Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Gerber vs Havalon

Thanks all. The blade change process of the Havalon is what piqued my interest in the Gerber as it has a push-button blade release. Does the Outdoor Edge have any wobble or does the black blade support hold the replaceable blades tightly?

I wonder how they would be on really thick hides...like moose?

I've been using the havalon for a few years and have processed 1/2 dozen elk and roughly the same amount of muleys.

Awesome tool when care is taken not to twist or bend the blade, which is how they break. Much, much faster than stopping to resharpen knives.

I use my ever present Leatherman to switch blades.

I will continue to carry the havalon.

The blade can potentially snap with some lateral motion.

Might consider in a controlled environment (back at camp, heated enclosure, caping, etc.) but in the field, under conditions that might incur a potential need for first aide for the user?

No way.

I wonder how they would be on really thick hides...like moose?

I'm with the two guys above, the outdoor edge is a superior design.

I've used the havalon on a ton of critters the last 4-5 years, and while incredibly sharp, they just break way too often. Nothing funner then trying to dig a half broke scalpel blade out of the inside of a carcass.

I've used the outdoor edge on a couple animals this fall, and have been very happy with it's sharpness and durability. There are times I wish for the havalon's shorter profile, but overall I much prefer the outdoor edge.

I use havalon. It's good. If you like to hack, it ain't the blade for you, but if you know which cuts to make, stuff just falls apart when you make the correct cuts, particularly when quartering a deer. Wish I had used them earlier.

That Gerber Vital knife looks like a weak toy.

I much prefer a folder with a serrated blade. Two blades or a partial serrated both work well and will buzz thru a brisket on a buck with ease.

These Winchester folders work fine and are strong yet not expensive.

Another Chinese POS.

And still no field test stories?

I guess even Chinese junk is good enough when you only cut a sandwich during the season.

Another Chinese POS.

And still no field test stories?

I guess even Chinese junk is good enough when you only cut a sandwich during the season.

[quote=Savage_99]
Could you choose a bigger POS?

I Purchased a Havalon Piranta, just to check it out and see what the buzz was about.. I had it for about 10 mins. Boxed it up and returned it. What a joke of a knife. I will stick with my Blind Horse (aka now Battle Horse), and Jeff White fixed blade knives. Fixed blade, High carbon Steel, usable blade, grind, and handle configurations. Fair priced for what you are getting. most of mine are between $140-$175 bucks.

They sure don't have any style. But I wouldn't call them a joke. Mine goes through 3-6 elk a year along with a deer, antelope, or sheep thrown in.

I've used the Havalon for several years now on at least 5 elk and probably close to 20 deer and a few antelope. When I first got the knife I broke a few blades. Then I learned that I needed to let the knife do the cutting and not force. This is where folks get into trouble with the Havalon, they try to treat it as if it is their grandpa's old Buck knife.

Additionally, a friend of mine was asking me last fall about my Havalon while taking care of a couple deer that myself and his daughter had killed that evening. I suggested that he look into the Outdoor Edge because I thought hey had taken a pretty good concept and made it better. This fall he killed a mule deer. While we were skinning out the deer it was brutally cold, about -12 to -15 that evening. His OE had gotten a bunch of fat and additional fleshy material in the slot that held the blade. You can guess what happened, it froze. When he went to change the blade, he had to put it on the dash of his truck to unthaw it enough to get the old blade out, while I continued to work on the front half with my Havalon.

I'll say I like the concept of the Oe with the stronger spine, but the performance in cold weather has me thinking that it is infallible. I own an OE myself now, and plan on taking both into the field next fall.

Finally, I don't use the Havalon to cut thru brisket it rib bones, that is what my light weight bone saw is designed for, however, when it comes to breaking down and dismembering a carcass, the surgical blade type knife is hard to beat.