Best Hunting Knife | Reviews & Buyer’s Guide

Knife, the name of a very handy tool. Every professional hunter has faced a totally drastic situation when nothing but a knife is his only support. No ammo left, but a big game opportunity is out there. You wouldn’t fall back in this situation, would ya?

A hardcore professional never would. You might have faced the situation too. You know how handy a knife can be in this type of intense moment. So, it is better to be prepared before. It is always recommended to carry the best hunting knife before going hunting.

Best Hunting Knife in 2017

Now to choose the best hunting knife, determine which type if hunter you are and which type of game you are into. Then pick the best hunting knife for you from given best hunting knives above.

Fixed blade knives are the best hunting knives but fixed blade knives are easy to store and carry safely. If you are a regular hunter, go for fixed blade knives as they are the best hunting knives. If you are not a regular one, you have to keep the knife of yours in safe place for some duration, fixed blade knives are the one you should choose.

A list of best skinning knives is also given above. You have to skin after hunting. There are some basic differences between hunting knives and skinning knives. You can always skin animals using hunting knives but it is not what a professional hunter would do. Skinning is also very important, I mean you would not want to ruin your most recent hunting success too, right?

So, you should keep the best skinning knife along with you too for skinning purpose. To ease you in this sector, there is also a list of some best skinning knives for you too.

Best Hunting Knives – Fixed Blade

1. Buck Knife 119 Review – The Best Overall Performer

The buck knife 119 comes first in this segment. For those who are already familiar with buck pocket knife, it is more of an upgraded version of buck knife 110. Some of you might know it as buck 110 knife. A remarkable buck hunting knife.

The US made buck knife 119 is made of a large 6-inch 420 HC stainless steel measuring half tang. The 420 HC stainless steel ensures outstanding strength and longevity. The hunting knife is 10.5 inches long while measuring full tang. The solid fixed blade is convenient for constant outdoor use.

To elaborate facts about its durability, it is of full tang design. And it is very obvious since it is manufactured by renowned Buck co. Anyway, just to let you know that the buck knife 119 is of full tang design, no chance of the joint being weaken or shaky.

Now about its weight, knives should never be heavier than usual as it is carried with you for a long time and excessive weight impede the maneuverability. It is very light. To be precise, it weighs around 7.5 ounces. It comes with conveniently designed knife holder that can be attached with your belt. Easily accessible.

About the handle, it is made from aluminum pommel. Excellent gripping, nicely textured. Aesthetic design and gripping comfortability combined.

It is a clip point hunting knife. According to the professionals, clip point hunting knives are prior to the drop point hunting knives. Both clip point and drop point knives has their own merits and demerits, but clip point knives are the best choice for hunting. Drop point knives are very useful for skinning the game. But for hunting, clip point knives should be chosen.

One of the most impressive part of this knife, it weighs only about half a pound. The blade length is bigger than most, thick solid blade with solid build. Keeping the weight this low is very promising. This feature makes the buck knife 119 the best hunting knife.

Now about the buck knife warranty. Buck provides a lifetime warranty for most of their knives. The buck knife 119 is not excluded from this warranty option.

The buck knife 119 is known as a best hunting knife option. But if you look closely towards it, you can see that it is not serrated. Obviously, it is for big game, but you have to be very professional and maintain the buck knife 119 of yours precisely to get the best result.

Sharpen it regularly, since it is made of stainless steel, no chance of rusting, so waxing is not needed. But keeping it sharp is very important. It is not likely to be blunt within short days, but buck knives are designed to be longed for long. Nothing will be happened to the knife, but you have to check whether it is properly sharp enough before going out after a certain amount of time. And remember, it is the most lightweight hunting knife.

2. Ka-bar Becker BK2 Review – Aesthetic

Another good hunting knife, designed and modified by Ethan Becker, renown American knife maker. He is also a mountain climber and survivalist. It is claimed that the ka-bar Becker BK2 is designed keeping long time outdoor hours full of survival instinct in mind. It is manufactured in USA.

The outlook comes first. Many people love the outlook of their knives. If you are into the beauty of your knife too, here is a best hunting knife choice for you. The ka-bar Becker BK2 is not only beautify your appearance, it does perform very well.

