Not ultralight at 7.8oz with it's sheath, but it is sure comfortable to use. I used it on two moose last year and with just a 1.2oz ceramic steel kept it shaving sharp. It's enough of a knife, and tough enough in 3V steel I don't feel like I need to baby it. If things go wrong I can use it for processing wood that I couldn't with a smaller knife. They say everyone packs their fears and I guess my comfort item is a sturdy fixed blade knife. I've learned to appreciate a good knife and what I can do with it working on the ranch all these years.

I like the one above best for me, but all these are knives I like quite a bit. My complaints on them are nitpicking for sure, they are great knives.

I have the Benchmade Altitude and I like it as a back-up and caping knife. I could sure do a whole deer with it too, but the skeleton handle gets uncomfortable to me using it that long. Also I still like a longer blade for some jobs.
I did my whitetail with it and my Bark River Bravo LT Hunter last year. Either would do the job, but I didn't find either as ideal for me as the Clip Point Hunter.

Benchmade Saddle Mtn Skinner - thicker blade tip, doesn't slice quite as well but does decent. 7.2oz w/ sheath

Havalon or Outdoor edge - work great, but I still like having a tougher knife if I'm only taking one

Harvey King Personal - Great knife but 3.5" blade, slightly harder to sharpen than the 3V 6oz w/ sheath

Battle Horse Black Water - great knife also, carbon steel just takes a bit more care on multi day trips in a damp tipi about 7oz w/ sheath I think

Buck Alpha Crosslock - great knife/small saw combo. harder to clean handle and 3" blade shorter than I like. 3.9oz

ZT 452CF - a favorite folder or second knife. Same blade shape as Benchmade Saddle Mtn hunter, not a great skinner but it does the job. S35V steel is great in it, a favorite. 4.2oz

Bark River Bravo LT Hunter in 3V - A great all around knife but doesn't slice quite like the clip point. Not quite the slicer of the thin blades, but a tough blade that's good at everything while not being great at anything. 11.8oz w/ sheath

Gerber Bolt Action Exchange blade - heck of an old school knife. If they made a new version in S30V or better steel I'd likely have one. Its tougher than the modern havalon or outdoor edge knives and a person can still have multiple blades so you don't have to re-sharpen in the field. Good blade shapes for camp chores and game tasks.

 

[Lawnboi]

Everyone likes pictures
LT small northern hunter

 

[a_noob_hunter]

If I'm taking just one knife I lean toward a little bigger one. They fit my hand better and just make the job quicker for me. I want at least 3.5" of blade and prefer a 4 or 4.5" blade. My current favorite of anything I've tried is the Bark River classic clip point hunter. Not ultralight at 7.8oz with it's sheath, but it is sure comfortable to use. I used it on two moose last year and with just a 1.2oz ceramic steel kept it shaving sharp. It's enough of a knife, and tough enough in 3V steel I don't feel like I need to baby it. If things go wrong I can use it for processing wood that I couldn't with a smaller knife. They say everyone packs their fears and I guess my comfort item is a sturdy fixed blade knife. I've learned to appreciate a good knife and what I can do with it working on the ranch all these years.

I like the one above best for me, but all these are knives I like quite a bit. My complaints on them are nitpicking for sure, they are great knives.

I have the Benchmade Altitude and I like it as a back-up and caping knife. I could sure do a whole deer with it too, but the skeleton handle gets uncomfortable to me using it that long. Also I still like a longer blade for some jobs.
I did my whitetail with it and my Bark River Bravo LT Hunter last year. Either would do the job, but I didn't find either as ideal for me as the Clip Point Hunter.

