Which knives to butcher?

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bigsky_songdogs

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In about a month my first batch if chickens will be ready to butcher, and this year I want to use more appropriate knives than the smattering of blades I use for everything else. They will also be used for wild game etc.

In the inexpensive but useful category there are Chicago cutlery, Dexter Russell, Green River (not feasible to scale and finish for me), and others I am sure.

I would appreciate suggestions on which you guys prefer or recommend, or any other brands I am over looking.

Thanks
 
Dexter Sanisafe's, both my BinL's are butchers and I've worked in their shops during deer season to help out with skinning and anything else they needed. One BinL has a set of high end german knives for his personal knives but most everything was done with Dexters. The other uses Dexters exclusively. They are both getting older and don't cut as much game as they used to (about 300 deer) a season combined. Now they just do friends and their own.

For my own butchering.

6" wide boning
7 1/2" stiff heading
12" Cimeter(great for cutting large chunks into steaks)
6" beef skinner

A large sharpening steel(12") ceramic works well I keep one in the truck and the kitchen drawer
I have a large tristone sharpener but am liking a diamond sharpener a lot and find that I only use the tristone if I need to really work on a blade mostly someone elses or one I've picked up at a sale or my plane blades and chisels.

In the kitchen

10" and 7" Santoku
10" chef's knife
6" boning

I used to have all wooden handles but as I get older I really like to be able to just throw them in the dishwasher. It does beat up the edges a little but a couple of swipes on the steel and they are ready to go.

My knives all stay as close to razor sharp as possible.

My personal knives are all different brands that I picked up over the years, finding them in thrift shops and yard sales, upgrading as I find a better replacement.
 
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For personal butchering i use a set of the outdoor edge butcher sets.. I know they are not fancy and don't hold their edge as well as others, but I only cut up one elk a year.

I do have a Knives of Alaska (steelhead) filet knife. Most of the cutting and wear on the blades that i have found is part of the D-boning. I use that good length and sharp blade for most of the deboning.
I have cleaned piles of pheasants and I found that a skinny 8" or so blade that will flex, allowing me to get the tip into the joints and down the breast bones to debreast was important, as was a very sturdy strong pair of snips for cutting off legs and wing tips, or through the breast plates to do bone in breasts.

I lean toward the D2 steel blades for higher volume to limit the need for sharpening.

You could also just get some of the swedish blades that are about $8 each.. They are crazy sharp and easy to resharpen and would be cheap to replace when not effective anymore.
http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Craftline-Utility-Carbon-Sheath/dp/B00T3DCVVG/ref=dp_ob_title_sports
I skinned 10 coyotes with the same one of these knives this year, and it's still very sharp. (I cut the front feet off at the joint above the dew claw when skinning)despite the face, ears and cutting off the front feet, as well as any of the other cuts didn't seem to impact the edge. (In my experience anytime i have to cut into hair, or the blade comes into contact with bone makes the knife dull, and need sharpening after a handful of coyotes)
 
I also love my work sharp mini belt sander.. That thing can sharpen an entire kitchen set of knives in under 10 min.
I love really sharp knives.. My wife does too. But, she doesn't love to use a cutting board like I do and will cut things with the knives right ontop of Granite..
I get lots of practice sharpening them.

I would recommend the Orion version.. It's a little more, but comes with more variety of grit sanding belts, and no the belts for the Orion don't work with the other version.
 
Old Hickory

Ten - fifteen bucks apiece for good ol US made carbon steel that's easy to sharpen and will last a lifetime.

 
Originally Posted By: GCVictorinox Forschnor Fibrox ...

I love these knives for the above stated purposes. They are cheap, effective and easily maintained.
 
Originally Posted By: pahntr760Originally Posted By: GCVictorinox Forschnor Fibrox ...

I love these knives for the above stated purposes. They are cheap, effective and easily maintained.

Victorinox are another good one but plastic handled stainless ain't got no soul.
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I have a couple of their rosewood handled kitchen knives that are pretty sweet.


They're more than twice the price though.
Those Old Hickory knives are about as economical and utilitarian as it gets IMO. Plus they just get better with time.
The Green River's are even better but ya gotta put scales on em.

 
Charlie,
The Fibrox handles aren't pretty, but they are dishwasher safe. I grew up on a small farm and we raised hogs, cattle and chickens to butcher for our own use. We would butcher 50 - 100 chickens at a time. At the end of a day like that I appreciate a knife I can drop into the dishwasher.
 
I know, Charlie...no soul...but very useful. Those Old Hickory look pretty slick, I may just need to look into them.

As for dishwasher safe, only my butter knives go into the dishwasher. JMO on that one...
 
I don't put my "good knives" in the dishwasher, but something fairly inexpensive, stainless with a tough synthetic handle can go in there when I'm tired or lazy and not bother me.
 
Yea,,,, everything has it's pluses and minuses Gary.
If I were a professional meat cutter I'd probably like composit better,,,, but thank god I'm not. Those guys work way too hard.
For a weekend warrior like myself, hand washing a couple knives isn't that big of an inconvenience but everyone likes what they like. That's what makes the world go around eah?


Shane,,,, you should definitely try em. Everyone should have an Old Hickory or two for the cool factor if nothing else.
Ken gave me the paring knife and I liked it so much I bought the boner and butcher blades. IIRC,,,, I didn't pay more than $10 for either one.
There's even a cult in the "bushcraft" crowd that regrind and rehandle em into all manner of things. LOL
I like mine just the way they are though.

Back on topic.
BigSky,,,, if you want to throw a couple of boning knives in your arsenal, MTP sells refurbished packing house knives dirt cheap.
http://www.minntrapprod.com/Resharpened-Skinning-Knives/productinfo/RESP-001/
 
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Thanks guys!

I know what you mean, the green Rivera are nice but I'm not set up to scale them unfortunate or that's the way I would go. I'll look at the old hickorys.

A fibrox handled victorinox wide curved boning knife is what I was looking at, wanted to see some other suggestions.

Thanks again
 
To bad you didn't follow up when you asked me to put some scales on a couple of those Green River blades a few years ago.
I'd still be happy to do em for you but unfortunately the arthritis in my hands has put an end to that hobby.
 
Originally Posted By: RePeteTo bad you didn't follow up when you asked me to put some scales on a couple of those Green River blades a few years ago.
I'd still be happy to do em for you but unfortunately the arthritis in my hands has put an end to that hobby.

I know it, thought the same thing. Definitely a missed opportunity
 
I also butcher some chickens this year and last year a few deer and some Fox and I will have to say the havalons are crazy sharp and and as cheap as the blades are I feel a great deal .
I butcher 10 to 15 chickens at a time ( I do them by myself)
And one blade does them all from cutting neck to cleaning also one blade will do a whitetail no problem .

But just my 2 cents best knife I've owned hands down for the price

Scott
 
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