New hunting knife - Spyderco Waterway Vs Benchmade Puukko 200...

Which should be a new deer hunting knife?

  • Spyderco Waterway - LC200N

    Votes: 23 59.0%

  • Benchmade Puukko - CPM 3V

    Votes: 7 17.9%

  • Just buy a Buck 110 like Uncle Randy

    Votes: 10 25.6%
  • Total voters
    39
B

Baggins

Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Messages
44
So I'm in a bit of a bind.

I have the cash for one of these knives for a deer hunting/ tramping (hiking) knife.
I'm not interested in these knives as "skinners" since I would mostly be punching/pulling the skin off warm.

But both knives would need to be able to gut/ bum hole removal, remove the back steaks, be narrow enough to get in and separate joints, remove the legs etc, and be nimble enough to use inside the chest cavity.

Both have decent steels, however..I'm torn.

The Benchmade
- Blade length and shape is great for what I need, however I'm not sure how good the grind would for these tasks - is it ground thin enough to be slicey? Plus the sheath is leather.

The Spyderco
Awesome steel which won't rust, and a better sheath for my application. However the blade is a bit longer and has a more acute point than I prefer. (This could be solved by cutting and reshaping the tip)
But it would almost be a carefree knife.

Does anyone have both of these knives that could post a picture of them together?
 
I'd choose neither of those.
I know you said you didn't need the knife for skinning. Still, the 200 Puukko has a scandi grind. It'll be fine for wood work when hiking and you of course did touch upon that. Not the best knife for working a deer carcass like you described.
The WW is more of a fillet knife and might not be optimal for the woods. Further more a little more belly would be better for working the deer carcass.

Maybe go for a Spyderco Moran (either drop or trailing point). Though VG10 is not as impervious to rust as LC200n, it's still a relatively low maintenance steel. For example the Moran might be a better knife for the purpose. Just IMO.
That it doesnt weigh much is an added bonus.
 
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I'd like to give the Waterway a try. I like the blade profile and length. The handle is comfortable and super grippy. I have never used LC200n, so that is the only thing that I am not too sure about.
 
I'm heavily biased toward Spyderco, but I would go with the Benchmade between those 2 for the given application. I prefer a blade length under 4" for game processing, though if you truly aren't using it for skinning, then that's less of an issue. Either knife could certainly do the job.
 
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Baggins said:
So I'm in a bit of a bind.

I have the cash for one of these knives for a deer hunting/ tramping (hiking) knife.
I'm not interested in these knives as "skinners" since I would mostly be punching/pulling the skin off warm.

But both knives would need to be able to gut/ bum hole removal, remove the back steaks, be narrow enough to get in and separate joints, remove the legs etc, and be nimble enough to use inside the chest cavity.

Both have decent steels, however..I'm torn.

The Benchmade
- Blade length and shape is great for what I need, however I'm not sure how good the grind would for these tasks - is it ground thin enough to be slicey? Plus the sheath is leather.

The Spyderco
Awesome steel which won't rust, and a better sheath for my application. However the blade is a bit longer and has a more acute point than I prefer. (This could be solved by cutting and reshaping the tip)
But it would almost be a carefree knife.

Does anyone have both of these knives that could post a picture of them together?
Click to expand...
Consider the fixed blade version of the Buck 110 which I believe is the Buck 101.
 
Baggins said:
I'm not a fan of clip points in general, and want a good steel. But thanks for the suggestion.
Click to expand...
No problem and good luck what the search. Let us know what you get. We love pics of knives in use or just hanging around the camp site. :D
 
BladeScout said:
I'd choose neither of those.
I know you said you didn't need the knife for skinning. Still, the 200 Puukko has a scandi grind. It'll be fine for wood work when hiking and you of course did touch upon that. Not the best knife for working a deer carcass like you described.
The WW is more of a fillet knife and might not be optimal for the woods. Further more a little more belly would be better for working the deer carcass.

Maybe go for a Spyderco Moran (either drop or trailing point). Though VG10 is not as impervious to rust as LC200n, it's still a relatively low maintenance steel. For example the Moran might be a better knife for the purpose. Just IMO.
That it doesnt weigh much is an added bonus.
Click to expand...
B Baggins I'm of the above thoughts as well. I don't have the bm but I do have the waterway and have been edcing it daily for about two months. I'm not much of a hunter but I can absolutely see the waterway being a bit long for the tasks you describe. The handle is particularly long imo. The waterway is very purpose driven. In that it excels, as well in regular edc tasks. It is fantastic in a pinch grip. The grind is super slicy (might not have enough belly for your tasks). The tip is needle like. And the steel? I am more than impressed. The sheath is just about perfect as well.

I can't recommend this knife enough, just maybe not for your purpose op. Of course you will never truly know what works best for you until you get a knife in hand and use it.

I'm working on a review of the waterway. Look for that in the knife reviews subforum shortly.

And pictures:

38AESTM.jpg

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4yO5vE1.jpg
 
BladeScout said:
the 200 Puukko has a scandi grind
Click to expand...

I agree and would also choose neither of these for a hunting knife, but the 200 Puukko doesn't have a scandi grind. The blade has a similar profile to an actual puukko but the grind is a saber grind with a distinct secondary v-bevel for the edge.
 
