What is the sharpest knife you own and what steel is it? I don't mean the one that feels sharp and will shave, but one that would gut out 5 or more deer without being sharpened.
At this time I only own one and it is a Al Mar survival knife out of S30V steel with a 4 1/2" cutting blade.
I have Buck a 105 and a 110 that has done it. I have a new Randall that should do it ;)
Bushmaster by Daniel Koster in 3v steel. My hunting knife is a Russ Komer Brow Tine and I like it a lot as well.
I've got a Cutco hunting knife that's been through a dozen plus deer and a bunch of turkeys and it's never seen a sharpener. Love that thing...
A KME sharpened Buck 110 folder. Gutted 5 deer with it two years ago and it will still shave clean. In between each deer it was washed and stropped lightly on a piece of leather. We slit our deer all the way to the base of the neck too so it went thru the cartilage connecting the ribs to the sternum.
Fine piece of steel for the money. Never liked Buck's steel before my KME sharpener due to how hard they are. With a KME hardness is not a factor and a harder blade holds the edge longer. Hope to have one of Mr. Tippit's forged knives one day.
The Havalon Piranta.Honestly,I have 12-15(I've lost count)expensive,custom knives made of all the high tech custom,stainless steels and all are sitting in a cupboard and I now use the Piranta.I use knives and scalpels on a daily basis and may be more sensitive about blade sharpness but I can feel when a blade starts to "slow down" and either touch it up or trade knives when it happens.I normally don't "gut" deer but skin,and quarter them to pack out.I never get through one without touching up or changing a blade.Often,this work is done after dark and with the Piranta,I change a blade and keep moving.
Anyone interested in some nice custom knives?
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/jbrandenburg/TurkeyHeads028.jpg)
I have several, Buck, Gerber, Helle, Cammilus, and Kabar........only the Gerber is Stainless, the rest carbon steel.
cold steel recon tanto doesnt look hunting but its a tough girl
The only "nice" knives I can afford are Buck knives. I have a #112 folder (gift from my daughter)and a model 692 sheath knife. Can't rember when I last sharpened either, but they are only used (usually) for cleaning and skinning game. Would love to have a custom knife........... someday.
+1 on the havlon! They seem like they wouldn't be so great but they are! I use mine for a light wieght pack in knife. But recently I started using the blades only for shaping heads on spun deer hair flys. Its crazy sharp!
Helle Polar. No idea what the steel is beside that it is laminated. Takes and holds a keen edge.
I have a Benchmade D2 steel Activator that was a cast iron b!tc# to sharpen (I used a KME with diamond stones) but hasn't had to be touched up or resharpened since.
My Puma Fox 440C,
La Clair Little Shaver
Chris reeve professional solder model I'm on deer number 4 haven't touched the factory edge yet
QuoteOriginally posted by JimB:
The Havalon Piranta.Honestly,I have 12-15(I've lost count)expensive,custom knives made of all the high tech custom,stainless steels and all are sitting in a cupboard and I now use the Piranta.I use knives and scalpels on a daily basis and may be more sensitive about blade sharpness but I can feel when a blade starts to "slow down" and either touch it up or trade knives when it happens.I normally don't "gut" deer but skin,and quarter them to pack out.I never get through one without touching up or changing a blade.Often,this work is done after dark and with the Piranta,I change a blade and keep moving.
Anyone interested in some nice custom knives?
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/jbrandenburg/TurkeyHeads028.jpg)
The Piranta is all I use any more. I am very sharpening challenged and this little scalpel knife with a replaceable blade has solved all my hunting knife frustrations. It will easily do 2 or 3 deer on one blade. Pigs are death to the blades and only 1 pig per blade. When it gets dull I just smile and change out the blade.
Bisch
I'm going to have to say the Havalon as well. I got one just like Jim's and that thing makes me nervous it's so sharp. I got it to use to skin predators but using it on everything else. I've got some great knives but this one is what I've been carrying.
