IN PRAISE of Are Status Symbols, Specialized Stab, and Pry
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TRUE LOVE Sparks fly as Dan Frazee grinds a custom chopper. A WELL-HONED LOOK AT THE SPORTSMAN’S O HUNTERS, KNIVES are more or offered sure solutions to myriad challenges MOST IMPORTANT—AND CHERISHED—TOOL than just items in our pack. They as the implement they use to cut, scrape, slice, BY DAVID RHEA PHOTOGRAPHS BY JOHN KEATLEY IN PRAISE OF are status symbols, specialized stab, and pry. cutting instruments, cherished These days, there are more knife choices than T heirlooms, and campsite multi- early man could have imagined. But even in all of tools. Each knife has a unique its newfangled incarnations, the knife remains history, but together knives share a heritage as our most reliable tool. Whatever the need or humankind’s oldest tool. From sharpened bone circumstance, from whittling a toothpick to and broken stone to knapped flint and whetted rendering a 1,000-pound elk into meat for the metal, throughout history nothing has so con- table, the knife is the trusted companion of the sistently helped hunters perform their tasks hand and the great edged icon of the outdoors. 52 august 2012 outdoor life outdoor life august 2012 53 4 1 5 THE ELEMENTS OF FUNCTION 2 Four legendary knife makers on what constitutes the perfect hunting knife Game 6 care3 tip 0 LENGTH BLADE STYLE “Four inches, give or take “My favorite blade style is half an inch, is about right. If what I call a modified semi- the point is too far from the skinner design, popularized FILLETING hand, it’s difficult to 1 by Bob Loveless. In my & BONING control during precise opinion, it is the perfect INTO THE FOLD cutting actions.” all-around hunting knife Use a knife with The Boker Epicenter a sharp, some- folder is both hand- —Michael Janich blade shape.” some and handy. —Tim Wegner what flexible 6- to 8-inch blade that PROS & CONS 1. SOG WOODLINE has a slightly 2 FIXED BLADE upswept tip or trailing point. BLADE LENGTH FIXED BLADES VS. FOLDERS 4.8 in. When remov- Which knife design is best for hunters? ing backstraps, WEIGHT hold the knife 8.3 oz. SPINE STEEL IXED BLADE or folder? It’s a decision all hunters face when flat and rock it STEEL “The spine should have “Crucible CPM S30V is choosing the knife they’ll carry on a hunt. Based on jimping—or grooves—in stainless and has great back and forth 8Cr13MoV 3 conversations with knife makers CJ Buck and Edmund key places so you can have edge retention. I have no as you cut along F Davidson, there are arguments for both. PRICE security with many different use for a hunting knife that the backbone. $60 holding positions.” will not keep its edge for When boning Says Davidson, the very nature of a folding knife means there is a —Edmund Davidson an entire elk or moose.” meat, use the weak spot in its construction. “The fixed blade is much less likely to —Tim Wegner knife’s tip to fail under pressure.” Buck also prefers a fixed blade. “It’s trustworthy feel your way in hand for what can be awkward game-processing tasks,” he says. 2. KERSHAW 1050 around the ani- The expediency of cleaning the knife is also a factor. “When you’re FOLDING FIELD field dressing an animal, materials like hair, fat, and blood can coat the 4 mal’s skeletal BLADE LENGTH structure as mechanism of a folder and fill its channeled handle,” Buck points out. 3.75 in. However, Buck and Davidson both understand why some hunt- you disjoint WEIGHT ers choose a folding knife. “For one, a folder is compact and packs up and quarter 8.6 oz. or remove the nicely,” says Davidson. “There have been many advances over the years in materials, processes, and designs that make today’s locking folders STEEL meat from the AUS-8A CHOIL & GUARD DESIGN carcass. stronger than they have ever been,” adds Buck. “A subtle, understated guard “A fixed-blade knife is as The two agreed that choosing a hunting knife is much like choosing PRICE $100 provides enough of a stop useful and reliable as an a hunting rifle—it boils down to personal taste and preference. to protect the hand without all-around tool as it is for adversely affecting maneu- breaking down an animal verability and dexterity.” carcass. In that respect, —Michael Janich it’s a practical design.” From old-world craftsmen to Far East mass- —Edmund Davidson WHERE KNIVES ARE MADE production plants, our knives come from all over 1 UNITED 2 SHEFFIELD, 3 SOLINGEN, 4 MANIAGO, 5 GUANGDONG, 6 SEKI, STATES ENGLAND GERMANY 1 ITALY 4 CHINA JAPAN Domestic sales This cutlery town Makers like Boker, This is the tradi- Due to the availabil- The