Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Essee JG5

Anyone used one for skinning? It's time to retire my hunting/Skinner after about15 years. Buck 470 that was broken once and reshaped. It's getting shorter and shorter and is not holding an edge like it used to. Anyway, I'm looking for more of a nessmuk type blade that would make skinning easier. Was about to go really traditional and order a green River sheath knife but saw the new Essee jg5. Not very many reviews out yet but boy oh boy this thing looks like a winner. On the fence though, $10-15 vs $100. Thoughts?

Neither would be my first choice

If you really want to go inexpensive around $100, several online sellers have Buck knives on sale in several different steel types and.you get the Buck warranty.

Factory ~$100 skinner?

Spyderco Moran.

or the Cold Steel master hunter is a good deal as well. A friend uses one, and is happy with it
https://www.amazon.com/Cold-Steel-Master-Hunter-San/dp/B0011MYRN2

Solid advice.


David

Choice of a knife is such a personal thing that it is almost a waste of time to ask other guys what they think. You know more about what you want to do and what fits your hand better than anyone, and if you think the Essee is a "winner" go for it.

The reality is that almost anything works. In the other thread we got guys skinning them with hatchets of all things. I've done enough deer skinning with a sharp pocket knife to come to believe that knife choice is not critical as long as the knife is sharp. The commercial processors I have seen use a 6 inch boning knife for everything, including skinning and let me tell you it does not hold them back. Then again, all the deer I work on are still warm from their body temperature and much of the hide can be pulled off. I might feel differently if the deer hung for two weeks with the hide on and it was dried out and fused to the carcass.

My favorite factory Deer skinner is a Buck Vanguard but as RJY says "just about and sharp knife works".

Gutted my second deer with a buck Gentleman which is a small maybe 2" lockback folder. It did the job. Watched my Moose guide take a moose apart with a Box cutter for all the hide cutting and Havelone for everything else. Me and my fancy knives just got in the way. But it is nice to use a nice knife to get the job done. Have used a sharp hatchet to gut one as well.