How to pick the best skinning knife
Table of Contents
When searching for the best skinning knife there are a lot of different types and designs of knives some suited for tasks better than others. I’ve outlined the best skinning knives that I could find below as well as the different criteria that you should use to pick the best skinning knife for your task.
Folding Blade Skinning Knife
Folding knives are nice if you need your skinning knife to be portable and easy to have on hand at all times. Some skinning folding knives even feature blades that can be replaced from time to time to ensure that the blade sharpness always stays like new.
Fixed Blade Skinning Knife
The most common type of skinning knife design is the fixed-blade type. Most people know what a fixed blade knife looks like. The main benefit of fixed blade design is that they are going to be more durable than a folding blade as the blade is typically molded within the handle and will be a sturdy one piece of steel.
Gut Hook Skinning Knife
Gut hooks are used to help you open up the animal’s chest that you are skinning to help you easily be able to gut the animal. You would place the gut hook on the underside of the animal that you are skinning and open it up like a zipper.
Skinning Knife Blade Components
The material that your skinning knife blade is made of is going to be a determining factor in how long your blade is going to last through general wear and tear and abuse. Having stronger steel in your skinning knife blade is also going to ensure that the blade stays sharp which is a critical piece to skinning knives, you want your blade to be as sharp as possible when skinning an animal.
Replaceable blades may be the best option for skinning knives as they offer the ability to replace the blade on the knife from time to time. This may be handy if you don’t have a sharpening stone for your knives or just prefer to replace your knife blades from time to time. Most skinning knife manufacturers will make their replacement knife blades easily accessible.
As far as the actual materials used in the knife blades there are two main types of steel to choose from stainless steel or high carbon steel.
Stainless steel blade
Stainless steel knife blades are the most common type of blades used in knives. Stainless steel knife blades are made with chromium which makes the blade more likely to resist rust and corrosion than carbon blades but stainless steel skinning knife blades are generally softer than high carbon knife blades.
However, because of their rust prevention properties, stainless steel knives require less maintenance and generally look good for a very long time compared to high carbon knife blades.
High carbon steel blade
High Carbon knife blades are designed with high amounts of carbon integrated into the steel. These high amounts of carbon increase the strength and hardness of the steel blade and increase the likelihood of the blade retaining its edge and sharpness.
However, because high carbon steel knife blades don’t contain chromium it makes high carbon steel blades more prone to rust which is something to keep in mind. High carbon steel knives are typically easier to produce than stainless steel knives which typically makes them cheaper in price than stainless steel bladed knives.
Skinning Knife Size
The size of the knife is going to be largely dependant on what you are intending it for. If you are looking for the best deer skinning knife you are probably are going to want a knife that is going to be larger than a knife that you would use to skin smaller game such as rabbits and squirrels.
In general, a smaller blade is going to be preferable as a skinning knife as you are going to want a blade that is easily maneuverable around inside of the animal.
If you are looking for the best deer skinning knife you are going to want a longer blade because it’s not that practical to be making all kinds of slices and cuts with a short blade. It would make more sense to make long strokes with a longer blade. The best deer skinning knives are going to be the long knives in this list.
If you are looking for a small game skinning knife a blade length of three to four inches is sufficient to be able to maneuver easily when skinning a small animal. If you are looking for a larger game knife you may want to look at a blade length of around 6 inches.
Ultimately the length of the blade you choose should be determined by what kind and what size of animal you are planning on using it on the most.
Weight
When researching what skinning knife to buy it’s ultimately best to go with one that is lightweight if possible. Heavy skinning knives can lead to fatigue when skinning an animal which may require you to take frequent breaks. Another thing to keep in mind is the overall weight of the knife if you are going to be carrying it around on a backpacking trip as you will want to keep your backpack weight as low as possible.
Handle types
- Wood
- TPE Rubber
- Aluminum
- Bone
- Stainless steel
When looking at skinning knife handle types you are going to want something that fits in your hand well and that you can hold without it easily slipping. With that in mind, you may opt for a synthetic handle type that is designed with an anti-slip surface on it instead of a smooth wood or metal handle.
Warranty
One thing you may want to look at when buying a skinning knife is a warranty for the skinning knife. With knives, you can typically re-sharpen the edge if you have issues with the edge becoming dull or pitting, however that won’t do you much good if the handle of the knife becomes disconnected from the blade.
