Ive got a bunch of nice tactical knives but nothing really useful for dressing or skinning an animal. I was looking at pulling the trigger on a set of Knives of Alaska combo set but though id see what your opinions are on the KOA knives and maybe some other options?

Well, I know next to nothing about custom knives, but if you look at the knife forum the David/Jason Winston knives are 1st class, I just PM'd Mr. Winston for one.

I like the KOAs

My boy has a KOA cub (caper)

Nice little knife.



I favor a simple buck model called a skinner myself.

shoot me a pm

Thanks for the replies, the combo set I was looking at has the cub and light hunter. Im not opposed to going the custom route but they are generally out of the price range im comfortable with, 125.00 +/-.

I have a KOA Jaeger. It's and excellent all around game knife, but I hated the sheath. I skinned and dismembered five deer with it last year and used it for a lot of the boning out process. No sharpening needed for all that.

I use a Shun TDM0700 kitchen knife too. That has better steel and stays sharp longer

$69.95 here:
http://www.knifemerchant.com/products.asp?productLine=780

A word of caution...One shun won't be enough. The Premier Nakiri is a butchering tool deluxe. I have yet to find a better way to go for slicing meat and separating silver skin from the meat. Slice down to the silver skin, flip the knife over and slide the meat off the silver skin with the back of the knife. I really love it for slicing nice thin pieces of round into jerky meat.

i carry and recommend the rubber handled buck vanguard... it is more (bigger) knife than necessary but handles most field dressing chores very well... and they're not too spendy either... several of the guys i know have gone the custom route and i admire their stuff, but wouldn't pay for it...

and i know odf several guys who just use the buck 110 on their belt...

For a hunting knife I really like the Helle Odell on my belt. It is a great knife hat isn't too large and handles easily and stays sharp, it uses laminated stainless steel blades. I can usually handle skinning and field dressing 2-3 animals before I need to hit it with a stone.

I use as well a Kodi Pak that was a gift to me from a friend. It has a skinner, caper, and saw and it works very well. The only problem with it is it is bulky and I don't like wear it on my belt unless I have the animal hanging. It usually stays at camp, in the truck, or in my field pack.

I use an Anza LP. I've been using it since 1996 and I still haven't found anything to complain about. Anza knives are made from old files so they are made from tough steel. http://store.anzaknivesonline.com/catalog/under-c-1_9.html

The Wyoming knife is great for field dressing & skinning. W/ leather sheath they're not expensive, and the blades are replaceable.

They are to a nice custom knife what a Savage 110 in a B&C stock is to a fine wood-stocked Mauser; not much to look at and you'll make no statements, but they function like crazy and won't cost you a ton of money.

I'm not a big fan of the Wyoming knife but I love one of their other products...the Wyoming Saw. I find it much more usable than the Knapp saw I used to use.

For an all around knife, I reach for my buck 118. I have an older two line 118 that is 440c and it takes a great edge and holds an edge for quite some time.

Hi warpig606,

When I buy a knife, my first concern is type of steel.

Some will argue that the best steel comes from Solingen, Germany while others opine that Japan is the way to go. I have a Solingen Boker Tree Brand Classic that has served me well. I have a Japanese Spider Co utility knife that I take fishing. And the absolute best kitchen knives I have ever owned are Solingen Henckels. But then again I believe Bobby Flay likes Japanese knives. And arguing knives with Bobby Flay would be like arguing handguns with Jeff Cooper.


Buena Suerte,

R

I keep 2 knifes in my pack and they serve me well.

first is one of these

http://www.coldsteel.com/ultimatehunter.html

and then one of these

http://www.boker.de/us/fixed-blade-knife/boker-arbolito/02BA544G.html

Never wished I had another knife after I got these two.

I like the Fallkniven F1 as well as the Cutco DP hunter w/DD edge.

Cold Steel Master Hunter with Gut Hook

I have used most of the knives mentioned. One thing I noticed is the more I spent the nicer the steel/edge.


ddj

for $145 including shipping you can have a great little knife (model 61) from Winston. To me that would be money well spent and you get a great product that will last you a lifetime and still be in great shape to hand down if you take care of it.

