Blade changing tool?

[mvmnts]

Outdoor Edge or Gerber Vital. This reminds me of people who use pot grabbers lol. Ridiculous. But hey, if you don't mind carrying the weight up and down the mountain, then I guess it's not hurting anyone but you. I've never, ever had use for a pair of pliers in the woods, or anything else on a multi tool (my swiss army signature aside <3), so I don't find them worth the weight either.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Age, altitude, humidity, heat, exertion and rushing are factors that can easily turn a simple blade change into a bloody painful accident. Just a fact of life that happens when you realize middle-age has come and gone and you aren't living to be 102. I was invincible once...decades ago. Now I must be cautious. You'll see...when it happens to you, yer not gonna like it either.

 

[Trial153]

Those things are an accident waiting to happen.

 

[rileybassman]

Those things are an accident waiting to happen.

I agree... pick up a mora for 20 bucks and 3.9oz if weight is the concern.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Those things are an accident waiting to happen.

They are great when ya gotta perform field surgery though. Dug a lot of salmonberry thorns outta myself with these and a tweezer.

 

[Boudreaux]

Get a gerber vital, solves the problem of the dangerous blade replacement with the havalon.

 

[ndbuck09]

the simple plastic havalon changer weighs a half ounce probably and all you do is squeeze and pull and the blade is free. Using, doing anything else is overkill and overreaction. To put a blade on you just put the male end into the slot, grip the handle and push the blade tip into a tree and it snaps in without your fingers coming close to the blade.

With the blunt tipped xt blades on the havalon, it's a beast and the blades don't break at all anymore.

 

[Crusty]

There is a bit of risk in changing the blades - but only if you slip.

I cut off a little square of the of mesh rubbery non slip material, and keep it with the spare blades.
weighs almost nothing, takes up no space and gives me a bit more confidence that I'm not going to slip and doing some damage.

 

[doverpack12]

Crusty that is a great idea.

For the gerber vital users there is no comparison between the blade sharpness and lack of useful blade on the vital due to the attachment design. Havalon is far superior in every way except changing the blade. I even tried the havalon blades on the vital and they do not fit. The slots are very slightly different in dimension.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Get a gerber vital, solves the problem of the dangerous blade replacement with the havalon.

That might be the ultimate solution, it's like a Piranta/Edge hybrid. I like it.

 

[quackaddict]

Outdoor Edge Razor-Blaze. Extremely sharp and holds a great edge, more backbone than a Havalon, stupid easy blade swap that doesn't "require tools", and a better handle.

 

[mvmnts]

Age, altitude, humidity, heat, exertion and rushing are factors that can easily turn a simple blade change into a bloody painful accident. Just a fact of life that happens when you realize middle-age has come and gone and you aren't living to be 102. I was invincible once...decades ago. Now I must be cautious. You'll see...when it happens to you, yer not gonna like it either.

As many have said, there are a couple better options on the market, the havalon piranta has stuck with the same old, dangerous design while others have innovated. IMO the gerber vital has a better blade mechanism but it's overall design is poor. The outdoor edge I find leagues above both. I have the ONYX Lite EDC because I like lightweight stuff and it is about the same weight overall as the gerber vital (2oz?) but it is way, way more knife.

 

[muddydogs]

Outdoor Edge Razor-Blaze. Extremely sharp and holds a great edge, more backbone than a Havalon, stupid easy blade swap that doesn't "require tools", and a better handle.

There's been a couple times that I have needed my Leatherman to get the blade off my Razor Lite. Not sure if I wasn't pulling hard enough or what but I decided the safest route was the Leatherman.

 

[muddydogs]

Age, altitude, humidity, heat, exertion and rushing are factors that can easily turn a simple blade change into a bloody painful accident. Just a fact of life that happens when you realize middle-age has come and gone and you aren't living to be 102. I was invincible once...decades ago. Now I must be cautious. You'll see...when it happens to you, yer not gonna like it either.

Do you use a cut glove? I realized a few years ago that I wasn't as bad as I used to be then thinking about waving a razor sharp knife around while my hands were crammed in some animal in the middle of no where I came to the realization that a cut could be a bad deal. Picked up a pair of cut gloves off Amazon for $5 ish, I just carry one glove and wear it on my left hand while processing the animal. Not only does the glove protect my hand it also makes gripping the hide a lot easier. When home rinse the glove in the sink then throw it in the laundry so its clean for next time. The gloves I got are kind of ambidextrous so I can wear the right glove on the left hand with no issues if I need to for multiple tags.

 

[camping1601]

There's been a couple times that I have needed my Leatherman to get the blade off my Razor Lite. Not sure if I wasn't pulling hard enough or what but I decided the safest route was the Leatherman.

With a bloody fat covered blade they can sometimes seem stuck. I use a paper towel to get some grip on it.

 

[MattB]

I use my fingers; takes maybe 3 seconds and virtually impossible to get cut.

Yup. I just lift the very back (unsharpened) portion of the blade with my index finger nail while gripping the unsharpened back portion of the blade firmly and pull the blade off. Not to be snide, but IMO the "danger" of changing Havalon blades exists much more on the internet than it does in reality.

 

[skaldugwas]

Stick it in a piece of wood and twist

 

[Mad Mountain Mike]

I quit carrying disposable blade knives and went back to my Russel and a stone. Knife is always sharp, no changing blades, problem solved.

 

[jmez]

Yup. I just lift the very back (unsharpened) portion of the blade with my index finger nail while gripping the unsharpened back portion of the blade firmly and pull the blade off. Not to be snide, but IMO the "danger" of changing Havalon blades exists much more on the internet than it does in reality.

Not true. Only takes one tiny little slip and they cut the shit out of you. I use scalpels for a living, on a daily basis. The only time I've been cut is changing blades. Both taking them off and putting them on by hand. They have the same blade retention system as a Havalon. You use them enough it is going to happen.

 

[Owenst7]

Not true. Only takes one tiny little slip and they cut the shit out of you. I use scalpels for a living, on a daily basis. The only time I've been cut is changing blades. Both taking them off and putting them on by hand. They have the same blade retention system as a Havalon. You use them enough it is going to happen.

I think you're supposed to cut around the elk's anus, not your own.