Almost Slit my Wrist with Havalon

[Geewhiz]

Get a good knife with good steel and it will last an animal.
Sharpening a knife is a skill every hunter should know, just my opinion. We live in a throw away society and the havalon is just that.

I can reccomend some knives that won’t break the bank if your interested.

I'm interested.

 

[Lawnboi]

Dang it. What kind of money are we talking?

You should look up red rock tool and give Steve a call. He’s in your home state, makes knives by hand one at a time, and will make whatever you want. He has made me a few, even stopped at his shop to drop off some antler for the handle, nice guy, I’d be happy to give more business to. And he makes a hell of a knife.

 

[Lawnboi]

I'm interested.

My personal favorite is the LT Wright small northern hunter. Mine is flat ground with aebl steel. It stays sharp through an animal, is easy to sharpen, and is stainless so it dosnt turn to rust in the sheath overnight. I got mine with a blaze orange g10 handle. The shape of it makes slicing hide and popping joints a breeze.

Looking at 120$ around. I keep mine shaving sharp with automotive sandpaper from 800-2500grit

 

[sahunter06]

Get a good knife with good steel and it will last an animal.
Sharpening a knife is a skill every hunter should know, just my opinion. We live in a throw away society and the havalon is just that.

I can reccomend some knives that won’t break the bank if your interested.

Agree.
However, a knife is like any other essential hunting tool. You get what you pay for just like a rifle, bow or optics. A good custom knife doesn’t break the bank, what it does is save time in the field breaking down an animal efficiently for proper field care.

 

[sahunter06]

You should look up red rock tool and give Steve a call. He’s in your home state, makes knives by hand one at a time, and will make whatever you want. He has made me a few, even stopped at his shop to drop off some antler for the handle, nice guy, I’d be happy to give more business to. And he makes a hell of a knife.

I do the same thing. Custom not production. I have knives in many states. Glad your knives have worked well.

 

[mtnwrunner]

Yup, they are sharp bastards.......
Which is usually why I have photos of me with lots of duct tape.
But they work.

Randy

 

[realunlucky]

A good custom knife doesn’t break the bank, what it does is save time in the field breaking down an animal efficiently for proper field care.

Come on a custom knife doesn't save any time over any other knife that uses quality steel that will hold an edge for the duration of the job.

 

[sahunter06]

Come on a custom knife doesn't save any time over any other knife that uses quality steel that will hold an edge for the duration of the job.

True to an extent. If I’m skinning multiple animals then I expect my knife to hold up for that job and they do. I was referring to a custom knife compared to the havalon type knives.

 

[Scotto]

I like my Havalon Piranta. I now carry a cut resistant glove and use a Gerber Dime to change blades. All this after I cut my left finger right at the nail. Changing blades needs your full attention.

 

[Beendare]

—

 

[rayporter]

sahunter06​

the shape of your blades is perfect for field work. just what i would design, if i could design anything.
the handles are not my style but that does not matter here.

i had one havalon blade come off twice on one animal and will never trust one again.
if i have to add wt it is D2 steel at the minumum now.

 

[AKDoc]

It's a scalpel blade!

1. I ALWAYS wear a fillet-glove on the free hand when doing a moose.
2. I remind myself to go slow and take breaks because I know myself well enough that injuries typically happen when I'm tired or in a hurry.
3. I ALWAYS use the blade changer when changing blades...and I'm still extra careful when doing it!
4. I use a fixed blade for the joints.

That said, I still may have those moments when doing a moose that I have to carefully find the blade that popped off or broke. One year I had to use surgical suture-tape and skin glue after my hunting partner cut his hand when doing a moose on a two-week remote drop hunt. It all worked out for him.

 

[Elkfitness]

Yikes. Glad you got lucky. Never used a havalon myself. I’ve used the “free” outdoor edge ones from eastmans for quite a few years but always move to my bark river knife I got as a gift maybe ten years ago now. I like using the outdoor edge for initial work.


