I am looking for a fixed blade knife that I can use for skinning animals. What kinds of features should I look for that make a knife good for skinning?
The knife should be of a size that is easy to handle. A 4 inch blade is very adequate for almost any animal you are are likely to skin. The blade should have a nice "belly" (curve) to it. Be sure that it has a handle made of a material that does not become slippery when it is covered with blood. A slippery handle is an invitation to a sliced hand. My particular knife does not have a handguard on it but it has a Kryton handle that does not become slippery. The blade should be thick enough so that it is not prone to breakage and must be made of a material that will hold an edge. You don't want to have to keep stopping to sharpen your knife. I can give you two knives that meet these requirements. The first knife is the Buck "Skinner". Buck makes a fine quality knife at a reasonable price. They can usually be found at Wal-Mart. You can take a look at one on the Buck Knife website www.buckknives.com. Once you get to the website, click on "fixed Blade Knives" and scroll through them until you come to the Skinner. The other knife is made by Cold Steel and is called "The Master Hunter". It is a more expensive knife than the Buck Skinner but it is pure quality. It is my favorite hunting knife. In their demos, they show it slashing through a free hanging hemp rope right out of the box just as it comes to you. I had my doubts but I gave it a try. They were not lying, it will slash right through a free hanging rope with one swipe. It's amazing!! It will also hold an edge for a long time. It is not a pretty knife but it is a very functional knife. It meets all of the requirements for being a superb hunting knife. You can see it on the Cold Steel website www.coldsteel.com.
I hope that I have been of some help to you.
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