Folding Knife for Game Processing & Food Prep?

W

Wolfeye

Joined
Apr 26, 2015
Messages
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Hey everyone. Been a while since I was on here & was looking for suggestions on a good folder, the main idea is for it to be good for processing game & preparing food. Here's the specs (yes, I DO know I can get by without a lot of this- I just want to get a good one if I'm going to bother):

(1) I figure stainless might be a bit of a better idea (so it's not as likely to be rusty when I go to use it).
(2) I'd like a locking blade (not necessarily a deal-breaker, though).
(3) I definitely want one of those slants on the back of the tip so that it'll slide along meat & bone without the point digging into anything.
(4) Would like to be able to just rinse the whole thing off, no problem (not needing to seal anything or worry about the handle cracking).
(5) Would like for the blade to be solid enough to at least get a fire going (splitting pitch sticks & making a friction fire).
(6) Sharp & hard corners on the back for scuffing up tinder & striking a ferro rod would be great, too.
(7) Good grip, naturally (I'm working with oil & such).
(8) Would not mind an ambidextrous pocket clip.
(9) Would also not mind a wave on the back (or a thumb hole that I can make one out of).
(10) Hopefully, it's not a huge/chunky affair that's hard to carry around.
(11) Don't know what to call it, but I'd like a bit of swoop to the whole blade or the edge metal for being able to put more edge against the food- instead of just using the very tip.
(12) Plain edge without serrations (maybe some kind of "scaling notches" or whatever they're called on the back).

Well, guys- that's my Top 12. Where can I get something like this? Hopefully cheap, but I'd prefer to know about an expensive one than not.
 
I think you'll have a lot of options that will tick off all of your requests save one - the ability to split wood.

IMO, splitting wood with a folder is a recipe for damage to the locking mechanism. Really, the only locking folder I feel even close to comfortable with slitting wood with is the Opinel #10 (available in stainless or carbon) and that is because the lock ring can be entirely disengaged.

In terms of using a knife with a fero rod, IME, that's something you need to be willing to mod to achieve. Put the blade in a padded vice and wrap a dowel with course wet/dry sand paper to sharpen.

If you want to split wood as a must-have, I would recommend a fixed blade with a blade in the 4" range. The Mora Companion would do everything you listed.

If can give up on splitting (and settle for making feather sticks and shavings), I would recommend any locking folder that you like with a proven blade shape.

I just picked up a Buck 721 Slimline, a Walmart exclusive (sounds wrong, right?) that fits your criteria perfectly. These are available for around $20 give or take and have Buck's excellent BOS heat treated 420HC.


Not my picture... The Slimline is the top and the more broadly available Spitfire is on the bottom. Both knives are available in silver, green and orange but for in the woods, I would recommend orange.
 
I don't think it meets every criteria you listed and I'm not sure how it would be for processing game but I'v used a Spyderco pacific salt in the kitchen everyday for about a year and it has held up great. I've also taken it in the ocean many times and it has definitely lived up to Spyderco's claims. It might be worth a look.
 
This is my opinion- you need more than one knife to fit you criteria. A folder and fix blade combo. For the folder part, after reading your list a Emerson cqc 8 came to mind. Stainless, wave, awesome handle, slant on back of blade tip, the whole knife can be rinsed off without issue, awesome swoop to the blade. Easily can be sharpened out and about. Plus great warranty. It comes at a price but I think it's worth it. A little cheaper option is the horseman, same knife just a little smaller.
 
Another recomendation for the Buck 721 or 722, and since they are so inexpensive, get a good light weight hatchet.
 
Lots of folding hunters on the market. Case, Rough Rider, Schrade, Puma, Colt, Marbles, and many more, all make a 1 or two blade folding hunter, in addition to the Trapper and Moose patterns. Obviously, the Buck 110 Folding Hunter would meet your needs, as would tge Old Timer 6OT and 7OT, the Uncle Henry LB7.
If you want a "modern" knife rather than a traditional, Buck makes a few that are worthy of consideration, the Ontario RAT 1 or 2 with the drop point blade would be another option.
As for serrations ... in 50 plus years of hunting and dressing game, I've never needed them, nor found serrations to make the job easier or faster. If anything, they made it slower and more difficult, especially when it comes to dressing the hide.

EDIT: I did not see your "split wood" requirement.
NO folding knife is suitable for splitting wood. A knife is a cutting tool. If you need to split wood, use the proper tool; an axe, hatchet, or even a tomahawk. Batoning a knife is never a good idea. Batoning a folding knife is asking for disaster.
 
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It doesn't have a thumb hole, but you can get aftermarket thumb studs on a Buck 110.
 
You'll need a fixed blade to split wood for sure. In an emergency, you can split wood without damaging it maybe if you disengage the locking mechanism first, which makes the procedure a little precarious and less safe. A fixed blade is always going to be more sanitary for cleaning game. When I was a very young man, I used my buck 110 to clean a mess of squirrels. Meat and blood was in every nook and cranny for some time after. I never used a folder again after that to process game unless it's all I had with me, which I made it a point to be a rare occasion after that. [emoji41]
 
I would check out the benchmade grizzly. It a beautiful super well built hunting knife. Its super sharp, and it has a gut hook.

Here are some pics


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Velitrius said:
I'm not a Cold Steel guy.... at all.

But I can't argue with this.

Not "cheap" though.
Click to expand...

I hear you, neither am I but the ultimate hunter is a very nice knife. Maybe not my first choice for edc. But to process game it is hard to beat
 
When you say game processing are you referring to field dressing, or skinning, butchering etc? I used to use a Spyderco Delica for field dressing deer, antelope etc, for quite a while. You don't need a big honking blade for 99.9% of field dressing chores, and anything larger can be a liability and downright dangerous. (Having both your hands inside of a chest cavity, working by feel alone with a 5" razor sharp blade? Not so good......) A 2-3" blade should be just fine. I have since moved onto a fixed blade bcuz of ease of cleanup, as the knife will get covered in all kinds of icky stuff that's difficult at best, if not downright impossible to clean properly. With a fixed blade it's just wash, and go! Just my .02, but I really believe you will be happier with a fixed blade in the long run. Good luck with whatever u choose! :thumbup:
 
Here it is except stainless (never a problem for me), long forgotten - never to be made again.


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Cold Steel Ultimate Hunter for sure. Very strong and great cts xhp stainless steel. The name suggests whats it good for
 
The least expensive option that will get you in the game is the kabar 4062 dozier hunter ($20). Stay away from anything with too many moving parts and crevices where blood can gunk up (ie benchmade). I prefer a lock back with an adjustable pivot screw for easy take down and cleaning. A few more to consider are the spyderco stretch (based off of the old wegner hunter design) and cold steel ultimate hunter as previously mentioned. Blade tech has some wegner designs but the best ones are discontinued. Getting back to the kabar, there are no steel liners to rust or retain moisture/blood and you can take the knife apart by removing just 1 screw (the pivot). It's tip up carry left/right, and the aus8 steel sharpens up super fast with any stone. Avail in high vis colors too. Probably my favorite $20 knife in production.
 
Here's a pic of one of mine. I have 3 of them in different colors. This one I've used as fishing knife for years for all the reasons I mentioned above. Also included a pic of a new one.


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I know everyone's recommending the Ultimate Hunter, and it's a great knife, but I honestly think the AK-47 might check off more of your list. Only problem is that it is a bit of a chunk to carry around.
 
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