I know your not going to want to hear this, but the knife I find myself using more than any of my others is a Mora Stainless Clipper. It costs less than $15, holds an edge well, you can run it thru the dishwasher and the ergonomics work well for me. You can get it in blaze orange so it's hard to lose it and at that price you wouldn't feel to bad if you did lose it. Last fall I worked with a buddy to bone out a moose after dark in the field. He let me use his Dozier for a while, now don't get me wrong, a Dozier is a fine knife.But when it came time to pull the backstraps I went back to my Mora. YMMV

There are a lot of different knives out there in all price ranges that work. We all have different opinions and desires in knives. The point of my post is that for $145 a guy would have a knife made by a very good maker that is using top notch materials and will stand behind his product for a great price. Add that it could be handed down in the family makes it even more attractive.

I know a guy that has been using an utility knife for longer then I have been alive to gut his animals. He has somewhere around 60 Whitetail mounts, 20 elk mounts, a Dall Sheep and a Stone Sheep, and 6 moose. I can only imagine the animals he has taken that didn't make the worth to mount list. It works for him.

I have the light hunter combo from KOA and several other KOA knives.. love them. for the money and backing, they can not be beat!

This one: http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/knives/detail.asp?value=005G&cat_id=322&type_id=600 . I've had a Browning Kodiak FDT for about 15 years and have been really happy with it. Easy to sharpen, easy to touch up in the field, gets very sharp, and really holds an edge. The straight blade is used for cutting the hide down the legs; the tip isn't sharpened, so it slides over the meat, but below the hide. The saw really goes through breast bones and pelvic bones, and I'm talking elk; on deer it's scary fast.

Somebody mentioned one I'd like to get, the F1:

http://www.fallkniven.com/a1f1/f1_en.htm

Those Mora knives have been around for decades. Dad had a couple of them back in the days when they had wood handles and a hard plastic-like case. Took a good edge, and kept it pretty well too, and in the mid 50's and 60's could be had for $4.95 CDN. Haven't seen them for a lot of years though.

Personally, I like the old made in the USA Schrades with the Schrade+ steel. I have a number that work real well, and even their folders work good on moose and deer. The old LB7 is my favourite and is in my pack all season long, as well as an old Buck 119. Bought my youngest daughter a Buck Zipper and that is a superb knife for around the 90 dollar mark. Pretty too -- both the daughter AND the knife.

This in fact was in the back of my mind. I have a knife that was given to me by my dad that I no longer take out on hunts since we can no longer go out together but the sight of the knife brings back great memories. I dont mind spending the moeny on quality blades than can be passed down to my sons, in fact, I may order 2 of those you mentioned for that reason. Id still like to get a couple of workhorse knives for for the weekend fox/coyote/squirrel hunts. Yes, the custom knives would do the trick but I'd like to keep those reserved for the bigger hunts. I appreciate all the input, lots to consider. As usual, look like i'll be going over budget!

stuff reserved for the bigger hunts might as well never be bought... or at least not til i put my deposit down on the bigger hunt...

and i agree that you get what you pay for, and especially so with knife steel...
but $50 buys a lot... my vanguard last year field dressed 3 deer, and was on butcher day i was skiining and jointing deer #4 before i needed to touch the blade... and a couple of minutes on a v stick got the job done for the rest of the morning...
buck, and gerber both offer some very well made knives with great steel... and i don't feel any compulsion to put them back for "the big hunt"...
and i won't lay awake at night if i lose one... or actually, i've used the buck vanguard for enough years now to know i'd feel a twinge of regret if i lost it... but there's another one like it in the knife case at farm and fleet...

Edit; i've had my vanguard since they cost $30...

I use an Old Timer Sharp Finger. I like the shape of the blade and the fine point on the end. It could use a sharpening after every animal though. Must be a soft steel? There is a noticable difference in its effectiveness after 2 animals.

i've got to mention the knife i carry every day... it's a benchmade osborne folder... i've only owned it for a year and a half now, but i use it and abuse it... it's got the drop point blade of ~3 1/2" that would be perfect... it holds an edge really well, and is easy to clean, for a folder... i've gotten all sorts of sand and grit in the lock area, but it rinses right out...

it is a bit more expensive, but if i compare the cost per usage of this knife it is ridiculously low, and it's value is extreme...

