Best Skinning knife for $200

[Demonical]

$200 for a knife?

[brewster29]

I really like my Gerber Freeman stag s30v hunter/skinner but they are long discontinued. They pop up on Ebay from time to time. I paid $70 USD for mine.

[Demonical]

I've got a 2-knife set, Western Cutlery. These knives hold a wicked sharp edge.

Got these eons ago, when Simpsons-Sears still sold hunting equipment.

I have no idea what they cost me way back when, 30 something years ago.

[Passthru]

Love my Bokor+ Dozier Pro Skinner. Keeps an edge like non other. Favourite knife so far

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by Demonical

$200 for a knife?

Sure, no different than a owrson's choice of truck, rifle boots or anything rose for that matter.
Cat

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Battle Rat

Havelon blades are made with low cost metals you can afford to through them away.
Yes they start out sharp but I could make a sardine can lid shaving sharp too but I can't make it hold an edge for very long,
I can skin and cape a moose with 3, $5.00 Henckel paring knives but I can also skin and cape a moose with one descent, reasonably priced blade.
I've tried replaceable blade knives and they suck compared to a reasonably priced solid fixed blade.

I can have a good quality knife skin and cape more than one moose with a little touch of a steel.

If all you do is gut and skin the odd deer a havalon will work.
Hell, a $2 dollar box cutter will work.
If you skin and flesh multiple animals on a regular basis, you will learn what is the most efficient and most economical.
Sharpening is not rocket science whether it is a knife, chain saw and ice auger.

I did this this fall with a havalon and two blades. It isn’t the first time either.

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by catnthehat

Sure, no different than a owrson's choice of truck, rifle boots or anything rose for that matter.
Cat

$200 is not much more than a single tank of fuel for a truck, and many people smoke, drink or gamble more than that every month. Some people pay thousands to add cosmetic add ons that do nothing to improve how their vehicle performs, it all comes down to each persons priorities.

[graham1]

The replaceable blade knives always made me nervous.
I picture the blade coming off in the hide or guts somewhere and finding it stuck in my hand.
I do use them for leather work though.

But I’ll stick to my grohman when hunting.

[Sundog57]

Grohmann 103 or 104.
I also use an Outdoor Edge Fixed Zip Blade to do the initial cuts - really fast and clean, also very cheap so if you put it down and don't pick it up....

[DirtShooter]

Wow a lot of people like the Grohmann knives here, honestly never heard much about them before. A not so hidden gem apparently on this forum.

[Sundog57]

Made in Pictou NS at a very small factory.
Canadian made, independent, excellent quality - if you're a bargain hunter you should cruise their seconds page on the web site. I have purchased several seconds and I can assure you the Grohmann's standards are high. I had to ask on a couple of occasions if they could show me the flaw. One knife, they told me had "too many grind marks on the blade" (fixed in abt 10 mins with a stone) another had a chip, about a mm, on the handle - I couldn't find it until they showed it to me.

[simpatico]

I have been using my grohnman for 20 years. I got the outdoor edge knife for father day.

I used both knives in doing a bull moose. Used the outdoor edge to skin him out and then the grohnman to break down into quarters, blackstrap’s, and trim it out. One blade for the outdoor edge and my trusty grohnman never needed a touch up.

Hope this helps

Tony

[justsomeguy]

Man this thread has led me down a rabbit hole. Started with Grohman and ended with me drooling over Clint's postings on CGN. Will definitely be sending him a note later this week......I'm thinking a pair of father / son ones for me and the little guy, every boy needs a good knife to get them through life.

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by chuck

I did this this fall with a havalon and two blades. It isn’t the first time either.

If that's all I could afford and didn't know how to sharpen, I'd use one too.
I don't find comfort living in a disposable society.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by chuck

I did this this fall with a havalon and two blades. It isn’t the first time either.

Missed a spot or two

[MK2750]

Another Grohmann knives fan. My favorite is a #1 Original with high carbon blade but generally carry one of two #4 Survival in regular stainless for sentimental reasons as they were past down to me.