I've been using a Havalon as well lately but prior to that I have a Dozier that really holds an edge.
So far the best knives I have found for getting sharp and staying sharp, are Spyderco.
A Benchmade Spike.
A custom by Master knife maker Bob Crowder of Thompson Falls,MT and a Cheyenne Hawk which was the predecessor to the Lakota Hawk By Lakota Knives.
A Craig Barr forged blade made of 52100 steel may be the one that stays the sharpest under hard use. I have the 2012 St. Jude auction bowie knife that Doug Campbell made from 52100, and it is also amazingly sharp, but I haven't used it for cutting up game. There are lots of great steels that will make amazing blades if they are properly designed, constructed and heat-treated, but that is no small task. There are some fantastic knife makers on this site who can put together outstanding knives that will do anything a fellow could reasonably expect a knife to do and do it well.
Allan
I have a bowie knife that is Damascus steel, I have never seen anything get so sharp and stay that way with use.
I have the buck 692bkg and the 399 folder and they are sharp out of the box but they are easy to put an edge on and they hold it. I also carry one of two Buck USA pocket knives that are also great. I have alot of nice Schrades, Gerbers, Kershaws, Benchmades and CRKT's but the Bucks are my favorites.
the sharpest knife i own. well i would say the whole dam lot all 10 of em :biglaugh:
I own several knives but have found my Bladetech folder of S30V steel is my "go to" blade. Have boned out up to 3 hogs before needing a touch up.
I dont think this kind of performance is uncommon these days. A good steel properly heat treated and sharpened will last a long time, especially if you clean it after each use and spend 30 seconds stropping it on a piece of leather or a thick coarse cloth. Stropping between uses only takes a few seconds but makes a huge difference.
Either of my knives made by Doug Campbell. Great steel and craftmanship.
My Spyderco knife by far is the sharpest thing out of the box I have ever seen. I got to the point I did not want anyone to see it because they would want to touch it. No matter how many times I warned them not to touch the blade the first thing someone would do is lightly run their finger down the blade and cut the $@^%$ out of themselves. :knothead:
Just picked up a "Mora Companion" for around $12. They are made of carbon steel and come from Sweden. Let me tell you this knife was hair shaving sharp right out of the box. Now I know why they are so popular.
Just picked up a "Mora Companion" for around $12. They are made of carbon steel and come from Sweden. Let me tell you this knife was hair shaving sharp right out of the box. Now I know why they are so popular.
I have a Autumn Hunter by Swafford knives, D2 steel, that worked up 7 deer the year before last before i had to touch it up with a diamond steel. I have another of his knives that I use for skinning at home if the deer is brought out whole and a Fin and Feather that will go to my daughter this fall if she is hunting with me.
I don't own one but have seen video and read that the Bark River Bravo 1 is beyond scaring sharp out of the box.
I would've thought Case would get a vote or 2.
I've got 2 Dunn knives that I bought right from Melvin when he had a booth at the Harrisburg hunting expo.I think I got them in '98 or '99. Both are D2 steel and sharpened on a buffing wheel.RAZOR sharp and hold an edge great.If they do dull down you just touch them up on the wheel with polishing compound.He was a really nice guy to deal with and his knives are the best ones I've had so far.
The bigger knife is a "Predator 3" and the smaller one is a "Minker"
(http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc156/goshawkin/photo-126.jpg)
QuoteOriginally posted by Tom:
I have a Autumn Hunter by Swafford knives, D2 steel, that worked up 7 deer the year before last before i had to touch it up with a diamond steel. I have another of his knives that I use for skinning at home if the deer is brought out whole and a Fin and Feather that will go to my daughter this fall if she is hunting with me.
X2. My Swafford worked on 3 deer last year and is still very sharp. Doubt that I will need to touch it up until after this season.
My opinel no. 10 is sharper than my straight razor, and I have the scars to prove it.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/OpinelKnife_open.jpg)
I really like Buck knives as well as my Boker. They take an edge easily and hold it for a long time. I gave my Mulea ( a Spanish knife ) a go last year and it really held up well as far as ease of sharpening and holding an edge.
