Salient points quoted:
Originally posted by rukidnme
...skinning caping and cutting off the meat from big game
I hate to sharpen knives and I am not good at it...
I am looking for a folding hunting knife I can use for the tasks listed above that will hold its sharpness through a normal years harvest of an elk a deer and a bear without requiring re-sharpening.
Originally posted by frank k
S30V, BG42, D2, VG10, and 154CM/ATS34 all hold an edge very well.
...get one of the credit card sized DMT diamond hones for touch ups in the field... I also carry two knives when hunting, so that I have a spare and that I dont have to stop to sharpen when the first gets dull.
- Frank
All good advice from Frank. Those ARE the top stainless steel choices, but you must make sure you get a good heat treat also.
So, a folder with a good hunting blade profile, perhaps big enough for an Elk. Very good steel AND a good heat treat. That narrows it down all right.
You didn't mention a price range. Or your preferred blade length. Normally, for bear and deer, 3.5"-3.75" is about perfect for me, and 4" works well also. 5" and I'm thinking it's too big... but not if you end up inside an Elk. (disclaimer: I've never field dressed an elk).
Problem with 440V is if you buy from a production maker, it'll be run too soft to last you through very many animals. It'll be as abrasion resistant as most any steel, but too soft to avoid edge rolling (which even light cuts into, or scraping on, bone will do). If this doesn't make sense to you yet, then just trust me... unless 440V is done by a custom maker who really knows what he is doing, the 440V coming out of production houses will disappoint over time unless you know how to put a fairly large angled convex edge onto the knife.
I'd look for a used Chris Reeve large 3.625" bladed Sebenza in BG-42 if you can swing the price, $345 new, between $265 and $320 used. Great all around blade shape for hunting... enough belly, hollow ground sharp slicer, good tip, great durable, trustworthy knife. If you live in a very cold climate, however, it has an all metal (titanium) handle...cold. One of the very finest folding hunting knives on the market (but not advertised as one), with one of the strongest, safest locks in the business.
UP the price scale a bit, and harder to acquire, are Kit Carson's Model 4 folders, the medium at 3.5" and the large at 4". The drop point and clip point are both good knives... the drop point is almost a spear point, and I prefer the clip point somewhat. See "Model 4 clip point" and "Model 4 Hunter (drop)". Kit works with most blade steels... for "rukidnme", I'd say go with S30V.
http://www.kvnet.org/knives/
The Spyderco Wegner is another pretty good choice, ATS-34 and hard enough, good hunting blade profile (semi-skinner). Couple advantages... cost, and micarta handle. One big disadvantage: discontinued model. You'll have to surf Ebay and this and Knifeforms or elsewhere and find one used. The custom versions are all over $300, made by Phil Boguszewski who is a pretty good maker. If you go custom, find out if Phil is using S30V and who heat treats... if you can get one run at Rc59 or higher, get S30V. Otherwise, BG-42 at Rc60.
Dozier's all metal folders are a bit expensive. But moving down a bit price-wise, I like the "Trapper I" in 3.5" of hard, well heat treated D2 and a textured G10 handle for $350, not bad price-wise. Fine hunting folder, could use some improvement in handle ergnomics, but Dozier's D2 will definitely hold an edge as well or better than the BG-42 Sebenza.
http://www.dozierknives.com
If you like the Buck 110 (I sure don't, heavy, handle not so ergonomic, trailing point blade profile, not much belly, no thumb stud), then a 110 in BG-42 won't set you back much money and should be a good, safe knife. Normally, I'd say "Skip the finger grooves... all looks and just get in the way". But for the 110, and that old styled handle... well, the finger grooves might help. To each his own. If you want it to be a good game knife, skip the serrations, and get either stag, elk, or checkered walnut grips for a better grip in the field (bloody, wet, etc). Definitely get BG-42 steel... don't fall for any hype around damascus, and the "ion fusion" blades might work fine, but require special sharpening techniques and probably diamond stones (which I'd invest in anyway if you are serious about having good steel and sharp knives... but that's another thread). And get the nickel bolsters... brass is pretty, but it's also a pretty big pain in the ass if carried in a leather sheath (the dreaded green corrosion/slime on brass). And the 110 is heavy enough it needs to be carried in a belt sheath (too heavy for pocket carry, not offered with a clip).
Less traditional choices that would work pretty ok:
Benchmade AFCK in 154CM, or better, if you can find an older one in ATS-34 it'll be just as good a blade but easier to sharpen (long story). If you don't mind taking care of a carbon (non stainless) steel, M2 is a notch better than 154CM for field/hard use.
The Benchmade 710 in 154CM is a pretty fair hunting knife, although that's not what it's designed for... minor problem is recurved edge, which just isn't quite what you want for hunting. Same story as above on M2 steel.
Spyderco Impala has a weird blade shape... but might work out fine. VG-10 and 3.75".
Probably Not:
For hunting, you don't want a Spyderco Military. The blade shape just isn't right (I could mount a similar argument about the above 710 if I chose to). Not enough belly for the skinning portion of the chore.
The Spyderco Pro-Grip in SS looks like a good compromise if you can't find a Wegner... the SS handled version has a VG-10 blade at Rc59-60, but it's really short at 2-13/16".
The Spyderco Vesuvius comes with some pretty un-outdoor-like inlays, but in ATS-34 at Rc59-60 and with a good lock, it'd be ok, but a 3.125" blade is short.
Tim Wegner Mouse: you gotta be kidding, right? 2" blade for an Elk? It can be done... but then again, you can certainly also ride your single speed bike 10 miles to the grocery store and make it home with 4 bags of groceries, but you just don't. It's a stunt.
