Best Knives
 

While skinning and boning my deer out last night I discovered that I was returning to the honing rod quite a bit, what are reasonably priced knives out there that hold an edge and are durable. The game cleaning kit from Wal-Mart is not doing it for me, it worked great the first deer I did this season but the quality and durability are now coming into question. Any Suggestions???

I would consider saving up for a good quality custom fixed blade with quality steel.

Check out Russel, Ruana, Randall, and even buck knives

Get a good knife with a quality steel. I think the best bang for your buck is a Cabela's model of a Buck 110 folder Alaskan Guide series it has a S30V blade that is Titanium nitride coated for extra corrosion resistance. and it sells for about $70.

Here are some new steel discriptions.


154CM
This is an American made stainless steel that was originally developed to make turbine blades in jet engines. It is very similar to ATS-34. It's very corrosion resistant and has good toughness and edge quality.

440C
This is a stainless steel that is used on many factory manufactured knife blades. It is very tough and extremely stain resistant. It holds an edge well and is fairly easy to sharpen. It is generally hardened to between 56 and 59 Rc., and makes a great all around blade. 440C is far superior to most other 400 series steels. 440A and 440B are not as good.

ATS-34
This is a stainless steel that comes from Japan and is very similar to The U.S.'s 154CM. It became very popular with knife makers in the 1990's as a higher quality alternative to 440C. The steel is not as rust resistant as 440C, but holds a better edge. The carbon content is 1.04% . It works best when hardened to between 59 Rc to 61 Rc.

AUS-8
This steel has a low carbon to chromium ratio. It is very resistant to corrosion, and is very tough, but does not hold an edge as well as many other steel variations with higher carbon content.

BG-42
This material is a stainless steel. It has a better edge holding ability than 44C and ATS-34, and is tougher than ATS-34. Works best when hardened to 61 - 63 Rc.

D2
This material is a very high carbon steel (1.5%) that has superb edge holding ability and unmatched wear resistance, but lacks toughness. It is not as corrosion resistant as 440C or ATS-34, and is not considered a stainless steel because it only has 12% chrome. Stainless blades have 13% or more.

Damascus
Damascus is made of a variety of steels that are layered together. The finishing process involves an acid etch that exposes the surface lines. The end result is a tough blade with good edge quality. It is quite expensive and used mostly for its artistic nature.

H1
H1's claim to fame is its corrosion resistance. Blades made of the material sacrifice edge quality for this corrosion resistance and toughness.

M2
This is an extremely tough, tool grade steel. It is used mostly for industrial cutting tasks. The steel has superb strength and is extremely wear resistant, but is highly susceptible to corrosion.

S30V
This is a premium grade steel that was designed in the U.S. for knife making. It has very good edge holding ability and is very corrosion resistant.

Cutco knives are awesome. Made in Olean New York. They are expensive but once you use one you will be hooked. Life-time warranty too!

I agree with this post. I bought one about 4 years ago and it stays razor sharp all throughout a gutting, skinning and boning operation even with a large animal like an elk. Real easy to keep it sharp. Best knife I ever bought and I have a drawer full of them.

Bought in 1970

I am a fan of Buck knife as well and currently own three of them as well as an Old Timer and you can not go wrong with them. I use a Buck 110 as well as a Buck 23 which is just like the 110 only a little smaller.. I also use a smaller Buck knife for a pocket knife for use when a small knife is needed. It is a trapper model 303..
When boning I use Forshner which is a big help in this area. But the 110 0r 23 would do the job with out a doubt.
My Old Timer is in a sheath which is out in my truck right now so I can not give you the model number just yet. It does hold a great edge though and has gutted and skunned out a moose with out any sharpening in the middle of it.. I have found it to be a great knife as well..

For boning/butchering duties I use Victorinox boning knives, they steel nice and are reasonable. I like a flat vs a round steel.

Hunting I have a lot but my favorites are the grohmann skinner's and the old standby buck 103 skinner. My belt knife is a Buck Alpha Hunter (folding).

I agree with Rebel Hog.. Cutco makes an awesome knife.

I'm a knife maker and I have some I've made for myself out of 1095 spring steel harden to about 62 RC. I also use Damacsu 1080 and 15n20 for my knives.

As far as over the counter,, I'd buy a Cutco.

I use a buck folder as my field knife for dressing, but when there is work to do I use what the butcher uses. Try Russel-Dexter professional knives. It's what the restaurant and grocery store fellas use. You can find them on E-bay for about 10-15 bucks a piece. Sure they have plastic handles, who cares. The blades are high carbon steel and sharp. They have a ton of models available with just about any blade you want for boning or skinning.

I figure if guys can make a living with them, I can cut up a few deer with them.