When you consider the fact that good sharpening stones are far from cheap plus you have to know how to use them, it is easy to see why hunters are liking these knives. I probably won't ever use them because I like knives and fooling with them almost as much as I like rifles, but I can't knock them.
You gave two reasons why hunters gravitate toward disposable blades: 1. Good sharpening equipment is not cheap. 2. You have to know how to use whatever tool you choose.
I'll add a third: 3. The majority of hunters on opening day are carrying a fairly dull knife, even if they have sharpened it. (See point two.)
With an inexpensive, but high quality surgical scalpel on your knife, and without an emotional attachment to your knife, it's no wonder Havalon knives have become so popular.
A high quality American-made knife, especially a custom knife, is a beautiful thing and there are many reasons to have and use one. In fact, you don't even need a reason to use one other than you like it. But anyone says it's the only way to go is a bit of knife snob, similar to the optics snobs we see so many of. As RJY66 said, we don't need to knock them in order to position high-end knives better. The high-end knives can stand on their own, but they're not for everyone.
Incidentally, Havalon blades are made in India (not China), which has been producing quality steel on the world market for a long time. And since the scalpels are made for the medical industry, there is a high motivation to import high quality steel.
Steve.
"I was a deerhunter long before I was a man." ~Gene Wensel's Come November (2000) "A vote is like a rifle; its usefulness depends upon the character of the user." ~Theodore Roosevelt
