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  #541  
Old 03-14-2022, 01:43 PM
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Buddy, I thought of changing the title to best skinning knife under $500. Lol.

I ended up ordering a Crotts Semi-Skinner. Will be about $500 by the time it arrives. After reading, it became clear to me that it was worth it to spend the money to have a piece of gear that will improve the experience of processing game, and will do its job just as good when I’m too old to hunt, and it’s been passed down to my son.

Is it better than a $200 knife? Likely hold an edge better based on Coiloil’s reviews. He’s one of the guys whose words I really pay heed to. Pathfinder is in the same category as someone who makes my ears perk up when it comes to his experience with various types of outdoor gear.

In any event, what got me to squirrel away some extra $$ for it was what else can you get for $500 that you can say may be the very best of its kind like one of these Crotts or Dozier skinners? In making my decision, I read literally every word I could find about those two makers’ knives. Many others echo what the guys I have mentioned on this thread have said about the quality of them.

I can’t buy the best rifle, scope, or binos for $500. But I can buy arguably the best performing skinning knife for that price, and if it ain’t what it’s cracked up to be, I can sell it for minimal loss.

Something tells me, I won’t be selling it.
Oh my oath. U can get a dozier semi skinner from ag Russell for 225 3-5 month wait
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  #542  
Old 03-14-2022, 02:05 PM
Pathfinder76 Pathfinder76 is offline
 
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Oh my oath. U can get a dozier semi skinner from ag Russell for 225 3-5 month wait
Those are Kings River Semi Skinners. And AG Russell has a minimum $500 international order policy and requires payment by wire. They would be $400 CAD by the time they landed in the mailbox regardless.
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  #543  
Old 03-14-2022, 02:11 PM
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Oh my oath. U can get a dozier semi skinner from ag Russell for 225 3-5 month wait
Whatever you do, do not swear a blood oath over a knife

Here is how a knife gets up there in price...

- Crotts Semi-Skinner $240
- Premium wood scales $50
- Liners $10
- Mosaic Pins $15
- Jimping on blade $10
- Shipping $50

$375 US = $482.60 Canadian

Add on duty and what do you get? Maybe a little over $500

Last edited by sns2; 03-14-2022 at 02:17 PM.
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  #544  
Old 03-14-2022, 03:05 PM
senderomag senderomag is offline
 
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Originally Posted by sns2 View Post
Whatever you do, do not swear a blood oath over a knife

Here is how a knife gets up there in price...

- Crotts Semi-Skinner $240
- Premium wood scales $50
- Liners $10
- Mosaic Pins $15
- Jimping on blade $10
- Shipping $50

$375 US = $482.60 Canadian

Add on duty and what do you get? Maybe a little over $500

I ship it to a friend in Minnesota. No way anyone should pay duty on a knife. Not this ol boy
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  #545  
Old 03-14-2022, 03:22 PM
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Default Knife

This showed up today Customs charged $19.95 GST, and $9.95 to open it.
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  #546  
Old 03-14-2022, 03:24 PM
Pathfinder76 Pathfinder76 is offline
 
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I ship it to a friend in Minnesota. No way anyone should pay duty on a knife. Not this ol boy
You won’t pay duty on these knives.
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  #547  
Old 03-14-2022, 03:47 PM
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You won’t pay duty on these knives.
Just GST, and handling fee if they open it.
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  #548  
Old 03-14-2022, 04:26 PM
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Originally Posted by spurly View Post
Just GST, and handling fee if they open it.
Which is strange that they charge you to snoop.
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  #549  
Old 03-14-2022, 06:43 PM
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Ok...

Aren't there any good knife makers in Canada?