I personally own the knife along with some other friends. Every owner of ka-bar Becker BK2 I confronted, told it an essential pick for camping. They pointed out the long-time sharpness as the reason. The blade is made from 1095 cro-van steel blade.

About the handle, it is made from Grivory, and coated with a foam grip that fits into the hand very well. Gripped solid as well.

About the comfort, the handle is ergonomically designed. It fits into the hand exactly matching the shape of human hand. And told you about the foam grip coating before, no chance of the knife being slipped out of your hand.

Let’s dedicatedly emphasize over the blade itself of the ka-bar Becker BK2. Was telling you about the prolonged sharpness of the blade. It is made from 1095 cro-van steel. It keeps the edge sharp longer than other blades. Full tang design ensures solid joint. The blade runs through the handle so the blade is not going to break or separated from handle. No shaky element either. The thickness of the blade is measured about a quarter inch. It makes the ka-bar Becker BK2 a solid sturdy hunting knife. Nothing beats a sharp knife which is thick as well. It is capable of doing big game, a must have while you are going out hunting.

A black nylon sheath hard shell is provided along with the buying of a ka-bar BK2. The hard shell is very comfy and safe.

Well, who should use it? If you are very fond of aesthetic outlook of your hunting knife, then nothing beats the ka-bar Becker BK2 in terms of performance. It is one beautiful hunting knife with a prolonged sharpness. You can find better performer than this but they might look shabby. If you hunt for the beauty of your knife as well, this is the you should pick. It is not going to be blunt in within short time either.

The thing is the blade might seem shorter to you, if that so, you should go for the buck knife 119 that is featured next. Otherwise, the ka-bar Becker BK2 is the perfect choice for you.

3. Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Serrated Knife Review – Best Economical Hunting Knife

Gerber Bear Gryills serrated knife comes first. Gerber is already a renown knife maker and this time they team up with surviving trainer Bear Gryills. You might be heard of bear Gryills. He is the host of the popular survival TV show man vs wild. He is an expert on wild life survival. He teams up with Gerber, has given them conceptual support. He suggests them according to which type of knife is needed in wild and Gerber made the knife according to his real-time support.

First thing first. It might be one of the best hunting knives for you while you are on a budget. It is priced lower than the others, but performance? Can easily beat some of other knives available in the market. How? See below

The Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate serrated knife is consisted with a ground black blade based on a rubber gripped handle. Not finished yet, the package also has a fire starter and a good knife sharpener with it. That is what I was talking about. You have one of this, simply get out to the wild. All the basic needs are bundled with it.

About the handle, it is a molded rubberized handle. Curly knurled textured butt cap. The fire starter is placed in the holder and a diamond sharpener is also integrated under a compartment.

About the blade, it is a saw ground black – what they said. It is stainless steel, rusting proof. The edge is serrated just upper of the handle. Very much handy whenever you want to force through a deer rib cage. A best deer hunting knife I’d rather say. This serrated portion is also used to start a fire by fraction with the fire starter.

The overall length of the knife is 10 inches. The blade length is 4.8 inches. It weighs only .7 pound. Pretty balanced counting all aspects. Very lightweight. A must have hunting knife that can be carried along easily.

Best Skinning Knives – Fixed Blade

Let’s sort the best skinning knives at ascending order. The best skinning knife will be found below, at the top.

1. Outdoor Edge SwingBlaze Review

Ever felt trouble glutting an animal? I think trouble days are over. The Outdoor Edge SwingBlaze is a versatile dual headed skinning knife. You will not need anything to skin an animal other than this.

The outdoor Edge SwingBlaze skinning knife is designed keeping every skinning dilemma and flaw in mind. Let’s hear what problem do you face while skinning. Cutting the fur oddly is one of them, right? Let’s hear another, while hanging on the dead game, cutting from below to upper – between the rib cage is another problem, isn’t it? Well it can be done but you have to be too careful, unexpected tearing might ruin the whole skin. Both of this common problem is handled with one nice little solution here in Outdoor Edge Swingblaze skinning knife.

The blade can be rotated from the middle with a swift click on a button, that reveals the other edge of the blade from the handle.

