First decent knife

Actually the Bark River Adventurer looks to fit the bill well?
Made in elmax, similar price, 3.25" blade and a thumb groove for skinning.
A little longer than the Hidden Canyon but only .5"
 
Benen said:
Actually the Bark River Adventurer looks to fit the bill well?
Made in elmax, similar price, 3.25" blade and a thumb groove for skinning.
A little longer than the Hidden Canyon but only .5"
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Not trying to impoach but, if you're considering the bark river over the G3 because of no forward finger jimping then by all means. But I don't quite see the forward jimping on the River either?

Seems it's come down to aesthetics my friend lol. Long story short I don't think you'll be disappointed with either, both great steel, light weight,good ergonomics, and both carry very well.

Now as far as which one will skin a coyote in 34 seconds..I have no experience on.
 
Aesthetics somewhat but more the steel. As mentioned previously, I have been somewhat put off of the Guardian due to the fact that it is not a specific hunting knife and is designed as an EDC. I'm keen to pay the premium for something better than the BM's s30v.
It's so hard without feeling them. I'm being painful, I know.
 
Benen said:
Aesthetics somewhat but more the steel. As mentioned previously, I have been somewhat put off of the Guardian due to the fact that it is not a specific hunting knife and is designed as an EDC. I'm keen to pay the premium for something better than the BM's s30v.
It's so hard without feeling them. I'm being painful, I know.
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I understand fully. But hey, I'm not a hunter I use my knives in a different fashion than you for sure. So I'll leave it at that. I hope whatever you end up purchasing you'll update us. I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say this lol.
 
OK I am definitely progressing!

BM hidden canyon 2.67" 2.?" Edge) s30v $189
Cheapest & smallest

BR Mini Fox River 2.9" (2.5" edge) a2 $221
Tougher steel, probably better length?

Bradford G3 3.5" (3" edge) m390 $207
Best steel?
 
As above, the Cold Steel Mini Pendleton Hunter would be a great choice and it is non-slip for the grip. The sheath is designed for multiple carry options. It comes with a stainless VG-1 blade, or DLC coated 3V. For the price, nothing can touch it.
 
I might also consider the Chris Reeve Nyala over the Hidden Canyon, Mini Fox River and the Bradford G3.
 
Thanks for the suggestion Adamlau, I think it's getting a little long foe what I'm after though

3V looks like a real PITA to sharpen?
How does A2 compare to to M390?
Looks like I can pick up a Mini Fox River shipped to Australia for under $200 in A2 from eBay. Looks like a reputable seller in Colorado. Makes the price very compatible to the Guardian 3
 
3V is easier to sharpen than M390. A2 is tougher but less corrosion resistant than M390.
 
Ah is that right. I must have read it wrong.
We live in South Australia so the dry weather shouldn't be a problem for corrosion if I care for the knives.
Down to Mini Fox River and Guardian3
 
See you got it narrowed down, Not sure about the availabilty, price, or shipping to Australia, but just add my 2 cents; Arno Bernard Gecko, Galago, Jackal, or Squirrel are definitely nice knives, Knives of Alaska Cub Bear or Legacy are solid options, Benchmade hidden canyon hunter was defintely worth checking out, as well as the Buck 2.5" ergo Hunter 492 small game or 3" Ergo hunter Haley Heath available in s30v.
Or the Buck "open season" caper or small game in s30v. Any of those may also fit the bill for a fraction of the price?
 
What are you doing giving me more options! I'm already so indecisive haha.
I was originally looking at s30v knives but it's just too tempting to pay a bit more for m390, 3v or a2 after reading so much about it!
Maybe I wouldn't notice the difference as a beginner but if I'm processing meat primarily then edge retention means less frequent sharpening. I'm enjoying learning to sharpen now but surely the novelty will wear off...
 
On your first post you mentioned Bark River. If that's in your budget they have a plethora of options for animal processing. That Guardian is nice, but it's not a skinning knife, and notice how small and thin the handle is; not what you want for skinning.
 
Thankyou, Tom.
I can't really find much info on A2.
The only other option was the Cold Steel mini pendleton. It looks underwhelming but comes in 3v for less than half the price.
Surely you get what you pay for?
 
Aquaholicc said:
Im not trying to knock TLE's suggestion( he is knife knowledge will probably do circles around me) but if I'm going to use a knife a lot I'd want a better steel than just a 20 dollar knife? If you use your knife everyday but always have to sharpen everyday, in not sure you'll get much enjoyment out of that? But hey that's just me.

I have to admit I have no idea what his other suggestion come with so take what you want from the replies.
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AUS-10, which is what those $20 knives are made of, is comparable to VG-10. $20 for an AUS-10 blade with a sheath, a solid company behind it and made in Taiwan (not China) is just insane. These things should be as commonplace in the knife world as Moras and Opinels.

M390 is of course better than VG-10, but is it $190 better? Especially when you factor in ease of sharpening; it's a matter of opinion, but mine would be no.
 
Benen said:
Thankyou, Tom.
I can't really find much info on A2.
The only other option was the Cold Steel mini pendleton. It looks underwhelming but comes in 3v for less than half the price.
Surely you get what you pay for?
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No, not always. A lot of time you're paying for development costs or lower volume manufacturing rather than the performance of the product.
 
Ah that's awesome. I'm definitely keen to give them a go for that price. Not sure how much postage is to Australia, it doesn't specify on the site when I add it to the cart. I'll get in touch and find out.
 
OK! They never got back to me. I tried contacting knives ship free also specifying that I'm looking for something for processing chicken and lamb but all of the suggestions were 3.25-5" which I think is way to much.
I'm back at the Mini Fox River in A2 again 3V is just too expensive for me.
I may look at something either side of that down the track such as the fox river and the scalpel or another brand.
Now keeping it sharp! I assume I need a leather strop or leather paddle and some compound?
I've also read that sand paper is the way to go with convex grinds rather than stones?
 
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