How To Pick The Best Damascus Steel Skinning Knife

In looking for the best Damascus steel skinning knife there are quite a few different options on the market to choose from.  Depending on what you are planning on skinning with your Damascus skinning knife would determine how large of a knife you would want to go with.

1. Buck n Bear Custom Handmade Fixed Blade Damascus Hunting Knife

With the Buck n Bear Damascus steel skinning knife, you get a handmade fixed blade full Damascus steel knife with full tang construction.  The Damascus steel blade is made from 1095 Damascus steel and is a drop point blade style knife to aid with skinning.

The Damascus steel blade is four inches long and the overall length of the knife is 8 and a half inches long.  Buck n Bear has a strict quality control process to ensure that the blade is properly made during the hardening process to ensure that it’s products are up to snuff.

This knife also comes with a premium leather sheath to help protect you from the blade.  It also comes with a real wooden handle. Buck n Bear has a lifetime manufacturer’s warranty to help protect the knife from defects in workmanship during the construction process.

Buck n Bear says that this knife has superior resistance to corrosion and can maintain its edge because of the hardening process that they put their knives through.  I have to say that this is one of the better-looking knives on this list in terms of overall aesthetics.

2. Custom Handmade Damascus Steel knife

This is a custom handmade Damascus steel fixed blade knife from Poshland knives.  This Damascus steel skinning knife has an overall length of nine inches and a blade length of four and a half inches which means it’s going to be for skinning larger game.

Its blade features Damascus steel made from 1095 and 15N20 alloy steel that apparently has 176 layers of steel within it. It comes with a stained bone handle that comes with brass spacers.  

Because of the custom nature of this knife, each knife handle could be a different shade of color but should look similar to the knife in the listing. It also comes with a handmade leather sheath.  

Because of how custom these knives are I would say that this would probably be one that is going to be closer to the original Damascus steel that was made a long time ago. 

Some of the cheaper knives may not have as many layers of steel within them and may be made to look like Damascus steel on the blade but may not be made with Damascus steel throughout the whole blade.  

With this Damascus steel knife, you know that care was taken to make the knife like they were made a long time ago.

3. KATSU Handmade Full Damascus Steel

With this KATSU Damascus steel folding knife, you get a Damascus steel blade in a nice folding package.  KATSU says that this knife if four and a half inches long when it is closed and seven and a half inches when it is open, which means that that blade is about three inches long.  

This Damascus steel skinning knife comes with with a pocket clip on the side of the handle to be able to clip the knife to your pocket. The handle is also made from Damascus steel that is in a bamboo style.  

With this Damascus steel knife also comes with a sheath to allow you to carry the knife on your hip if you did not want to carry it in your pocket. A lot of people really like the look of this knife and the way that it is foldable means that a lot of people will use this as their everyday carry pocket knife because of its good looks and easy to carry package.

4. GladiatorsGuild 64 Custom Handmade Damascus Steel Skinner Hunting Knife 

This GladatorsGuild 64 Damascus steel skinning knife is a fixed blade knife that is going to be on the smaller side coming in at seven and a half inches.  You can pick between four different types of handles black horn, walnut wood, ram horn, and white bone.

This Damascus steel skinning knife also comes with a gut hook to allow you to make precision cuts to allow you to slash through the animal hide easily.  This Damascus steel skinning knife also comes with a sheath to help protect you from the blade while the knife is not in use.

It also features a full tang Damascus steel construction which means that the knife blade runs through the entire knife all the way through to the end of the handle.  You will be able to see the knife blade in the handle on the spine of the knife.

Gladiators Guild recommends that you clean this knife after using it and apply some sort of oil to the Damascus steel blade to help protect it from corrosion. Because it is a Damascus steel blade it won’t have the same anti-corrosion properties as a stainless steel blade.

5. GladiatorsGuild 65- Custom Handmade Damascus Steel Skinner 9 Inch Knife

This Gladiators Guild Damascus steel skinning knife is a nine inch fixed blade hunting knife that comes with either a white bone or ram horn handle.  People have said that while the overall length of the knife is at nine inches the blade length is about three and a half inches in length.

