looking for suggestion on a quality affordable all round hunting knife somewhere in the price of about $80 - $160. Something around 7 inches would be great.
Suggestions and pictures greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Check out the the hunter image link right under the trad gang.com banner on the top of the page. Just left of the "we don't mean to bowst" banner the link takes you to G Fred Asbells stuff. He has some good looking knives. I don't own one or work for the guy but for the price and finish Im begging the wife.
Do you have any preferences?
Does it need to "traditional"-ish looking?
What do you use to sharpen?
Traditional look would be nice but I'm not too fussy, wood or horn handle would be great but mainly care about the quality.
I use a KME knife sharpener.
Saw this one this morning and looks right up your ally;
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=48;t=001522
Here is a production that is very affordable and is a fantastic blade. I got this one for around $85.
(http://i38.tinypic.com/2vws8jq.jpg)
(http://i36.tinypic.com/16c9nko.jpg)
(http://i37.tinypic.com/6gd7o1.jpg)
(http://i36.tinypic.com/2ecov4n.jpg)
http://www.crkt.com/Kommer-Brow-Tine-Stag-Handle-Leather-Sheath-Razor-Sharp-Edge
If you do a search for "Krommer Brow Tine Knife" you will find them from $80-$140 new. Here is a link to one for $78
http://www.knivestown.com/crkt_knives/crkt_hunting_knives_200064.asp
If you have a chance, check out some of the Sponsor's on here, Clarence from Skullworks has some very nice knives in that price range!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Here's a link to a thread I started last week. Lots of recommendations here in many price ranges.
Oops. Let's try that again: http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=103903
Rusty
If you can use a folder, you can get a Buck 110, the daddy of 'em all, at Wally World for under $30.00.
buck
Buck Alpha hunter with gut hook has served me well. Not the most traditional but for $60 and after 4 deer 2 turkey, used to pry out broadheads from stumps no problems. The gut hook does the deer like they have a zipper on em. Easy to resharpen even for the sharpening challenged like me!
QuoteOriginally posted by SCATTERSHOT:
If you can use a folder, you can get a Buck 110, the daddy of 'em all, at Wally World for under $30.00.
Sounds like you are looking for something a little more upscale, but if not the Buck 110 is tough to beat. Got to be about the best value in working knives out there.
Gerber makes a good knife reasonably priced.....
Randy
Nice knife KTJ. KNives are very individual preference. Mine is ss Kabar short blade skinner 7" OL w/3" blade. This trusted friend is razor sharp used many decades for skinning, caping, & quartering. Get one your style that gets & holds an edge.
(http://i.imgur.com/mm5rul.jpg)
Check out the Helle knives on our website. We have a large selection of models in your price range.
Mike
All great suggestions. Check the Sponsor classifieds and your sure to find the perfect knife for you. Straitera,,, looks like you got your money out of that blade, nice.
Thanks Iz. Been meaning to clean it up awhile now. Just took it off the sharpener/polisher along with my old bone handled Parker folder. Either'll cut you so fast you won't even bleed.
(http://i.imgur.com/ORjfFl.jpg)
QuoteOriginally posted by wingnut:
Check out the Helle knives on our website. We have a large selection of models in your price range.
Mike
Mike beat me to it: Look at a Helle.
I couldn't begin to count how many "pretty" knives I've seen over the years with beautiful handles and sheaths, and blades that wouldn't hold an edge if you were cutting a stick of butter. I've had a few Helles over the years and never a complaint. As a matter of fact, I used a Polar blade to skin two moose a few years ago and never had to touch it up.
here is one I just had made for my son. I'm having a custom sheath made for it, and I can't wait till I can present it to him on his first hunt, 11/11/11.
(http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab28/miklvines/DSC00262.jpg)
That is a truly beautiful knife Mike! Your son is going to love it. :thumbsup:
The Helle knives are great! Very, very sharp, easy to re-sharpen, and hold an edge a long time. Multiple styles to choose from.
I really admire craft knives, but I am the son of a butcher so although I have some nice knives, I don't use them very much.
My dad used Forschners, so that's what I use when I butcher game. They are quick, light, sanitary and relatively soft steel that you can get really sharp with only a few strokes of a steel which I do throughout butchering.
