What knife blade shape works best for you?

[Wapiti]

For those of you who live in the bush, or get out at least and carry an everyday knife to do your tasks, what shape do you find the best?
Compromises in design, handles, or just the pleasure of having stuff and being able to try different things?
Or do you even make your own and enjoy the experience of using your own handywork?

[Wapiti]

This lates medium size sheath knife is working well for me. It's made by BPS Knives in Ukraine, a small maker that does them by hand. They are still knocking them out despite the invasion by the Russians.
The tip is still pointed enough to start a belly cut, and the return-curve does great slicing when dressing a deer or even just everyday stuff like thick baling twine on big squares. The steel is carbon, so it can discolour and rust if you aren't careful, but it sharpens easily and can get to a very sharp long lasting edge.

[mchughcb]

My go to deer knife is an eka G4 swing blade.
For box cutting opinel #8
Foxes morakniv companion.
I got a nice little vosteed raccoon folder but rusts easily.

[wrenchman]

depends on what I am doing I keep a case boy scout knife in my pocket for utility stuff and a buck 110 on my side when hunting.
I also keep an old marbles knife in my pack for if I need another knife.
I do have a few knives that I do rotate out depending on what I am doing and time of year.

[Wapiti]

The Morakniv range have some great blades, good utility knives. We always have a few laying around in their poly sheaths, steel is seemingly very good.
Not 100% sure, but I reckon that the orange Bahco utility knives we find in the produce stores for $23 are made my Mora. Certainly the handles and sheaths, blade shapes are the same.

I saw Cleavers had Case pocketknives on sale the other day, hadn't seen them for a long time. 2 & 3 blades versions, bone and wood handles.

[mchughcb]

The mora and bahco are almost identical. The sheaths are slightly different.

[Wapiti]

What I don't like about the Moras and then the Bahcos are the way most of the sheaths are solid and clip over the belt or waist-band. When you get in/out of a vehicle seat or tractor they can't flex or twist and often end up unclipped and on the ground.
They are pretty indestructible sheaths although seem to have been designed by someone who only walks in straight lines or doesn't sit down.

The blades have that, jack of all trades, master of nothing shape, although the steel holds an edge once you get it where you want it.

[bigpete]

I like drop points in various styles,but at the moment a JC Knife works Scrub Bull is my favourite

Screenshot_20251001-184649_Gallery.jpg (111.49 KiB) Viewed 7016 times

[flashman]

Hi all given up on knifes , use a Havlon knife with the disposable blades , works a treat ,gets blunt just add a new blade .........presto..

[bigpete]

Hi all given up on knifes , use a Havlon knife with the disposable blades , works a treat ,gets blunt just add a new blade .........presto..

............gay..........

[mchughcb]

Hi all given up on knifes , use a Havlon knife with the disposable blades , works a treat ,gets blunt just add a new blade .........presto..

............gay..........

Lazy

[bigpete]

Hi all given up on knifes , use a Havlon knife with the disposable blades , works a treat ,gets blunt just add a new blade .........presto..

............gay..........

Lazy

Pretty much lol

[Wapiti]

I can get how people go for the disposable blade knives now... you don't have to sharpen a knife or even be any good at it.
Get the wrong blade steel and a so-so knife is dull before the job's done, that sucks if you're not sorted.

[mchughcb]

Three times now I've seen people lose their havalon blades dressing sambar. A lost blade in a handful of blood is one one ticket to mayhem.

My eka is good enough for 3 deer without a touch up with a 21 degree angle. I don't have one knife that isn't shaving sharp before I go in the field.

[Die Judicii]

Well, the knife blade shape that works the best for me is one that cuts whatever I need to cut.
I don't care if its blah blah brand or not.
So long as it cuts.

[bigpete]

[quote="mchughcb"]Three times now I've seen people lose their havalon blades dressing sambar. A lost blade in a handful of blood is one one ticket to mayhem.

