Best Skinning knife for $200

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Trochu

Thanks SNS2! Looking forward to hopefully trying them out in a couple weeks.

post bloody pics!

[Bushleague]

Originally Posted by MK2750

I always carried a No1 or the Jump Knife and still have a couple or three kicking around somewhere. The No4 pictured above was left to me from an old friend. The original owner taught me how to sharpen when I first went to sea at 11 or 12 years old. I have another No4 left to me from my father.

When I first started carrying the No4s it felt like I was carrying a hatchet around with me. After a couple of years I came to realize how often a survival knife out preforms a belt knife skinner for most every chore except maybe delicate skinning. As it is a skinning knife thread I will leave at that.

My wife got me the "Moose and Deer" model about 6 years ago for my Birthday. I think its fairly similar to No4 but the lines are less refined, anyhow, out of politeness I used it that season and ended using it on a moose. Throughout the process of quartering it gutless, hide left on the quarters, about the only thing it really sucked at was getting the tenderloins out. Beyond that, you could get allot more aggressive with the heavy blade when popping out the ball joints etc, no fear of snapping the tip off or anything.

It never did, and never will replace the No1 as my favorite, but I will agree that I your prefference for the No4 does have a fair bit of merrit.

[Albertajeff]

I just used a Outdoors Edge 3.5” knife to skin our elk. Worked great and would defiantly recommend.

Thanks

[ScottFitter]

I have a few. Early favourite was the CRKT Shenanigan. It did good, but not great. Softer steel than what i think is required. Also, at that point, I didn't really know how to put a decent and consistent edge on a knife.

I then moved on to a few other knives, including the Outdoor Edge knives. Again, softer steel, but I managed to get my sharpening a bit better. Good for skinning if you don't have a high dollar knife, but still not quite what i was looking for.

I ended up with a couple of Grohmans in their SS blades. You can get them incredibly sharp, great design on the handle and on the blade, but I found that they dull out very easily. Maybe the carbon steel versions would be better.

Since then I have moved on to the Benchmade stuff. I have a Bugout, TaggedOut, Osborne, and a Grizzly Ridge. For gutting, I really like the BugOut. I have one in S30v and one in S90V. I prefer the S90v version, only because it has an uncoated plain finish blade. The S30V blade does everything I need, but it has the dark matte finish on it and I don't find it as slick as the S90V.
For skinning, I like the Osborne or the Grizzly Ridge a bit better. More curve on the blade end, both in S30V.

For the better overall knife that I have out of them, the TaggedOut is the better of all of them. I like that the tip comes to the point, but it still has a nice sweeping curve to the blade. I have the first generation of them with the CPM154 steel, I think it is. I can get through a moose, or two deer if I have to. It doesn't take much to get it back after that. I will look at the newer TaggedOut, hopefully before next season.
The biggest drawback of the Benchmade knives is their factory grind. Out of the 5 that I have, I've had to sharpen all of them straight out of the box. Inconsistent grinds and edges. Quick fixes, but not something you should have to do on a knife for that price point.


Some of the knives posted here are absolutely stunning, maybe I should be looking at them as well.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by ScottFitter

I have a few. Early favourite was the CRKT Shenanigan. It did good, but not great. Softer steel than what i think is required. Also, at that point, I didn't really know how to put a decent and consistent edge on a knife.

I then moved on to a few other knives, including the Outdoor Edge knives. Again, softer steel, but I managed to get my sharpening a bit better. Good for skinning if you don't have a high dollar knife, but still not quite what i was looking for.

I ended up with a couple of Grohmans in their SS blades. You can get them incredibly sharp, great design on the handle and on the blade, but I found that they dull out very easily. Maybe the carbon steel versions would be better.

Since then I have moved on to the Benchmade stuff. I have a Bugout, TaggedOut, Osborne, and a Grizzly Ridge. For gutting, I really like the BugOut. I have one in S30v and one in S90V. I prefer the S90v version, only because it has an uncoated plain finish blade. The S30V blade does everything I need, but it has the dark matte finish on it and I don't find it as slick as the S90V.
For skinning, I like the Osborne or the Grizzly Ridge a bit better. More curve on the blade end, both in S30V.

For the better overall knife that I have out of them, the TaggedOut is the better of all of them. I like that the tip comes to the point, but it still has a nice sweeping curve to the blade. I have the first generation of them with the CPM154 steel, I think it is. I can get through a moose, or two deer if I have to. It doesn't take much to get it back after that. I will look at the newer TaggedOut, hopefully before next season.
The biggest drawback of the Benchmade knives is their factory grind. Out of the 5 that I have, I've had to sharpen all of them straight out of the box. Inconsistent grinds and edges. Quick fixes, but not something you should have to do on a knife for that price point.