When I'm hunting I go with the same philosophy. I carry a Fiskars Hunter fixed blade (now the Gerber Gator I think, a drop point for under $30) which is very light, commercial ugly, relatively soft steel and has a soft commercial style synthetic handle. I also carry a small take-down diamond steel.
I also carry a Browning Kodiak folder ($60) primarily for the skinning blade which is great for the first abdominal cut. It is also synthetic (Zytel, aka cheap-feeling plastic) and unfortunately camo (I wish it were black or even orange.) But again, it's very light. It also has a bone saw blade that I thought I'd never use, but it does come in handy sometimes.
QuoteOriginally posted by Mike Vines:
here is one I just had made for my son. I'm having a custom sheath made for it, and I can't wait till I can present it to him on his first hunt, 11/11/11.
(http://i846.photobucket.com/albums/ab28/miklvines/DSC00262.jpg)
Daddy? :goldtooth:
quote:
Originally posted by DannyBows:
That is a truly beautiful knife Mike! Your son is going to love it. :bigsmyl:
Thanks for all the help, this is giving me some great choices.
Helle is a great choice.
Mentioned these on the other knife thread but for quality (you won't be breaking these knives without intending to do so and their 1095 heat treat is about as good as it is possible to get) and affordability (each will set you back around $30), you may have a tough time beating the KaBar Becker BK11 or BK14.
They work great out of the box but lots of guys like to modify them (stripping them, adding paracord handles or micarta, and on and on).
Here's my (mostly) unmodified BK14 on the left and my stripped BK11 on the right...
(http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff187/GingivitisKahn/img_0198-1.jpg)
The blade is just long enough that I can lay my index finger along the spine when I'm up to my elbow in some deer's gooey bits - just about the perfect size for hunting, in my opinion. They clean up easily as well - bonus!
The guys recommending the buck 110 are right on. It's all you need but if you want upscale the choices are limitless. I have switched to fixed knives for the most part for easy cleaning but I still carry extra folder in my pack.
picked one up @ 10 yrs. back and love it, holds a very good edge you wouldn"t be sorry http://www.leglerknives.com/ bigjohn
Mike,that is a sweet looking knife. If you don't mind adopting a father of 4. I'll take one Daddy. My 3 oldest are grown so it just me and the last one in the nest. :pray: :biglaugh: :laughing:
Any Case knife.
Can't go wrong with the Buck 110.
I've carried one of these for about 40 years. They were a little less expensive 40 years ago!
(http://www.grohmannknives.com/images2002/no1big.jpg)
http://www.grohmannknives.com/pages/outdoor.html
My Skinner knives are a bargain at $100.00
http://shrewbows.com/laclair_skinner/index.html
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/Skinner_lanyard.JPG)
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/Skinner_sheath2.JPG)
I picked up a couple of Anza knives as prizes for one of the 3D shoots i run and people sure liked them.
http://store.anzaknivesonline.com/catalog/drop-point-c-3_11.html?osCsid=bfjcbrhe6cs052ifhhs08nc7i2
buck 110 folding hunter. affordable, sharpens well and has a great point. nothing fancy but it gets the job done.
I love my boker arbolito stag handle. They have a few different blade and length options. They are very good quality and are in that price range.
I just picked up a gerber metolius fixed blade with a gut hook. It is a solid knife, only $35 bucks.
I haven't had it long enough to get into a deer with it, but I am impressed with my Benchmade Activator - a Mike Snody design & the same shape as his $325 Sportster, but upsized. Paid $98 for it new. A little bigger than your 7" spec. (8-3/16") but it carries small and cuts big. It's a good design to choke up on and I can get my finger over the whole blade (good gimping on the spine). In the hand it feels big enough to do something with and small enough you can get it in where it needs to be. Pretty innocuous on a belt, too. The edge of the blade is 3-1/4" long and 1-3/16" wide on a 1/8" D2 steel blank. The blade tapers down to a true slicing edge
I carry a similar size Benchmade folder whenever I am in jeans (an 154CM Osborne Rift) and it is a great all-purpose blade.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/Stumpkiller/Bowhunting/HPIM2422.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/Stumpkiller/Bowhunting/HPIM2424.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v169/Stumpkiller/Bowhunting/HPIM2425.jpg)