Gents!
I have come to the conclusion that I need a good quality skinning knife for primarily moose, but also for smaller game of different kinds.
I am looking for something like
herbertz skinner viper
in design, but it is also important that the blade is of good quality since I am skinning around 30 mooses a year. Unfortunately the page is only in german, so it might be hard to understand it unless you speak german, but that was the only page with the picture that I could find. The steel is said to be SANDVIK 12C27 which is used to ice hockey skates, knives and ice drills. I would not mind a blade made of steel that would cost up to $200 if it would give it the right bite and lifespan.

Sincerely
Daniel

That steel is not the best, it's too soft .There is a higher carbon Sandvik steel that is better but you should have at least 1.00 % Carbon.VG-10 like Fallkniven uses,RWL-34, CPM154,S30V are good for serious use . The knife shown -I think that hook on the heel of the blade is a safety hazard !! A better shape would be something like the K-17 Dozier knife ,www,dozierknives.com, but with a blade closer to 5" for moose.For $200 you might be able to get a nice custom knife with one of the better steels.

I have been using an s30v knife for almost 3 years...just superb in edge retention and rust resistance

Gents,
Thanks for replies and suggestions!
I guessed that the steel was not the best, therefore I asked for some alternatives, and the design does not need to be exactly like that, but it is important that it is small and curved. We are often 4-5 people skinning each moose and the longer knives are too dangerous when several people work at the same time. I have tried a longer knife, but it always ends with that I hold the blade instead of the shaft to get better control. it is also seldom that the inner part of the longer blade gets used since most of the skinning is made by the first 50% of the blade.

For me and the way we are skinning, a blade of max 3" would be optimal.

Sincerely
Daniel

Hej Huglu

I really agree with the recommendation for an S30V knife given above! I have this one which cost only about 700kr if I recall correctly.

[IMG:left] [/IMG]

Also, I know exactly what you mean about 3 or 4 guys skinning a moose and the advantages of a short, curved blade!

My Spyderco "Bill Moran" which the image shows, is fantastic at holding an edge (3 moose skinnings, and still shaving sharp!).

Var bor du i Lappland? Jag bor i Umeå (men min svensk år inte så bra -- jag kommer fran kanada i forsta hand!).

mvh,

John

30 Moose a year !!!! Wow I do maybe 3 or 4 and a few bear and a deer or two. I have had great luck with Muela knives and Knives of Alaska.

http://www.knivesofalaska.com

http://www.elenhunting.com

The Knives of Alaska Light hunter combo is great and the Muela Colibri is another great little sharp knife.

Good luck

Gents!
Thanks for further suggestions, this gets more and more interesting!

Jpb, jag bor i Kiruna men jagar älg vid kusten mellan luleå och kalix. Tyvärr fick vi ingen björn i år, såg bara spår av en ensam vuxen. Ska ner till kusten igen och försöka få lite mer älgkalv och kanske något rådjur nu i oktober. Letar också efter bäverjakt någonstans...

Uglystick, The farming community area have an allocation of ca 20 adult mooses and unlimited calfs within the area, and all hunting is made by the hunting team in cooperation, as well as all the meat is divided among those participating. All participates acording to stamina and health, meaning it is us younger guys (45 yr or less) that haul the mooses out from the forest and skins them, while the oldest guys do the less physically demanding things. In short we all help eachother out. Now it is a short break in the season for the rut, but after that we will try to get some more to reduce the population since it is a bit too big. Too much trafic hazard + forest damage.

We have our own butcher in the team, so we get strict directions on how to gut, skin, as well as to tenderize. This means we have one knife for each purpose. a skinning knive shall NEVER touch the meat, nor shall a gutting knife do that, so it is one knife for each purpose, and then the meat is better than in the supermarket too.

I will look into these knives, they seem very interesting!

Sincerely
Daniel

Hej igen Daniel

Jag har besokt Kiruna, men mer ofta Abisko -- vakert!

I should have mentioned that I ordered my knife from the US from BestDarnKnives

and I just checked again now: with shipping to Sweden, the cost to me in Umea was only 575 kr. (I also see that the knife is VG-10 steel rather than S30V steel (I was mixing up 2 knives, but both steels are really excellent!).

Huglu

I would be the last to discourage you from a new knife but with your intended need I would recommend you look at the new Rhino utility knife.
Go to www.shefffield-tools.com and type in the search box Rhino. This is a folding utility knife designed for skinning. It has a quick change replaceable blade system. Of the customers that has used them they have been very pleased. I don't know what your price would be but my dealer is $10.00 for the knife and 5 blades. 5 replacement blades are $2.00. If it does not work or you loose it won't be a great loss.

James

Huglu, I remembered that I have an old Gerber knife which is for skinning only. It has a 3 3/4" blade but the curve goes up to the spine so that the edge and spine meet at 90 degrees .So it has no sharp point to stab your friends !! Maybe something like that would be useful.