Best Skinning knife for $200

[averagejoe]

Really been thinking about the North Arms Lynx lately. Probably going to be my next purchase.

https://northarmknives.com/product/l...c=e38de74562d1

[fishnguy]

^ I remember Coiloil posted his fillet knife from them somewhere a while back. Looked like ****. All chipped. I was going to ask him about that, I now remember, but forgot. I’d look into that first, whether it was poor heat treatment or some other problem. And what they would do about it, if anything.

Edit: just to make sure, I would first ask Coil if it was their knife because for whatever reason I am having second thoughts now… pretty sure it was though.

[Coiloil37]

I never had good luck with the S35VN steel they use. The filleting knife was microchipped after the first fish and I didn’t even cut through bone. It has only gotten worse and it doesn’t see much use.











I’ve also got one of their kitchen knives and it chipped the same way. That said I’m not as careful with the kitchen knife and the wife uses it.









I see northarm is switching from S35vn to magnacut, maybe it’ll be an improvement.

[averagejoe]

Originally Posted by fishnguy

^ I remember Coiloil posted his fillet knife from them somewhere a while back. Looked like ****. All chipped. I was going to ask him about that, I now remember, but forgot. I’d look into that first, whether it was poor heat treatment or some other problem. And what they would do about it, if anything.

Edit: just to make sure, I would first ask Coil if it was their knife because for whatever reason I am having second thoughts now… pretty sure it was though.

Post #140. He said that it was likely heat treat. Yes, it was by the same company but a different steel than what they have recently switched to. They have a lifetime warranty that should cover the heat treat and chipping but he would have to send it in. Not sure if he ever contracted them over it.

I haven't seen a lot of bad about their knives, usually everyone is raving about them, but that is usually the Skaha/2 folder. Wonder if there was a bad run of heat treating for some reason.

[averagejoe]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

I never had good luck with the S35VN steel they use. The filleting knife was microchipped after the first fish and I didn’t even cut through bone. It has only gotten worse and it doesn’t see much use.

I see northarm is switching from S35vn to magnacut, maybe it’ll be an improvement.

Replied just as I was looking and typing. Did you ever contact them about the chipping? As I said in my post above, I have not seen or read much about them having issues like that so getting 2 knives with that problem is quite curious. Were they ordered at the same time, or quite a time between?

The switch to magnacut was one of the reasons I was looking at their knives.

[Coiloil37]

Originally Posted by averagejoe

Replied just as I was looking and typing. Did you ever contact them about the chipping? As I said in my post above, I have not seen or read much about them having issues like that so getting 2 knives with that problem is quite curious. Were they ordered at the same time, or quite a time between?

The switch to magnacut was one of the reasons I was looking at their knives.

I never contacted them about it. The fillet was a factory second and the kitchen knife wasn’t so the only possible warranty would be on the kitchen knife. For what they cost I’m not to worried about it. The heat treat or steel isn’t very good and even if others had a different experience I don’t plan on buying more.

I got the kitchen knife in 2018 and the fillet knife in 2020.

[Pathfinder76]

Bird and Trout extraordinaire. :-)

[badbrass]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

Bird and Trout extraordinaire. :-)

Nice pic’s!

[Coiloil37]

Well I got the itch to try the benchmade 15500 meatcrafter.
Mostly for fish and probably on the boat more then anything but it’ll get used on game and in the kitchen a bit too.






I ordered one yesterday afternoon from a shop down in Sydney and it’s to be delivered this arvo. I’m working for another week but I’ll give an opinion once I’ve used it a bit.

To bad they didn’t make it in magnacut…

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

Well I got the itch to try the benchmade 15500 meatcrafter.
Mostly for fish and probably on the boat more then anything but it’ll get used on game and in the kitchen a bit too.






I ordered one yesterday afternoon from a shop down in Sydney and it’s to be delivered this arvo. I’m working for another week but I’ll give an opinion once I’ve used it a bit.

To bad they didn’t make it in magnacut…

I think you will find it imminently versatile.

[Pointer man]

Gene Ingrams Bird & Trout.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[obsessed1]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

Well I got the itch to try the benchmade 15500 meatcrafter.
Mostly for fish and probably on the boat more then anything but it’ll get used on game and in the kitchen a bit too.






I ordered one yesterday afternoon from a shop down in Sydney and it’s to be delivered this arvo. I’m working for another week but I’ll give an opinion once I’ve used it a bit.

To bad they didn’t make it in magnacut…

I have been eyeballing the exact same knife.. let us know what you think.

[Pathfinder76]

Just a couple more thoughts. I am definitely noticing that edge retention is improving significantly. I’ve sharpened this knife now in some fashion four times. I abused it pretty good today and it’s still razor sharp.