Now, about the blade, A sharp blade made from AUS 8 stainless steel. Rusting proof, will hold a shiny appearance for long. AUS 8 stainless steel are known for keeping sharp edge for a remarkably durable timestamp. So, very wise choice for skinning. But one thing, you have to clean it responsibly after finishing skinning.

About the handle, a semi-ergonomic handle is attached with the blade. However, the semi-ergonomic design is more than enough to secure your hand attached with the knife. You might ask why it is not fully ergonomic or why the handle is not designed according to shape of human fist. I’d say it is because of the glutting edge of the blade. The glutting edge is slightly curved and it must be homed into the handle, so the shape of the handle has to be like the glutting edge and that is why a fully ergonomic design is not provided.

A simply designed and durable nylon sheath will be given with the knife. It allows you to put the knife in and out easily. The simple design will allow you to put out the knife from the sheath fast.

More about the glutting edge of the knife. About how convenient it is to be used. You will not require any other additional tool to precisely initiating the skinning. One blade does it all. It is very easy to use. It makes the outdoor Edge SwingBlaze the best skinning knife for any animal. However, I am consistently being asked for the best skinning knife for deer. So, if are also one of them, here is your answer. The outdoor Edge SwingBlaze is the best skinning knife for deer.

It is very lightweight. Only 7.2 ounces or .45 pound. It is one of the lightest knife right now.

You will be given a secure and safe warranty option. See details on the dedicated link below to know more about the warranty options.

It is the best skinning knife you can get. The price might seem little bit higher comparing another skinning knife. But the price comes with conveniences. And the built in glutting edge is a killer. Strong blade, sharp edge which is durable, rubberized handle that ensures secure grip. An overall performer.

2. VictorinoxFibrox Curved Skinning Knife Review

This one is for those who love to go big. The curved VictorinoxFibrox Curved Skinning Knife comes with a 6-inch blade. This one is made for skinning relatively bigger animals.

About the blade, High stainless steel blade is the material. The edge and sharpness won’t let you down. I mean, where is the point if a skinning knife’s sharpness will not last longer. This Victorinox skinning knife ensures a prolonged sharpness. Will not be rusted easily. The blade does not dull either. However, the long blade length supports it to be a hunting knife too. It is not recommended but you can use it as a hunting knife too. And whenever you need to skin an animal, it is already one of the skinning knives. Lightweight blade, easy to maneuver, easy to swipe.

About the handle, ergonomically designed that helps to grip perfectly. Mentioned before, this Victorinox skinning knife is slightly longer than the other knives, so the handle plays a key role here whenever considering the overall maneuverability and handling the knife. Additionally, Simply designed handle implies more beautification of this aesthetic Victorinox skinning knife.

Now, about the overall shape of this Victorinox skinning knife, the well-modified shape is a great feature itself indeed. The curved sharp edge ensures you do not have to angle the knife while skinning. Usually, Victorinox skinning knives are known for great structural design and this Victorinox fibro X curved skinning knife is not a variant from that. I like its’ overall shape and performance in terms of skinning any game, no matter how big or small it is.

Well, this Victorinox skinning knife is another all in one solution for skinning animals, but some may find it overly long in terms of other skinning knives. Other skinning knives are relatively shorter than this one. So, if you would have recently switch to the VictorinoxFibrox curved skinning knife from another short skinning knife, you may have some problems at first. You will be used to it eventually. But if you do not want to be familiar with longer skinning knife, this is not the one for you.

So, if you are a professional hunter or trying to be one, you must go for this skinning knife, otherwise you should check out other skinning knives that are conventional in size.

Best Hunting Knives – Folding

In this quest of best hunting knife in the world, hunting knives with folding capability will be upheld to you. Though folding knives cannot be as productive as fixed blades are, but still many searches for the best folding hunting knife counting its easy storage and carrying facility. So here are my top picks for best folding hunting knife.