Benchmade Saddle Mtn Skinner - thicker blade tip, doesn't slice quite as well but does decent. 7.2oz w/ sheath

Havalon or Outdoor edge - work great, but I still like having a tougher knife if I'm only taking one

Harvey King Personal - Great knife but 3.5" blade, slightly harder to sharpen than the 3V 6oz w/ sheath

Battle Horse Black Water - great knife also, carbon steel just takes a bit more care on multi day trips in a damp tipi about 7oz w/ sheath I think

Buck Alpha Crosslock - great knife/small saw combo. harder to clean handle and 3" blade shorter than I like. 3.9oz

ZT 452CF - a favorite folder or second knife. Same blade shape as Benchmade Saddle Mtn hunter, not a great skinner but it does the job. S35V steel is great in it, a favorite. 4.2oz

Bark River Bravo LT Hunter in 3V - A great all around knife but doesn't slice quite like the clip point. Not quite the slicer of the thin blades, but a tough blade that's good at everything while not being great at anything. 11.8oz w/ sheath

Gerber Bolt Action Exchange blade - heck of an old school knife. If they made a new version in S30V or better steel I'd likely have one. Its tougher than the modern havalon or outdoor edge knives and a person can still have multiple blades so you don't have to re-sharpen in the field. Good blade shapes for camp chores and game tasks.

Really appreciate the input. That bark river looks and sounds like a great knife. I'm partly hesitant to get a skeletonized knife or purely skinning knife because I don't know if I could use it on wood or similar things. I am not very good at sharpening so I'd prefer a blade that is forgiving/easy to sharpen(ing) but understand that blade retention is gonna be good but not outstanding.

Kestrel has the Ovis Hunter for $50 off so I might ordered one and if I don't like it I can sell it and get something else. I'm not in a huge hurry to get a knife, just wanna have it before the end of August.

Also willing to try different knives if I don't like one, if I'm gonna be spending this much coin I want to get one that I'm happy with and wanna buy another high-end knife in a couple months because I'm not pleased with it.

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[Phaseolus]

You might consider a Hatfield Knife, hand made custom. Look at Hatfield Knives on facebook.

 

[boom]

Knives are so personal. What you love I may not like. Like those razor replacement knives I understand, but I don’t really like. No debate, a good fixed blade has less disposable waste compared to a replacement razor type. Plus I enjoy the challenge of sharpening a knife.

I think that Benchmade Puukko would make a great hunting knife.

But honestly; I have some embarrassingly expensive knives and the one that has cleaned more game for me is my $14 Mora Companion. It’s a great field knife. It punches way above its weight class.

That SAK above is a great suggestion for me. One criteria for me is that a knife has to perform moderately in a survival situation. The crap could hit the fan and I need a sturdy blade. Maybe. Hopefully not.

 

[boom]

View attachment 102389I have a bunch of high budget knives, but this is too simple and effective. Swiss army sharp, a blade that cuts from the underside of the hide to eliminate hair cuts, a bone saw like a leatherman but longer, tweezers and a toothpick.

I've since gone to the camillus sharpener with the ceramic, carbide and such in a light package.

This very knife has been through at least 30 elk and 10 bears.....and a ton of deer.

The blade gets laughed at by some....until they see it in action. It's longer than the typical swiss.....and sharp.

Great great idea!

 

[Olyhunter]

Lots of good options with up to $170 to spend. The knife portion of my kill kit consists of a Havalon and a good/smaller fixed blade. For my fixed at the moment I’m using a free(well not exactly free), Buck knife. It’s got soft steel, so easy to sharpen. The Havalon does most of the work. I carry a small lightweight Arc Sharpener, if my fixed needs a touch up the Arc will do it in a few swipes. Definitely under a hundred. Lot of options, good luck

 

[Trial153]

200 I am grabing a doizer in D2 way before any of those comerical jobs

 

[boom]

OP! There is one knife giving me fits. I want it because I think it will be an awesome hunt knife. It meets EVERY CRITERIA! It’s the Spyderco Gayle Bradley JUNCTION! Thin blade so it sliced, 4” long blade, grippy handle, and not that heavy.

My wife would kill me if I bought another knife right now. Death! I need the dust to settle and fir her to forget the last one. Look at it. It’s discontinued but still available for now.