My favorite and sharpest is my Puma Flugwildmesser made in Soligen Germany. This knife was passed down from my grandfather to my father then to me.
(http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e261/nybowman/DSC00289.jpg)
Never had 5 deer to dress at once but my Buck 560 titanium is sharp.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/0603/reddogge/Hunting/Buckknives.jpg)
ALL of my knives are sharp, a dull blade is worthless IMO.
My go to deer knife is my "Skinner" 3 3/4" blade of 1095 Hi-Carbon steel, hand forged and edged tempered
http://shrewbows.com/laclair_skinner/index.html
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/LaClair_Skinner1.JPG)
Green River Works-carbon steel
never had a knife take and hold an edge like this marbles from the '40's--
(http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj319/kittitiny/fooseball036.jpg)
QuoteOriginally posted by Jack Ripper:
My Spyderco knife by far is the sharpest thing out of the box I have ever seen. I got to the point I did not want anyone to see it because they would want to touch it. No matter how many times I warned them not to touch the blade the first thing someone would do is lightly run their finger down the blade and cut the $@^%$ out of themselves. :knothead:
Mine too!!! I have the cm40 native folder. I bought a gatco x sharpener with the ceramic and its scary how sharp it is. that sv30 sure holds the edge too.
(http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/jbrandenburg/TurkeyHeads028.jpg) [/QB][/QUOTE]
Same
My buck 110 folder i got for 18th birthday in 1981. I did pick up a very nice damascus blade skinner with stag handle....and plan on sharpening it up this weekend but seems like it would hold a very good edge.
all of them! nothing hold's an edge like my old K-Bar, but the outdoor edge holds an edge for long time too.
I use a Traditional Hunter from DiamondBlade Knives.
Used it on a pig, several deer and couple bears since I've had it and I've only ever touched it up once.
Those things come out sharp and stay sharp.
knives of alaska..... scary sharp
You won't find a dull knife in our house. You can shave with our kitchen knives. Now if you're asking which one will hold an edge long enough to shave a second time, that's a different question :)
I'm surprised more people haven't mentioned Mora's. They are easy to sharpen, due to the scandi grind, made from 1095, and cheap. They hold an edge well. You can get them in stainless, and laminated as well. But, for me it is a homemade knife out of 5160. Stays sharp, really sharp.
knives of alaska alpha wolf
my buck 110 folder,seems to stay sharp. just a pain to clean inside of.
My buck 110, buck BLW 520, and my buck 371. All hold great, I steel them in between jobs but that's because it's what I do. I don't take them to the stone very often. I have done 5deer easily at camp befoee
The one I just sharpened.
Now as to the question of which one holds an edge the longest.....
I have an Elk Ridge skinner that is 440 stainless steel and holds an incredible edge9not a factory bevel,I make my own bevel). A marine KBAR that I love, and a Gerber Steadfast that I make the bevel on and its freaken sharp and holds a great edge.
with the correct bevel any knife can hold an edge for a few guts and then some.
I have a couple Buck 105s that really hold an edge. And my LaClair Skinner holds a great edge, too. It's really scary how sharp I can get the Skinner with my KME.
I just got a PUUKKO from kellam knifes. It is sharp sharp. Before that I had a browning featherlight knife that was my go to knife. That one got lifted.
It would have to be my Bark River. If I had one problem with this knife, it would be the thickness of the blade. Other than that...Awesome!
Jason
My blind horse knife. Best hand made knife I have ever had my hands on. Hoping to get some blood on it this year. Small business out of Ohio. Check them out!
BTW nybowman, that Puma is one of the neatest bird knives I've seen.
Buck Tactical, CRKT Bawanna, and Mora are on me always when hunting. The Mora is just plain scary sharp.