This Damascus steel skinning knife features a gut hook to allow you to easily slice through your animal hide and also comes with an included sheath to allow you to store the knife when it’s not in use.  

Gladiator Guild recommends that you protect your blade by cleaning it and applying vegetable oil or blade oil to your blade to help protect the finish of the blade while it’s not in use. This knife has a full tang Damascus steel blade so it should help the blade hold up over time.

At nine inches this knife is starting to get on the larger side as far as overall size but the blade is only three and a half inches so that should still be fine for smaller game animal hides.

6. Nescole 9 inch Fixed Blade Bowie Knife- Handmade Damascus Steel Knife

This Nescole nine inch fixed blade Damascus steel skinning knife is made from high-quality Damascus steel.  It has an overall length of nine inches while the blade is four and a half inches in length.

That means that this Damascus steel skinning knife would be suited for skinning larger game animals like deer or elk.  The handle of this knife is made from exotic camel bone that is separated by brass rings. It also comes with a premium leather sheath to help protect the blade while not in use.

Nescole says that this Damascus steel skinning knife is made from high carbon steel so while it should hold it’s an edge for a long time it will be prone to rust if not taken care of properly.  You should apply blade oil to the blade occasionally to help it prevent rust and corrosion from building up on the blade surface.

What is Damascus Steel?

Damascus steel is a special type of steel that is made by layering strips of steel and iron to create a stronger steel blade.  Damascus steel is characterized by the wavy patterns in the blade that is created from the forging process. Some people think the design looks like water.  

Damascus steel was originally created in 6th century BC in Southern India from ingots of wootz steel.  Wootz steel is essentially the same thing as Damascus steel both are created using magnetite ore and carbon in a sealed crucible. Damascus steel got its name from being traded in the city of Damascus in Syria.

The original Damascus or wootz steel manufacturing process was lost over time but now can be almost replicated to the original steel developed in India.  This means that the Damascus steel blades that you would purchase today are not true Damascus steel but is a replica of the original Damascus steel blades produced in the 6th century in India.

Damascus steel was created to provide a stronger alternative to the current steel blade at the time and were reported to be resistant to shattering and could be refined to a very sharp edge.  These Damascus steel swords were coveted at the time and would have cost a pretty penny to own one.

It was discovered recently that Damascus steel actually contains carbon nanotubes and nanowires which would explain why it was such strong steel.  Some of the hardest steel that we can make today is created using a high carbon content just like these Damascus steel blades. Today we are able to produce different types of steel that would outperform Damascus steel but it was very ahead of its time when it was first created.

Damascus Steel Design

The main reason that people today buy Damascus steel knives or swords is because of their unique design.  The pattern looks pretty cool and will be unique to each knife as each knife will be made differently.

Some people have a collection of different Damascus steel knives and swords that they use just as display pieces because of their good looks.  I personally think that Damascus steel skinning knives look really cool and think that they give k

Is Damascus Steel Just For Looks?

While there is no question that Damascus steel looks cool the real question is Damascus steel just for looks or does it hold up well over time?  Now you know how Damascus steel is made you know that it was one of the better steels that could be used to construct knives and swords how well does Damascus steel hold up to new steels created more recently?  

The answer is that while Damascus steel is made using an old process it will still hold up well when compared to new steels that have been created recently in regards to overall hardness and strength.  Damascus steel is designed to be resistant to shattering and should hold it’s an edge for a long time like newer high carbon steel blades.

One area that Damascus steel may not hold up well would be in regards to its corrosion resistance properties.  Stainless steel blades are a newer blade design and will be superior in their corrosion resistance than Damascus steel blades.  

This doesn’t mean that Damascus steel is inferior to stainless steel blades it just means that you will need to take better care of your knife blade after using your knife than you would if it were a stainless steel blade.  

Anytime you use a Damascus steel blade you would want to make sure that you clean off the blade and make sure that the blade is dry before you go to store it.  If you leave your Damascus steel blade wet when you put it up then you will likely have some rust spots on it the next time you go to use it. Rust spots aren’t the end of the world and should be able to be removed using a sanding stone but it’s best to not have any rust spots to begin with.