 

[mcseal2]

I like that Spyderco

My admittedly non expert advice is choose your steel and grind carefully if you want an all purpose knife and not just a game knife. Thats what I did in a rather expensive way with everything I tried. I like and kinda collect knives, but if I was just looking for utility I went about it wrong. Some of the super steels can be more brittle

One I forgot to mention earlier for a bigger knife is the cold steel master hunter. I have an old one in carbon V. They now make it in 3V too. I hate the new sheath though, if I would ever get one I would use my old sheath. I have no need for a new one and dont know much about cold steel’s quality these days good or bad.

 

[Mosby]

I like that Spyderco

My admittedly non expert advice is choose your steel and grind carefully if you want an all purpose knife and not just a game knife. Thats what I did in a rather expensive way with everything I tried. I like and kinda collect knives, but if I was just looking for utility I went about it wrong. Some of the super steels can be more brittle

One I forgot to mention earlier for a bigger knife is the cold steel master hunter. I have an old one in carbon V. They now make it in 3V too. I hate the new sheath though, if I would ever get one I would use my old sheath. I have no need for a new one and dont know much about cold steel’s quality these days good or bad.

I have used the Cold Steel Master Hunter Carbon V more than any knife I own, including a few custom. If I want to kill a deer, I take that knife.

Another knife to consider is the Knives of Alaska boning knife. I have an old one in ATS 34 that I really like. I think the new ones are D2. Thin and relatively lightweight. This coupled with a Havalon is a pretty good combination.

 

[manitou1]

I am throughly impressed with Bark River knives. If you shop around, or add a few bucks you can get one heck of a blade. I switched back to non-folders due to folders getting gunked up and requiring more cleaning. Pick a good steel. S3V, S30V, S35V, D2, Elmax or the like and all you will need is a strop block or ceramic to keep it sharp for multiple animal breakndowns. If you go for an O-1, 1095 blade or the like, keep it wiped with Froglube. Rust is easier to prevent than to remove! Check out the video on corrosion preventatives. F.l. kept carbon steel rust free for months... salt treated and left outside in the elements, and it is food safe.
I used to make custom knives on the side until my neck injury and the Bark Rivers rate pretty high on my list. You can also save a bit more and get a good custom for 240.00 if you shop around. (Winston knives or Steingass)

 

[justin davis]

The Iron will K1 knife is pretty badass. 1 oz and it’s strong and holds a great edge!

 

[Gerard Marcaurele]

I’ve been looking around for something worthwhile on the fixed blade side, and in the realm you’re mentioning I’d probably go Esee.

However, I am an oddball and bought a Camillus branded titanium boning knife from Walmart for $10 that I like ore than any other knife I own. I’ve broken down a few deer and a few domestic pigs with it, and the dang thing can hold an edge well AND it sharpens up pretty easily with just a whetstone.

When I go on my elk hunt, I’ll likely take a Tyto 1.1 with a couple blades and that Camillus, unless I get a wild hair and buy myself something like the esee Izula.

 

[Shraggs]

Really appreciate the input. That bark river looks and sounds like a great knife. I'm partly hesitant to get a skeletonized knife or purely skinning knife because I don't know if I could use it on wood or similar things. I am not very good at sharpening so I'd prefer a blade that is forgiving/easy to sharpen(ing) but understand that blade retention is gonna be good but not outstanding.

Kestrel has the Ovis Hunter for $50 off so I might ordered one and if I don't like it I can sell it and get something else. I'm not in a huge hurry to get a knife, just wanna have it before the end of August.

Also willing to try different knives if I don't like one, if I'm gonna be spending this much coin I want to get one that I'm happy with and wanna buy another high-end knife in a couple months because I'm not pleased with it.

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A good point you made about sharpening. A lot of knives listed here are in good steels even super steels and they are harder and harder to sharpen.

Some thoughts would be to look at knives that come in a carbon steel as they are easy o sharpen. Steels I like are A2, O1. In a stainless that is forgiving and durable is Bucks 420HC. All of this are easy to sharpen.

In fact consider the buck vanguard. A very decent shaped knife that is mostly drop point but with a slight gradual skinner curve to the edge. If you get that in 420hc prolly around 100$. All these softer steels do require periodic touch up while using them on game so be able to do that!