It's a shame those sharpfingers are made in china now.

Someone mentioned solengen steel. i sharpen a lot of knives for friends and family within our hunting group and for guys that stop by our camp.

Some of these are older solengen blades, they are very nice to sharpen (lansky style sharpening kit) and they seem to hold an edge for a decent amount of work.

I'm also kind of fond of the western brand hunting knives. The classic styles with the stacked leather handles.

They never used to be expensive knives, I guess I'm not even sure if they are still in business.

But they seemed to be a decent value and they have what I grew up understanding as traditional styling for a hunting knife.

Hi,

I think Fallkniven and Bark are making great production knives for general porpouse hunting. All Fallkniven are laminates Swedish knives made in Japan....!
I have 3 Fallkniven:
F1/3g 4" blade laminate with the center core of a powder steel at 61 RC
S1 5" laminated VG10 core at 59 RC
TK2 4" blade laminated with core of powder steel at 61 (same as the F1/3g.
I have used all mainly for skinning and field butchering of big Red Deer and Wild boar.
I like all three but I inclined to use more the TK2. Almost the same as the F1 but with a better taper of the knife. Strong but with a more refined blade.

PH

Since we're going to talk about Mora's I have this one
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/new-swedish-mil-mora-knife.aspx?a=78455
I keep it in the truck for those times when I've forgotten my other knife or if we need to cut summer sausage and cheese while scouting in the fall or riding the back roads during the summer or whatever. I tried using it as a hunting knife, but the ergonomics don't work well for me. The steel in it is very good and the construction seems to be just fine, but the personal "feel" just isn't right for me. It did an excellent job of removing the silverskin from the antelope and deer that we shot the weekend before last. For the price, it's worth a try and to have a couple around.

I splurged several years ago and bought a Dozier for about $200. Never have to buy another one, unless this one gets lost or "borrowed" when my boys grow up...

Been eye'n this one.. Anyone?

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Spyderco174-Bill-Moran-Featherweight8482-Knife/1148168.uts?WTz_l=SBC%3Bcat104791680%3Bcat104740380

The Winston knives are an outstanding value. Al Alexander is another great value from the same area. I have KOA knives, but I don't think that they compare with these customs.

I agree but they dont carry the price tag either, how would you rate the KOA knives based on cost vs quality scale?

I would rate the Winston head and shoulders above the KOA even taking in concideration of the price. @ $145 for the model 61 you'll be hard pressed to find a better made knife in that price point. The quailty, design, and feel is 100X's better then the KOA's. In my opinion anyways.

For a high quality all around knife at a reasonable price, the good old Buck 110 is pretty hard to beat. It holds a very good edge and is strong. They make it in a bunch of variations depending on what you want. Go to buckknives.com and search on '110' to see what they make. You can get the most basic model from Amazon for $35 and free shipping.

The 110 is near perfection for a good/cheap knife. [img:left][/img]

I use an Ingram when I'm not counting ounces. Cheap (small) Victorinox paring knives when counting ounces.

For bears a Victorinox 40536 and a Dexter S125 Sani-safe is a great combo. A parer or caper for paw and skull work.

Makes sense. I'll have to give your bear combo a try.

DH Russell Canadian Belt Knife is a great way to go, IMO. Gerber LST is a great one to keep in your pocket as well.

You certainly can't go wrong with much of what KOA offers, either.

And obviously, Ingrams aren't too shabby, though you'll pay for them.

I purchased a KOA Light Hunter-Stag many years ago. I kept a running count on skinning jobs prior to its first resharpening. It racked up 21 mixed Whitetails, Axis , pigs & 1 Elk cow. After the Elk I sent it back to KOA & for $17 & two week turnaround it came back sharper & better looking than the day I bought it. The gut hook is just amazing. I didn't really need the gut hook as I carry a Wyoming Knife but I liked the heft of the knife and it fits my hand so good.

I love it !!

With that said, Case makes some very nice blades too. They are my go-to utility knife maker. I never go anywhere w/o my Case. I also carry a Bone/Brass Case XX XChanger on my hunting belt.

Find me a better steel than my old Pumas and I'll buy it.