And if so, why not support them?...
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  #550  
Old 03-14-2022, 07:05 PM
Pathfinder76 Pathfinder76 is offline
 
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It’s a numbers game. Far, far, far more options available south of the border.
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  #551  
Old 03-14-2022, 07:33 PM
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We have a custom knife maker here in town. Hes trained under the best in Europe but I havent had a chance to try his blades out for myself. I have hopped one day i could comission a blade from him. AZ custom knives is the company. I have not used one of his to know the quality but they sure look great.
The benefit of going Dozier or Crotts is by reputation alone you know your getting the quality your paying for. Lesser known makers arnt nessisarily cheaper but there's a risk it will not live up to expectations in use..
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  #552  
Old 03-14-2022, 10:36 PM
fishnguy fishnguy is offline
 
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Just GST, and handling fee if they open it.
They will charge you the handling or admin fee, whatever they call it, regardless if they open the box or not. That would be true for any package where duties and/or taxes are to be assessed, doesn’t have to be a knife.



What Pathfinder and obsessed said about the Canadian makers. Most also don’t do themselves any favours by not maintaining their websites, make themselves known, etc. If anyone follows bladeforums, how many makers from Canada do you see participating? Far and between (especially among a much bigger crowed from the US and elsewhere). There is actually a Canadian makers forum (https://canadianknifemaker.ca/index.php), but hardly anyone ever heard of it and you can go see what the participation is like. Another thing I have noticed prior is that steel selection is very limited limited among the Canadian makers. Not all, of course, but many may offer s35vn, 154cm/cpm-154, for the most part, and then the “regular” selection of 440c, 80crv2, etc. Again, this is not true for all, but for many. Or so it was some years ago.

Having said that, there are knife makers in Canada that are renowned worldwide, with products priced accordingly.
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  #553  
Old 03-15-2022, 07:51 AM
Pathfinder76 Pathfinder76 is offline
 
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The problem with knife making is the vast array of “styles” that are offered. An enormous amount are really a collectors market. They are impractical, or unusable on the hunting market. Good using knives are hard to find. Quality is also all over the map. Poor quality custom knives are still expensive. For hunting knives that is why shops like Dozier, Crotts, or Ingram are so popular. Good work at a fair price and they make useable knives.
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  #554  
Old 03-15-2022, 08:12 AM
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I'm sure there is some name brand recognition. Everyone here has been drooling over the dozier crotts knives, wonder how many Canadian orders they got in the last month or 2 lol.
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  #555  
Old 03-15-2022, 08:15 AM
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A lot.

But, it’s because of their product.
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  #556  
Old 03-15-2022, 09:51 AM
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Dozier and crotts have reputation for good reason. They excel at blades made for a specific function ( hunting) when you pay 500$ you know exactly what to expect. I personally have 3 d2 blades made by different makers and the heat treat or blade geometry is definitely different as the edge retention is different with all three. Many local custom makers prices rival a crotts or dozier but you are in essence buying blind. You can order a d2 blade but if thier heat treat or geometry is just off you might find it to be no better than a 440c other than it being harder to sharpen. There is so many things that go into a perfect blade that once you get into the high dollars most will go straight to a proven maker rather than taking a chance on a local.
Definitely the reason those makers market to the USA is numbers they are business men after all.
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  #557  
Old 03-15-2022, 10:01 AM
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Originally Posted by obsessed1 View Post
Dozier and crotts have reputation for good reason. They excel at blades made for a specific function ( hunting) when you pay 500$ you know exactly what to expect. I personally have 3 d2 blades made by different makers and the heat treat or blade geometry is definitely different as the edge retention is different with all three. Many local custom makers prices rival a crotts or dozier but you are in essence buying blind. You can order a d2 blade but if thier heat treat or geometry is just off you might find it to be no better than a 440c other than it being harder to sharpen. There is so many things that go into a perfect blade that once you get into the high dollars most will go straight to a proven maker rather than taking a chance on a local.
Definitely the reason those makers market to the USA is numbers they are business men after all.
I agree. I have not seen anyone that I know personally or have good knowledge of through a quality forum like this that will stand up and unequivocally recommend a Canadian maker like Coaloil and Chuck do for Dozier and Crotts. I have owned more than a few custom made knives, sold every last one of them and kept using a Buck 110. All of them cost FAR more than my Buck 110, even though the buck has S30V steel. The Buck is at minimum as good as the best I have owned and in many cases better to far better a blade and design than any of the customs I have owned to date. Without the strong recommendations, I would have never bought another custom knife. I will be very interested to see the new Crotts in action against my current Buck.
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  #558  
Old 03-15-2022, 12:03 PM
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Agreed. No offence to any other Canadian makers, but I ordered one of these because of what was said by two guys whose abilities and opinions, I respect greatly. What has been said about heat treating is bang-on. I ain't spending $500 on a knife from a guy who does it as his hobby. I'd rather buy a Grohman or Benchmade for $200, as I'd know exactly what I was getting.
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  #559  
Old 03-15-2022, 12:12 PM
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I'm sure they make good knives and never said they didn't. I am also sure that their brand recognition helps sales like it does for most businesses.
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  #560  
Old 03-15-2022, 12:29 PM
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I'm sure they make good knives and never said they didn't. I am also sure that their brand recognition helps sales like it does for most businesses.
There is no doubt name plays a part, but that is not a bad thing for guys that do consider collector value, and there is nothing wrong with that either. If you were fortunate enough to have bought a knife from my buddy Paul 5 or 6 years ago for 300 pound sterling you are glad you paid up because today that same knife is 1200 pound sterling or more, and a 5 year wait list.