Thats a very valid point

[Wapiti]

Geeze, I didn't know that happens.
I guess it's a technique thing? Some people could break an anvil.
Keeping things simple, and just learning a technique is a handy way to go about things.

[mchughcb]

It's a big beast and too much pressure can either snap them or they push off.

[Wapiti]

I breed deer and dress a few, and somethings wrong if you are working in pools of blood and lose blades. I'm sure some know what I mean.
And the technique and gear to sort that weighs nothing.

[mchughcb]

I breed deer and dress a few, and somethings wrong if you are working in pools of blood and lose blades. I'm sure some know what I mean.
And the technique and gear to sort that weighs nothing.

Not when you are in the field on a 20 degree slope. Working a farm and hoisting an animal is completely different scenario

[tuknal]

Well, the knife blade shape that works the best for me is one that cuts whatever I need to cut.
I don't care if its blah blah brand or not.
So long as it cuts.

couldnt agree more
victorinox boning knife $35 works a treat and if its lost no big deal
oh they dont make a pouch for em that sits next to my pistol so they might not be for everyone

[mchughcb]

Well, the knife blade shape that works the best for me is one that cuts whatever I need to cut.
I don't care if its blah blah brand or not.
So long as it cuts.

couldnt agree more
victorinox boning knife $35 works a treat and if its lost no big deal
oh they dont make a pouch for em that sits next to my pistol so they might not be for everyone

They are good value. A mate gave me one with his home made leather sheath.

[Wapiti]

Any of you blokes not good with leather, or don't like my bodgy blue stripe sheaths, you can get great ones here.
Boners are a much needed knife in the farm butcher room, but not so great when doing fine work and dressing before the boning out elsewhere. But they certainly do it all, what's that old saying?

https://kentsaddlery.com.au/products/po ... ife-boner/

[Wapiti]

If some of you blokes who get out in the bush and dress game animals to take back to process for yourselves, here are a few blade shapes that are real nice to handle with great steel. All here have dressed a few deer, with the orange handled one being my wife's favourite. She's a wizz in taking out the primary cuts with an animal hanging from a small portable gambrel and tiny pully block combo.
They are Joker knives, made in Spain. They have bombproof Micarta handles and no unnecessary blade length for the purpose of dressing out an animal and taking the meat back to the family. And big long handles for those with gorilla hands, which is often missing from Asian blades. All three use a different knife steel, from what I can find there are some people who obsess about different blade steel composition but I just find all the steels perform the same - in that they dress the animals and last a whole deer without a change in sharpness.
The difference is in the blade shapes I reckon. They all work differently believe it or not.
I use a diamond-stone knife jig tool and sharpen the blades to 15 degrees back at the house afterwards if needed.

Edit: I bought them online from Amazon, from the official Joker store in Spain. All were under $100 posted at the time, but due to YouTube knife fetishists, the demand has seen them jump in price.

[mchughcb]

Any of you blokes not good with leather, or don't like my bodgy blue stripe sheaths, you can get great ones here.
Boners are a much needed knife in the farm butcher room, but not so great when doing fine work and dressing before the boning out elsewhere. But they certainly do it all, what's that old saying?

https://kentsaddlery.com.au/products/po ... ife-boner/

I saw one recently with mlted upvc around the handle that clicked into place. That was neat.

[Faedy]

Have used a Gerber drop point knife (41/2" blade) for many years.
My son and I got a chance to do a knife making course here in WA last weekend with Tony Docherty and told him of my fav knife.
Ended up walking away after to fantastic days with 1 fully forged hunting knife, and 1 stock removal kitchen knife.
Im hooked - this could be addictive.
Top 2 knives are my sons, and bottom 2 are mine.
s**t photos, but we were having too much fun to care..

[Wapiti]

Great stuff guys, looks like you are getting a lot of satisfaction making these things for yourself.

Top one doesn't look much of a field shape, be handy slicing compact meats on a chopping board. For us anyway, certainly there are horses for courses.
Bottom one would be awesome in a sheath on any hunter's belt, great work.