Yes, we're all aware the Cold Steel (among other companies) uses designs made first by other companies. The recent sale of bargain-priced 4116 Krupp knives (Finn Wolf, Finn Bear, Kudu, Roach Belly, Canadian Belt Knife, Long Hunter, Western Hunter, etc.) has enraged more than a few knife users. In the past, I compared the Cold Steel Canadian Belt Knife against the Grohmann #1, and the Cold Steel Finn Bear against the Mora Craftsman. Both got many nice replies, and a request to compare the newer knives against the older knives that they were based on. The problem was, if I didn't have the knives, I couldn't review them. I already had an Old Hickory 7" Butcher Knife, so I used my gift certificate to obtain a Cold Steel Long Hunter. So without further adieu, here's my comparison and testing...
The Cold Steel Long Hunter, item number 36PS...
My review here...http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=626949
And the Old Hickory 7" Butcher Knife, item number OH77...
Country of Origin: The Long Hunter is made in Taiwan. The Butcher Knife is made in America.
Price: The Long Hunter can be had for around $25; the Butcher Knife for around $6-$9.
Blade Steel, Grind, Length, Thickness, and Shape: The Long Hunter hasa blade made of 4116 Krupp stainless, while the Butcher Knife is made of 1095 carbon steel. Normally, I'd give the carbon steel the better rating no matter what it's put up against, but the grind kills it in this case. The Long Hunter came razor sharp out of the box, but the Butcher Knife needed some serious work. The Long Hunter is full-flat ground, and the Butcher Knife is hollow ground beginning at the bottom third of the blade. In this, the Long Hunter's flat grind wins in almost every way. Both knives have a 7" long blade. The Long Hunter has a 1/8"-thick blade; the Butcher Knife is half that (1/16" thick). Again, while a thinner blade (on the Butcher Knife) is normally associated with better slicing, the flat grind of the Long Hunter gives it an edge. Both blades scream "kitchen knife!" and that's a good use for them both. We'll get to that later though.
Handle Length and Materials: The Long Hunter has a 4-1/4" long handle; 3/4" thick. The Butcher Knife's handle is 4-1/2" and just under 1/2" thick. I like the Butcher Knife's handle size a bit better, as it doesn't abrade my hand as much when I'm using it for longer periods of time. The Long Hunter has a black polypropylene handle, while the Butcher Knife's handle is made of hickory. I love the new polymers and their resistance to falling apart, but something can be said for the aesthetic beauty of a wood handle. I like the Butcher Knife's handle more here as well.
Sheaths: The Long Hunter comes with a black nylon belt sheath of the pouch variety. The Butcher Knife doesn't come with a sheath, but you can easily obtain a proper-fitting one.
Testing
The knives were given a shaving-sharp edge and weren't resharpened unless otherwise noted.
Cutting Paper Until Dull: In short, the Long Hunter dulled quicker. Both knives sliced the paper (normal notebook paper) cleanly for the first hundred or so cuts. The Long Hunter went through easier due to the full flat grind, while the Butcher Knife had a little trouble getting the cut started because of the low hollow grind. The Butcher Knife's 1095 carbon steel held its edge longer than the Long Hunter's 4116 Krupp stainless, which was starting to tear the paper rather than cut it.
I resharpened the knives for the next few tests.
Kitchen Tasks: I prepped some kitchen foods next; chicken, fruit, salami, and cheese. Again, the Long Hunter sliced through easier, but the Butcher Knife held its edge longer. The Butcher Knife seemed to slice through the salami (the densest food I used) better, but everything else just slid apart when the Long Hunter touched it. Next, I batoned each knife through a frozen round of ground beef. The Long Hunter took longer and made a more jagged "line", but the butcher Knife went through quite easily with a cleaner "line".
I resharpened again and wiped them down.
Cutting Wood: Basic whittling and light camp chores were put to the test here. Cutting ability was equal, but the Butcher Knife binded more frequently because of the grind. They both cut through wood pretty easily, although the Long Hunter did dull first. The Butcher Knife flexed a few times due to the thinner blade thickness, but it didn't affect cutting performance and the blade always came back to its original straightness. The carbon steel of the Butcher Knife was starting to show stains, which was fully expected.
