Your ideal fixed blade knife...?

[mtnwrunner]

Well, this is a great thread! You cannot have too many knives. I've got a bunch and I do prefer fixed blades. I usually carry a havalon, a folder and my trusty Ruana. I've got 4 Ruana's and if you've never seen them, it's a must. I actually designed one a couple of years ago and had Ruana (Mike) make it for me. I wanted something STOUT, functional, and unique. Here is a couple of photos of it and man, does it hold an edge.

Randy

 

[HellsCanyon]

Great stuff guys, I'm supposed to be callin the guy tomorrow sometime. I saw one of his knives at a superbowl party that he donated for a scoreboard win and it was NICE. Never felt something in my hand so comfortable, relatively thin blade on it and had the same type of handle as this one here that was lightweight and he said it grips phenomenal when its wet or bloody:

Just need to pick out what kind of steel I want and how long of blade... Thanks for the advice and keep it coming! This stuff is a foreign language to me!

Mike

 

[Floorguy]

I just got a bhk bushbaby its super comfortable a muk will be in my future eventually. I like the short blade seems perfect for some tasks.its a full flat grind with convex bevel and o1 steel.

 

[HellsCanyon]

I just got a bhk bushbaby its super comfortable a muk will be in my future eventually. I like the short blade seems perfect for some tasks.its a full flat grind with convex bevel and o1 steel.

How long is that blade?? I like the looks of that for sure...

Mike

 

[Floorguy]

2 7/8" iirc I can get a tape on it tomorrow

 

[PJG]

Well, this is a great thread! You cannot have too many knives. I've got a bunch and I do prefer fixed blades. I usually carry a havalon, a folder and my trusty Ruana. I've got 4 Ruana's and if you've never seen them, it's a must. I actually designed one a couple of years ago and had Ruana (Mike) make it for me. I wanted something STOUT, functional, and unique. Here is a couple of photos of it and man, does it hold an edge.

Randy

Nice looking Ruana, I like it.

 

[COR]

I just got a bhk bushbaby its super comfortable a muk will be in my future eventually. I like the short blade seems perfect for some tasks.its a full flat grind with convex bevel and o1 steel.

I like the Bush baby design...Blind Horse is no more but you can still find them with the new "Battle Horse Knives" and "LT Wright's custom knives" they are the two former owners that went different ways recently...just an FYI

 

[Wby quarterbore]

Hellscanyon, I have built about 10 of those skinners for friends and hunting partners we all love them!

 

[BackcountryMT]

Since I've graduated to a havalon I only carry one other knife with me to handle popping open hip sockets or cut off legs. For deer this will be a KOA CubBear and Elk it is a 4" Benchmade fixed blade.

 

[Sooner]

Havalon is all I carry anymore. Between my elk an muley thats all I used. From skinning to quartering to taking legs off at the knee. If I had to take another it would be my outdoor edge I purchased (before I found havalon).

 

[Floorguy]

I like the Bush baby design...Blind Horse is no more but you can still find them with the new "Battle Horse Knives" and "LT Wright's custom knives" they are the two former owners that went different ways recently...just an FYI

yep I meant to add that my knidfe actually came from battle horse knives and was stock from before the split.

 

[unm1136]

The titanium Kestrel has a tungsten carbide impreganated edge. Do you think that makes any difference?

The first Ti knife I had experience with was the Benchmade 970ST (the licensed Emerson CQC-7 with the Ti blade and Tungsten Carbide edge) about 20-24 years ago or so. At the time people were claiming that Ti knives with a strip of WC welded to the edge was "self sharpening" because the Ti wore away from the WC edge, meaning the edge got thinner, with use, and thus "sharper". WC tends to form very thick edges, and does not take a fine, sharp edge. When the edge chips, even if the WC only chips, not chips away from the laminate, it is really, really tough to repair, due to the hardness of the WC. My friend's 970ST was basically ruined when it was used to cut tape on a floor. The edge chipped, and was really, really ugly, while I worked on it. Finally got it as sharp as it was going to get and it was not what I call "sharp". In my kitchen now is a Spyderco Ti kitchen knife...It never gets really sharp (slicing tomatoes is better done with my Henkels) but it doesn't turn my lettuce brown. It works well on firm fruits and veg, but not so hot on meats.