Some of the knives posted here are absolutely stunning, maybe I should be looking at them as well.

Great post, Scott. All of these posts like this help guys in their journey. Let’s face it, we have likely all cleaned game with poor knives, and move on when we find things that work better for us.

The nice thing for me about these customs, apart from their quality, is YOU get to choose what you want.

It’s like ordering a truck and having that wonderful period of anticipation as it is being built, except the knife only costs 1/230th of an average pickup. LOL.

Instead of getting a Benchmade Tagged Out, squirrel away another $75 and order a knife from Clint. You won’t be disappointed.

[ScottFitter]

Originally Posted by sns2

Great post, Scott. All of these posts like this help guys in their journey. Let’s face it, we have likely all cleaned game with poor knives, and move on when we find things that work better for us.

The nice thing for me about these customs, apart from their quality, is YOU get to choose what you want.

It’s like ordering a truck and having that wonderful period of anticipation as it is being built, except the knife only costs 1/230th of an average pickup. LOL.

Instead of getting a Benchmade Tagged Out, squirrel away another $75 and order a knife from Clint. You won’t be disappointed.

Thank you.
One thing I do carry with me as well, is a SOG Fast Hawk tomahawk style hatchet. I actually get it as sharp as I can. I use it for the rib cage. With it being sharp, I can normally push it up the rib cage to better access in to the body. And it does wonders for the pelvic bone as well.
One of the guys I hunt with has the Eviscerator knife I think it's called. The tuning fork looking thing, but I havent really found it to be any faster than a regular knife and the hatchet, and you still need something for the pelvic bones. There are ways around that, I know. I just find that to be a fairly gimmicky, single use style tool. At least the hatchet can help you in more dire situations with trees and stuff if needed.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by ScottFitter

Thank you.
One thing I do carry with me as well, is a SOG Fast Hawk tomahawk style hatchet. I actually get it as sharp as I can. I use it for the rib cage. With it being sharp, I can normally push it up the rib cage to better access in to the body. And it does wonders for the pelvic bone as well.
One of the guys I hunt with has the Eviscerator knife I think it's called. The tuning fork looking thing, but I havent really found it to be any faster than a regular knife and the hatchet, and you still need something for the pelvic bones. There are ways around that, I know. I just find that to be a fairly gimmicky, single use style tool. At least the hatchet can help you in more dire situations with trees and stuff if needed.

That SOG Tomahawk is a handy looking hatchet. Could be used for lots of stuff beyond splitting bones.

[badbrass]

Just in from the mail! From our own, Phil McCracken! Again one beautiful knife!
And super sharp, always great to deal with always ready to listen, and give his thought's & idea's which I like!!
Happy Happy happy!
Thanks once again Phil!
Blade: Semi Skinner,
Magnacut-RC62,
Sharpened 17 degrees, cutting edge approx 2 7/8"
Handle:
Maple Burl. Hardwood
One coat of Polymerized Tung Oil Sealer.
Two coats of Tung oil
Brass Pins.
G10 Orange Liner
C/W. Kydex Health & belt loop!

[Smokinyotes]

Phil does some very nice work

[badbrass]

What's not to like! He makes some great knives!

[Savage Bacon]

Beauty!

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[Savage Bacon]

I'm not sure if you fellas posted this or not but I've seen some handles made with pine cones that have a neat look. Kind of like a spine.

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[badbrass]

Nice! Kind of cool especially with the white!!

Originally Posted by Savage Bacon

I'm not sure if you fellas posted this or not but I've seen some handles made with pine cones that have a neat look. Kind of like a spine.

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[Phil McCracken]

Originally Posted by Savage Bacon

I'm not sure if you fellas posted this or not but I've seen some handles made with pine cones that have a neat look. Kind of like a spine.

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Yea, I was looking at some of them from a dealer in Southern Alberta.
Guy that makes them is from Noble Ford, AB.

Basically different cones formed into colored resin blocks for scales. Kinda neat looking...

[Trochu]

Just a curiousity question. How come when I look at all the skinners on here and in outdoor shops, they all have the typical 2.5" to 3" blade and are generally pretty small. But when I see a butcher, he's using something like this, with a 6" plus long blade?


Is it just a portability issue? The above is better, just not as easy to transport in the field?

[Phil McCracken]

Originally Posted by Trochu

Just a curiousity question. How come when I look at all the skinners on here and in outdoor shops, they all have the typical 2.5" to 3" blade and are generally pretty small. But when I see a butcher, he's using something like this, with a 6" plus long blade?


Is it just a portability issue? The above is better, just not as easy to transport in the field?