1. Buck Knife 110 Review – Best Folding Hunting Knife

This is the best folding hunting knife in my opinion. Another one from renown Buck knife, this time it is a folding blade hunting knife. Good news for Buck hunting knife lovers, if you want to pick the best folding hunting knife, you won’t have to go far rather than picking a buck one. Consider its’ promising features below

• 420 HC Steel. The one used in every buck knife. Rust free
• Whenever it is a folding knife, the lock is a very important thing to look out. The ‘lockback’ what they call it in Buck, is used here to secure a sturdy lock while opened
• Clip point hunting knife. I usually prefer clip points for hunting
• About the handle, it is made from shiny Dymond wood. Brass bolsters available. Buck knives are known for its efficient knife handle. It is not devoid of that
• A genuine leather sheath will be provided. Nice storage option. A snap enclosure is available so it can be attached with your belt.
• This buck knife 110 is covered with buck lifetime warranty. Made in the USA, and having the forever lifetime warranty, this buck 110 knife can be the one which will assist you for a long time

2. Gerber Freeman Guide Folding Knife Review

Gerber is another renown knife manufacture company. Gerber is mostly known for their user-friendly design. Gerber knives are very user-centric and they are made the usage hassle in mind to minimize the issues. Let us see how the Gerber freeman guide folding knife does

• The first impressive feature of this Gerber freeman guide folding knife is its miniature shape, I’d say. The knife is still very efficient and very much capable of being compared with other best folding hunting knives. A tiny knife that can do it all, that is what I love the most about this knife
• The blade is drop point. A clip point is always better solution whenever it is a hunting knife. But the problem is clip point blade design does not support comparatively smaller knives. Since the Gerber freeman guide folding knife is a relatively smaller knife, the drop point blade is perfect.
• 5Cr15MoV SS blade is served as the main blade. Anyway, the 8Cr13MoV blade would be better in my opinion. But still, the 5Cr15MoV SS blade is a wise choice too. Additionally, glass bead finished, sleek and minimalist experience.
• Are you thinking about the smaller size of this folding hunting knife and wondering whether it is a good choice for you? The thing is folding knives’ main application is to carry around easily and that is why it is great if the knife is slightly shorter.
  But people with larger fist might face problems handling these shorter knives. Well, there are solution for that – dual thumb room. You can hold the knife without covering the whole handle. You can grip the knife lower rooming your thumb in the 2^ndthumb room.
• Gerber has tweaked every possible property of this knife to make this completely user friendly. To ease persons with larger fist, here, larger finger grooves, tachide scales on lay, liner lock and lanyard slot is provided.
• Nylon sheath, for safe and compact housing

Best skinning knives – folding

You can reveal a best folding skinning knife for in this segment. Folding skinning knives usually differ from fixed blade skinning knives. And it is a must that you will not be satisfied like a fixed blade skinning knife does while using a folding skinning knife. Nonetheless, skinning knives has its own usefulness as it is very portable and compact in size. Check my top best pick for folding skinning knife –  below

1. Havalon Piranta Z Folding Blade Skinning Knife Review

Whenever folded knives come into consideration, Havalon knives are a must to look out. There are quite some folding skinning knives from Havalon. Among all of them, Havalon Piranta Z Foldin Blade Skinning knife is the most popular. And it is popular for some reason. Check out below –

• Super-sharp 60XT blade made from micro-honed stainless steel. Whenever it is a skinning knife, moreover, it is a folding one – the blade must have to be super sharp. Havalon has chosen 60XT blade as the blade solution for this skinning knife.
• Very easy blade exchange option. No need to sharpen the blade. All you have to do is to change the blade when you feel that you need a new one. Each blade lasts remarkably long anyway. If you want only one folding knife solution for meeting all of your skinning need, for a lifetime, the Havalon Piranta Z Folding Blade Skinning knife can be the one for you. Additional 60XT blades are available. You can purchase them from Amazon.com
• The blade here is micro-honed, what they call it. Told you, skinning requires knives with very sharp edge. And in skinning knives, the blade needs to be very thin to put back it into housing. So, the blade here needs to be super sharp. Usual honing is inadequate here. Something more than honing is required and there is the harmony – micro-honed blade is provided for extra sharpness
• About the handle, a black zytel military grade plastic made handle here. Nicely polished and serrated texture. Concave shape helps to hold strongly. Furthermore, the handle is very beautifully designed, another plus one if you are into the beauty of your skinning knife

