Over the years I' ve used Buck, Case, K-bar, Gerber, Schrade, Cold Steel, Kershaw, CRKT, Western, Puma, Opinel.... More different brands than I remember and I can honestly say I' ve not had a bad knife from any of those outfits. Just some weren' t quite as good as others. My favorite was Western (the OLD Western Cutlery Company, not the crud that Camillus has been putting out under that name).

I' m another that doesn' t like cleaning the blood and guts out of folders. Preference is for fixed blades. 3-4" , as said before, for gutting and skinning.

Right now I' m using a Helle Nying, and I can tell you those triple laminated blades are something else! Very oddball, traditional Scandinavian-style handle, but very comfortable and practical once you get used to the feel.