General hunting/survival knife: Buck Vanguard or Knives of Alaska Alaskan Hunter?

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dawgvet

Joined
Jan 25, 2007
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Looking for good, do-it-all knife for primarily hunting duties but also can perform basic survival tasks (baton splitting, cutting poles, etc.) and have it down to the Cabelas Alaskan Guide Buck Vanguard in S30V or the Knives of Alaska Alaskan Hunter in D2. Can the D2 be brought down to a good fine edge compared to the S30V? Should I worry about the Vanguard not being a "full tang" design? Any input appreciated. -Jed
 
I find D2 a real pain to field sharpen, but one of the forum guys will probably tell me im doing it wrong. D2 gets sharp, no doubts about it. S30V seems to vary greatly from maker to maker depending on the blade angles and RC of the knife. My well made S30V knives are all great. I used to have a hard time sharpening S30V but I think it was that kinfe and not the steel. In short both are good steels, unless someone has input into wether these models make good use of the steel I think you could decide off other factors or features.
 
Forgot to mention, if you live in a corrosive environment, go with S30V. D2 is not stainless even though it is close. Before HT it has enough chromium but after HT is below stainless levels. Still, its pretty damn close to stainless but if I lived in a corrosive environment I would go S30V all the way.
 
I have both of those knives. They are both great. I like the look of the vanguard better, but I like the thicker stock and full tang of the KoA. The vanguard fits my hand better, as it has a longer handle, and the blade is a bit longer as well. The KoA just barely fits in my hand, and the butt is a bit uncomfortable as it is on the verge of being a 3 finger knife. Paul Bose does the HT for Buck on the Cabelas vanguard, and he is pretty much the authority on HT from what I have read. They were both screeming sharp out of the box. I haven't put either to enough work to recommend one over the other. To tell the truth, the knife that gets the most use in my deer camp is a litytle KoA cub bear that rides in a piggyback sheath with my alaskan hunter. What I will say is that you will be happy with either.

Oh, I reprofiled the KoA alaskan hunter with a lansky sharpener and it took a long time, but it is blisteringly scary sharp now.
 
Hi Dawgvet,
I have D2 and am waiting on a BM210 S30V. I have no doubts I'll be able to sharpen it (after its NIB sharpness wears off). I can now get my D2 scary sharp.

Either knife that you like the design best WILL BE the best one for you. Design meaning: length, blade shape, handle specs, weight, etc etc. Don;t worry so much about those two steels. As BigJimSlade said, the D2 is not "quite" a "stainless" and that's true, but, I can tell you that with the barest minimal care it will be just fine. He could very well be right about getting the S30V depending on your environment. As I said, I'm still waiting for mine to come in (my first S30V knife).

As far as sharpening goes, I've read this from more than one poster: that once you get used to sharpening a certain steel (i.e. D2), the others become difficult to sharpen until you get used to them. Then, the original one becomes difficult to sharpen. Not impossible, just difficult. I haven;t experienced this yet (and I have blades in about 8 or maybe 9 different steels) but I'm waiting for it to happen.

The one you get is the one you'll like.....AND, it'll be the one that's best for you. Go with the knife design, not necessarily the steel. NOW, if the choice were between say, S30V and, maybe, "surgical stainless steel" (or some such crap), then the steel issue would be more important. This is a general rule I believe in about knives. Good luck.
 
I've not handled the Alaskan Hunter but I'll vouch for the Vanguard. I have a couple (Standard knives NOT S30V) that have served me well for years as general use fishing and shooting (hunting) knives. I have the S30V Alaskan Guide Buck 110 and the steel in that blade is awsome. If I were looking for another knife of that size to take to the woods, I doubt that I'd look anywhere else than the S30V Vanguard.
 
Of the two go for the KoA Alaskan Hunter. My BiL loves thier stuff and he hunts alot. He has a bear cub in D2 and it did a moose and it was still sharp enough to shave. For the same kind of money you can get a Bark River knife and I think you might be much happier in the long run.

S30V isn't a good choice for impact. As for sharpening both steels will take fine edges, questionis can you keep them that way?
 
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