Winkler Knifes?

[TimberHunter]

Was told to pick out a knife for a gift, otherwise I’d likely never spend +-$300 on a knife.

At first thought MKC, then decided against them. Then tried benchmark lost canyon in hand. Liked the blade size but handle was thin in the hand and I should see losing grip when hand is fatigued. Now I’m thinking about the WK Huntsman.

Any feedback on their knifes for field dressing?


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[intunegp]

They are good quality, but they use thick stock and are pretty thick behind the edge. Steel is fine, but not a high-performance super steel by any means. The stock thickness will hinder cutting/slicing abilities and the steel will not hold an edge as well as other options.

I would not consider them to be something that would be looked at as a high-performance/hot-rod field dressing knife. A good quality knife that would get the job done? Sure. The best tool for the job? I don't think so.

As much as people hate to hear this because of their opinions about the company, unless you go with a custom, MKC probably offers some of the best overall performing production knives for hunting tasks. They use thin stock with thin edge bevels and they cut extremely well. Argali also has some interesting options and I have been keeping a close eye on the Boker Backcountry as my next fixed blade purchase.

 

[TimberHunter]

They are good quality, but they use thick stock and are pretty thick behind the edge. Steel is fine, but not a high-performance super steel by any means. The stock thickness will hinder cutting/slicing abilities and the steel will not hold an edge as well as other options.

I would not consider them to be something that would be looked at as a high-performance/hot-rod field dressing knife. A good quality knife that would get the job done? Sure. The best tool for the job? I don't think so.

As much as people hate to hear this because of their opinions about the company, unless you go with a custom, MKC probably offers some of the best overall performing production knives for hunting tasks. They use thin stock with thin edge bevels and they cut extremely well. Argali also has some interesting options and I have been keeping a close eye on the Boker Backcountry as my next fixed blade purchase.

Thanks for the feedback. The thicker handle looked nice when hand fatigue sets in but I didn’t consider the thicker blade. Currently using replaceable blade outdoor edge


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[Wrench]

Winkler probably rides in more kits of men that kill bad guys for a living than hunters of animals.....but if given the opportunity, you would be lucky to own one. You can always go buy an off the shelf field dressing knife.

 

[Small-foot]

I don’t have experience with Winkler Specifically, but I switched to a CBK in the past year and I don’t think I’ll go back to another blade profile for anything except midwestern hunting where I’m fully gutting and breaking a pelvis. The Grohman CBK is what my hunting partner has and he loves it.

 

[Jesse Jaymes]

I am a self proclaimed Knife Knerd. I have been so close to pulling the trigger on a Winkler Huntsman. Maple handle with tribal. Just as an "EDC".

But as well stated above....he used 3/16" stock on his knives. They are going to be much better pry bars than slicers. It's what's holding me back. Very cool. Very original. And very "one off" from current trends.

I just don't think any are going to be very solid game processing knives.

 

[StupidLightweight]

Having processed a lot of animals with a lot of knives, I prefer thin blades over thick ones. I also like fixed-blade designs for easy cleanup. This fall, I used MKC's SpeedGoat 2.0 to process two elk. I was impressed. I believe this is the finest hunting blade I've used. For $225, I don't think you can go wrong.

I would love to own a Winkler, but as others have said, they seem to be built more for warfighters than weekend warriors like me.

 

[TimberHunter]

Having processed a lot of animals with a lot of knives, I prefer thin blades over thick ones. I also like fixed-blade designs for easy cleanup. This fall, I used MKC's SpeedGoat 2.0 to process two elk. I was impressed. I believe this is the finest hunting blade I've used. For $225, I don't think you can go wrong.

I would love to own a Winkler, but as others have said, they seem to be built more for warfighters than weekend warriors like me.

What do you do with the paracord handles? How do you keep them from being filled with blood/fat?


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[StupidLightweight]

What do you do with the paracord handles? How do you keep them from being filled with blood/fat?

The key is to shoot really old animals without much fat. Just kidding. Clogging the paracord handle worried me at first too, but the blood and fat seem to wash out easily if you get to it before the junk dries on.

 

[intunegp]

What do you do with the paracord handles? How do you keep them from being filled with blood/fat?


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My Speedgoat 2.0 has been through four or five elk and a couple deer at this point and the handle looks good as new just from scrubbing it well with Dawn and a brush that lives in the kitchen sink when I get home. That said, I often see guys post field dressing pics and wonder why the handle has more blood on it than the blade. For me it isn't hard to keep the handle out of a majority of the nasty stuff.