Handle Retention: I use a rubber mallet to drive both knives tip-first into a 2X4 until the handle is touching the board, then I rock back-and-forth. Both went through with equal ease, that is to say, both took quite a few whacks. We're driving a 7" piece of metal through a 2X4 afterall. The Long Hunter's butt was dented in a bit, but everything else was as normal. The Butcher Knife's handle scales started to move a bit because they're riveted on, but nothing extreme. The hickory handles didn't dent as much as I thought because of the the blade's full tang.
Both knives were pounded out and checked for sharpness after the two wood tests; the Long Hunter was duller. Both resharpened easily again.
Butchering Deer: I got two deer for this test thanks to my local butcher. Thanks Ed! What do you have to do before you get to the meat? You cut through some fur and skin! The Long Hunter and Butcher Knife each got their own deer, and both performed very well for this, although I could quickly feel a bit more roughness towards the end with the Long Hunter. Skinning both deer was nice and smooth, and although the Long Hunter started to dull, I was able to finish before it got there. Removing the entrails was next, and the Butcher Knife blew the Long Hunter away. It just kept slicing and slicing, while the Long Hunter took some effort.
A resharpening was necessary, otherwise I'm just tearing meat. Both got brought back to razor sharpness.
Back to getting the meat off the deer... the Long Hunter did a better job at getting the meat off cleaner, but the Butcher Knife was no slouch. When necessary, I turned the knives over and broke bones with their spines. As expected, the thicker spine of the Long Hunter outperformed the Butcher Knife. Although meat came off cleaner with the Long Hunter, I had more control over the Butcher Knife. Hard to explain... the Long Hunter scraped into bone more easily than the Butcher Knife when trying to get every last bit of meat.
I'm not sure what these trials prove; probably nothing. But both of these knives are well-made users, and either one will give you a long service life. I'd give the edge to the Long Hunter in every category other than edge retention and looks. The Long Hunter's performance in the butchering test bothered me because if you're busy taking your animal apart, you don't want to stop to resharpen your knife. This is a big deal for me; it might not be for you. Try both knives out and see which one fits your needs the best. Given a fair testing session, either one will give you more knife than you pad for. I'd highly recommend either one, while being unable to recommend one over the other.
The Cold Steel Long Hunter, item number 36PS...
My review here...http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=626949
And the Old Hickory 7" Butcher Knife, item number OH77...
Country of Origin: The Long Hunter is made in Taiwan. The Butcher Knife is made in America.
Price: The Long Hunter can be had for around $25; the Butcher Knife for around $6-$9.
Blade Steel, Grind, Length, Thickness, and Shape: The Long Hunter hasa blade made of 4116 Krupp stainless, while the Butcher Knife is made of 1095 carbon steel. Normally, I'd give the carbon steel the better rating no matter what it's put up against, but the grind kills it in this case. The Long Hunter came razor sharp out of the box, but the Butcher Knife needed some serious work. The Long Hunter is full-flat ground, and the Butcher Knife is hollow ground beginning at the bottom third of the blade. In this, the Long Hunter's flat grind wins in almost every way. Both knives have a 7" long blade. The Long Hunter has a 1/8"-thick blade; the Butcher Knife is half that (1/16" thick). Again, while a thinner blade (on the Butcher Knife) is normally associated with better slicing, the flat grind of the Long Hunter gives it an edge. Both blades scream "kitchen knife!" and that's a good use for them both. We'll get to that later though.
Handle Length and Materials: The Long Hunter has a 4-1/4" long handle; 3/4" thick. The Butcher Knife's handle is 4-1/2" and just under 1/2" thick. I like the Butcher Knife's handle size a bit better, as it doesn't abrade my hand as much when I'm using it for longer periods of time. The Long Hunter has a black polypropylene handle, while the Butcher Knife's handle is made of hickory. I love the new polymers and their resistance to falling apart, but something can be said for the aesthetic beauty of a wood handle. I like the Butcher Knife's handle more here as well.