QuoteOriginally posted by Hermon:
QuoteOriginally posted by Tom:
I have a Autumn Hunter by Swafford knives, D2 steel, that worked up 7 deer the year before last before i had to touch it up with a diamond steel. I have another of his knives that I use for skinning at home if the deer is brought out whole and a Fin and Feather that will go to my daughter this fall if she is hunting with me.
X2. My Swafford worked on 3 deer last year and is still very sharp. Doubt that I will need to touch it up until after this season. [/b]
Another vote here for Swafford. I absolutely LOVE my Autumn Hunter. Have not yet had to touch the blade do not expect to till after season.
(http://i.imgur.com/bbhE7.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/oYq4v.jpg)
My Dave Ricke that I got from the St. Jude's auction. Amazing how sharp. Really looking forward to getting it bloody this year.
The sharpest I have seen was a stainless steel damascus made by a knife maker in Tennessee. But I gave that to a friend. He also reground a knife for me ats34 steel that is really sharp also.
I own a lot of knives form cheap too expensive custom made. It is my experience that you can get every knife hair shaving sharp.
I have a lot of different steel types too, like 1095, D2, 440C, 154CM, ATS34, all kind of carbon steels, S30V, CPM3V and so on.
My Bock alpha hunter folder from ATS35 is scary sharp, but so is my low-cost Opinel, my Ka-bar Impact form D2 steel, and my bark river customs from CPM3v, 154CM and A2.
A more important question is: does it hold an edge and is it easy to resharpen and is the steel strong?
A big vote for ATS34 it seems to have all the good characterstics for me.
buck vangard gold w/single bevel blade- used to feild dress 7 deer and still shaves the hair off my arm with no touch up!!!
The one that is in my pocket!
My depperschmidt knife is not only the sharpest knife I have ever seen but holds an very nice edge..
Spyderco para Military II. CPM S30V Steel. You want to talk about sharp. It holds a very good edge. My boss got it for me last year for christmas. A lot of people dont use for huntin knives I dont think. Some of the best knives on the market in my opinion. i also have a buck with a rubber handle not sure the model. Its cleaned at least nine deer I know, touched it up once.
All my knives are scary sharp. I love to sharpen knives and sharpen a lot for other people. The knife i had that would
hold edge the longest was a puma bowie. Skinned quarted and deboned 5 deer with it one weekend. I would still have it but some thief nocked the window out of my truck and stole it and my hunting gear.
honestly my walmart whinchester knife was awsome. Sharpened it on one of those electric sharpeners and it gutted, skinned and qaurtered 3 deer before I ran it through again. My case knife holds a good edge, I have some new knife now that seems good, havnt got to test it yet. Will probably pick up a havalon soon as well. Always wanted one but never pulled the trigger
Knives of Alaska "camp knife" is hands down the best knife that I've ever owned.
All of my knives are shaving sharp, but the one that holds the edge the longest is my Cold Steel Master Hunter. I use a paper wheel system for all my cutlery.
I have 3 knives that are for field use.
The sharpest is proably a cheap folding lock blade from wal-mart.
Im guessing the reason is the steel is soft. It will dull faster but for field dressing deer you really dont need much.
My favorite is a fixed blade I bought of Asbel at a trade show.
Its normally the one I carry...its pretty sharp also.
I can't say for sure ... I've got too many to choose from :-) I too have many cheap as well as custom knives of all different steels. I'm glad to hear that you guys are not "snubbing" some of the cheap knives like Opinel - there are alot of great knives for cheap prices out there if you don't care if the handle isn't made out of petrified possom pecker or some such thing.
A new cheap knife I have been very impressed with is the Cold Steel Canadian Hunter - excellent steel / cheap handle / perfect shape for dressing / skinning and butchering deer.
My Randall 11-5..... And my Ek Combat Bowie. However, I'd have to give the "Edge" to my Randall if I was forced to pick ..... Sutty
Bark River Bravo I. The sharpest I used in my life.