As for skinners on woods, ie needed to make fire. It’s not the blade pattern, in fact a curved blade will make great feather sticks. It’s the handle. The bill Moran I mention would not be a knife to rely on if needed - the tang is molded into the handle and is only an inch long. Batoning certainly could break that knife. The bark river I mentioned is a full tang and it has a Sabre grind near the spine to help split wood. No problem, done it many times.

Look at the original marbles woodcraft... a one knife answer invention in 1902 by Webster himself. Conceived as a blade to field process game and handle all camp chores, ie fire and food prep.

 

[Kootenay Hunter]

If you get good steel (S30V, etc.) and have good knife skills, a good knife will get you a few animals before you need to even touch up. Much better than changing multiple razor blades with bloody hands in the dark.

If the steel is good and the grind, it's really a preference of looks, design, and handle feel, it all comes down to the steel used.

Since everyone using, say, a Crucibles steel (S30V, S90V), will be receiving the same sheet of steel from the manufacturer, all they're doing is laser cutting it out and grinding.

Of course debatable, but generally, high carbon steels will have a better edge than SS, but are susceptible to corrosion. The Cr and V in SS create carbides, which impart good hardness and edge retention, but with hardness comes lack of toughness and difficulty sharpening.

I have Japanese kitchen knives which are made with a high carbon core/edge covered in multiple layers of stainless (san mai).

I'm not sure if any mainstream hunting knife makers use this method, but I'm sure a lot of customs do. It's a good compromise. No steel is perfect, when you push one attribute, another suffers, it's just physics and chemistry.

 

[rcb2000]

I’m a recovering knife nut and have tried about all of them.
For weight, price, to performance in a fixed blade you just can’t beat a Mora.
Around 3 ounces, super grippy handle, easy to sharpen and holds an edge very well.
And for $15 or less, you can afford to have one in the pack(just for animal processing, one at camp for food and camp duties.

 

[Thunder head]

Swing blaze,

Good long lasting steel. Not that hard to sharpen. Gutting blade is the best I have ever used. Ive used it elk, deer and hogs.

 

[a_noob_hunter]

If you get good steel (S30V, etc.) and have good knife skills, a good knife will get you a few animals before you need to even touch up. Much better than changing multiple razor blades with bloody hands in the dark.

If the steel is good and the grind, it's really a preference of looks, design, and handle feel, it all comes down to the steel used.

Since everyone using, say, a Crucibles steel (S30V, S90V), will be receiving the same sheet of steel from the manufacturer, all they're doing is laser cutting it out and grinding.

Of course debatable, but generally, high carbon steels will have a better edge than SS, but are susceptible to corrosion. The Cr and V in SS create carbides, which impart good hardness and edge retention, but with hardness comes lack of toughness and difficulty sharpening.

I have Japanese kitchen knives which are made with a high carbon core/edge covered in multiple layers of stainless (san mai).

I'm not sure if any mainstream hunting knife makers use this method, but I'm sure a lot of customs do. It's a good compromise. No steel is perfect, when you push one attribute, another suffers, it's just physics and chemistry.

That makes sense with what you said about Cr and V. The Kestrel is made of S35VN so it's alittle harder but harder to sharpen. I didn't know what the V was for. My knife skills arent phenomenal, I know how to use one good. Hopefully carrying a fixed blade and replacement (for edc) will be enough.

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[WhiteOak]

I have come to appreciate a knife that is easy to sharpen over the best steel out there. I have become a big fan of Mora's for this reason. The angle is already foolproof on the blade I can get them back to razor sharp in 45 seconds easiest knives I've sharpened. They are around 15 bucks so be as rough on them as you want. Although I haven't worn any out. I have 2 in my pack and could between them can skin and quarter without sharpening. Once back at camp I can get both shaving hairs again without much effort at all. I have been using the stainless blades and am a big fan because of the ease to clean. Getting meat out of the handle is tough but not a bad problem to have.