Indulge me knife guys.....
 

I'v asked here a few times....but one of these days I'm gonna pull the trigger on a good knife. What is the best blade material I need to be looking for? I want to buy the last knife I'll ever use....for field dressing and butchering deer.

Also....I want to know how to keep it sharp. Again....I'm tired of messing with the various little sharpening apparatus. I want to get a quality sharpening system (that I can also use for my home knives).....the last one I'll ever need....and be done with it.

Thanks for you help (in advance).

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

GERBER!! and i would look into the diamond stones for sharpening. you can get them for 20-40 bucks i believe

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Are there any of the mass-producing (knife mfr's) companies that use really good metal? I know there are some custom guys making some good things from the best of metals....and that's probably what I'm going to have to get. I'm tired of getting halfway through a deer and my blade being dull, already.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

You'll never know your best until you have many.

First rule is to look next to the handle, if you find the word China drop the knife and back away slowly.

And a good stone is the secret to sharpening any knife.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Even though I am a knife maker, this is what I carry, it holds a super edge. I am very impressed with steel.









All-purpose hunting knife with sturdy drop-point blade for hunting, camping, field use. Polished brass butt and guard, woodgrain handle. Sheath included.






Category End Use:


Weight:6.3 oz. (178 g.)


Handle Material:Woodgrain


Carry System:Brown leather sheath


Blade Steel:420HC


Length Overall:8 1/2" (21.6 cm.)


Blade Length:4 1/8" (10.5 cm.)


Blade Shape:Drop point


Knife Type:None


Catalog #:2584
Price: $ 100.00




I

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Is there anybody out there that's had good luck with a custom knife they've had 5+ years or more?

BigJ? Bobco? Seems like you two are knife guys!

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

I like Puma knives.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

There is a custom knife company that I checked out last year, but can't remember the name. Everyone raves about his knives. They aren't cheap and there is a waiting list that was over a year long. I will see if I can find it for you.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

imo you can't go wrong with cutco

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

I normally make knives out of 1095 spring steel, they hold an edge very good, but will rust if not oiled. Here are two I've made for a friend on the forum.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

I've toted a yellow handle Case 2 bld( I think they call it a trapper)But I use it for everything--I got skinning knives, gutting knives but always wind up using the Case--IMO cain't beat the steel that Case uses!!
I also found a diamond sharpener works best for me--But the name of the game is to keep the blade sharp--Touch it up after ever use--That way you want dull it so much and have to take off so much metal to get it sharp again!!

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Wow! I bought 2 cutco's and spent 300.00 on some knife they told me will never need sharpening. There junk i think. I use a buck knife, they seem to work for me, very durable knife! I use a lansky sharpner to sharpen my knives, very good sharpener also!

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Rev:

I think (and you can help me) I'm looking for 440C Carbon steel as a minimum, huh?I've done a liitle internet research.....and this seems to be what I'm learning.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

I have William Henry, Benchmade and CRKT. I love them all, my benchmade is a little hard to sharpen but keeps an edge well. CRKT makes a great inexpensive knife, mine was about $80.My William Henry iseasy to sharpen keeps a great edge and is extremely nice. It is a pocket knife and for about $260 mightbe more than your willing tospend but is definetly worth the price. Otherwise i'd go with Benchmade or CRKT.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

i have always been told to look for the china knives 440 stainless steel

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

If I thought I could buy the last knife I'd ever need (for my purposes of field dressing and butchering whitetail deer).....for $250......and that I'd be able to keep it sharp, "relatively easily"......I'd jump on it.

I want to buy the last one I'll ever need.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

You can't go wrong with a Buck knife!!! I've had mine for 21 years, and it's still good as new!!! Holds an edge, and easy to sharpen (5 minutes)with a little know how!!
You don't even need to spend $250!

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

I have a Dave Kauffman #15 Field the blade is S30V.

I've dressed 9 deer (including cutting ribs on a few) with this knife and it will still shave the hair off my arm. Jeeze, I sound like Ron Popeil;)

Of all the hunting gear I've ever bought, this knife brings me the most satisfaction.

http://www.hunttools.com/product/KNI...Guide_Set.html

I don't have the set, only the #15

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

440C is a stainless alloy. It's good however very hard to work with. I use 1095 because it has the most carbon content 95% carbon, if heat-treated correctly it is super hard.
440 C is not a carbon steel.
The best material is Japanese STS 34, it very expensive but great for knives. It is the hardest of all the stainless types steel.
I harden my knives to 62 Rockwell Scale, making it on the verge of being too hard, too hard the knife will break, too soft easy to sharpen, but will not hold and edge. When I ship out a knife I sharpen razor sharp. I have a technique that I have developed to insure they are hard, or I won't sell them.

But I don't make any knives during hunting season :D,,, too busy hunting, or flying around theU.S. onbusiness.

I have more knives at my home page see Gallery www.livehunt.com/therev

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

i loved my Leathermen knives. Kershaw is also another very good brand

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

and Benchmade is real good

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

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.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

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

..and guaranteed 4-ever!!!