Their regular stainless is 440C equivalent so not like discount knife regular stainless and ideal for all around hunting knife.

As a skinning knife either their short blade or regular blade would work fine. I would choose the Short Blade #103 in high carbon.

[rem338win]

Sooo many things go into making a knife good. Blade shape, grind, ergonomics, handle material, blade steel, heat treat and on and on.

Knives like the classic Buck and Grohmann use older, lower quality steels that have been heat treated exceptionally well. The classic designs are generally great for their purpose and they're easy to sharpen so many folks like them. However, they do not hold an edge as well as most modern steels and not even close to the newer super steels.

A good production knife that's Canadian and uses a modern steel of great quality is the North Arm Lynx
https://northarmknives.com/product/l...d1#description

Size, shape, ergos and steel are all great. This steel is not easy to sharpen and I found with an example of one the edge retention wasn't as good as other knives of the same steel I've had indicating their heat treat comes out softer than if could be. This said it will hold a proper edge 5 times longer than a Grohmann or classic Buck.

There are also a bunch of talented hobbyists and professionals that $200 knocks on the door of.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by chuck

I did this this fall with a havalon and two blades. It isn’t the first time either.

Chuck, I have a Havalon and will continue to carry it. They are the bees knees until they aren’t. Elk and I were with a buddy who shot a cow moose in really cold weather. I did the gutting and skinning, while the other two held legs and hide etc…. The fat kept freezing up on it, affecting performance, and making it quite difficult to change blades. I ended up saying to Elk, “Can I use your knife?” That was a one-off, but when it happened, I was sure glad that Havalon wasn’t the only knife on us.

That is only one of many, many animals I have skinned with the Havalon, and I really like it, but want another nice-ish, traditional knife in the backpack too.

[cody j]

Different knives work for different people, most of it comes down to personal preference and what you are used to. I know a guy who uses the Victorinox paring knives for skinning everything from coyotes to Buffalo and he’s very good with it. You gotta be pretty fast to keep up with him. I prefer something a little bigger for skinning but they are great for bear paws and turning lips and ears.

[sns2]

This is a really good thread. Thank you for all your responses, as many people will learn from a discussion like this. Keep the answers coming.

[Savage Bacon]

Originally Posted by rem338win

Sooo many things go into making a knife good. Blade shape, grind, ergonomics, handle material, blade steel, heat treat and on and on.



Knives like the classic Buck and Grohmann use older, lower quality steels that have been heat treated exceptionally well. The classic designs are generally great for their purpose and they're easy to sharpen so many folks like them. However, they do not hold an edge as well as most modern steels and not even close to the newer super steels.



A good production knife that's Canadian and uses a modern steel of great quality is the North Arm Lynx

https://northarmknives.com/product/l...d1#description



Size, shape, ergos and steel are all great. This steel is not easy to sharpen and I found with an example of one the edge retention wasn't as good as other knives of the same steel I've had indicating their heat treat comes out softer than if could be. This said it will hold a proper edge 5 times longer than a Grohmann or classic Buck.



There are also a bunch of talented hobbyists and professionals that $200 knocks on the door of.

I picked up a knife from those guys for the boss a few years ago. They were great to deal with. They did a bit of engraving on the blade. We haven't gotten a deer since so we can't say how it performs, but it seems nice. She's a lefty and that was an option for the sheath.

Sent from my SM-G970W using Tapatalk

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Battle Rat

If that's all I could afford and didn't know how to sharpen, I'd use one too.
I don't find comfort living in a disposable society.

So now it isn’t about the knife it’s about morals?

[IL Bar]

My skinning and boning knives are Victorinox that I bought when I took a meat cutting class while at Olds College. It’s what the instructors recommended and has worked fine for me.

[MK2750]

Originally Posted by rem338win

Sooo many things go into making a knife good. Blade shape, grind, ergonomics, handle material, blade steel, heat treat and on and on.