[averagejoe]

Originally Posted by Pathfinder76

Just a couple more thoughts. I am definitely noticing that edge retention is improving significantly. I’ve sharpened this knife now in some fashion four times. I abused it pretty good today and it’s still razor sharp.

Looking good and nice bird. Edge retention going up after some sharpening seems to go along with my post earlier in the thread about a lot of knives needing to get past the "burnt" steel from belt sharpening to bring out their full potential. It would be interesting to be able to measure just how much metal is removed until the improvements in performance plateaus.

Going with that thought, if someone had a thinner ground knife, would the heat from finish grinding each side be enough to negatively affect the heat treat of the entire blade leading to lesser performance for the life of the blade? With all the testing going on and results coming out that show heat is an issue it appears that water cooling seems to be coming into vogue, at least with some makers.

[Coiloil37]

Originally Posted by averagejoe

Going with that thought, if someone had a thinner ground knife, would the heat from finish grinding each side be enough to negatively affect the heat treat of the entire blade leading to lesser performance for the life of the blade? With all the testing going on and results coming out that show heat is an issue it appears that water cooling seems to be coming into vogue, at least with some makers.

I’ve got a Phil Wilson that’s .006” behind the edge and it was perfect from the day I got it. There was no increase in performance as I sharpened away from the initial apex. It holds an edge and cuts better then any other knife I own. That’s not to say heat can’t be a problem but it’s not “always” a problem if care is taken when grinding the knife.


This little fella

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by averagejoe

Looking good and nice bird. Edge retention going up after some sharpening seems to go along with my post earlier in the thread about a lot of knives needing to get past the "burnt" steel from belt sharpening to bring out their full potential. It would be interesting to be able to measure just how much metal is removed until the improvements in performance plateaus.

Going with that thought, if someone had a thinner ground knife, would the heat from finish grinding each side be enough to negatively affect the heat treat of the entire blade leading to lesser performance for the life of the blade? With all the testing going on and results coming out that show heat is an issue it appears that water cooling seems to be coming into vogue, at least with some makers.

I would say very little steel has been removed. What is interesting though is with my D2 blade the edge can be made obscenely sharp. M4 the same. The S30V can be extremely sharp as well, but that D2 is wild.

[Pathfinder76]

Originally Posted by averagejoe

Looking good and nice bird.

I’m just the guy packing the knife and bear protection. The 13 year old kills the food. :-)

[averagejoe]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

I’ve got a Phil Wilson that’s .006” behind the edge and it was perfect from the day I got it. There was no increase in performance as I sharpened away from the initial apex. It holds an edge and cuts better then any other knife I own. That’s not to say heat can’t be a problem but it’s not “always” a problem if care is taken when grinding the knife.


This little fella

Oh for sure, I was mainly commenting on/about knives that were overheated at least a bit, more common with production knives than custom unless it is a new maker without a lot of experience or if you run into a "perfeshanul" sharpener with a belt grinder cranked to the max. I have seen examples where edges were obviously burnt and one even had a tip that was straw yellow about 1/4" back and starting towards blue at the tip. Should not have not made it past QC but it somehow did which lead to my hypothetical question about it being possible to ruin an entire heat treat through overheating.

[averagejoe]

Whelp, that Lynx kept bugging me so I went and picked one up in MagnaCut.



Knife looks great, fits in the hand really well with good fit and finish. It came decently sharp but the bevels were really off. The one on the left of the blade was half as wide as the one on the right side. The paper that comes with the knife said they are sharpened at 15° and I thought one side was 15° and the other like 20°.



I threw it on the sharpener and it turns out both sides were 18.5° so one side must have received a few extra passes on the belt grinder and shrunk the other sides bevel.

It is a bit handle heavy, the balance point being roughly 1/3rd up from the middle of the handle.


I am a bit unsure on the sheath. It is Kydex and molded to the knife but the top edge of the edge side is over the center point quite a bit and keeps catching the edge and having slices taken off of it. I have to put the edge in first to get between the sides instead of keeping the spine pressed towards the sheath so you don't run over the edge.


MagnaCut is supposed to be pretty easy to sharpen compared to other super steels and I would agree with that. Sharpening it was easier than my S30V Benchmade 940. I started sharpening with a 220 grit aluminum oxide stone for testing and was able to remove a decent amount of steel easily but with the really uneven bevels I switched to the diamond stones to quicken it up since there was a fair bit of steel to remove. Finished up at 1200 grit diamond (will try 1k AlOx later) and the burr nearly flew off the knife. If you have a sharp knife with the bevels set and just need to resharpen or touch up an edge I believe aluminum oxide stones will be just fine, it will just take slightly more time than with diamonds.

