New Knife..

I

ironarrow

Joined
Oct 10, 2014
Messages
3
Hey guys I'm new to this site and was sent over here from a fellow Archery Talk member.

I have NO knowledge about knives or metals but I'm looking for a good blade for hunting that will keep its edge while afield. I've been looking for some thing under $100 and about 6"-8" long. I've read about ceramic knives but everything says they are very brittle and hard to re-sharpen.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks in advance guys.
 
Hunting knives aren't my area of expertise, but you definitely don't want a ceramic knife for that - ceramic blades are pretty good for kitchen knives that are restricted to mainly slicing soft materials like fruits, but if you use them for anything heavier duty, they tend to chip at the edge, and sharpening them usually requires diamond hones, and even then it's an enormous pain. I actually broke the tip off of a ceramic pocket knife breaking down heavy cardboard.

Somebody more knowledgeable will be able to help you more, but thought I'd just throw that in.

Oh, and welcome to the board!
 
Check out Ka-Bar's Becker line. Great outdoor knives at very reasonable prices. ESEE makes wonderful outdoor knives as well, but at a little bit higher price point. Welcome to BF. Prepare to open your mind and empty your wallet.
 
What kind of knife do you use now?

" ... you definitely don't want a ceramic knife for that ... "
2nd

" ... 6"-8" long ... "
IMO, that's a bit too long; 4"~5" better for processing game.
I found my SOG NW Ranger 5.25" a bit awkward and recently picked up a Buck 113 Ranger 3.125" to try.


There's a good range of options from low to high ... Buck Omni Hunter 12PT (4" $35); Ka-Bar Becker BK16 (4.4" $75); ESEE 4P (4.5" $85).
 
Carbon steels keep their edge better in the field than do stainless steels, generally speaking. Look for something in A-1, O-1, D-2, or 1095 if edge retention is your top priority (keep in mind, though, that carbon steels rust easy and require regular cleaning/oiling to keep them in top condition).

Also, another really good source of information is "virtuovice" on YouTube - he's a big time hunter and has many reviews of hunting/skinning purposed knives. His favority knives tend to be from Bark River, and his favorite steel is A-2. Check him out, I think you will enjoy.
 
Is this just for hunting? For dressing game?

the Buck 110 is maybe the most used hunting knife in north America over the last 40 years and for fixed blade the 119. The 440 steel is easy to sharpen and takes a keen edge.
 
Second on the 110 ... I added a thumb stud for one handed opening... Always good to see a fellow archer on here
 
The Spyderco Bill Moran is a great hunting knife, VG-10 is a pretty good stainless considering the price point. I've used the upswept blade model a lot, but the drop point model would probably be more versatile.

Becker knives, made by Ka-Bar, offer a lot of bang for your buck. Something like a BK-16 might work for you. 1095 steel holds an edge well and is easy to sharpen. ESEE has a couple of models that would also be worth looking at (the 4 and 3), they also use 1095.

There are a couple of Benchmade knives from their "Hunt" line within your budget, with S30V blades (a good stainless steel).

Queen has some beautiful traditional hunting knives in D2 (Premium Skinner and so on), very nice indeed.

Cold Steel Master Hunter. Very good hunting knife design, I've got an old on in Carbon V that I love. The current model is made out of VG-1 (laminated, actually), a stainless steel similar to VG-10.

If it were me, I'd probably go with the Master Hunter, even though I'm not a big Cold Steel fan. The size and design are very good, materials are good and practical, price is sensible.
 
Fellow AT member here.... For my hunting knife I use a mora companion. Perfect for field dressing. Longer blade typically equates to thicker blade which doesn't wok so well for processing game.
 
+1 for the bk16, awesome knife! Check out the Becker sub forum (right side of the home page).
 
ironarrow said:
Thanks guys, what are your thoughts on Knives of Alaska?
Click to expand...
Knives of Alaska make really good no nonsense hunting knives. Don't know if they have other steel options but the one I had was in d2 and that was an excellent steel, got razor sharp and held it for a really long time. The d2 is also decently rust resistant especially with the coating koa uses
 
That Cabelas/Buck above would be a good choice. I really like that size actually. I want to look into that one myself. The Buck 110 is always a good choice if you want a large folder.

Going inexpensive... Mora Companion. Should work as it is a no nonsense knife. It is light and as a result the dexterity is good for reaching into the heart lung area to remove materials field dressing. It is easy to resharpen.

Kabar Becker BK-16. Very good cost effective knife for the money and all you need. Just wipe it off with oil at the end of the day.

I agree with the Spyderco Moran recommendation. Good field knife, but not a hard use knife.

Fallkniven F1. Good general purpose knife for the woods. Exceeds your budget.

The Queen suggestion is sound. You will probably have to spend time sharpening it to your liking out of the box. If you like folders, the Queen Mountain Man is a good choice. Probably about your budget level.

I would suggest that you carry two knives; 4" fixed blade and a good folder. I would probably use the folder as a backup. I used a slipjoint folder for years as my primary hunting/field knife. The Trapper patterns are good and have two blades (one to use, other as backup). Case and Buck make good cost effective ones. My favorite are the Great Eastern Cutlery slipjoints. I like the #42 a lot, but it usually exceeds $100.
 
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