Recommendation for a new Hunting folder

S

smah3

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Jul 14, 2014
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Hi there!
I'm new to this great forum to ask you that question: What nice folder would you buy for mostly hunting purposes?

I'll explain a little bit more:
Until now i've been using a Spyderco delica 4 in vg-10. I'd say that the blade size is big enough, but i wouldn't mind if it was a little bit bigger. I like to sharpen mi knives with a fallkniven DC4 stone, changing the original angle as soon as i can , so that i have a part of the blade that is always razor sharp, while the back part of the blade has a duller edge that holds better after a lot of cutting.(pic at the bottom)
It doesn't have to be a big knife or anything (i already have bowies and so, but they wont do the task). What i am searching for is a knife that helps me cleaning (skinning and removing the organs) of a lot of animals in one day without sharpening. These animals will mostly be rabbits, but from time to time there will also be a hog. The knife might also be used for general use, like cardboard or plastic cutting, but that will be rather seldom. However, its meant for use in the woods.

Ive been looking for a lot of steels, but after reading a lot im not able to decide myself. Mostly because i have no idea about them.
I dont care about paying for a good knife, like that delica 4 that i used a lot during my service in the military. It never dissapointed me. I even shaved myself with her twice as i ran out of shavig material during the service.
But my impression is that it wont hold that edge after.. let's say 7 rabbits.
So i want a knife, about that size (maybe up to the spyderco military), that really holds a razor sharp edge after a lot of soft cutting. I read about the s30v holding a pretty good edge for long time, but also that its razor sharp blade wears off pretty fast. Its not that i am going to shave some rabbits, but such an edge is pretty helpfull when you have to deal with a lot of them.

Another question that i ask myself is if i should go for a plain edge or for a partially serrated one. Ive never had one of those, but i think it could be usefull in some cases. What do you think? I guess its not that practical for cleaning animals huh..?

Knives i have looked at: (STEEL MATERIAL)


- Spyderco military (s30v) ----------------> Also all the paramilitary ones
- Spyderco Endura 4 (zdp 189)
- Spyderco Delica 4 (in zdp 189) -------------> Would it be worth it to buy the exact same knife but with this other steel?
- Spyderco Tenacious (8Cr13MoV) -----------> No idea about that steel

- Benchmade 707 Sequel (154CM)
- Benchmade 555, 556 and 557 griptilian (154CM) -------> What about a tanto blade? ... guess it will be way to difficult to sharpen huh..?

- Fallkniven U4 (Laminated Super Gold Steel)
- Fallkniven FH9 (Laminated CoS steel)

- Extrema Ratio BF2 (N690) -----------------------> Also some other extrema ratio (maybe any of MF series?), but they are rather on the expensive side and i dont know if it is worth it.

- Zero Tolerance Hinderer (S35V) -------> Also a little bit on the expensive side

- Fox Pro Hunter (N690CO) --------> Maybe too big

- Ontario Xm-1 Extreme Military (N690Co)

- Buck Vantage force pro (s30v)

- Boker Titan Hunter (Cronidur 30) -----------> No idea about that steel
- Boker Titan III (440C)
- Boker Turbine (X-15T.N) ---------> Dont know anything about this steel!
- Boker Elegance (440C)

- Kizer 401A1 (S35V)
- Kizer 4411 (s35v)



Something in the super -steel category... you get the point.

These were just some of the ones i had a look at. At least they are the one that i tought could do better, but i am sure that you all can tell me some other more excellent knives or at least tell me the one you would choose!


Other knives that did NOT get the job done:

- Opinel carbone (blade didnt feel secure at all)
- Victorinox multitools (same)
- Leatherman kick (same)
- SOG Flash I (was too tiny and edge didnt hold up that much)
- Spyderco Dragonfly 2 (too tiny and blade was to wide)
- Big knives in general (specially the one that i use most for chopping and outdoor in general: Aitor Oso Negro)
- Smith&Wesson special tactical (quality of the knife was rather bad)
- Cold steel TI-Lite 4" (Aus 8A, great steel, but the knife wasnt thought for this usage at any moment, but i wanted to give it a try)



It is nice that it has somethig like a clip or any way to be attached, and something that makes the knife open fast. Not combat or defense fast, but surely no multi tool alike. However i will priorize the ones with one hand opening It will also be very nice if it is available at ebay, amazon or so (i live in europe).
Its gotta have a nice point (for example: Extrema ratio RAO would not be appropiate). Also you have to think about the blood of the animals getting in the hand and in your grip, making it slippery, so it has to have a nice grip on it.

