Henry Rifle Forums

I know this is a bit sacrilege but I've come to appreciate this tool for its usefulness. I've never been handy puttin an edge on a knife and with these Havalons I don't have to be. I've skun, quartered, and boned 2 elk with a single Blade. The whole thing, with 12 replacement blades and nylon sheath weighs 2-3 ounces, no sharpener needed. That's a plus at 8-10,000 feet! I usually carry a stiffer flip blade in my pocket should one of the horses get themselves in a fix and need to be cut loose quick which is why I'm thinkin of pickin up the 2 Blade model as it has a stiffer conventional Blade as one of the two. These things are dangerous sharp as they're literally a scalpel so caution needs to be taken, but I've never had an easier time of breaking an animal down than with one of these. You can get a 100 pack of the 60xt blades for $30. The 60a blades are a bit more but are a bit stiffer. They aren't meant to flex or twist and the xt's will break when twisted. The single Blade model is about $30, the two Blade is around $50. I've got several fixed bladed knives and appreciate the beauty and soul if you will, of a fine custom knife, but I'll always have one of these for hunting!

interesting .... info appreciated .... I didn't know knives like this were on the market

That sounds like a really good idea, Dennis. I've just had a quick 'google', and found out that we have them here, too. Thanks for the "heads up".
https://www.havalonknives.co.uk/

There's a company called Outdoor Edge that offers a similar product too.
https://hunters-knives.co.uk/brands/out ... nives.html

I ordered two of the outdoor edge knives at Christmas time one for my hunting buddie and one for me. They are quality and I cant wait to use one. I think they are they way to go. Sharpening a knife while cutting up game is a pain and I have done it many times. Al

My buddy went the outdoor edge route as well BigAl. He has no complaints, I'm sure yer gonna love it! Just don't ever slip with these type knives, wicked sharp!

I use the havalon knives for most of the skinning chores in my taxidermy shop. They work great for most jobs but on jobs where more backbone is needed I use my old regular skinning knives. These havalon blades will break with any forceful pressure (don't bend them.) For field use (gutting) I would not recommend using them when you"go in" to cut the windpipe and whatever else needs to be cut when you can't actually see the blade. if you break it off in there you have a loose razor blade floating around "somewhere" inside. Havalon makes a good folder (Shocky) model that has a regular drop point blade. That works great on one end and you can attach a regular havalon ( scalpel blade) to the other end for this. They also offer a gut hook blade which is what I use that will attach to it. they work great( not cheap but worth every penny.

Aw, come on, if you can't sharpen a knife, you shouldn't be carrying one!

Just kidding. I didn't know they made replaceable blades in a more standard configuration. There are those out there that are either sharpening challenged, or just don't want to sharpen themselves. This looks like a good alternative for them.

I was thinking something like a box cutter, when I first saw this thread.

clovishound wrote:Aw, come on, if you can't sharpen a knife, you shouldn't be carrying one!

There are those out there that are either sharpening challenged, or just don't want to sharpen themselves.

I resemble those remarks!

The real big advantage is weight. The whole thing is literally 2-3 ounces, and no sharpening device needed! At higher elevations this can't be overstated!

A good sharpener can put a surgical edge using a rock he or she found in a field.