I've sharpened most all brands and have never found one that will take and hold an edge better than the Puma steel from the 60s. The Buck steel from the 60s and 70s runs a close second.

buck 110, but lately I have been opening them up with a spyderco Manix folder with S30V steel, we worry about this stuff too much, just go buy a buck 110 and go hunting.

Schrade Old Timer - model Golden Spike - is my favorite fixed blade knife. Superb shape and excellent steel.

TR

I'll just add I'm another 110 fan. Very good knife. As other posters have said; they stay sharp and are very tough.

I just got a Gene Ingram Lite Hunter off the campfire classifieds. Haven't had a chance to use it yet, but it is likely I will use it the rest of my life. The workmanship just has to be seen to be appreciated. Comes scalpel sharp too. Doesn't seem to be too much for small game, yet plenty enough for Elk. I think the best words I can think of to describe it would be "supreme functional elegance."



I talked to Gene on the phone last week, and he has several knives in stock ready to go. Give him a call.

John

What exactly are you looking to do with it? Big game field dressing, skinning, upland game? That might help give better responses.

There are a lot of good knives out there for what ever hunting purpose you may have. My choices are geared toward moose and bears primarily. Most of our moose have to be completely boned out for Super Cub transport so there is some serious knife work takes place.

I've had three KOA knives of D2 steel.....I liked the designs but the steel in no way compared to my D2 Dozier knife. I found the KOA difficult to sharpen in comparison and didn't hold that edge near as well. Dozier has superior tempering I'm told.

For a folder, I carry a Blade Tech Magnum and I find it hard to beat for easy care and cleaning and the steel holds up well. The ergonomics are great.

The DH Russel/Grohman knife I use when boning out a moose seems to work well.....not the finest steel but it sharpens easily and I like the ergonomics.

I have a Buck 110 made with S30V steel!! It's a Cabelas branded knife made by Buck. Best knife I have!

Another that I like for the tougher jobs is a Cutco fixed with the DD edge.

I wish I could recommend this set, but I can't. My wife bought it for me last season (whitetail hunter and cub) and I've been disappointed. First, the main knife is a b**** to sharpen (really sharp at least) and the edge seems to dull disproportionally fast. You will need a diamond stone. Next, the cub knife doesn't seem to take an edge at all. I was looking for something I could sharpen like a razor and use to cape and detail work. Next, the handle of the cub is a hard material, while the scales of the large knife are sort of rubberized. The rubberized ones I do like, but the fit and finish of both are poor (not that big of a deal to me). The serrations on the back of the blade are very narrow, and very difficult to clean out. The gut hook of the large knife hangs up in the sheath badly. One the plus side, the sheath is well made. Also the gut hook is large and works OK for elk hide (none seem great). The main knife is light weight. I used it for one whitetail, 4 elk, and an antelope.

Prior to the Whitetail, she had bought me a different skinner-type with guthook from koa. I took one look at it and returned that one. It was heavy and very thick. It was almost hatchet-like, and would be difficult to get sharp with a very steep angle to the edge. It came about as sharp as a hatchet, too.

Sorry to post this. I really wanted to like the set but simply don't. I think I lost the set while taking my little boy whitetail hunting (carrying him in a backpack with crappy mesh pockets--or maybe I left it at that last antelope?), so that might be for the best--sort of put it out of my misery. I've heard alot of good things about koa, but this is my experience. There are so many great knives out there, I won't likely ever buy another.

I have another skinner (NRA knive by benchmade) with D2 steel that sharpens better, lasts as long, and the blade is polished such that it doesn't rust and cleans easier. I bought a coldsteel master hunter in Carbon V steel in the mean time, and it performs about like my Buck knives (gets super sharp easily, holds an edge a little better).

One of the best folders I ever had was a give away we got with a Stihl chainsaw.
I don't know what make it was or anything else about it except that it took an edge well and held it.
I lost it one day fishing.

I have about 15 or 20 hunting knives, Gerber, Buck, Puma, etc. Funny thing is I have 4 Mora knives and I use those all the time and they really do hold a pretty good edge. I think I paid $8 bucks each or some such silly price and could not be happier. If I do ruin one somehow then who cares..........YMMV

Bark River Highland Special

Expat

The Gerber Gator served pretty well on the elk hunt this year. I took that one up because it was light and if I lost it, it didn't mean schit to me.

