Need a New Hunting Knife

T

TheWolf57

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Jul 2, 2015
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I'm looking for a new hunting knife. My main use for the knife is field dressing and processing game. I've been looking at the Cold Steel San Mai Hunter & the Kellam Puukko. Price range is around $100. No folders. What do you guys think?
 
Becker BK-15 currently discount priced due to the model being discontinued - get 'em while you can. <$50.00
 
Look for a used Bark River. You may have to scour the Internet to hit your $100 mark, but totally worth it.
 
The Cold Steel is not bad, but for mine you can't go past the Buck Vanguard or, as mentioned above, the Becker BK-15. I've used both on goats and pigs and they've never let me down.
 
Though I love puukot, and I thought the CS and Kellam were the only choices in your OP, I have been getting very good use out of my BK-15 for food prep (great for boning and spatchcocking chickens, trims steaks and ribs). I have taken it to a rabbit here on the farm and it was tremendous. But I have not used it for larger game. I suspect it would do extremely well. It also is a great camp knife for fire prep all-around tasks.

Zieg
 
Svord Curved Skinner. 5 3/4" blade, L6 steel, differentially heat treated. Economy, Deluxe or Master Cutler.
Svord%20Curved%20Skinner%20-%205.75%20Inches%20-%20Mahogany%20Handle%20Model%20%20677BB%20copy.jpg

http://www.svord.com/index.php
 
Ditto on the Fallkniven H1. The Spyderco Moran is another good one in that price range.
 
The Fallknivens are great but all over $100. A great many terrific drop point hunting knives are available but prices are higher.
The CS Master Hunter (in Carbon V) I bought in 1994 was my dressing knife for about 12 years. I bought it because my Buck
Vanguard's tip broke off. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the CS MH in Sanmai or the now offered 3V version.
 
I can tell you from experience the carbon steel Kellam will likely rust lightning fast. I can use my Moras in the woods without any concerns of corrosion in normal circumstances. However, the blood and fat on the blade from field dressing a deer will corrode the blade on my Mora Companion literally in minutes. Faster than I can wipe it off after I am done. Not a big deal on a $15 Mora, but might be a bigger concern on a $80 Kellam. I am not talking patina either, its real red rust that has to be buffed off with something abrasive. Don't forget staining the pretty wood grip.

The Cold Steel Master Hunter would be a much better choice. That is a knife intended to dress game. Stainless steel, rubber grip, and it will tolerate a good scrubbing afterward in a creek or the sink with warm soapy water.
 
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Save a touch longer and grab a Benchmade Saddle Mountain Skinner or maybe one of Bark Rivers many models. Cold Steel is an ok place to start in the knife world but, later you will wish you spent just a bit more for a much nicer, better quality knife that not everyone who shops at Walmart has. Trust me, you won't regret anything but the wait to save the extra coin.
 
Sorry but the Cold Steel Master Hunter is a far cry from a "starter knife" and it sure isn't a "Walmart knife" if you are using to term to suggest a cheap toy of a knife.
I'm not addressing all the knives made by CS, just this particular model.
I don't think there is any hunter who has actually used one to dress game who would think so. And that's even when they own much better/more expensive knives like I do.
 
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What game are you using this knife on? Big game in my area means whitetail and sometimes black bear. To me there's a big distinction between field dressing and processing. For deer sized game the knife I usually have on me in the field is a 35 year old gerber fixed blade. It's a smallish 2-3" drop point and to me it's 100% perfect for field dressing. Processing that takes place back home is a different matter. While the San Mai Hunter is a great knife it's a little big for my taste when it comes to field dressing deer let alone smaller sized game.

Mike
 
Tachead01 said:
Save a touch longer and grab a Benchmade Saddle Mountain Skinner or maybe one of Bark Rivers many models. Cold Steel is an ok place to start in the knife world but, later you will wish you spent just a bit more for a much nicer, better quality knife that not everyone who shops at Walmart has. Trust me, you won't regret anything but the wait to save the extra coin.
Click to expand...

I think you have the wrong idea about Cold Steel. They make some cheaper knives, but some of their stuff is on par with any of the bigger production knife companies, Benchmade included. In fact I have a Benchmade at home that is shamed by a Cold Steel at half the cost.
 
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