 

[Shraggs]

I have several knives of thick stock that are extremely slicy. Just depends more on edge geometry and handle angle. I think that winkler is better for typical gutter chores, imo.

This is very slicy: if that’s your goal.

Bark River Nessmuk - DLT Trading

www.dlttrading.com

For a knife suited for typical gutting yet excels in skinning this is a favorite:

Bark River Knives - Bark River Highland Special - DLT Trading

www.dlttrading.com

 

[doc holiday13]

My buddy had a Winkler till he lost it. Nice blade but it was very hard to sharpen. Not sure if it was edge geometry and spine thickness or just the hardness of the blade, I just couldn't get it to pop hair.

 

[Nicaburns]

Winkler makes a good knife but it is just a production knife and is 90% marketing. 80crv2 is a common steel we use in forging. It is a good high carbon steel but not even a stainless steel. It is a cheap steel for a knifemaker to use and doesn’t warrant a $300 price tag unless there is $200 worth of gold inlaid in the handle. I often use it in Damascus alongside 15n20 if I know they knife is going to be used and not just displayed. It welds well and shows good contrast.
Get you a white river knives hunter for under $200 and you will have an excellent hunter.

Hunter

White River Hunter survival, hunting knife is made in the USA and 100% guaranteed for life

whiteriverknives.com

 

[98XJRC]

Have you considered checking out Half Face Blades? I've been extremely impressed with my Feather Lite and have my eyes on the Skinner Jr model as well.

Half Face Blades

Granted going back to Winkler I honestly haven't ever heard anything bad about them and would be a great piece to have.

 

[TimberHunter]

Winkler makes a good knife but it is just a production knife and is 90% marketing. 80crv2 is a common steel we use in forging. It is a good high carbon steel but not even a stainless steel. It is a cheap steel for a knifemaker to use and doesn’t warrant a $300 price tag unless there is $200 worth of gold inlaid in the handle. I often use it in Damascus alongside 15n20 if I know they knife is going to be used and not just displayed. It welds well and shows good contrast.
Get you a white river knives hunter for under $200 and you will have an excellent hunter.

Hunter

White River Hunter survival, hunting knife is made in the USA and 100% guaranteed for life

whiteriverknives.com

40 layer twisted 80crv2 and 15n20 for example
View attachment 998239

I have wanted a knife blade like that but read it’s not ideal for hunting applications?


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[hereinaz]

Yes thin blade. Yes modern steel.

For $300, a custom CBK is what you want from @Slalomnorth or @Dixie

We released the Dixie Zipper after significant design input and passing around multiple versions to Roksliders to give input. You could consider it, but for $300 you can maybe a custom.

I sent dozens of our production knife into the wild, and the practical blade shape and handle design geometry make hand fatigue disappear.

You can see the reports from users about how the knife handles and makes the process easier.

Your hand gets fatigued because of the constant stress getting the knife blade into position to cut. What feels good and looks good in your hand are overrated and nothing like how it can be held when leaning over an animal and reaching all directions.

 

[Nicaburns]

I have wanted a knife blade like that but read it’s not ideal for hunting applications?


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Any custom knife can be made to meet your requirements… a carbon steel knife will rust if you don’t care for it but they have been used in the field for centuries. Stainless blades are a pretty recent shift and have their advantages. The Winkler is a carbon steel blade and ones like the white river knives or the Dixie Zipper are stainless.
I think most here will say that You can get a lot more knife for $300 than the Winkler you mentioned.

 

[Eleven]

I own both a winkler knife and an axe. I love them and they mean the world to me, they were both gifts. But I wouldn’t carry the knife for game processing. The blade stock is too thick, and the knife itself is very heavy. While that is a great thing in a self defense, combat, or survival role, it is a downfall in game processing. in my opinion, frankly, there are plenty of cheap knives that do a great job on game (Mora, havalon, etc…). If you want a Winkler because you like it and its a bad ass knife I whole heartedly agree, but don’t get one thinking its a game processor.

 

[justinspicher]

I found a Winkler knife a few weeks ago. It’s a pretty nice knife, but it won’t replace any of the knives I already have for any tasks. It’ll probably sit in my safe until I can use it as trade fodder.

 

[aaronoto]

Winkler owner here, they suck for field dressing game. It's literally probably the last knife I'd want to use. Not a knock against Winkler, they're just way to thick behind the edge for field dressing.