Butchers don't normally gut or skin. They just cut the meat, and a longer blade is more practical for that purpose (ie. cutting a rump).

As for a "field" applications, shorter blades are preferred by many. I personally would not want sticking a 10" blade inside a deer cavity, especially at night...

[Trochu]

Originally Posted by Phil McCracken

Butchers don't normally gut or skin. They just cut the meat, and a longer blade is more practical for that purpose (ie. cutting a rump).

As for a "field" applications, shorter blades are preferred by many. I personally would not want sticking a 10" blade inside a deer cavity, especially at night...

Make sense. I guess I was basing my most recent butcher experience with a guy that came and skinned/gutted some hogs. Had the chain mail gloves and compared to a traditional skinner, a couple swords.

[obsessed1]

For skinning hogs and such a 6" victorinox semi stiff curved is a great knife. Its not a great field knife though. Butchers dont cut stuff up in the dark, they dont gut and skin of the ground on the side of a steep hill ect. My knives used at home for butchering are very different from a field knife.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Trochu

Make sense. I guess I was basing my most recent butcher experience with a guy that came and skinned/gutted some hogs. Had the chain mail gloves and compared to a traditional skinner, a couple swords.

Most butchers in a shop will typically use a 6” boning knife or similar (straight or curved), for breaking down a carcass. The longer knives like you picture are used for slicing meat. Think a primal cut like a top sirloin or a bottom round (large muscle) needing to be cut into steaks, a longer knife like you picture, allows the meat cutter to make a cut in one neat, compact motion all the way through.

Now back to our shorter hunting knives. In comparison, most animals are skinned on the ground, and rolled over as necessary, leaving the guy on the blade to have to reach, and sometimes contort. A long knife does not lend itself well to such applications because it simply does not allow the same level of dexterity, and fine movement. It’s just clunky like playing hockey with a stick that is a foot too long. The other thing about a knife like you posted is that the tip leaves much to be desired when an animal is on the ground. It’s great for cutting steaks, but not worth a pinch of salt for many of the chores required by a downed big game animal. A 3-4” blade with nice belly, and dropped, pointy tip is ideal.

Butchers are typically looking at animals on hook or front end loader too, so their requirements, and work environment is much different.

[Trochu]

Thanks guys.

[sns2]

This is the warhorse of most butchers. Victorinox 6” curved and stiff boning knife. $35 at Halfords. An incredibly good value. Can't imagine being without one once the animal is hanging.

Some like flex or semi-stiff, but I like stiff. Where you push the knife it goes, including through large muscles. A flexible boning knife is more for poultry per se. I used one for many years, but not anymore. I much prefer the stiff blade. For that matter, I prefer a stiff blade for cleaning fish also.



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[badbrass]

What the model # on that knife? Thanks!

Originally Posted by sns2

This is the warhorse of most butchers. Victorinox 6” curved and stiff boning knife. $35 at Halfords. An incredibly good value. Can't imagine being without one once the animal is hanging.

Some like flex or semi-stiff, but I like stiff. Where you push the knife it goes, including through large muscles. A flexible boning knife is more for poultry per se. I used one for many years, but not anymore. I much prefer the stiff blade. For that matter, I prefer a stiff blade for cleaning fish also.



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[sns2]

Originally Posted by badbrass

What the model # on that knife? Thanks!

https://www.halfordsmailorder.com/bo...tiff-bs5650315

[obsessed1]

I run a stiff and semi stiff curved 6" and a 10" cimitar breaking knife for butchering every thing from hogs to deer to elk to chickens and turkeys. I do like game shears for birds as well..

[sns2]

Just cuz. Damn this thing is slicey. Like gliding through butter. Hard to believe it’s a hunting knife the way it slices. This model is a winner if you’re in the market.




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[MountainTi]

Originally Posted by Trochu

Just a curiousity question. How come when I look at all the skinners on here and in outdoor shops, they all have the typical 2.5" to 3" blade and are generally pretty small. But when I see a butcher, he's using something like this, with a 6" plus long blade?


Is it just a portability issue? The above is better, just not as easy to transport in the field?

Originally Posted by Phil McCracken

Butchers don't normally gut or skin. They just cut the meat, and a longer blade is more practical for that purpose (ie. cutting a rump).

As for a "field" applications, shorter blades are preferred by many. I personally would not want sticking a 10" blade inside a deer cavity, especially at night...