[M.C. Gusto]

Originally Posted by averagejoe

Replied just as I was looking and typing. Did you ever contact them about the chipping? As I said in my post above, I have not seen or read much about them having issues like that so getting 2 knives with that problem is quite curious. Were they ordered at the same time, or quite a time between?

The switch to magnacut was one of the reasons I was looking at their knives.

I have two of their kitchen knives. One a paring knife the other their 8 inch chef knife. Both have heat treatment issues and dull so easily. Both were bought as factory seconds, not sure if i could return them. Good luck with your new knife, it looks nice.

[sns2]

$100 off. Today only. Someone wanting a good factory knife could do a helluva lot worse than this one.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/14961...ed-blade-knife

[averagejoe]

Originally Posted by M.C. Gusto

I have two of their kitchen knives. One a paring knife the other their 8 inch chef knife. Both have heat treatment issues and dull so easily. Both were bought as factory seconds, not sure if i could return them. Good luck with your new knife, it looks nice.

Were they cosmetic seconds, or off spec knives? Cosmetic seconds still get the warranty while the off spec knives do not.

Coiloil37 also had problems with his knives which were also seconds/offspec knives. I bought a regular full priced version so if it has issues it will be going back for replacement or a full refund.

[badbrass]

Originally Posted by sns2

$100 off. Today only. Someone wanting a good factory knife could do a helluva lot worse than this one.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/14961...ed-blade-knife

That’s a good deal!

[Coiloil37]

Originally Posted by averagejoe

Were they cosmetic seconds, or off spec knives? Cosmetic seconds still get the warranty while the off spec knives do not.

Coiloil37 also had problems with his knives which were also seconds/offspec knives. I bought a regular full priced version so if it has issues it will be going back for replacement or a full refund.

My kitchen knife wasn’t a second. The fillet knife is. Regardless, good luck with it. Perhaps the new steel will be better.

[averagejoe]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

My kitchen knife wasn’t a second. The fillet knife is. Regardless, good luck with it. Perhaps the new steel will be better.

Whoops, my mistake.

Gave it a gentle break in with some potatoes and onions on a plastic cutting board. 15° edge and can't see any flat spots and no chipping, so far so good. Will hopefully be able to put it through some more strenuous use soon to see if it holds up.

[badbrass]

Well bought the same sharpener as SNS2 and see where it takes me! Asked him for his experience with the sharpener, and got it! Thanks! will try it out shortly on some other knives that are not so $$$$.

[obsessed1]

Not exactly a full time skinner but an edc that will handle some skinning tasks. It's a diy blade using a Dozier design made by ka-bar. It was a skeletonized knife in its original so I added my own scales using a chunk of moose antler.

[fishnguy]

^ That’ll work.

What was the work process on that handle? I have a couple of kitchen Henckels that I need new scales for. Thinking to buy some micarta and work with files (I got nothing better).

[obsessed1]

Maiden voyage for the new Chisan skinner.
My wife shot a mule doe and I skinned the deer and cut both tail and head off just using the blade.. results.....
First off the grip shape...it is by far the absolute best grip shape I have ever held or used..I almost forgot I was holding it which is a feat as most knives have my hand cramping withing minutes...
Second the blade shape/ ergonomics... all i can say is amazing. It zips through the hide like a zipper and the tip doesnt poke things it shouldn't. Its ergos are great for skinning as I used almost the entire length of the blade in a stroke and didnt have to put my hands or arms at odd or tiring angles to get the job done.
Lastly is edge retention.. even after cutting through the tail and severing the head and skinning the whole deer it still pops hairs off my arm with the slightest push...no micro chips or rolls. It cuts copier paper along the entire length of the edge with no noticeable catching..... all in all I'm very happy with this blade...Great job Clint!

[sns2]

Originally Posted by obsessed1

Maiden voyage for the new Chisan skinner.
My wife shot a mule doe and I skinned the deer and cut both tail and head off just using the blade.. results.....
First off the grip shape...it is by far the absolute best grip shape I have ever held or used..I almost forgot I was holding it which is a feat as most knives have my hand cramping withing minutes...
Second the blade shape/ ergonomics... all i can say is amazing. It zips through the hide like a zipper and the tip doesnt poke things it shouldn't. Its ergos are great for skinning as I used almost the entire length of the blade in a stroke and didnt have to put my hands or arms at odd or tiring angles to get the job done.
Lastly is edge retention.. even after cutting through the tail and severing the head and skinning the whole deer it still pops hairs off my arm with the slightest push...no micro chips or rolls. It cuts copier paper along the entire length of the edge with no noticeable catching..... all in all I'm very happy with this blade...Great job Clint!

Really cool! Glad it has worked so well for your hand/wrist issue.