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[S.Clancy]

Between always breaking blades and the sharpness those havalons are terrifying. I'm more than happy with my outdoor edge knife. I won't touch a havalon

 

[Obsessed1]

Come on a custom knife doesn't save any time over any other knife that uses quality steel that will hold an edge for the duration of the job.

Steel type /blade shape/ grind / and grip ergonomics make a big difference. Most factory blades don't put as much focus on ergonomics for easy cutting. Two blades made from the same steel will cut/handle way different. Often to get the most efficient working knife you need to go custom by a reputable maker who knows is stuff. I have used knives with good steel that just fatigue your hands or wrists and others that are effortless.

 

[realunlucky]

Steel type /blade shape/ grind / and grip ergonomics make a big difference. Most factory blades don't put as much focus on ergonomics for easy cutting. Two blades made from the same steel will cut/handle way different. Often to get the most efficient working knife you need to go custom by a reputable maker who knows is stuff. I have used knives with good steel that just fatigue your hands or wrists and others that are effortless.

We aren't going to agree on this obviously as some people appreciate knives way more than others.

I find it interesting that people who actually do it all day long don't use anything close to a custom handle or a speciality steel in thier blades? Why not if it's such a time saver, afterall time is money?

I can tell you I've used a bunch of knifes and haven't noticed much difference in fatigue from a breaking down a single animal. I have a few favorites that have great memories attached to them but now days I'd rather carry an extra snicker bar than a fancy handled blade. Now all I carry the $2 handle and three blades and that combo has made short work of everything including a buffalo.

 

[Obsessed1]

We aren't going to agree on this obviously as some people appreciate knives way more than others.

I find it interesting that people who actually do it all day long don't use anything close to a custom handle or a speciality steel in thier blades? Why not if it's such a time saver, afterall time is money?

I can tell you I've used a bunch of knifes and haven't noticed much difference in fatigue from a breaking down a single animal. I have a few favorites that have great memories attached to them but now days I'd rather carry an extra snicker bar than a fancy handled blade. Now all I carry the $2 handle and three blades and that combo has made short work of everything including a buffalo.

Professional meat cutters use knives designed for cutting meat on a table and the blade design most often used ( victorinox) is perfect for that task( I have three professional butchers in the family) where field processing happens at odd angles, includes skinning and often gutting requirements of a knife are far different. Otherwise why don't you use the same knife the pros use? I have been processing my own meat for decades and many years skin and process over 15 big game animals ( elk, moose, deer, and bear) and skin 30-50 coyotes in a season. Design makes a huge difference. Knives that excel for taking meat off the bone of a elk are not as great for skinning small game. On a side note..
Last year( @age 40) I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in my hands. Last season I skinned and butchered 3 elk and 4 deer. I can assure you some designs cut way better than others and blade angles that keep the cutting edge on the cutting surface with minimal wrist/ hand angle changes, and a good edge design that cuts with minimal force makes all the difference. Poorly designed knives left my hands and forearms burning and tired them out in very short order. However two different knives I have allowed me to work much longer with way less effort and pain. Again though your milage might vary this is just my experience.

 

[Fatcamp]

We aren't going to agree on this obviously as some people appreciate knives way more than others.

I find it interesting that people who actually do it all day long don't use anything close to a custom handle or a speciality steel in thier blades? Why not if it's such a time saver, afterall time is money?

I can tell you I've used a bunch of knifes and haven't noticed much difference in fatigue from a breaking down a single animal. I have a few favorites that have great memories attached to them but now days I'd rather carry an extra snicker bar than a fancy handled blade. Now all I carry the $2 handle and three blades and that combo has made short work of everything including a buffalo.

LOL. I carry that same handle.

 

[realunlucky]

Otherwise why don't you use the same knife the pros use? .

I like Lite wieght stuff so I can carry more tasty snacks.

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[xcutter]

Benchmade Steep Country. Removing a Whitetail deer ham at the joint. Had to use electrical tape to get it to stop bleeding.