strong4 yen has have never been has a long, rich Zwilling, J.A. tional home of the ity of cheap labor, 1 forced most pro- better, but much of history, but accord- Henckels, and Puma Italian-made stiletto many companies duction to China. the production of ing to sources, high have long thrived in switchblade.2 Latama5 have a production However, U.S. HANDLE SHEATH mid- to low-priced wages and regu- this historic cutlery1 and 4Fox knives are facility or subcon- companies like “I like an ergonomic handle “A custom-molded sheath knives has been sent lation has hurt town. made here. tractor here. 2 Spyderco,5 Al Mar, because hand fatigue during made of Boltaron or Kydex is abroad. Knives manufacturing here. SOG, and CRKT still field dressing or skinning impervious to the elements made in the U.S. produce knives here. can be the cause of serious and holds the knife securely are generally in the 2 1 3 5 4 1 4 injury. Anything that in place with a snap fit.” premium tier. 6 makes the knife easier to —Michael Janich 3 6 hold on to is a plus.” —CJ Buck 1 4 5 2 5 3 2 6 THE EXPERTS: CJ Buck, President, Buck Knives; 2 5 Edmund Davidson, custom knife maker; Michael PICTURED: A Bill Siegle 3 3 Janich, Special Projects Coordinator, Spyderco; fixed-blade drop point, 6 6 Tim Wegner, Founder, Blade-Tech Industries slightly modified by Dan Frazee. Approx. $250. LUKE NILSSON RIGHT: TOP 3 6 IN PRAISE OF KNIVES DROP CLIP PROFILE OF A KNIFE MAKER POINT POINT A MAN SHAPE OF STEEL A drop point is the perfect shape for a knife O CONSTRUCT blade that needs to handle various butchering tasks like cutting, skinning, and carving. a tool with your T hands that will be AESTHETICS used for years is more Many hunters prefer the aesthetic value satisfying than anything else. of a more traditional design, which the This is the motivation that drives clip point offers. Dan Frazee as he crafts knives in the garage of his Tumwater, VERSATILITY Washington, home. IN THEIR IMAGE The drop point is typically thicker, especially at As a knife maker, Frazee is Blade templates are the tip, compared to a clip point. This makes it currently somewhere between used to trace designs a more versatile tool for game-care tasks, like onto the steel. beginner and breakthrough. The disjointing and prying. 36-year-old physical therapist PRECISION began making knives in 2000, but With a concave clip on a relatively short blade, has since taken his craft beyond CHOOSE THE RIGHT BLADE the user can extend the index finger along the the hobby phase. Making sense of the alphabet soup of steel designations back of the blade for a scalpel-style grip. The “I started out doing a few kit fingertip can be used as a depth stop. knives, and I was hooked,” he Though their compositions vary slightly, these popular says. But those with steel in their CARBON carbon steels share similar characteristics and applications. SAFETY hearts don’t stop there. “It kind With the drop point tip plunging down under the of snowballed,” he admits. type our pick the good the bad blade’s spine line, there is less of a chance of Graduating from hand files unintentionally puncturing a hide, a gut sack, and sandpaper, Frazee began 01; ontario Carbon steel is easy to forge Carbon steel is not corrosion- or anything else you don’t intend to cut. 5160; spec plus and differentially heat-treat resistant. Also, the harder it to make major investments in 1095 gen ii sp42 and sharpen, making it perfect gets, the more brittle his passion: A belt grinder, a for big outdoor utility knives. it becomes. SLICING The upswept tip of a clip blade generally metal lathe, two drill presses, offers more edge area, which allows a forced-air forge, and a milling Stainless steel is less susceptible to corrosion and wear. for long, graceful cuts. machine—among other tools of STAINLESS Groups are based on the similarity of their characteristics. the trade—now share space in BALANCE his 13-by-15-foot shop. type our pick the good the bad A drop point is a balanced design that is Frazee’s progress escalated comfortable in various grip configurations. with help from some modern aus-8; b0ker magnum Inexpensive; low carbide Low-end steels are A well-designed drop point blade can offer masters, such as custom knife 440c; counts make them easy softer and less several index points. 8cr13mov elk maker Todd Begg, Timascus hunter to sharpen. corrosion-resistant. co-creator Bill Cottrell, and ABS Mastersmith Ed Caffrey. 420hc; gerber Affordable, with more Some issues with “You can always learn some- 12c27 gator hardness than previous corrosion resistance and 400-series steels.