Another thing that you can do to help protect your Damascus steel blade is to apply blade oil to your blade to help it resist water.  If you are familiar with the relationship between water and oil you will know what oil will repel water and the two don’t mix.

If you coat your Damascus steel blade with blade oil this will make the surface of the blade hydrophobic and will allow it to repel water from the surface of the blade making it less likely for the water to be able to seep into the blade and cause rust or corrosion.

If you want to use some blade oil on your knives to increase their corrosion resistance I have linked some popular blade oil on Amazon below here.

Depending on the size of the game you are planning on skinning with your Damascus skinning knife would determine how large of a blade you would want to get.  If you are planning on using your Damascus skinning knife to skin small game like a rabbit or squirrel then you would want to get a knife with a blade size of around three to four inches.  

If you are planning on using your Damascus skinning knife on large game like deer or elk then you would want to look at getting a larger blade with a length of five to six inches.

In general, a smaller blade is going to be preferred when you are using it to skin animals as it’s going to be easier to be able to maneuver the blade around and make your slices and cuts.  If you have a very large blade that you are using on a small game animal you are going to have issues with making precise cuts and being able to maneuver the blade tip easily.

When it comes down to it the blade length of whatever knife you go with will have a decent impact on how well you will be able to use the knife to skin animals as the smaller blade the easier it will be to use the blade tip.  

If you are planning to use your knife on both large and small game animals you may want to look at getting both a large blade Damascus steel knife and a short blade Damascus steel knife so that you could use one for either type of game that you are skinning.

Fixed Or Folding Damascus Steel Blade

One decision you would want to make would be if you want your Damascus steel knife to have a fixed blade or a folding blade.  A fixed blade means that the blade is fixed and cannot be bent this means that fixed blade knives will be longer than folding knives at least when they are not in use.  

Fixed blade knives will typically come with sheaths to allow you to sheath the knife while it is not in use. Fixed blade knife sheaths will typically come with some way to mount the sheath to your belt buckle or pocket lip.

A folding blade Damascus steel knife means that you can fold the blade into the handle of the knife to make it more compact when you are not using the knife.  This means that when the knife is not in use it will typically be half the size of a fixed blade knife.

Folding blade knives can also be called pocket knives as they are usually small enough to fit in your jeans pocket easily.  Folding blade knives typically will not come with a sheath as the blade will fold into the handle protecting you from the blade.

Damascus Steel Knife Handle

Another impact on the overall weight of your Damascus steel knife is going to be the materials used to make the knife handle.  There are many different materials that can be used to make knife handles ranging from plastic and wood, all the way to animal bones. Obviously, the heavier the handle materials used the heavier the overall knife weight will be.

Perhaps a more important consideration to make when choosing your handle materials is going to be how well you are able to grip the knife handle to prevent it from slipping out of your hands when you are skinning animals.  You may want to choose a knife handle that has an anti-grip surface to prevent it from slipping while in use.

The most popular materials used in most of the Damascus steel skinning knives that I looked up is wood which is going to be mainly used for aesthetic purposes.  With that said the most popular skinning knives from buck knives all use wooden handles so while it may not provide the best grip it should hold up well and should prove to be a good material to use for a knife handle.  

Damascus Steel Knife Weight

One consideration to make when picking out a Damascus steel skinning knife is the weight of the Damascus steel skinning knife.  In general the lighter the overall weight of the knife the easier it is going to be able to use the knife for extended periods.  The longer that you will be able to hold your knife means the more that you will be able to get done at one time without having to take breaks to rest.  

You should be able to see how much each knife weighs in its product description. Obviously the longer and larger the blade the more the knife is going to weigh.

In Conclusion

As you now know Damascus steel is ancient steel that used to be produced in the middle east that has since been lost to the world.  If you are looking for the best Damascus steel skinning knife there are definitely a lot of different options to choose from but you should know that it is not going to be real Damascus steel as that process has been lost.  

If you pick any of the Damascus steel knives from the list that I have compiled you really can’t go wrong. Hopefully, you now know more about Damascus steel and can make a more informed buying decision.

To keep your Damascus steel knife blade as sharp as possible you will have to keep it sharpened.  If you want to learn more about how to sharpen pocket knife blades you can check out my other article how to sharpen a pocket knife blade.