For your described use, in your price range, from these 2 manufacturers:

Benchmade Steep Country or Spyderco Bill Moran drop point.

I wouldn't use either of the knives you posted, but that is just me.
 
Baggins said:
I'm not a fan of clip points in general, and want a good steel. But thanks for the suggestion.
Click to expand...
Bucks 420 is pretty good, "miles" ahead of most other manufacturers 420, but I get your point.
When you are already spending north of $100 bucks, why not go for something that is just better.

Out of the two options you've posted though, I'd go with the Spyderco.
But I have little experience with field dressing, and it's been years since the last time I even hunted. I do remember using a more generic outdoors knife.
Probably a Brusletto Bamsen.
 
ekastanis said:
I agree and would also choose neither of these for a hunting knife, but the 200 Puukko doesn't have a scandi grind. The blade has a similar profile to an actual puukko but the grind is a saber grind with a distinct secondary v-bevel for the edge.
Click to expand...

I don't own the knife but just go by what BladeHQ called it (scandi).
https://www.bladehq.com/item--Benchmade-200-Puukko-Fixed-Blade--87838
It's not a traditional Puukko that we can agree on. Apart from that puukkos can be found both with and without a secondary bevel.
That goes for knives from both Finland and Scandinavia. (traditional or not). The main grind isn't set at a fixed height on the blade either. It would be a fallacy to state that a puukko would never come with a secondary bevel.

"Not every puukko has a high saber grind (or ‘wide flat Scandinavian grind’, as somebody said), and not every puukko lacks a secondary bevel, though typically they do"
A quote from this 'puukko purist' thread with some good puukko info:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/puukko-purist-questions.1460306/
 
ekastanis said:
Fair enough, I'm certainly no expert and I wasn't meaning to define a puukko, so perhaps the BM knife actually is one. All I meant is that it's not a scandi grind, I have one and BHQ is mistaken in their description.
Click to expand...
I don't claim to be an expert either and haven't handled the BM 200 puukko.
It's certainly not a traditional puukko and the concept certainly is being stretched by several makers but puukko just means 'a knife' for hunting and wood working. It doesn't automatically come with fixed parameters set in stone.

From the thread linked to:
Thomas Linton said:
If one of the seven Master Puukko Makers of Finland make a knife and call it a "puukko," it is probably safe to call it a "puukko." Some of their puukot have a very slightly trailing point.

By the standard of what Finnish Master Puukko Makers call "puukko," some puukot have fullers, and some do not, and some puukot have rhombic blades and some do not.

If the bevels are ground on a wheel, they may be slightly concave.

Many knives are being called "puukkos" that are spear-points and drop-points. Like "tactical" and "scandi," some have found that "puukko" sells. So what was once "Kephart" or a "bushcraft" pattern is transformed into a "puukko." We have seen the same with "Bowie," haven't we?

I own Helle knives. I like them. Their main bevel is nowhere as high as a traditional puukko. Most of their handles are not typical puukkot handles.

Ditto for Brusletto.

If there is a demand for a product, someone will usually make it or make something and claim it is the desired product. So if there is a demand for what would be a puukko but with a guard, we get a "puukko" with a guard, and communication suffers.
Click to expand...
 
Velitrius said:
For your described use, in your price range, from these 2 manufacturers:

Benchmade Steep Country or Spyderco Bill Moran drop point.

I wouldn't use either of the knives you posted, but that is just me.
Click to expand...

I have used the Bill Moran since it originally went on sale. It is the best field knife I have used when hunting, etc. I like the feel and light weight. Please check it out before you make a decision you may regret.

 
Can't go wrong with Uncle Randys Buck 110 however there's some really nice fixed blades in the knife makers for sale section. I'd look there too.
fBpXvPT.jpg
 
The Hidden Canyon from Benchmade would be one of my top choices for skinning deer. S30V would skin a many before it needed resharpened, plus it’s stainlessness would certainly come in handy.

That said, I’ve watched my Dad skin a lot of deer with his 110. He never took a fixed blade into the woods, just his old 110. It’s always a good option. I used his Golden Spike, and that worked well for me.
 
If you are set on a Buck or Spyderco knife for this I would look at the Vanguard I've owned two ... one in 420C (which Buck does well) and it will hold an edge and resharpen easily ...

if you definately want to up grade the steel Cabelas offers a Buck Vanguard in S30V in the Alaskan Guide Series ...

I have a few custom knives ... and some more expensive knives that have upgraded materials ... and yes they may not need sharpened as often and might be other benefits but they will cost considerably more ...

so it just depends on what you want to spend ... unless you want to spend quite a bit more ... I haven't used a knife better than the Buck Vanguard for deer hunting.
 
McFeeli said:
The Hidden Canyon from Benchmade would be one of my top choices for skinning deer. S30V would skin a many before it needed resharpened, plus it’s stainlessness would certainly come in handy.
Click to expand...

It's a little hard to get an accurate feel for the different knives being mentioned, as the local knife shops don't always have the biggest show rooms.

So what I say is purely based on photos and videos etc I have seen.
The Hidden Hunter seems to be a bit, well , stubby and squat. I feel more comfortable with a narrower blade, and slightly longer blade 3.5"-4" to do the rectum removal etc.

The Steep Mountain could be more up my alley, however again it's a bit wider in the blade than I prefer.
 
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