It is certainly nice to have a knife you never worry about losing etc, but it is also nice to have a blade that continues to appreciate in value you can pass down to you kid and so on...
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  #561  
Old 03-15-2022, 12:31 PM
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Originally Posted by tirebob View Post
There is no doubt name plays a part, but that is not a bad thing for guys that do consider collector value, and there is nothing wrong with that either. If you were fortunate enough to have bought a knife from my buddy Paul 5 or 6 years ago for 300 pound sterling you are glad you paid up because today that same knife is 1200 pound sterling or more, and a 5 year wait list.

It is certainly nice to have a knife you never worry about losing etc, but it is also nice to have a blade that continues to appreciate in value you can pass down to you kid and so on...
For sure and that's been proven in this thread already as it sounds like chuck sold 2 of the 3 knives he just got in the mail. Can't go wrong with that.
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  #562  
Old 03-15-2022, 01:53 PM
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For sure and that's been proven in this thread already as it sounds like chuck sold 2 of the 3 knives he just got in the mail. Can't go wrong with that.
And, I am sure some Canadians make great knives. Just not willing to try them out when I know what I can get for a couple hundred scoots more.
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  #563  
Old 03-15-2022, 02:21 PM
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I went with a custom knife, mostly to get a blade shape and handle that suits me. I don't mind the blades on my Gerber ATS34, and 154CM, but I don't like the Buck 110 blade at all. I have only used my custom to do a four or five animals, but it has proven to be a very good blade design for me, and I have done an entire moose with that blade, without having to touch it up. I don't care about the brand name, or even about resale, just about how the knife performs for me.
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  #564  
Old 03-15-2022, 02:34 PM
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Agreed. No offence to any other Canadian makers, but I ordered one of these because of what was said by two guys whose abilities and opinions, I respect greatly. What has been said about heat treating is bang-on. I ain't spending $500 on a knife from a guy who does it as his hobby. I'd rather buy a Grohman or Benchmade for $200, as I'd know exactly what I was getting.

Benchmade Saddle Mountain Skinner works great for me. I wouldnt notice one iota difference buying a supposed step up.
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  #565  
Old 03-15-2022, 02:46 PM
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I'm sure they make good knives and never said they didn't. I am also sure that their brand recognition helps sales like it does for most businesses.
Good knife makers in Canada as well. Even some known names..

https://www.stevensonknives.ca/

Bought one of his caping knives a few years ago at a sheep show. Like a couple dozen other knives though, have never actually used it (yeah I've got a problem). Probably should, beautiful little knife for a caper
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  #566  
Old 03-15-2022, 03:11 PM
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I rate my knives on how much netwrap and twine they cut before they need sharpening. So far the outdoor edge replaceable blade wins.
My Dozier knife will not undergo this kind of treatment. The only other knife I liked was a knife Buck made for a while that needed sharpening on one side only.
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  #567  
Old 03-15-2022, 03:43 PM
Pathfinder76 Pathfinder76 is offline
 
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As long as you don’t skin animals wrapped in twine you are good. Lol.
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  #568  
Old 03-15-2022, 07:32 PM
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Well this thread has generated a lot of knife conversation. So I'll throw this one in the mix.