Pair that with a 4" filet knife (Rapala works), and you can get a lot done.

Dozier



Modified Yukon Skinner - my pack knife.

Doziers, Winstons, Ingrams, Roaches, Mays.... they all simply rock. No doubt, no question, none.

I am real late to this thread but here are my experiences and thoughts. The first time I skinned a deer with my Buck 110 my Mom gave me 25 years ago, I just about cut my hand off because it was slippery with blood and the upturned point dug deep <<< inexperience too.

I switched to my carry knife, a small drop point Michael Walker Spyderco and finished the work. After that first deer, I picked up a Spyderco Native and used that a few years.

I bought a Schrade Old Timer 143T for 19.99 at Academy, a rubber handled gut hook skinner and that became my all time favorite hunting knife. It was easy to grip when bloody, the gut hook works great and the drop point is easier for me to skin with.

Someone liked it more than me and it disappeared while I was on the farm. A family member probably borrowed it and lost it or was too scared to return it.

I have had the sheath in the kitchen drawer for 5-7 years and it bugged me so I jumped on Ebay a few months ago and found one. I did not know Schrade went out of business. So I bought a replacement and when it arrived I was bummed, it was a chinaloca copy and I had no idea Schrade had them made anywhere but the USA! I gave it to my cousin as a birthday present and ordered another, Made in the USA and then a second, a 141 drop point skinner as backup.

There is no doubt that I would love to own some of the custom, micarta scaled, red liner, fancy pinned, back filed drop points that have surfaced on the classifieds but it will be hard to beat the utterly simple, not so pretty, 20.00 Schrade.

I use a bark river Fox River knife. I can skin and completely debone a deer and still slice paper afterwards. Convex edge is easy to maintain.

What do you use and how do you sharpen it? My Bark River Highland Special is my first convex ground knife.

THX
Expat

I use a DLT leather strop loaded with black and white compound (bark river makes it).

I use the Schrade sharp finger that is one handy knife, skinned alot of elk/deer/hogs with that one; where guys with expensive knives would try to keep their knives sharp it holds a good edge. But I do like and have used the Blackjack Effingham carbon steel, Case old style and Randall all carbon steel knives.

If you are looking for Schrade knives on ebay just type in Schrade USA and it will be the good ones:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Schrade-USA...llectible_Knives&hash=item43aa81886b

I bought a custom from MRK on the 'fire, for $150 shipped. Great knife and an awesome maker.


I like the old Schrade knives also, I carry a Sharpfinger quite a bit.

For the investment it's hard to top a Winston. I have both David Winston and Jason Winston versions and they're awesome knives. My favorite is David's Model 45 seen below with Maroon Micarta scales.

An old Schrade USA Woodsman that I got when I was a teenager in a gunshop in N.C. on vacation, or one of two Case Skinners.

I have a handful that I use. An old Browning FDT is really usefull and easy to sharpen. I have a Camillus version of a Buck 110 that is really nice, but slippery when wet. I have a Schrade Elk Hunter I got from RMEF that was scary sharp for several deer projects and still gets really sharp with the Lansky. The gut hook is worthlessly dull and I can't figure out how to sharpen it. I have a custom skinner that is pretty nice and I used my KOA Bush Camp Knife on 3 elk this year, sharpened between elk. I thought it would be too big, but it did pretty well. In have a skinner combo from KOA and the skinner is dull as crap and has a weird edge that I can't get sharp, but still working on it. The caper in the combo is alright, but like mentioned above, I don't like them as much as I feel like I should. I love knives, but don't know all that much about the different steels and edges. About the only way I can sharpen worth a crap is with a Lansky, so if that won't work on the blade, its a worthless knife to me.

It is hard to beat a Buck 110! Another good option is an Old Timer with the gut hook on the back. I would only buy a made in U.S.A Old Timer though. The new ones are made in china. Very sad!

+1

had mine given to me for christmas several years ago and it's worked well for me.
Just picked up a KOA Jaeger and Cub also, hope I like them as much.