I'm looking for recommendations/ advice on a good folding knife for hunting. Preferably stainless, good steel and not too heavy. As for price...... less than $200..... but happy to spend far less.
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I'm looking for recommendations/ advice on a good folding knife for hunting. Preferably stainless, good steel and not too heavy. As for price...... less than $200..... but happy to spend far less.
This could get interesting... Had a good run with buck bantam, Gerber paraframe a bit smalll
Mercators have stood the test of time and fits your budget easily
I have a Spyderco Stretch in ZDP-189 but I doubt it will really do a much better job (it will stay a lot sharper, a lot longer though)
Opinel , very well priced and made from good quality steel. Won't make your mates jealous with cool features or name but it will get the job done Everytime.
Opinel or Mercator. Neither are stainless but both are cheap and very good steel. Out of the two (I've owned both) I would go with the Opinel, they come in a variety of sizes and being a wooden handle you can shape the handle with a rasp to fit your hand.
I'm not a knife expert, but liked the look of this drop point and went for it. Very happy a few months down the line.
Gerber Gator 154 cm Drop-Point Folder, Fine Edge - 22-06064
Opinel Inox, no. 9. Stainless blade, hold an edge amazingly well. Cheap, so not a great loss if you lose it, but you will miss having it. The beech handles have a warmth to them that you don't get with others.
Opinel number 8 drop point, rare to find here in NZ, I got that one in France. Took care of all the buchering of my last deer.Attachment 49978
Opinel Knife Stainless Steel No. 8 | Trade Me
not a drop point, but with the range this guy carries, I wold be surprised if he can't get them.
I have an Opinel that is at least 20 years old, and although it has not been used on butchering animals, it has had a hard life and still get an edge back real easy on an oil stone. I relly like the locking mechanism on these little knives, as very positive
I've used Opinels for cutting things like cheese and salami, seemed like nice enough steel but not built very solidly for harder use?
I prefer a fixed blade for a hunting knife, but I have a Kershaw folder that I quite like.
Mercator, a cut above the rest
Opinel. Cheap as chips (literally) and good steel, easy to get razor sharp. Very light weight. Locking mech is surprisingly strong, good enough for field dressing. My one is going on 15 years now, it's been sharpened that much it looks like a large toothpick
The locking mechanism broke on my Mercator, less than a year old
Extremely handy knife
Svord folders are ok but don't lock
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My Mercator Broke (the spring steel bit that locks blade ) :( 3 yrs old , wouldn't buy Another .
Hi guys, if anybody is interested in buying my one, but it has a serrated edge, its your to your door for $55......
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3...psn24rqvki.jpg
The Gerber's are great knives
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My thoughts on Opinel. I have a #12 which is with John Worthington at the moment for a refurb. It was bought in Paris and has been in the family for several generations. Lovely knife, but I'm not going to use it for hunting and fishing trips any more. Neither the wooden handle or blade cope with being wet very well. The handle swells and the blade rusts. I would hope that the modern ones are better though. When I get my knife back from John, it will go in to semi-retirement and be used on family picnics. It'll be ideal for cutting brie!
Edit: On the plus side, the Opinels hold their edge exceptionally well.
marcators are great...there are cheap ripoffs which maybe where you guys are having issues
love my Svord folder....it stays open and Im buggered if I can see where guys have issues with it closing when in use (unless the doing pig sticking thing as shown in hunt for wilderpeople)
the ones hunting and fishing give away with licence have always been ok...one of the early ones is similar in size n shape to the above gerber and Ive cut up a lot of deer with mine.
if you spending more than $75 -$100 you spending too much
a $10 Bacho fixed blade in nifty plastic sheath is better than a lot of the junk out there now...and if you loose it you can buy another without mortgaging the house.
Eka swede 10.
+1 Opinel – the French peasants knife. Probably the equivalent of Bahco in folders.
I have a fetish about them, have several right down to small non locker that hangs on my van’s key ring.
Wife has nice green handled one – possibly carried in the depths of her handbag oh dear.
Cheap, excellent steel still after many many years in production. Thin scalpel like blade that holds a reasonable edge. Probably not a fashionably knife to flash around though, not garish enough.
My other favorite folder is my Schrade Old Timer. No a recommendation though as the genuine Schrade company went bust several years ago.
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hi mightyboosh i hope your knife isnt with me i sent it back on monday:) i like the opinels nice and lite if field dressing is to hard on them your doing it wrong
cheers john
I've only ever used mercators, make sure they're genuine ones. Had 3 in the last 20 years. Still have my first one Dad gave me as a kid - it lives in my survival pouch now. They do get a bit sloppy after a bit of use, but if you clean and lubricate them regularly they seem to last well in my experience. I've gutted, skinned, boned out countless animals (like 100's) with mine and had no problems.
I use a gerber gator with guthook. Has a orange handle that I really like as I have lost a few knives.
I like it, and if I lost it would consider buying the same thing again.
I do wish it stayed sharp longer though.
But like others, I do prefer a fixed blade knife if practical to carry
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One of the best folders I have for skinning is the Gerber Game Pro (now discontinued :oh noes:). Overall length is 7", closed 4.1", 3"drop point skinning blade.
Great knife for flaying the skin off any animal goat size or larger. Pair it up with a straight bladed folder for boning out and you have the best of both worlds.
If you see one laying in a shop as old stock I strongly suggest buying it.
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Attachment 49992
If you got guts on your rifle something went wrong!! But I agree knifes need a bit of tlc. Especially if using it in the rain, unavoidable on the island
Awesome response! thanks for all the great feedback. there sure are a lot of mercator and opinel fans out there! I was leaning towards the eka 10. I have been carrying a fixed blade till now but it is kinda heavy and prone to rust. Looking forward to hearing what everyone else has to say. Anyone have first hand experience with the eka 10?
If you can find one of theses on the net there a great knife NRA hunting knife
Attachment 50010
Not a folder but two short skinners i made
Attachment 50013
Looks like the ducks nuts
svords are average, mercators are ok too, mostly comes down to whether you can sharpen them properly as i reckon the angle needs to be a bit flatter to offset the steel hardness
the bahco is great but doesnt really fold and eventually needs to be stoned to bring it back and you have to have the angle just right again becasuse of the steel composition
using a vg10 spyderco for the moment, might be a little out of your price bracket, did 2 deer and a pig with only steeling where necessary although with the super steels you gotta pick what sharpening steel you use
Mercator