and Benchmade is real good

I have spent thousands on knives. When it is all said and done I say you cannot beat a good Buck Knife. I even use some special editions, as long as I have one tucked away. It is not becasue their steel is better, but for me, the way they make their knives. Here is why:

One of Buck's great resources is Paul Bos, who has been performing heat-treating since 1956. Paul is a nationally known heat-treating authority and has developed proprietary processes. Paul's link to Buck Knives goes back to the late '50s when he worked on custom knives for Al Buck. Paul oversees all of Buck Knives' heat-treating and performs heat-treating for a great number of custom knife makers. His shop is located in the Buck plant, where he is readily available to consult with Buck's engineers. Clearly, the Paul Bos touch is an integral part of Buck's great blades.

Buck Knives takes each blade through a carefully controlled three-step heat-treating process that brings the blade to a blend of properties appropriate for the end use of the knife. To ensure uniform heating, the blades are separately laid out on a continuous, slow moving conveyor belt.




[ol][*]First, the blades are heated to a high temperature (then cooled to room temperature).[*]Next, the blades are lowered into a cryogenic freezer where they are subjected to below zero temperatures (then brought back to room temperature).[*]After that, the blades are placed in an oven where the temperature is slowly raised to between 350°F to 950°F, depending on the end use and steel type. [/ol]This tempering process toughens the steel and brings 420HC blades to 58 on the Rockwell scale, the preferred hardness for edge holding. ATS-34, BG-42 and S30V blades can be hardened to Rc 59.5-61. To achieve the desired properties, some blades are tempered more than once. Only after this rigorous heat-treat process is a Buck blade ready to be edged-the other vitally important process in creating a great blade.

I just have to add that Buck knives are made in the good ol' USA!!!!!

..and guaranteed 4-ever!!!

i like the green river knives as well as old hickory knives. both have carbon blades and the old mountain men even carried these knives way back when. i pick them up at flea markets. after you sharpen them you can do a whole deer with ease, i dont even have to put pressure on the knife when skinning just lay it on the skin. less than 10 bucks

I will say that the best knifeI have EVER used is a Rapid River custom. Kris is a great guy to deal with and i think you can pick the material you wantI think. Check him out at www.rapidriverknifeworks.com. They hold and edge real good and shapens real well.

Here's my .02$:

Sharpening: Lansky Sharpening System http://www.lanskysharpeners.com/LKCLX.php
Its the best I have used. It takes a little getting use to but its great. Its the only one I use now, and I use it on every blade in the house.

If it were me I would stay away from high carbon steel blades. Tend to be less rust resistant in my experience. Which is important when blood is present.

This is worth a read- http://www.benchmade.com/about_knives/our_blades.asp#Blade_Steels

I prefer the softer side of steels that require a bit more sharpening than a harder steel that can brake or chip. I haven't found the gutting knife of my dreams yet. I have several schrade knives, because they are relatively cheap, and I can be pretty rough on them.

I love benchmade though and have several.

I have owned hundreds of knives over the past 40 years. Some of the best over-the-counter knives are Gerber, Marbles, and the Uncle Henry. There is custom knife maker here in Colorao named Fred Ott that makes very high quality damascus steel blades - I have one of his - afraid to lose it, so I don't carry it hunting. It costs as much as a good bow.

I have a #30 Hunter model w/ a Black Palm handle.........one of my favorite possessions.

http://www.jrjknives.com/hunters.htm

I don't know all the ins and outs of knives, steel, etc...but I will say this:

IMO you need several knives, not just one. I have many. I have a specific knife style I like for field dressing....fixed blade with a thin 5" or longer blade. This works great for cutting out the anus. I also use knives with wider rounder blades for skinning, and others strictly for butchering. I have a custom knife that is really nice(too nice almost) but honestly it's not a whole lot better than my buck or others. I would agree with what others said, you don't need to drop alot to get a good knife. I have a Smith & Wesson that I have used for 20yrs, also a Buck for 20+ yrs...both are GREAT knives, and I use them for different things. My .02

Gerber is really the best buy for the money. Their steel is hard enough to hold an edge through 2-3 deer but easy to sharpen. They are mass produced but the bottom is that hard used knives will occasionally be misplaced and you will not need a second mortgage to replace a gerber. 90% of my gutting is done with a Gerber LST. Spend more money if it makes you feel better but Gerber is the best manufactured knife (IMO).

I have a Randall and have owned (and lost ) a Benchmade. Both of which arebeautiful blades but their prices are considerably higher and their performance is only equal toGerber.