Most reputable skinning knife manufacturers will include a limited lifetime warranty that would replace the knife if it had a defect in the material or workmanship, however, most of these warranties will not include a warranty for normal wear and tear of using the knife. Some manufacturers have repair departments that will repair your knife if your knife was damaged due to misuse.
Sheaths
A good sheath should be designed to help protect you from the knife blade and help keep the knife blade protected from the outside elements. When inserting your knife into a sheath it should slide in a be secured within the sheath.
If the knife can wobble about within the sheath it’s likely to easily be able to slide out of the sheath which you don’t want. A deep sheath that only allows the handle of the knife to be exposed is your best bet as it is going to be the most secure option.
If you are looking at a shallow sheath it may be best to choose one that has a way to keep the knife secure within the sheath to prevent it from easily being able to slide out.
Blade maintenance
What is the best way to sharpen a knife blade?
The best way to sharpen a blade is going to be with a whetstone. A whetstone is a sharpening tool that is a stone that can either be a natural or artificial stone that you run your blade down in strokes to sharpen the edge of your blade.
There are different types of stones that you can use that can be lubricated in different ways but it’s important to note that they should be lubricated. The whetstone is typically lubricated by water, there are also oil stones that you would lubricate with oil while sharpening your knife.
It’s important to keep in mind that you would want to start sharpening your knives with a coarse whetstone and then progressively move to a more fine grit stone to get the edge the sharpest.
The finer the grit of the whetstone the less material from the knife it’s going to remove. It may be a good idea to get a whetstone with one side that is coarse and one side that has a more fine grit to save you some money from buying a bunch of different whetstones.
Below is a video showing the different techniques on how to sharpen a blade with a whetstone.
Sharp Pebble Premium Knife Sharpening Stone 2 Side Grit 1000/6000 Waterstone
What skinning knife brand is the best?
One of the most popular skinning knife brands is Buck Knives. A couple of things that make Buck Knives one of the most popular knives is that they are made in the USA and are backed by a forever warranty that would ensure that the knife is free from defects in workmanship and the material for the life of the knife.
Morakniv is a Swedish knife manufacturer that makes it’s knives in Mora, Sweden and has been in operation since 1891. Morakniv knives are built to withstand a ton of abuse and keep kicking and are also somewhat cheap to buy which is why they are my personal favorite brand.
I own the Morakniv Robust and it has held up to everything that I’ve thrown at it. Morakniv also offers different styles of blades within their product lineup so you can usually get a carbon or stainless steel knife blade for whatever knife you decide you want to go with.
A good example of this is the Morakniv Companion which is offered with a stainless steel blade, a carbon blade, and another stainless steel serrated option so you can decide which type of blade is going to be best for your situation.
Some other popular skinning knife brands are Benchmade, Victorinox, Gerber, Kershaw, and Cold Steel if you’d like to check out some other knives from these popular skinning knife manufacturers.
My Skinning Knife Recommendations
The Morakniv Companion is a versatile fixed blade outdoor knife with hardened Sandvik 12C27 stainless steel. It features a patterned, high friction grip that makes the knife comfortable to hold and easy to handle.
It comes with a color matched plastic sheath that features a belt clip so that you can clip the knife to your belt so that you can always have it on your hip and easily accessible.
The Morakniv companion is also offered in many different colors should you choose to go with a more unique color such as orange, cyan, or green. Morakniv also features a lifetime limited warranty on the workmanship and materials of the knife.
The Buck Knives 113 Ranger features a 3-⅛” 420HC drop point steel blade. 420HC is higher carbon steel so it should be able to maintain it’s edge retention. This is a fixed blade knife and has an overall length of 7-¼”.
It has a narrow downward angled tip that helps prevent accidental slips through the hide. This knife also comes with an American Walnut handle with brass bolster. It comes with a genuine leather sheath. This is one buck knives most popular skinning knives. With its 3 inch blade, it would be suitable for small to medium-sized game.
Havalon Piranta Z Folding Blade Skinning Knife
The Havalon Piranta Z Folding skinning knife comes with a 2 ¾” folding blade that can be interchanged with new blades as the blade become dull. As your blades become dull after using the knife you can just snap in a new blade and the knife will be like new again.
