I've never had to rely on 'heft and spine' on a knife used to break down critters..... Give me a sharp fugging edge, every time tho......
A sharp edge is expected in any knife but different horses for courses IMO. I want a long sharp fillet knife with about zero belly and plenty of flex, a good boning knife is similar in profile and sharp but shorter and with more spine and less flex. For a skinning knife I like lots of belly little or no flex, upswept blade and high carbon for quick touch ups. Corrosion resistance isn’t much of an issue because it’s not carried and isn’t made to be pretty. A fillet knife long slender little spine. Hunting knife shorter with more belly and a lot of spine.
If a knife only needed to be sharp one sharp knife would cover everything needed. one blade length, steel type, and blade profile is all that we would own for any and all purposes.