2. Gerber Vital Pocket Folding Knife with Exchangeable Blade Review

Remember Gerber? The one I have featured above? Well, meet Gerber again. This time it is a folding skinning knife. Let’s see if this knife is captivating or not

• The blade is exchangeable. A solid razor blade is used as the main blade. You will be provided with other replaceable blades. Additional 6 replacement blades are included.
• About the handle, the handle is rubberized. It is colored orange, very easy to spot whenever you cannot find it since it is slightly smaller than the other skinning knives.
• About gripping, a bigger finger choil is available. It supports the thumb while skinning with the index finger bolstering the blade.
• As it is a folding knife, lock is very important. A shabby and unsecured locking is dangerous. This replaceable blade can be switched safely with a flick of a button. The locking system here is very safe and secured.
• This knife is very light. It weighs only 1.4 ounces. Carry it anywhere!!!

3. Cold Steel Mini Tac Skinner Serrated Knife Review

Enough of hunting knife, skinning knife, bla la bla. Do you ever wonder that both can be bundled within one optimum solution? Within one knife, that can do it all. And if it does not cost you much, and possesses a very grand outlook – what do want more. The term out of your mouth will be exactly ‘shut up and take my money’

Let me reveal the name of the knife for ya, it is Cold Steel Mini Tac Skinner Serrated Knife.

Very much convenient, isn’t it? Hunting and skinning with the same knife. You should not have to bother about carrying two knives for two different purposes. One can do it all. And check the design of the knife, built strong with premium ingredients. Will last almost forever.

Enough chitchat, let’s dive directly onto the point, let’s check its hunting brilliance. The Cold Steel Mini Tac Skinner Serrated Knife is a lightweight knife. The lightweight helps you to carry it along with you every time you go out without extra effort. Just attach it with your belt or whatever and head outside.

Japanese AUS 8A Stainless steel is used as its blade. No possibility of rusting. The edge is serrated, premium hunting option. It is a fixed blade knife, so benefits of a fixed blade knife is attached to the benefits list of the Cold Steel Mini Tac Skinner Serrated Knife. Solid, sturdy with easygoing through the game. Moreover, serrated edge assures thorough cut between the rib cage of any animal. In a word, whenever for hunting – Cold Steel Mini Tac Skinner Serrated Knife is a great achiever.

Now, the skinning section of this knife. At first, let’s determine what properties a skinning knife should have. A skinning knife should have a plain sharp point with properly curved side. And saying again, it is very important to as serrated edge damages animal skin. The point of the Cold Steel Mini Tac Skinner is exactly like that.

A word of caution to finish the featuring of the Cold Steel Mini Tac Skinner Serrated Knife. The side edge of the knife is serrated and the point is made for skinning. You need to be extra careful while skinning, however, because of if there the serrated edge come along while skinning. This extra caution is allowable while it is both hunting and skinning knife, right?

Description about the sheath to finish the section. A safe and secure Ex Neck sheath will be provided. Shiny glossy finish, I bet you will love it.

Hunting Knife Buying Guide

There are several types of knife available. You must determine the area of usage and then go for the perfect knife made for you. A thorough but easy knife buying guide is given below, you will find proper guidance for which knife to buy according to your area of expertise and area of usage here.

At first, let me give you something about knife points and some variety of them. You can be clearer about the several types of points from the picture below.

Among these, drop point and clip point knives are the most popular among the hunters. Others are used for other knife usages like vegetable cutting or other household works. But whenever it is for hunting, you should confine yourself within these two while buying a knife.

• Clip point knives are ideal choice for hunting. Clip point does not gradually go ahead all the way to the top. Left behind a crucially bended edge. It helps the knife to go through the game easily.
• On the other hand, drop point knives are usually made for skinning. If you are not extra attentive while skinning, clip point knives might damage the skin. Drop point knives are smooth and very convenient for skinning.

Anyway, there are many hunting knives with a drop point. I would say you should check both for hunting. Follow your instinct and pick the right type for you for hunting.

The next thing you would want to check is the purpose of your knife purchase. You should determine whether you are doing just hunting or just skinning. It might be the knife for both skinning and hunting too. However, you will be helped if you go through the whole article right from the first.