You will never have to sharpen blades with this knife. This knife features a plastic handle with rubber side panels to help you grip the knife. It also features a lanyard hole if you wanted to be able to snap a lanyard to your knife. This has an almost 3-inch blade so it would be suitable for skinning small game animals.
Benchmade Steep Country 15008 Knife
The Benchmade Steep Country 15008 Knife features fixed drop point blade that’s made out of CPM-S30V stainless steel. The knife’s blade is also full tang so it’s going to be able to provide more strength and durability than other knives that are not full tang knives.
It features a molded Kydex sheath that offers multiple carrying positions for the knife. The blade is 3.5 inches long so this skinning knife is suitable for skinning medium-sized game such as deer.
Elk Ridge Hunting Knife Two-Piece Set
The Elk Ridge Hunting knife two-piece set features two knives one that is a 7-inch skinning/hunting knife and then another 6 and a half-inch gut hook knife. Both knives in this set are full tang knives. They both also feature green camo ABS plastic handles with a non-slip texture to prevent the knives from slipping in your hand while in use.
Both knives also come with black 440 stainless steel blades that have a high amount of carbon to help them retain their edge and hardness, the stainless steel also means that it should hold up well to corrosion. The gut hook knife is specially designed with a gut hook on the spine of the knife that will help remove the gut of whatever animal you are hunting.
CRKT Homefront Aluminum Folding Pocket Knife
The CRKT Homefront folding pocket knife is designed as a folding pocket knife with a steel 3.5-inch drop point blade. The coolest feature of the CRKT Homefront is that it features field strip technology that allows you to swap out the blade on the knife in the field without the need for tools.
This makes it handy if you need to swap your blade out while you are out on a hunting or camping trip and you don’t have all of your tools with you. This specific model also features an aluminum knife handle to make it lighter to carry. The blade is 3.5 inches long and the knife is 8.3 inches long when it’s fully open so this knife would be better suited for skinning medium to large game.
Buck Knives 140 PakLite Skinner Knife
The Buck Knives 140 PakLite skinner knife is designed as a fixed blade knife with an almost 3-inch 420HC steel blade. This knife is designed to be a minimalist design to make the knife light and easy to carry.
I would go with the one with the orange coating instead of just a stainless steel design because I could see the knife getting slippery in use. The one with the orange coating is designed to be non-slip to help prevent that. This knife also comes with a heavy-duty nylon sheath. Because the length of the blade is less than three inches this would be better suited for skinner small game animals.
Buck Knives 103 Skinner Fixed Blade Knife
The Buck Knives 103 skinner knife is designed as a fixed blade knife that features an extra wide 4-inch blade made from 420HC steel. The Buck Knives 103 features a classic knife design with a hardwood cocobolo wooden handle that makes it one of the better-looking knives on this list.
The Buck Knives 103 is designed with full tang construction to make it more durable and also features an integrated finger guard to help keep you from cutting yourself accidentally. This knife also comes with a genuine leather sheath. This is one of the larger knives on this list in over 8 inches in length and a 4-inch blade so this knife would be better suited for skinning large game.
The Old Timer 152OT Sharpfinger knife is designed as a fixed blade knife with a 3.3 inch high carbon stainless steel blade. The Old Timer 152OT is designed with full tang construction as well a lanyard hole to help make the knife more rugged and able to be transported on a lanyard if you so choose.
The knife also comes with a leather sheath to help keep it protected when not in use. This knife has been reviewed as a terrific camping and travel knife to use when cooking as well. The blade is 3.3 inches in length so it would be better suited to skinning size game animals.
MTECH USA MT-20-35 Series Fixed Blade Knife
The MTECH MT-20-35 knife is designed as a fixed blade knife with a 3.75-inch stainless steel blade. The blade itself is coated black which gives it a pretty cool look. The MTECH MT-20-35 also comes in a few different colors if you don’t want to go with just the generic all black color scheme.
This knife also happens to be the cheapest on this list so if you are looking to get the best skinning knife for your money then look no further. This knife is a full tang design that also has a lanyard hole and features a plastic handle. The blade is 3.75 inches so it would be well suited for medium size game.