Last weekend, I was gifted an obviously "old" Russell Canada 4" belt knife. It is in poor shape (rust, small nick on the spine, and the scales are loose and half rotten). Came with a sheath but I don't believe it is an original. The bevel and edge are however in good shape.

I could be corrected, but I think it looks like a Grohmann #1 Original. I may be wrong...

Anyways...I started working on the metal, and will make new scales for it. I have many good knives and not planning on keeping it...Nice project...
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  #569  
Old 03-15-2022, 11:51 PM
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Originally Posted by 270person View Post
Benchmade Saddle Mountain Skinner works great for me. I wouldnt notice one iota difference buying a supposed step up.
Those are solid knives. Was one of my recommendations many pages ago. I had one in wood. Can be bought for about $200 today. It’s a bit long though. If I were to buy that model, I would go with the g10 handle, which I think also comes with s90v steel (vs s30v on wood), but it’s a bit pricier.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tirebob View Post
There is no doubt name plays a part, but that is not a bad thing for guys that do consider collector value, and there is nothing wrong with that either. If you were fortunate enough to have bought a knife from my buddy Paul 5 or 6 years ago for 300 pound sterling you are glad you paid up because today that same knife is 1200 pound sterling or more, and a 5 year wait list.

It is certainly nice to have a knife you never worry about losing etc, but it is also nice to have a blade that continues to appreciate in value you can pass down to you kid and so on...
The thing with this is that it won’t necessarily appreciate in value. In fact, most customs won’t and some you would have very hard time selling for a nominal loss. Some, like dozier, crotts, and ingram mentioned here, for example, you will fairly easily sell used for as much as you paid for them, but not much more (that would be today, who knows what happens a decade from now when Bob is in his 90’s, hopefully alive and well).

You can say the same about the production knives. Some are sure “money makers”, some will hold value, most will depreciate significantly after they touch paper/cardboard.

I bought this knife for $40 plus $9 shipping about… 10 years ago?, brand new.



There is nothing special about it (to me, at least). It’s an aus8 steel, made in Japan. I used it camping, no abuse, but did cut stuff on surfaces I shouldn’t have - kind of a “who cares” knife. However, if I happened to just throw the sealed box into a drawer and forget about it until now, I could get a couple of doziers or crotts for it, if the right person came along; a straight trade for a stag dozier would be a no brainer for most looking for this knife in a sealed box. I am talking about semi skinners and the like, not the “fancy stuff” Dozier has to offer.

So yes, while true, it isn’t necessarily the case that any given knife will appreciate in value. I, personally, also don’t see much difference if a production knife being passed along vs a custom. Most (or higher) value will be sentimental regardless, except for very rare occurrences. A fairly extreme example in regards to knives would be inheriting an Old Timer vs a Loveless. The former (or many of them) can be bought for under $100 dating back to the 70’s; the latter can be worth up to $20,000. Ironically, in many cases, both would be cherished, but not used; the rest, while some would chose to use the Old Timer, almost no one would use the Loveless. Something like this. Or is my train of thought anyway.


Side note, all this talk made me really itch and I contacted a couple of makers about a blade in MagnaCut. I have been thinking about it for a while, pretty much since the steel “hit the streets”, but now there is a real itch. We will see what happens.
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  #570  
Old 03-16-2022, 12:03 AM
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Also, speaking of Loveless, there is a very nice and expensive semi skinner in Loveless style on bladeforums for sale (popped up today) by a maker I know nothing about:



That would be the design that probably brought the doziers and crotts, among many others, that we are discussing in this thread. Wood is a shame (imho and lol), but it is a very nice looking knife.
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