I would say the most important feature in selecting a knife is to make sure the steel is of the compound that you can actually sharpen it. I use high carbon-stain free (not stainless), like commercial kitchen knives because I can sharpen them quite easily. some knives are just about impossible to sharpen after they lose their edge, short of a professional sharpener. they do dull quickly and then they are worthless. just skinning will dull one.