As said, i am searching for a top quality steel on a good knife. Maybe up to 200 -300 $ but if there is something incredible over that price i would consider ir anyways. It has to be superior in comparison to the vg10 delica 4. However i am not searching for any combat knife or anything aggressive looking but also not anything on the "typical hunter" style, like knives made with bone or something. Im just focusing more on the steel and the blade.

For those of you that might think that these are way to small knives, i just can say that i realised in the army that big knives only do well in the rainforest and in hand to hand combat. I have skinned and cleaned several hogs with that delica 4, it just needs a good sharp edge and an axe for the bones. Everything else is just bulk. At least that is what i think.

Here you have a pic about what i mean with the angle changing edge on a Flash I and my beloved (and very used) Delica 4:

P1030106.jpg


What i want to say with that is that i am not afraid of being a lot of time sharpening with the DC4. I know what that stone is capable of, and i dont mind spending a lot of time to get there if that work pays out afterwards. That said, i should not be a curved blade that makes sharpenning difficult due to his shape.


So again: What knife would you buy? Is it any other knife that i havent mentioned, on a different steel maybe?

Please let me know about what you think and your suggestions or the ones from the list that you think are better steel or quality

Thank you
 
I prefer a buck 110 for chores such as this, if edge retention is important, cabelas had a special edition buck 100 called the Alaskan guide that features S30V and a special blade coating.
 
Hi, thank you for your answer.
I considered buck 110 before, but i was looking for something .. rather less classic and one hand opening

Anyway, thank you for the recommendation
 
How about a BladeTech Pro Hunter or I think a Spyderco Manix 2 would do the trick. The BladeTech is made with hunting in mind if you don't mind to pay the price for it. There are many more but just thought those two would do the trick. Kevin :D
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Maybe a Manix 2 Lightweight in S110V. Probably the best available steel in your price range.
Click to expand...

I almost suggested that but seeing you cant find one anywhere I decided not to but if or when they become available, that is definitely one I would recommend too!
 
My vote is for the Manix 2 XL as well. Mine will see some use during squirrel and deer season at least this year. It holds a great edge and is really easy to bring it back with a strop.
 
Benchmade 710 in M390. There were a couple runs a few years back from Knifeworks and there's about to be another one, with some colored scales this time.

http://www.knifeworks.com/benchmade710-1401-M390.aspx#.U8SZX41dXnI

I've got one of these from an earlier run that I use for hunting, and it does amazingly well. I do exactly what you're planning on doing with it - cleaning in the field and then skinning back up at the house. The blade shape is perfect - slim blade, nice clip point for piercing, and the whole package carries small for a 4" blade. I put a 16 or 17 DPS edge (32-34 inclusive) on mine before last season, polished up to about a 4k grit on Shapton stones.

Went through three whitetails, dressed and skinned, in one morning (West TN - not the best for trophies but rocks if you're just trying to put venison in the freezer), and was still cleanly slicing paper afterwards.

Seriously, the 710 is a great general use design that also lends itself very well to a hunting knife, and with M390 steel it will just cut forever.

Edit: thread needs more pics. Here's the 710DLC-1 in M390 (top) that I hunt with and a 710-3 in CPM-M4, as of yet pretty much unused. Had a 710-2 in satin M390 that I foolishly sold. Oh well, I'll just have to scrape together enough for a -1401 from the upcoming run.

4NxA1Zh.jpg


I suppose its one weakness is that the Axis lock is perhaps not the simplest mechanism - you might have to take a minute longer to get all the offal cleaned out of it when you're done.


Second suggestion would probably be a ZDP-189 Endura4. Never used one hunting myself but used a VG-10 Endura for a while and liked the design even if I was wanting to touch it up after every deer - from what I've heard the ZDP-189 should solve that.

But seriously, 710 in M390. Can't say enough good.
 
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Not a super steel, but so easy to touch up... This monster can handle skinning:

2uqg55l.jpg
 
I know the steel is nothing "super" but I used a ZT0200 to skin a whitetail buck a couple of years ago and it did great. The grippy scales, blade shape and good edge retention made it a breeze. If I had to use a folder for skinning again, that's what I would use.
 
Hi again,

thanks for the suggestions.

Ive been looking for the manix 2 lightweight and i like it! Only problem is, that i didnt find it but on CTS BD1 steel. (Which again, i dont now anything about).

About the benchmade: The bone collector seems good. It comes in D2 steel (yep, you're right: also dont know anything about it)
I like the shape of the blade, but i think it would be better witha little bit pointier tip.