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

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

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

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.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

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.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

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.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

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

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

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

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

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

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.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

I am far from a knife "expert", but I have spent a fortune on them because I enjoy having many to choose from. Having said that, as far as "bang for your buck" goes, I would recommend any of the knives in Benchmade's Gold series. Most are joint ventures with custom makers and they are very high quality. They sharpen well and maintain an edge.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

from the research i have done S30V is the steel your looking for. good edge retention, and extremely hard and durable. My favorite knives to use are by far buck knives. You can select an upgrade to s30v steel on some of their knives for like 65 bucks im pretty sure.

easiest way to get a buck knife in s30v steel is to design your own in their custom knife shoppe on their website. select a style you like then pick out the blade style, material, handle material, all that good jazz.

far as collectors go, besides custom made knives, case xx is the best brand going, just cant bring myself to using these knives and devauling them. i think im up to 50 plus case xx/custom made knives.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Jeff, If you really want an easy to sharpen knife that will hold edgeand quality to boot, try this. Find the size you need for the purpose first and foremost. Then find one of these 3 knives. The blade will be made of (1) Queen Steel, or (2) Solingen German Steel. If you can not find one with these particular steels that you like, I have one other suggestion, though it may be hard to find. (3) Uncle Henry 6.5" (I believe) Lockblade with stag handle side plates. This one would have to be NOS or from someone's collection to purchase. I have this particular knife and it gets downright scarey sharp and will hold an edge thru 3 deer easy. Hard to find, but worth the effort. I also have 2 lockblades with the Solingen Germany Steel and they are quite close to being Straight Razors. Scarey and hold a heck of an edge. Hope this helps.

LT

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Rev,you can appreciate this.

440 c is a high carbon stainless,the carbon is what makes it heat treatable,but you probably know that already.


My stepdad used to use 440 but has changed and I will post what he using when I get the info but he says he can get the blades harder without getting brittle and hold an edge betterbut it is still stainless,so it doesn't rust.


My stepdad makes these(GMMAT,I pm'd you)

This is my daughters knife.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Yep, I'm a knife guy but nothing custom, just quality store bought stuff for me. The make really doesn't matter so much but get a quality steel. Gerber, Buck, K-bar, Case, Camillus, Imperial, Schrade, etc...all make good knifes. I've even used cheap Jap steel knifes in the past and they have performed well. The only difference is they don't hold an edge as well as the better steel knifes will but I like to sharpen so it doesn't bother me to sharpen them more often.

The key to any knife is keeping it sharp and that's where I get a little over zealous if you will. If it doesn't shave hair I'm not happy, I can literally shave my face with my hunting knifes. All of my knifes will cut a beer can in half with little effort. My wife thinks I'm nuts because I will sit with her (watching TV) and sharpen my knife(s) for hours.

Almost as important as the steel is the stone used for sharpening. I not a big fan of those sharpening systems you can buy that you clamp your knife into and go to town with different course sharpening stones. They work but I prefer to hold the stone in my hand. I can feel the angle I want to sharpen my knife to. I use industrial sharpening stones my Father-in-Law gave me. He used to be a butcher for many years and knew how to sharpen a knife!

I use a medium stone to get an initial edge, then I use a very very smooth stone. I also sharpen with water only(no oil)with my medium stone then I dry sharpen with the fine stone. I don't recommend dry sharpening unless you know what you're doing. It takes some practice and a steady hand to hold a good angle. After a while I will actually get a slight build up on the smooth stone thatmakes it even smoother. When done I simply wash it clean. This is why it takes me a long time to get a super sharp edge but once I do get it, it's fantastic sharp. Don't forget to use a good quality leather strop to finish it off.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Big,I agree with you about the sharpening but to the average person trying to get a good edge with little knowledge,the Lansky system is hard to beat.

If you know what you are doing,a few stones and a leather strap can do wonders.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Totally agree....It takes time to learn how to freehand sharpen and those systems do work well. I would suggest to a beginner to get one.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Look at the SOG, i think it is more of a military knife butthey have somemade of the 440C. I agree with The Rev, it is very hard to work with. When I first bought my SOG it was very sharp and I didn't have enough since to stop cutting everything. It stayed sharp for quite a while but got to were you couldn't cut butter with it. I bought a wet stone and sharpened it for 3 straight nights before I got the edge I wanted on it. Im not too good with knife sharpening either, could be the reason it took so long. Hope you find what your looking for.

Your not that far away from Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville TN, stop in there and you can test them out before you buy it. Just don't get too caught up on what the salesmen has to say or you will have one of every knife made. Take Care

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Carboned steel is my favorite material to work with. As someone has mentioned, it will tarnish and rust a bit if not taken care of properly. But it will get super sharp and it will be easy to sharpen. But nothing is set in stone and there are exceptions.

There were a lot of knifes out there mentioned that I agree with are good. I bought a Rapid River Knife works for my friend and it is working out very well for him. I believe their knives are treated to 59-61 RC. They also have a lifetime sharpening service which is nice. Hesends it back after every season and they get it in new condition.

I mentioned exceptions and hereis one. My favorite whitetail knife is a PUMA folding 2 3/4" SS clip point blade. Idon't know why, but it is a razor and is easily sharpened. I don't have all the specs on it, but I believe it was heat treated exceptionally well. Germany is well known for their knife making abilities. But, I think you have to be careful on the PUMA that you buy. I recently saw them in a catalog and they seemed extremely cheap. I'd be a little suspect on that. It's funny, I lost that knife for two years. I knew about where I lost it, but it covered about 40 acres. I took a metal detector out this spring and found it buried in a tractor rut. Needle in a haystack, but I found it.

Someone mentioned a cheap knife made in china or japan. I also have a knife like that. I actually got it free from the NRA, it was substituted for aBuck Knife (imagine that). But this knife is sharp, and I mean sharp. I used it last year on afew deer and it was amazing. I'llhave to identify it if you are interested. I did find it one time and I believe it is worth like $20.

Some day, I'm gonna get a decent flint knapped knife. I have seen them sharp enough to cut leather.

RE: Indulge me knife guys.....
 

Some good information here - http://www.huntingblades.com/index.html

This is a good knife from there - http://store.huntingblades.com/modrposk.html

More info on knife steel - http://www.zknives.com/knives/articles/knifesteelfaq.shtml