Like the title says for everyone who has had or carried one what do you think, if you've had both how do they compare, what handle material has been your favorite, etc, etc, I want to hear opinions, ideas, and everything else from those that have owned, used, and carried one or both. Comparison and in hand pictures are definitely welcomed.
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Winkler Knives Blue Ridge Hunter vs Belt Knife Thoughts
- Thread starter Walker93
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JJ_Colt45
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I have handled both but only own the Blue Ridge Hunter ... and then I also own a Winkler II Hunting Knife ... which is a bit different from the Blue Ridge Hunter or Belt knife.
I love both my Winklers ... I have the maple handled versions ... they are comfortable and both have field dressed several animals ... I prefer wood handles for knives used to field dress or process game for easier clean up ... and on these Winklers IMHO the maple handles look great.
Just my personal preference I prefer the Winkler Hunting Knife by a very slight margin over the Blue Ridge Hunter ... but it is so close I couldn't say one is better ... if I had to chose between the Blue Ridge and the Belt Knife I would go Blue Ridge ... it is slightly smaller then the Belt Knife but is plenty big for any use I have.
I will say the blades are a bit thick and I did send one to Jason B. here from the forums ... he does great free hand water stone sharpening ... and had him thin out the edge a bit and convex it slightly and he did a great job ... and improved the abilities of the knife which were good straight out of the box.
I love both my Winklers ... I have the maple handled versions ... they are comfortable and both have field dressed several animals ... I prefer wood handles for knives used to field dress or process game for easier clean up ... and on these Winklers IMHO the maple handles look great.
Just my personal preference I prefer the Winkler Hunting Knife by a very slight margin over the Blue Ridge Hunter ... but it is so close I couldn't say one is better ... if I had to chose between the Blue Ridge and the Belt Knife I would go Blue Ridge ... it is slightly smaller then the Belt Knife but is plenty big for any use I have.
I will say the blades are a bit thick and I did send one to Jason B. here from the forums ... he does great free hand water stone sharpening ... and had him thin out the edge a bit and convex it slightly and he did a great job ... and improved the abilities of the knife which were good straight out of the box.
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I've got the belt knife with maple handles. It's the only I've handled as they were very hard to come by up here when I got it.
I find it to be an awesome knife and the feel of the wood really suits the look and intent of the knife. I really bias towards G10 on all the knives I take into the woods and bash around but on this one I wouldn't trade it for the other handle materials.
I find it to be an awesome knife and the feel of the wood really suits the look and intent of the knife. I really bias towards G10 on all the knives I take into the woods and bash around but on this one I wouldn't trade it for the other handle materials.
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It really depends on what you plan to use it for. For a defensive knife I prefer the sculpted handle Belt knife. For utility the Blue Ridge with smooth micarta or maple or maybe stag.
For utility the Winkler II Hunter is great too. I believe of these 3 the Blue Ridge is the only one without a taper tang, but I'm not really up to date on all the current offerings.
For utility the Winkler II Hunter is great too. I believe of these 3 the Blue Ridge is the only one without a taper tang, but I'm not really up to date on all the current offerings.
Pretty late for this thread, but here are my two Cents:
Own a Blue Ridge Hunter in sculpted maple, great knive and After I thinned out the edge i was able to get it hairpoppin' sharp. It came that way out of the box, but somehow i found it difficult to resharpen myself (Which i did not blame myself sice my other 20+ knives always shave).
That beeing said, Im pretty Happy with it.
Just replacing it for a Belt Knife haunts my mind recently. I Love the tappered tang and would love it on the blue ridge too.
One more thing: i found the specail shape of the Winklers pretty User/workfriendly, but id rather have less jimping at the back, since I intuitively Rest my thumb a bit more at the Front, and the grooves are somehow behind my thumb.
But that might just be me.
Greets and stay safe.
Own a Blue Ridge Hunter in sculpted maple, great knive and After I thinned out the edge i was able to get it hairpoppin' sharp. It came that way out of the box, but somehow i found it difficult to resharpen myself (Which i did not blame myself sice my other 20+ knives always shave).
That beeing said, Im pretty Happy with it.
Just replacing it for a Belt Knife haunts my mind recently. I Love the tappered tang and would love it on the blue ridge too.
One more thing: i found the specail shape of the Winklers pretty User/workfriendly, but id rather have less jimping at the back, since I intuitively Rest my thumb a bit more at the Front, and the grooves are somehow behind my thumb.
But that might just be me.
Greets and stay safe.
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