Sheaths: The Long Hunter comes with a black nylon belt sheath of the pouch variety. The Butcher Knife doesn't come with a sheath, but you can easily obtain a proper-fitting one.
Testing
The knives were given a shaving-sharp edge and weren't resharpened unless otherwise noted.
Cutting Paper Until Dull: In short, the Long Hunter dulled quicker. Both knives sliced the paper (normal notebook paper) cleanly for the first hundred or so cuts. The Long Hunter went through easier due to the full flat grind, while the Butcher Knife had a little trouble getting the cut started because of the low hollow grind. The Butcher Knife's 1095 carbon steel held its edge longer than the Long Hunter's 4116 Krupp stainless, which was starting to tear the paper rather than cut it.
I resharpened the knives for the next few tests.
Kitchen Tasks: I prepped some kitchen foods next; chicken, fruit, salami, and cheese. Again, the Long Hunter sliced through easier, but the Butcher Knife held its edge longer. The Butcher Knife seemed to slice through the salami (the densest food I used) better, but everything else just slid apart when the Long Hunter touched it. Next, I batoned each knife through a frozen round of ground beef. The Long Hunter took longer and made a more jagged "line", but the butcher Knife went through quite easily with a cleaner "line".
I resharpened again and wiped them down.
Cutting Wood: Basic whittling and light camp chores were put to the test here. Cutting ability was equal, but the Butcher Knife binded more frequently because of the grind. They both cut through wood pretty easily, although the Long Hunter did dull first. The Butcher Knife flexed a few times due to the thinner blade thickness, but it didn't affect cutting performance and the blade always came back to its original straightness. The carbon steel of the Butcher Knife was starting to show stains, which was fully expected.
Handle Retention: I use a rubber mallet to drive both knives tip-first into a 2X4 until the handle is touching the board, then I rock back-and-forth. Both went through with equal ease, that is to say, both took quite a few whacks. We're driving a 7" piece of metal through a 2X4 afterall. The Long Hunter's butt was dented in a bit, but everything else was as normal. The Butcher Knife's handle scales started to move a bit because they're riveted on, but nothing extreme. The hickory handles didn't dent as much as I thought because of the the blade's full tang.
Both knives were pounded out and checked for sharpness after the two wood tests; the Long Hunter was duller. Both resharpened easily again.
Butchering Deer: I got two deer for this test thanks to my local butcher. Thanks Ed! What do you have to do before you get to the meat? You cut through some fur and skin! The Long Hunter and Butcher Knife each got their own deer, and both performed very well for this, although I could quickly feel a bit more roughness towards the end with the Long Hunter. Skinning both deer was nice and smooth, and although the Long Hunter started to dull, I was able to finish before it got there. Removing the entrails was next, and the Butcher Knife blew the Long Hunter away. It just kept slicing and slicing, while the Long Hunter took some effort.
A resharpening was necessary, otherwise I'm just tearing meat. Both got brought back to razor sharpness.
Back to getting the meat off the deer... the Long Hunter did a better job at getting the meat off cleaner, but the Butcher Knife was no slouch. When necessary, I turned the knives over and broke bones with their spines. As expected, the thicker spine of the Long Hunter outperformed the Butcher Knife. Although meat came off cleaner with the Long Hunter, I had more control over the Butcher Knife. Hard to explain... the Long Hunter scraped into bone more easily than the Butcher Knife when trying to get every last bit of meat.
I'm not sure what these trials prove; probably nothing. But both of these knives are well-made users, and either one will give you a long service life. I'd give the edge to the Long Hunter in every category other than edge retention and looks. The Long Hunter's performance in the butchering test bothered me because if you're busy taking your animal apart, you don't want to stop to resharpen your knife. This is a big deal for me; it might not be for you. Try both knives out and see which one fits your needs the best. Given a fair testing session, either one will give you more knife than you pad for. I'd highly recommend either one, while being unable to recommend one over the other.
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