I'm looking for a new hunting knife & looking at the ESSE 4 or 5 or the Tops Fieldcraft, kind of leaning toward the Tops, anyone using either of these knives & like one over the other.
Sidearms & Scatterguns Hunting Knife
- Thread starter TmisterE
- Start date
For hunting, the 4 will probably be your best bet over the 5. I have no experience with the TOPS knife. The 5 is a quarter inch thick sharpened prybar, where as the 4 is a much more traditionally sized knife. I used my ESEE CM6 this last season to good effect in cleaning and skinning.
I'm a big fan of ESEE knives. Ive owned almost every one of the original models at one time or another.
I'm a big fan of ESEE knives. Ive owned almost every one of the original models at one time or another.
I have a Tops Field B.O.B. knife.
Like its size and heft, has a great hand feel, seems to hold an edge well enough, keep it oiled its carbon steel.
What I dont like is the cera coat or whatever they put on it.
Id like to use the spine to strike sparks but the coating wont let it happen.
The shango notch or whatever they call it kind of sucks for making sparks. It always seems to put the blade in an attitude to hurt you when trying to use it.
Reasonable price for a knife that is otherwise bomb proof.
Like its size and heft, has a great hand feel, seems to hold an edge well enough, keep it oiled its carbon steel.
What I dont like is the cera coat or whatever they put on it.
Id like to use the spine to strike sparks but the coating wont let it happen.
The shango notch or whatever they call it kind of sucks for making sparks. It always seems to put the blade in an attitude to hurt you when trying to use it.
Reasonable price for a knife that is otherwise bomb proof.
I stopped using a “hunting knife” to dress deer a long time ago. Now I use one of these little knives and strop it till it’s a razor. It has about a 3” blade and I find it’s really nimble and makes it easier. Hatchet on the pelvis.
I stopped using a “hunting knife” to dress deer a long time ago. Now I use one of these little knives and strop it till it’s a razor. It has about a 3” blade and I find it’s really nimble and makes it easier. Hatchet on the pelvis.
I have the exact same knife but in the set with the larger drop point blade with a gut hook and a small bone saw with three finger tee handle.
They hold an edge fairly well but the small caping knife has a slightly different edge geometry than the larger skinning knife and I use a two sided strop on it to maintain a proper edge.
I tell you, once you clean one with those little guys you’ll wonder why you ever did it with a big knife. Just way more control, and way easier to work cutting around all the parts you want to contain.
Of course useless on the pelvis, so if you’re a one and only one knife guy this isn’t for you. I tend to have an unreasonable number of knives with me at all times. Right tool for the right job and all that.
My wife will grab a pairing knife in the kitchen 99% of the time no matter what. Drives me nuts, but I never say anything, like, “You’re gona cut that ham with a pairing knife?”.
Of course useless on the pelvis, so if you’re a one and only one knife guy this isn’t for you. I tend to have an unreasonable number of knives with me at all times. Right tool for the right job and all that.
My wife will grab a pairing knife in the kitchen 99% of the time no matter what. Drives me nuts, but I never say anything, like, “You’re gona cut that ham with a pairing knife?”.
At a real computer now. Nope. It's called a "Cub Bear". It doesn't really matter. I just believe that cleaning a deer is a lot easier with a very small knife.
I still always wear a "hunting knife" (Fallkniven S1) in a sheath when I'm out, but it's mostly so that if a wolf ambushes me and I can't draw I can stab it to death.
I still always wear a "hunting knife" (Fallkniven S1) in a sheath when I'm out, but it's mostly so that if a wolf ambushes me and I can't draw I can stab it to death.
I’m a big fan of the havalon. The quick change out blades, fairly cheap cost so Incase you misplace it. I really like the idea of just swapping a blade rather than having to make sure it’s sharp. That and the havalon blade has a little bit of flex to it that makes things really easy.
CRKT was selling a three pack of fixed blade scalpels for dressing. Used them last year to good effect as well.
And that's the thing. There are lots of one and only one knife guys. It's a Tom Brown ethos. But, you have a dozen knives in the block in the kitchen, you need a dozen in the field specialized for all sorts of tasks.
You don't want a skinning/capeing knife to have incredible edge retentionlike a utility knife. It's much better to use steel that is easy to sharpen and get really sharp. As long as it holds an edge for a couple of animals that's all you want.
Kind of OT, but I also have this Knives of Alaska "Coho" fillet knife a friend gave me for Christmas, and I prefer it over the Shun and the Dalstrong I have. It's also really easy to sharpen scary sharp, and it's kind of the opposite. I find that a big fillet knife makes going through a big pile of fish a lot easier as opposed to a "normal" Rapalla sized knife.
I was wondering about those. I can see more than a few reasons that would come in handy.
I've also seen guys who are really good with a Wyoming Knife dress a deer like it was a race. If you don't have to unzip and gut at all but are just removing hide a pro skinner, a short knife with a heavy curve, it the right tool. I find they're a pain to gut with though.
rth1800...you are hard core. I have several Randals that come from various family members, and I would never consider altering them at all in a million years. I don't even use them. They're like museum pieces. My Dad's Denmark is my favorite knife.
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