A little background. I process my own deer, and always have. Dad and grandpa used to butcher hogs and beef, so we always had the tools to do so when I was growing up. After moving out on my own, I tried lots of different knives and quickly came to the conclusion that a fillet knife was the best tool for boning out a deer. I only process 3 to 5 deer per year, but when I was growing up we would often do 8 to 10 between dad an I. I've been using the Rapala 4" and 6" blades for years, but I would always need to either sharpen them (really more of a touch up) half way through the job, or have multiple knives ready to go at the start of the job. At $20 each, having 2 of each size wasn't cost prohibitive. At the end of the season, I'd spend a few hours sharpening all of them to get them back into the condition I wanted them in for the next season. I use the same knives to breast out pheasant, and we will often do around 20 birds a day over a 9 day stretch.
Last spring I decided to treat myself to some better knives. I was looking at Benchmade's Magnacut fillet knife, but I couldn't bring myself to spend the money. I ended up getting a 6" Fillet Knife and a 4" paring/bird knife from North Arm Knives. One word. WOW. Its very easy to get them hair whittling sharp. I did 3 decent size does this month. At the end of each deer, the blade was still able to shave hair (barely), but 6-8 light strokes across a fine ceramic stone brought it right back into its original condition. The edges on the back of the spine have been blended slightly making the knives a lot more comfortable to use. The knives fit my hands well, were easy to grip in wet conditions, and SUPER easy to clean up. I've always took pride in how sharp my knives are, but these two are on a whole different level. They don't just take an amazingly sharp edge, they hold it REALLY well. It was difficult for an old tightwad like me to cough up $200 ea for a pair of knives, but after using them, I'll likely try to add a 9" fillet knife and a chef's knife to my tool kit.
Here are a couple of pics. The bottom one was taken between quarters, so they're a little dirty. I don't remember what I was using the paring knife for. I think I just didn't want it to feel left out... lol I have only used it a few times in the kitchen, but it slices through a tater like a hot knife through warm butter.
Last spring I decided to treat myself to some better knives. I was looking at Benchmade's Magnacut fillet knife, but I couldn't bring myself to spend the money. I ended up getting a 6" Fillet Knife and a 4" paring/bird knife from North Arm Knives. One word. WOW. Its very easy to get them hair whittling sharp. I did 3 decent size does this month. At the end of each deer, the blade was still able to shave hair (barely), but 6-8 light strokes across a fine ceramic stone brought it right back into its original condition. The edges on the back of the spine have been blended slightly making the knives a lot more comfortable to use. The knives fit my hands well, were easy to grip in wet conditions, and SUPER easy to clean up. I've always took pride in how sharp my knives are, but these two are on a whole different level. They don't just take an amazingly sharp edge, they hold it REALLY well. It was difficult for an old tightwad like me to cough up $200 ea for a pair of knives, but after using them, I'll likely try to add a 9" fillet knife and a chef's knife to my tool kit.
Here are a couple of pics. The bottom one was taken between quarters, so they're a little dirty. I don't remember what I was using the paring knife for. I think I just didn't want it to feel left out... lol I have only used it a few times in the kitchen, but it slices through a tater like a hot knife through warm butter.
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It's not a magic laser beam, but I can absolutely understand what and why Larrin Thomas was going for when he developed the steel. He absolutely got it right. I can see where something like CPM 20CV would be a better choice for an industrial knife that's used in a controlled environment, but as a hand held knife steel, I'm not impressed.
