who’s got the best hunting knife?

decided that i should upgrade my hunting knives a little. been getting by on a couple of buck knives for awhile, now, and think it is time to try something fresh.

so, did a little looking, and it appears that boker has a good reputation. i looked a little deeper and the 2 models that appeal to me most have ceramic blades. does anyone have any experience w/ ceramic blades? i was told they will probably never need sharpening, but they are brittle. boker will sharpen the blades for free, i guess, but they do not warranty the blade against breaking.

any experience w/ boker? does someone have a better suggestion? the blades on my buck knives start getting a little dull after the first deer. i can get thru a 2nd deer, but by then it is in pretty bad shape. i seem to be spending a lot of time sharpening the blade...

Yeah, I've got a K-bar. Haven't bloodied it yet so can't give a good review on that part yet, but other wise I love it! I think I personally would be a little leary on a 'glass' blade, but what is the price? I suppose it should hold an edge ok, but would be a pain in the butt to sharpen yourself, and I'd hate having to ship it somewhere to get it sharpened.

the price of the bokers i am looking at start at around $120 and go up.

you don't sharpen the ceramic - it is done w/ a laser, i guess. therefore it must be sent in to be sharpened...but, i've been told that these blades will probably outlast me. don't know if i buy it or not, but that's what i've been told.

k-bars are much bigger than what i want...

i am not sure i am ready to spend this kind of money on a knife... but, the length of time it will hold an edge is appealing, the extreme light weight is appealing, they are the perfect size, balance well, and seem to have some sort of 'stickshun' on the handles so a little bit of blood wouldn't cause a catastrophic slip.

but, before i run out and buy one, i'd kinda like to see what the bsb's input is... k-bar has crossed my mind many times... they are just too damned big. 

'Traditional' K-bars come in two sizes, the normal 6 1/2" blade is 12" overall, then a short version that has a 5 1/4" blade and 9 1/2" overall. I thought of getting the shorter one but opted for the larger one as it could be used for a lot of things non-hunting related, even a good utility knife for camping. I think I may get a short version one too just for kicks.

my "go-to" knife is the sharpfinger by schrade. as said above, i love my k-bar and use it or my m7 bayonet for ribcage splitting and other "big" work, but the sharpfinger is the one that goes into the guts.

bkc's suggestion of a "baby k-bar" is worth considering....

There is an old gent by the name of E.J. Smith in Independance , Kansas that is a cattle rancher and makes knives for a hobby, and sells them.

The run $65 including shipping, are deer antler handeled and usually sport a 5-6 inch blade. He grinds them for left or right hand users. I imagine he would make one any size you want.

Mine has lasted through three elk without any touch up. Try one, you will really like them. If you don't like it, I'll buy it from you. These are the best knives I have ever used , especialy for the price. Each one is unique. I have a big and smaller K-Bar, and a Buck Skinning knife. These far surpass any of them

E.J. Smith

Rt 2

Box 285

Independance , Kansas 67301

620-331-5211

  I agree with Teddy,I've hunted with alot of knives and still oggle at the newest purty ones when they come out,but so far my favorite is my Buck Crosslok my son gave me,and at one time  during the early 80's I said I'd never own another Buck,(never say never). But truly this is the handest,best edge holding blade I have ever used,I like this one so much I freak when it's not in my pack.

I have the best hunting knife. It's a Gerber 575 with the fancy wood handle. It's a bit scratched and usually has blood stains on it. I've dressed a couple of mountain goats, an unknown number of deer (3 in a day once), and about 10 elk with it. It has good hand feel, it's not too long or two short, it has a good sweep to the edge so you can skin with it, and my wife bought it for me when we first got married. I wouldn't part with it for anything except maybe one day to give it to my daughter. I think she has the hunter's heart moreso than my son and she'd both deserve and respect the gift for all that it is.

 

The very best knife for any outdoors chore is the one your hunting pal has.

I have a knife my father and I made.Green River blade,walnut handle.It will dress about 8 deer before it needs to be touched up with a steel.It's carbon steel so it stains but it is easy to sharpen and it gets so sharp it will scare you.