*Note that I made a price/model mistake regarding the Benchmade Gripptilian. The model shown is actually an Emmisary. Pricing with all the modifications (mine has a custom logo on it, etc…) is closer to $250. Apologies for any confusion.
Many hunting guides and professional butchers never use a knife that costs them more then $30-$50.
You usually get what you pay for, and to some extent knives are no different. Expensive hunting knives are made out of “better” steel, higher cost handle material, etc… However, when it comes to knives, a higher price tag doesn’t necessarily mean a better tool for the job.
Lower cost knives actually provide some advantages in many hunting and game processing applications. I go over these advantages and how you can take advantage of them in this video.
00:00 – Intro
01:40 – Every Day Carry Knives
06:25 – Hunting Knives
08:35 – The Crux of The Issue
15:50 – Skinning Knives
20:20 – Take Advantage of Budget Knives
#bushcraft #wildernesshunting #muledeer #elk #selfreliance #pursuitwithcliff
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Below you will find Amazon Affiliate links to products discussed or used in the video. I make a commission from your use of these links, but using the link will not affect the price you pay for any items.
Camillus Wedge
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Benchmade Griptillian and Other Models
https://amzn.to/481P4IK
Kershaw Knockout
https://amzn.to/47IHHGk
Kershaw Link
https://amzn.to/4a3yHgp
Havalon Piranta
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Buck 113
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Black Foot MKC Knife –
THE BLACKFOOT FIXED BLADES
Beef Skinner
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Lamb Skinner
https://amzn.to/3Rt7yw5
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WATCH MORE FROM CLIFF:
Hunting Skillsets – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJVWcO28moDQM1niPWMJcklqBsHtACuz4
E-Scouting Series – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJVWcO28moDRIDoAIOJB82bUBH9jTyi89
Hunting Gear – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJVWcO28moDQj1O54HxR9h9Ttd9UUiqN6
Glassing – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJVWcO28moDRuV2AOzDf_NRb1u85C-DgO
Catch, Clean, Cook Adventures – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJVWcO28moDQYoRRfWdj20yBMZzTOsIiM
Hunt Preparation and Logistics – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJVWcO28moDQk-RfxKQiceG2BgIHhHfLK
Hunting Horseback – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJVWcO28moDTVUjfwEsQEtjK3U-cxIoEw
Marksmanship – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJVWcO28moDTNHCv_4aFryW_0rSyGN0uV
Wildlife Tracking – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJVWcO28moDSMc6YE0uOYFbSMA3qC1JZW
PLEASE NOTE:
*Cliff no longer takes on new guided hunt or expedition clients. He sold all operating outfitting/guiding businesses prior to 2021.
21 Comments
stop asking me to feel things, lol
I harvested my first CO Elk on BLM land in 2020. I used a Gerber vital and was surprised I used nearly all the replaceable blades to skin and quarter the elk. I had a new fixed blade and tried to use the gut hook. It wouldn’t even begin to work. 4 years later on a white tail it worked fine. The toughness of an Elk hide compared to a white tail is crazy different. I have another CO trip planed this October. I recently jumped on the MKC band wagon for the first time due to all the recent hype, I think everyone likes the G10 fake wood orange handle and the USA made ideology, and bought a super cub. I know it’s more of a bush knife. What are your thoughts on it for hunting?
My Father in Law and Brother in laws were butchers and they would process deer with simple butcher tools….
Swiss here… Coincidentally I live somewhat close to the victorinox factory.
The reason they are used in professional settings is food hygiene standards. The grip as well as metal have to comply and must be sanitary to a very high degree – not something you can claim with a lot of regular carbon steel, micarta or wood handles or even worse, folders. That's bacteria ground zero. It's also why they use stainless steel – it doesn't rust. The handle material is also slip proof because they're used in wet and bloody environments.
They are much harder to sharpen than carbon steel however, that's why they require constant tune ups to retain that nice sharpness.
I own probably 8 or 9 of them and they're great. 10/10. Unbeatable.
Def looking at those MKC blades for the field however. But only for the magnacut version (again a stainless steel) and also, availability suuucks.