Knives like the classic Buck and Grohmann use older, lower quality steels that have been heat treated exceptionally well. The classic designs are generally great for their purpose and they're easy to sharpen so many folks like them. However, they do not hold an edge as well as most modern steels and not even close to the newer super steels.

A good production knife that's Canadian and uses a modern steel of great quality is the North Arm Lynx
https://northarmknives.com/product/l...d1#description

Size, shape, ergos and steel are all great. This steel is not easy to sharpen and I found with an example of one the edge retention wasn't as good as other knives of the same steel I've had indicating their heat treat comes out softer than if could be. This said it will hold a proper edge 5 times longer than a Grohmann or classic Buck.

There are also a bunch of talented hobbyists and professionals that $200 knocks on the door of.

That is an opinion or perhaps a sales pitch not shared by all knife manufacturers. 440C is still the standard but I do like a harder blade myself. There is not a knife made that will hold an edge 5 times longer than a high carbon Grohmann for skinning. There may be a small number of knifes that are slightly better but 99% of people couldn't tell the difference.

[tranq78]

Originally Posted by sns2

This is a really good thread. Thank you for all your responses, as many people will learn from a discussion like this. Keep the answers coming.

You could also spend $8.00 and pay for admission to the upcoming Edmonton Gunshow.

There are always custom knife makers and sellers of brand name new and used knives. $200 will get you something high end.

[DirtShooter]

Originally Posted by tranq78

You could also spend $8.00 and pay for admission to the upcoming Edmonton Gunshow.

There are always custom knife makers and sellers of brand name new and used knives. $200 will get you something high end.

I bought a custom at the Warburg gunshow a few years ago and once I started using it I never really liked it. Wish I'd have saved that $175. I wouldn't buy another one of his knives so you gotta know who you're dealing with. Just cause they're custom doesn't mean they're good.

[MountainTi]

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/11639...ed-blade-knife

These are a nice little knife.

[Mb-MBR]

Originally Posted by sns2

Chuck, I have a Havalon and will continue to carry it. They are the bees knees until they aren’t. Elk and I were with a buddy who shot a cow moose in really cold weather. I did the gutting and skinning, while the other two held legs and hide etc…. The fat kept freezing up on it, affecting performance, and making it quite difficult to change blades. I ended up saying to Elk, “Can I use your knife?” That was a one-off, but when it happened, I was sure glad that Havalon wasn’t the only knife on us.

That is only one of many, many animals I have skinned with the Havalon, and I really like it, but want another nice-ish, traditional knife in the backpack too.

Pretty much my experience as well this fall, I bought into the replaceable blade craze and bought one. Used it for my deer and November moose. I'm sure they have their applications and are good during warmer temps but it is definitely not during cold temps, where fat and meat can freeze into the crevices that hold the blades. So the fixed blades are back in the pack.

In my opinion once you learn to put an edge on a blade and know how to touch up in the field, pretty much any knife will do. I've never had a knife fail when doing one animal but i'm also not chopping bone with it. Shooting tradtional archery and using two blade broadheads that require a razors edge have taught me how to sharpen blades......owning one knife is like owning one bow, one gun, one vehicle what fun is that......LOL

[Battle Rat]

Originally Posted by chuck

So now it isn’t about the knife it’s about morals?

Not at all, its about quality.
I take pleasure using my grandfathers quality tools.
I enjoy carring a Ruger no1 and a Puma stag handled knife.
I could carry a Savage Axis and a havalon and get the job done also.
But it wouldnt be the same aesthetically.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by Battle Rat

Not at all, its about quality.
I take pleasure using my grandfathers quality tools.
I enjoy carring a Ruger no1 and a Puma stag handled knife.
I could carry a Savage Axis and a havalon and get the job done also.
But it wouldnt be the same aesthetically.

This is what I pack for knives. But, I have taken care of so many game animals with a Havalon that I know when told they don’t work I understand I’m being fed some form of untruth. Are they for every scenario? No, but I know they work.