Mission knives has spent a lot of time and money making Ti bladed knives, and their alloy is supposed to be capable of being hardened to just over 50rc. There is almost no market for these knives outside of collectors, and small military groups that need a corrosion resistant non-ferrous knives while working around submerged explosive devices. They also use a different alloy that is much harder to grind than 6AL-4V. Kestrel's website extolls the benefits of Ti, but really doesn't mention "how sharp" it gets. Good enough might just be good enough. Maybe the state of the art in producing these blades has changed, but I have been soured by my experience. Nearly everyone makes identical knives in steel that they do in Ti.

The cost of the Kestrel knives alone makes them attractive to get one to play with. Maybe I am wrong. At 11g it is probably worth the weight to carry one in addition to my regular skinner and thus have a backup. The consensus on most of the knife forums I used to hang out on are that Ti is OK, but there is much better stuff out there that makes sharper, more functional knives, at a lower price point to boot.

The issues I see with a UL hunting knife is that animals are gritty as you skin them, and the environment you skin them in has all kinds of bumps and hard things that can damage a knife edge. You won't have too much headache if you use them to cut string, MH meals, ect. While Kestrel's website shows some big critters in the testimonials, not all of them mention Ti blades. Starting out with a so-so edge, and then damaging it would suck. I can easily reprofile my VG10 and even M2 and D2 blades in the field, if I need to. Folks more knowledgeable then me have pointed out that Ti knives sharpened on conventional setups lead to problems when sharpening carbon steel on the same setup. The Ti fills up stones incredibly fast an using the least aggressive grit you can would help.

pat

 

[chiefhoyt]

I have the Kestrel Ultralight and love it. It goes in my pack for my high country Mule deer hunts as well my duck hunting and fishing trips. It weights next to nothing and has really held an edge.

I have had mine for one season so far and used it to break down two deer. Its by far the best knife I have used in the backcountry and i still havent sharpened it yet. I really liked the change to a small, sharp knife as opposed to the larger ones I have used. Its really simple and i forget I even have it in my pack. Saving weight has become paramount for me recently and the Ultralight is perfect for my backpack hunts. Definitely recommend the UL from my experience.

 

[boom]

lately, ive been carrying a $12 Mora.

i'd love a Havalon but for a serious backcountry trip, i want something i can baton thru a tree. in a flat out emergency..i think a havalon would suck. especially if that was all you had. you cant even scratch a spark off of a flint..right?

if i ever crap out money..i am gonna buy a custom knife. i want high carbon steel for the surgical edge and the ease to put it back. i want the demascus look as well.

i would love a John Neeman blade. ahhh..someday.

 

[boom]

here..like this.

 

[desertcj]

Just got one of these...Kabar potbelly. It's a large knife and you know it when it's in your' hand but talk about the feeling of confidence! I have no doubt that I can batton any wood I'd care too as well as skin any animal out there and resharpen it every day if needed and still have a nice knife at the end of my days....1095 steel I believe

 

[handwerk]

I love my dozier D2

 

[LostInSpace278]

When did Ka-Bar's become so stupidly expensive? I was checkeing out a regular USMC fighting Ka-Bar. They were asking $90

 

[bz_711]

I've yet to hold/try a havalon...not sure they are for me.

I've carried multiple knives, but anything that can hold a decent edge and sharpen quickly I'm good with.

I have a very heavy folding buck knife for whitetails in my pack - really like it (and it was birthday gift from wife)
For elk I have typically carried a 2 knife set I got from RMEF...worked just fine, but did require a decent amount of sharpening when breaking down an elk.

might look in the some of the lightweight (skeleton) type handled knifes soon...

 

[desertcj]

When did Ka-Bar's become so stupidly expensive? I was checkeing out a regular USMC fighting Ka-Bar. They were asking $90

People are all over a plastic folding razorblade(Havalon) for $30-$40. I don't think that $90 for a chunk of steel that size is out of line....