The victorinox lamb skinner is a great skinning knife. From what I've seen butchers actually do a lot of skinning. Any time beef come in they do the skinning. I remember going to riverside packers in Drumheller back in the day and the floor would be covered in whitetail/mule deer does that were dropped off by hunters just filling doe tags. Could never be bothered to skin so just dropped them off fresh outta the field. Butchers did all the skinning.
Good friend used to skin a lot of animals every year. Raised a few buffalo and of course deer/elk/ moose were thru the shop every year. Skinned more than most will ever dream of and always used a fillet knife. Don't get me wrong, I love a good hunting knife, but there are other options that may be better for skinning

I'm sure everyone has seen this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTPMUAn-ZCE

[Coiloil37]

One humbling thing I’ve learned since I moved over here is how much more some people know about processing game. As NA hunters we don’t/didn’ have the exposure to learn as much as some people because we don’t shoot that many animals. Even as a guide your just not going to see much.

One of the guys I deer hunt with boxed them for 11 years. By “boxed” I mean shot deer/pigs/roos as a profession every night for 11 years. After head shooting and processing a couple hundred thousand animals he’s got tricks on his tricks and tools for every task.

The first three deer I shot we hung up and started skinning at the same time. Before I had the first hind leg skinned down he was done the other two deer. All up he might of spent a minute per deer. He didn’t rush, that’s just how he got it done. No need for a saw on legs, he has a large set of custom made pruning shears and snips legs or roo tails off in a fraction of a second.
He has a couple 20’ sea cans set up with refrigeration so we hung the animals over night. The next morning I started boning the first one and he watched for a couple seconds then asked if he could show me something. Sure… he had different technique and boned each deer out in about 50-60 seconds each leaving a cleanly picked rack of bones left behind and two continuous pieces of meat the length of each deer with all the meat. Bloody legend.
His knives were F.Dick, well used but sharp. He has them well honed and hits them on the steel frequently. What he lacks in fancy hardware he more then makes up for with experience.

[Dom4]

Hi Guys.

Today I had the chance to break out my new Benchmade Meatcrafter knife. We butchered a whole whitetail buck and I have to say that I was very impressed. While deboning the front shoulders I wasn’t very gentle at all on the shoulder bones while deboning and the knife stayed very sharp. After each shoulder I touched it up on the sharpening steel and it was back to hair popping sharp.

I also really enjoyed how stiff the blade was because it was a very positive interaction with the bone for example while taking out the backstraps. I didn’t have to guess what I was feeling. The shape was also really nice for taking off the silver skin and trimming the fat that on the meat.

All in all if you’re looking for a high quality boning knife I will personally guarantee this one won’t disappoint. Haha.


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[Dom4]

Originally Posted by Dom4

Hi Guys.

Today I had the chance to break out my new Benchmade Meatcrafter knife. We butchered a whole whitetail buck and I have to say that I was very impressed. While deboning the front shoulders I wasn’t very gentle at all on the shoulder bones while deboning and the knife stayed very sharp. After each shoulder I touched it up on the sharpening steel and it was back to hair popping sharp.

I also really enjoyed how stiff the blade was because it was a very positive interaction with the bone for example while taking out the backstraps. I didn’t have to guess what I was feeling. The shape was also really nice for taking off the silver skin and trimming the fat that on the meat.

All in all if you’re looking for a high quality boning knife I will personally guarantee this one won’t disappoint. Haha.


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Sorry for a double post but I pulled out the diamond bench stone this evening and a couple minutes of work and it was back slicing paper with ease. I think this knife will stay in my normal rotation.


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[no-regard]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

One humbling thing I’ve learned since I moved over here is how much more some people know about processing game. As NA hunters we don’t/didn’ have the exposure to learn as much as some people because we don’t shoot that many animals. Even as a guide your just not going to see much.

One of the guys I deer hunt with boxed them for 11 years. By “boxed” I mean shot deer/pigs/roos as a profession every night for 11 years. After head shooting and processing a couple hundred thousand animals he’s got tricks on his tricks and tools for every task.

The first three deer I shot we hung up and started skinning at the same time. Before I had the first hind leg skinned down he was done the other two deer. All up he might of spent a minute per deer. He didn’t rush, that’s just how he got it done. No need for a saw on legs, he has a large set of custom made pruning shears and snips legs or roo tails off in a fraction of a second.
He has a couple 20’ sea cans set up with refrigeration so we hung the animals over night. The next morning I started boning the first one and he watched for a couple seconds then asked if he could show me something. Sure… he had different technique and boned each deer out in about 50-60 seconds each leaving a cleanly picked rack of bones left behind and two continuous pieces of meat the length of each deer with all the meat. Bloody legend.
His knives were F.Dick, well used but sharp. He has them well honed and hits them on the steel frequently. What he lacks in fancy hardware he more then makes up for with experience.

This is something I would sure like to see, and I'm it's not just me!

This fella could rack up some serious views on a YouTube channel.