Overall Length: 9.065 in
Blade Length: 4.250 in
Blade Steel: A-2
Steel Thickness: .215 in
Weight: 7.375 oz
Hardness: 59RC
(http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5364/05302012365.jpg)
I have carried and used my Randall Model 21 for so many years that I don't honestly recall not having it on my belt while hunting. I have not sharpened it yet and the blade will still shave hair off my arm.
Regards,
Grouse
Plain old rubber handle Mora knife. Razor edge and it holds for quite some time
Helle
Kris
My "Defender Bowie" is scary sharp and can take yer ear before ya blink... :saywhat: .... :bigsmyl:
http://www.shrewbows.com/bowie_defender.html
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/Deadly-Defender.JPG)
I use a swaford custom best using knife I have and keeps a perfect edge easy to touch up and holds it
buck 102, german origanal buffalo skinner, old timer 60t and a schrade ul? the big thick one all have been used n still sharpe i have a gerber gator gut hook look at it n its dull lol
You look a midge evil, there Ron (even smiling).
I don't doubt it for a minute!
I think its clear that you can get any decent knife shaving sharp, But there's just something about a big razor sharp bowie like Ron's that stirs your soul.
as others have mentioned the Buck 110/112s are good steel. i have an old model 112 given by a dear friend, but it can't compare to my Helle safari, its laminated steel, and is a sabre grind. its almost straight razor sharp, better than my little 50s Puma, which is flat ground.
oh, one other thing.. Gerber Armourlite 1970s knives were unbelievable, 60 rockwell plus hardest knife I ever put to a stone.
Bob Dozier knives are my sharpest by far. Their edge retension is the best that I have seen. I have many knives and the Dozier's are at the top of my list...........DaveMP
QuoteOriginally posted by Ron LaClair:
My "Defender Bowie" is scary sharp and can take yer ear before ya blink... :saywhat: .... :bigsmyl:
http://www.shrewbows.com/bowie_defender.html
(http://www.shrewbows.com/rons_linkpics/Deadly-Defender.JPG)
Ron is that your poker face? :D
quote:
Originally posted by Ron LaClair:
My "Defender Bowie" is scary sharp and can take yer ear before ya blink... :scared:
Allan
QuoteRon, I'll need to bring a gun to any knife fight I have with you! Allan
Allan, you've heard the story about the goose that laid the golden eggs? :readit: ...you don't have anything to worry about... :D
Cold Steel Recon Scout. A bit big for regular hunting, but I use it because it sharpens so well and holds a great edge...
Looks like that picture needs a caption:
"Aarrrrrrrrgh!!"
Hands down cold steel out of the box.
Blackjack... Trailguide. I don't know much about steel, but this danged thing is sharp!
A friend of mine gave it to me a couple of years ago.
Cutco hunting knife.
My work knife, Benchmade Infidel mini.
It's a toss up between my Cold Steel TrailMaster Bowie, and a vintage Imperial Pen knife that was my Grandfather's. The Bowie is tucked away and never gets used. The pen knife is carried and used often.
Huntin' Kit depends on the location and species; however, all my knives are always sharp. On the pic, they are my go to set: the Buck 119 I got when I was 17 and has seen its fair share of Southern Deer, the K. of Ak, for more than 15 years I think? And the Cleaver/Cub set has done several large Canadian Deer, Moose, Bears (including that little Guy in the pic) and a Caribou with only a minor dressing with the metal/diamond bar included in the sheath. As much as I love and cherish my Buck the K. of Ak set wins hands down in keeping an edge as you field dress your trophy.
JL
:archer2: (http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh605/IronMan207/Public%20Pics/HuntinKitBB_zpsa72d43be.jpg)
(http://i1254.photobucket.com/albums/hh605/IronMan207/Public%20Pics/AKBouhunt3Sept2005_zpsb1bd3dcd.jpg)
Another Mora fan here. Just did 2 hogs I shot this week-end & took less than 5 minutes to restore it back to hair-poppin shape!