You said something really important right at the beginning. You said if the difference in money between the buck and Mkc buys you a tank of gas to go hunting that's your choice. The problem is the knife, the problem is gas. 1 single tank of gas costs more than that buck knife. What kind of a fucked up world do we live in. The buck will last forever, a tank of gas last a few hours. Knives – not expensive. Gas, groceries & taxes – fucking expensive.
I have a custom in a very high end steel that's extremely ground thin, so even if it gets dull in the field, it's thin enough that it'll still process (but the high end steels edge retention is insane). I've let a few friends use it and they can't believe their hands. Then I tell them what it cost and what it's worth to me… haha
@cliffgray – what are your thoughts on esee knives vs montana knife company? looking at mkc, but so expensive. i have heard that mkc prices doesn't match the value.
What is the hunting version of a metrosexual? Most influencers would be included in that description.
I debone all my deer and elk and pack the meat in some very rough terrain in Idaho. I am a knife maker and collector and have access to a variety of blades but for deboning deer and elk and general meat processing I am yet to find a better choice than a curved, semi-flexible 5 inch Forschner, F. Dicks or Frost boning knife. I also have my own custom variations of the same blades in AEB-L but they are hardly an improvement on the above mentioned factory blades. I prefer curved boning blades since they are quite good at skinning too in addition breaking and deboning. And the best part is that you can pick one up for about $30 and will last a lifetime.
Why is Americans so obsessed with cheap budget stuff.
I collect knives as a hobby because I love their design aesthetics and enjoy the intellectual stimulation of learning about their materials and construction methods. I also like the social aspects that go along with the hobby. One thing I've noticed from watching video's from users who are not also enthusiasts is that none of them see the value of higher end knives. I've watched hunters, such as yourself, as well as buscrafters and quite a few special operations guys, review their knife collections. $40.00 to about $80.00 is pretty typical as far as cost goes for most of them. It seems to be a sweet spot where you get all the functionality you need from a knife as a tool without spending excessive amounts of cash for small improvements that don't really make a meaningful difference in performance. I love knives and will happily pay hundreds of dollars for premium knives but would never recommend them to a person who primarily just wants a functional cutting tool. For that, even the 40-80 dollar knives are too expensive. There are plenty of knives in the 10 to 20 dollar range, such as, Mora or Dexter Russell Green River that will cut things just as well, and in many instances, better than knives that cost hundreds of dollars.
As someone who loves knives and philosophy when this dude started doing knife philosophy I think I nearly pitched a tent
Got knives ranging from $2 to almost $400 and totally agree. IMHO most people don't need anything over $150 and even that's probably high depending on use case.
I have a number of Hampton Forge Santuko knives in my kitchen. They're a little more than $13 off Amazon. It's a fantastic knife!
Why throw money away?
Just an FYI- the kershaw leek is sized more like the green one right after. It's smaller but a good edc but smaller than what you showed
That's fine and dandy, it just depends on how much you use a knife and what you use it for. I myself carry a 6 inch or 8 inch Cpm3v blade. I've been out hunting backwoods and had to spend the night, my big knife is big enough to use like a hatchet and keep me warm. Exposure is the number one killer of lost people in nature.
Outdoor Edge kicks the dog mess out of all of these….yeah, I want to sit there and sharpen my knife while I am dressing out an elk and it is warm….makes sense to me…..
“Hopeless metrosexual” 😂
Why would anybody buy a Stonewall knife over Victorinox , the same reason someone buys a 1500 dollar compound bow over a good used compound bow for 300 dollars , status usually.. yeah check out my new Matthews or whatever , will it harvest a game animal any better than a used bow ? No ! But it sure looks cool doing it , like camouflage 1200 dollar camouflage while inside a completely enclosed elevated platform where you could wear a Halloween costume and the game wouldn't know the difference !! Really??
Moras ! Can’t beat um.
I am always looking for a way to lighten the load, so I use the havalon. I agree it is a mediocre knife at best, but it serves the light weight need that Iam looking for.