Knives: money money or not

[rspecht55]

I have been researching what knife to buy for a backcountry elk hunt. Some guys say a cheaper knife works for them. Why spend $250 or more when I can spend $50? What are the differences in the knives? What should a guy do?


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[TN2shot07]

Steel, handle materials, fit and finish make the difference. You can buy a cheap knife and do almost anything you’d need. It’s no different than the tiers you can buy rifles in

 

[Moose83]

If you are a knife guy then by all means spend the money on exactly what you want. If not, a mora and a victorinox paring knife will do anything you need to do with a knife in the backcountry

 

[displacedtexan]

Do you just want a knife to do the job? $50 is more than enough.

Do you like knives? Or nice things? Then the sky is the limit.

I'm not really a "knife guy", but although not rich, I am in a position to buy nicer stuff than "good enough", so I do buy nicer knives. Mostly Benchmade, because I like their design/quality/price balance.

 

[Jimss]

I quit buying expensive knives years ago after using and abusing outdoor edge replaceable blade knives. They are super sharp and stand up well. They are only around $30. I probably have around 5 or 6 of them in packs, truck, garage, etc.

I do a lot of skinning for taxidermy work and they are the best I’ve found. It takes around 30 seconds to replace a blade.

 

[5MilesBack]

It's like everything else in this world......there are things that get the job done, and get it done well that are inexpensive. And then there are expensive items that also may get the job done well, but not any better than some other inexpensive items. So, it's all up to you on what you want to spend. I like high quality that doesn't cost a lot. Sometimes it takes some work and time to figure out what qualifies for that.

 

[Pdzoller]

Had good luck with cheaper Gerber, CRKT, and Kershaw. Can process a deer before needing a touch up. Currently I’m using a Tyto, I forget which one. I can process two deer and a bear before needing a touch up with the better steel. I have several friends that use replaceable blade knives but I have seen pieces break off and they are hard to find when everything is bloody.

 

[Sam Colt]

This is a fascinating topic and one which I have wanted to see discussed for quite some time. If only there was some way to determine if it's been explored on this site - especially in the past few months days...

 

[ElPollo]

I have been researching what knife to buy for a backcountry elk hunt. Some guys say a cheaper knife works for them. Why spend $250 or more when I can spend $50? What are the differences in the knives? What should a guy do?


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I am one of those who uses budget tool steels like D2 or 14C28 for knives that hit the sweet spot for me on edge durability, sharpening ease, and cost that won’t make me cry if I lose it. Every expensive knife I’ve ever bought has disappeared like socks in the drier, but I have some cheaper knives that are 7-8 years old that keep performing and I just can’t seem to loose them. I also don’t think there is a perfect knife for breaking game down in the field. I’ve used folders, fixed blades and flat grinds to scandi grinds. My current favs across the board are a 7-year old Ontario RAT2 pocket knife with D2 steel (~$50), a Havalon Piranta scalpel-blade folder (~$50), and an 8-year old cheap Chinese Real Steel D2 Bushcraft knife (~$70, but closer to $50 when I got it). Basically if it’s 1095 steel or better, you’ll do fine. If it’s a an expensive super steel, it’s destined to be a future archeological site… At least for me anyway.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I probably own over $1000 worth of benchmade knives, I love them. However, I always end up using an outdoor edge 5” replaceable blade knife when hunting now . So nice not to have to worry about sharpening a blade. My buddy and I did a full alaskan moose with one blade each.

 

[Dented]

5 miles back nailed it.

I personally like a great steel. They take more time to sharpen if you let them get dull but they hold an edge far longer.

 

[Team4LongGun]

This is a fascinating topic and one which I have wanted to see discussed for quite some time. If only there was some way to determine if it's been explored on this site - especially in the past few months days...

Unnecessary. You added nothing to the conversation besides poor sarcasm.

 

[Team4LongGun]

Benchmade gets my vote. USA made as well.

 

[LoggerDan]

I used to blacksmith and forge on the side, and loved good quality blades tempered just right. But I’ve been on the outdoorsman edge train for awhile. I still like quality knives, but they stay at home nowadays.

 

[Sam Colt]

Unnecessary. You added nothing to the conversation besides poor sarcasm.

And you didn’t even use sarcasm. Checkmate.

 

[LoggerDan]

How does a lil rockslider put a staff member in checkmate? I don’t see what’s so clever..

 

[Sam Colt]

You rite. Bad day.

Sorry.

I’ll take some time to meditate. Love you guys.

 

[5MilesBack]

Personally, I carry a fixed 4" blade S30V steel knife that I paid $30 for, and a Havalon that I also paid $30 for. I use the Havalon for skinning and caping, and the fixed blade mostly for everything else. I just try to keep everything as clean as possible. The S30V knife is still very sharp after a bull elk, and the Havalon gets a new blade for the next one.

 

[Foreverinwaders]

I like having two knives. Replaceable blades like with havalon, Gerber, and outdoor edge are nice for most applications. Gerber and outdoor edge are easier to replace than Havalon.
None of them are very sturdy, blades can snap.
I also have a Benchmade Steep Country for a sturdier option.
I recommend whatever you choose, go with bright orange handle so you can find it when you put it down in the dark/thick brush.

 

[feanor]

You can also have a custom knife as an heirloom which has been built to your specs- which is pretty cool. Just don’t lose it in the field.