Benchmade raghorn

[Jon_G]

Anyone here us the Benchmade raghorn? If you've used that and the meat crafter, are they completely different beasts or would you prefer one over the other?

 

[ElkPRC]

Sorry, someone hasn't answered, I am following to see the same info myself. They both appear to be great knives but expensive.

My input without using either is the Meat Crafter would be better suited for in the kitchen once you are home processing the QTR's but I am very interested to see if anyone has brought the Meat Crafter out into the field to help bone out etc.

 

[repins05]

Anyone here us the Benchmade raghorn? If you've used that and the meat crafter, are they completely different beasts or would you prefer one over the other?

I own both. They are completely different. My meatcrafter is CPM-S45VN steel. The raghorn features CPM-CruWear.

The raghorn is my go to carry hunting knife. I processed a bull elk and blacktail buck with it last year. It has excellent edge retention. It had minimal dulling for both animals and did not have to switch out to another knife for either during processing (sharpened in between kills). Very easy to maintain the blade. I did drop it off at benchmade after the seasons to have it factory sharpened. I am not a big fan of the kydex sheathe as it was somewhat difficult figuring out how to attach it to my belt. It required an adapter to the sheathe).

The meatcrafter, is more of a "camp knife". The blade is longer and is configured in a style that is similar to a fillet knife. I have not used it to skin an animal because I prefer a shorter blade. I prefer the cruwear and find it is a little easier to sharpen. I also think the cruwear has better edge retention. I use the meat crafter to bone out at camp and process meat before it hits the cooler.

Both are excellent knifes. Both are expensive.

 

[Jon_G]

Thanks for the great, long awaited response I was looking for lol. I appreciate your input.

 

[Beendare]

That cru wear is an excellent steel from all reports

 

[Macchina]

I have many Benchmades (both folders and fixed blades) and love all that I have. For fixed blades, once you get over $200 I start to look to other companies for knives. Though the Meatcrafter is awesome in it's shape/style and probably warrants the $300, I would say the Raghorn is grossly overpriced for what it is. Cruwear is an awesome steel, however I would argue to the death that a Dozier is a far superior knife in every way, including their steel which is "just" D2 (Dozier D2 beats all my super steels, their heat treat is the best in the industry).

Benchmade uses very nice materials, but it is still clearly a production knife (edges are finished seperate from handles, hardware is screw-together, etc). When you look at companies that specialize in fixed blades you get semi-custom features like permanent handle scales, much more flush fits, and better grind lines. The Dozier sheath is also far better made and more compact.

One gripe I have with many of the latest Benchmade Fixed Blades is the jimping they add to the handles. A well designed grip does not benefit from jimping in these areas, however it does introduce many gaps in the handles for fat to get into and very hard to clean out even at home (let alone in the woods):

Dozier Yukon Pro Skinner is a favorite of mine:

 

[Jon_G]

Awesome information thank you! The only problem I have now is I went in the Dozier knives website and it says production is backlogged 3 years that is insane but I am glad they are selling a lot. Maybe one day I'll pick up a used one on here.

 

[Macchina]

Awesome information thank you! The only problem I have now is I went in the Dozier knives website and it says production is backlogged 3 years that is insane but I am glad they are selling a lot. Maybe one day I'll pick up a used one on here.

Trust me, it's worth the wait. I see a 3 to 5 month lead time on AG Russell's site.
The cool thing about Doziers is the grinds are very thin, they use a very tall hollow grind (it performs like a flat grind) and they cut like nobody's business.

Here's mine after 4 years of use:

 

[Jon_G]

First off, awesome picture! Lol

Thanks for all of the information. It is a really nice looking knife and I hear great things. I think I'm gonna have to add one to my collection. It is good to see that on that website I can get one much faster!

 

[Davidson51]

Trust me, it's worth the wait. I see a 3 to 5 month lead time on AG Russell's site.
The cool thing about Doziers is the grinds are very thin, they use a very tall hollow grind (it performs like a flat grind) and they cut like nobody's business.

I got one too, maybe you should ask Dozier for a referral fee, haha.

 

[ChromeHound]

I own a Meatcrafter in S45 and carbon fiber and would second it as an amazing camp or even kitchen knife. I use mine for brisket trimming a lot and it works like a dream. If you are looking for a skinning knife, look at the Benchmade Saddle Mountain Skinner. It's S-90V and holds a wicked edge. I loaned it to a buddy that shot and elk. After a full skin job and quartering on a cow elk, it was still sticky sharp. The blade is brittle so you have to be careful not to pry with it but it does what it was designed to do.

 

[Austink47]

I don’t have any experience with the rag horn, but have used the meat crafter a lot. I could absolutely break down an elk with it but it is not a field knife. It is a great processing / kitchen knife. I am going to second @Macchina, I absolutely love my Dozier.