The benchmade hunt series i dont like as much. Most of them are thought to be opened with two hands, while the one that is one handed opening is the north fork, which might be to small. Also i dont like the shape of the blade because i think that the last curve might make the stone sharpening difficult.

The Benchmade 710 : I hadnt considered this knife because i didn not know about it. I like it! The shape of the blade looks fantastic for big game, and i guess it would also work for small game (i havent seen it personally but it might be a little bit to long/pointy, so that maybe you cut some organs while you are cleaning it, spilling all if its interior on the flesh. But as said, i havent seen it and i believe you if you say that it works). As you say: cleaning in the field, skinning at home.
Only thing that maybe looks problematic is the grip.Can you tell us about it a little bit?
By the way, why m390? (I ask this because i just found 710's in D2) What diffferences are there with CPM-M4?

The endura 4: That was at the beginning my first choice in ZDP-189 but i felt like exploring other brands. Still nothing to object to that knife. It sure does the job well, but if i was able to get a much better quality bladee than the vg10 delica, why would i just improve my hunting knife a little bit.

BladeTech Pro Hunter didnt find much info (but in russian). Also not seen on ebay lool
 
Spyderco TUFF in CPM-3v, Spyderco Gayle Bradley in CPM-M4, Benchmade ADAMAS model 0275 manual with D2. Any one of these will make a hunter dance with joy
 
I personally don't like using folders as a hunting knife although I did it plenty when I was younger and still carry a folder for backup duty when hunting. That being said here are my thoughts on some of the knives mentioned as well as a couple of new ones.

The Manix 2 has too wide of a blade for my preferences in a hunting knife, particularly a multi-season knife where small game & fowl are involved. Additionally CTS BD1 does not have near the edge retention of ZDP-189. Now if you went with the Manix 2 FRN in S110V that bad boy has exceptional edge retention, but again too wide for my taste.

The Endura in ZDP-189 would certainly get the job done year around and ZDP also excels in edge retention. You might want to consider the Spyderco Stretch in ZPD-189 as well as the Paramilitary 2. The Stretch has much better ergos compared to the Delica and Endura IMO and the blade profile is very useful. The Paramilitary 2 also has excellent ergos, nice pointy tip with sweeping belly, good edge retention with standard CPM-S30V steel and open pillar construction design that is advantageous when it comes to cleaning up after use. The name "paramilitary" suggests that the knife is something other than a sporting knife, but the fact is that it is an excellent at many tasks.

If edge retention is a primary concern, and why wouldn't it be, then I would suggest than you peruse Ankerson's edge retention test thread. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/793481-Ranking-of-Steels-in-Categories-based-on-Edge-Retention-cutting-5-8-quot-rope
 
I used my Spyderco Military on a buck last Fall and a turkey this Spring. Blade shape works very well. Might be a little on the long side for smaller game like rabbit but you can choke up and have great control. G10 is plenty grippy and Spyderco S30V holds a wonderful edge. Very easy to clean up when the job is done. Best of luck.

Keith
 
The zt 0350 has s30v and really good ergonomics. The divot on the back of the blade is great for choking up and using the forward portion of the blade. The tip isn't really pointy as you mentioned wanting but I've used it on several squirrels and rabbit and never had a problem.
 
Benchmade 810-1 ,710-1 or 710,275. 275 is kinda bulky for skinning but would work good(not best would choose 710 for just skinning) and be good for chopping through bone & the easiest to clean out. Any of these would be good.
 
Edge retention is a concern, but not reaelly an extreme one. I mean, i am not in any situation in which i cant stop for sharpening back, but you know, its nice to get the job done in one single time.
So i would like something in those super steels, something in the line of s110v. I saw some videos and i think its a pretty nice steel. I mean, i will not be buying a lot of knives to test every steel. Not quantity but quality, so i think in my case it is better to pay a little bit more for a really nice steel like CPM-10V K294 K390 CPM-S110V CPM-15V CPM-S125V CPM-REX121 or so (on knives that are not over 300$ like that manix which i found for about 150$ in s110v)

However I also think that the manix has a wide blade that wouldnt be helpfull at all.

Sorry for that mind-change, but you all know way more than me so i would really appreciate your help in finding a "cheap" super steel knife that would get all those rabbits in my fridge

What do you think. Should i stick to the super steels, or wont i notice that much of a difference on cleaning animals?

I mean.. spyderco manix 2 in s110v for 150$ is a fair price. I dont mind that kind of prices on super steels.... If there are any other with that price ill stick to them..



Pd: Sonnydaze: i like that gayle bradley spyderco! Ill see what i can find out about it
 
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