Looking for recommendations on a good set of butcher knives

I have the 2 knife set from Sams Club. 1 chefs and 1 boning. They are cheap but hold a good edge. The plastic handles are easy to clean and are comfortable in my hand. The key with any knife is to keep it sharp and protect the edge. Buy a good Steel and learn how to use it properly. I have have a Chefs Choice electric sharpener but my go to is my 12”X2.5” Carbonized Silicon wet stone which costs less than $10. I got the stone online from LionsDeal.com. They have a good selection of butcher knives along with butcher paper and plastic wrap. I’ve been buying from them for yrs and been happy with their quality and service.

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Chris said:
If I head to the Big Horns I could find some moose
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Start accumulating your preference points now. I know locals who have been collecting preference points for years and years and still haven't been drawn for moose tags.
 
My buddy makes knives, High carbon, hold their edge. Reasonably priced. So far I am very happy with the 3 I've purchased from him. Wife loves them, had them commissioned/made for her. https://www.instagram.com/silverwhip_fnf/

Liked 'em so much we had him make 3 more chef knives; one for each of her sisters

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Paradiddle said:
Read this. Then read it again. I also fell in love with an uber expensive knife company - New West Knife out of Jackson Hole. Unreal stuff. $450ish for a chefs knife.

But after speaking to a couple folks in the industry I went with a lower priced knife that won't break the bank, but works as well as any home chef will need.

I will second the Victorinox recommendation - their steel holds a great edge (far better then a couple German knives I have) for an amazing price.

For hunting and field work I'm also a big Gerber fan. Their stuff is inexpensive but stays sharp and won't be anything you cry about should it get damaged or lost in the field.

I will also state that while I'm not a bandwagon boycotter, fuck Benchmade. Overpriced overhyped and not a supporter of the 2A. They can rot.

Just my .02

Now - to make you drool.....

https://www.newwestknifeworks.com/?utm_source=google-ads&utm_campaign=Branded&utm_agid=130227592493&utm_term=new west knifeworks jackson wy&creative=566362321817&device=c&placement=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwps-zBhAiEiwALwsVYVJyR6CbvuOpHfO4eTmTUyoYz8rv0xTz0YviPitroVDQhvaiQLCsZhoCstQQAvD_BwE
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Another vote for this approach. I talk to a lot of people who work in kitchens for a living servicing their walk in coolers. Some of the places are very fancy but their knives are less than 100$. Doesn't mean the steel isn't good,they just don't waste money on pretty patterns and nice handles.

@Chris what are you after? It sounds like you need a 3-4" fixed blade(for ease of cleaning) hunting knife sharp enough to skin with but with a thick enough blade to do a little boning.

For the butchering get yourself some boning knives of a couple different lengths.

In my kitchen i would want(and have) some relatively inexpensive japanese knives.7" Nakiri,5" santoku,paring knife,etc on a wooden magnetic stand.

Look up the japanese steels available now. Vg10 is a nice hard stainless that doesn't need much maintenance. Researching blade angles for different uses will help you select knives and how you want to sharpen them.
 
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tworley said:
Start accumulating your preference points now. I know locals who have been collecting preference points for years and years and still haven't been drawn for moose tags.
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I didn't even get my Elk draw this year. Guess I will just be hunting some grouse if the secondary or OTC fails.
 
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tworley said:
Start accumulating your preference points now. I know locals who have been collecting preference points for years and years and still haven't been drawn for moose tags.
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Yep, that's what I'm told. Maybe I'll get lucky in a draw but I doubt it.
 
Rickyd said:
Another vote for this approach. I talk to a lot of people who work in kitchens for a living servicing their walk in coolers. Some of the places are very fancy but their knives are less than 100$. Doesn't mean the steel isn't good,they just don't waste money on pretty patterns and nice handles.

@Chris what are you after? It sounds like you need a 3-4" fixed blade(for ease of cleaning) hunting knife sharp enough to skin with but with a thick enough blade to do a little boning.

For the butchering get yourself some boning knives of a couple different lengths.

In my kitchen i would want(and have) some relatively inexpensive japanese knives.7" Nakiri,5" santoku,paring knife,etc on a wooden magnetic stand.

Look up the japanese steels available now. Vg10 is a nice hard stainless that doesn't need much maintenance. Researching blade angles for different uses will help you select knives and how you want to sharpen them.
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I'm looking for two sets of knives basically. One for the work in the field and one for butchering the meat at home.

My wife and I are raising two flocks of chickens. We have 20 chickens for egg production and we have 20 more for meat production. We've been slaughtering the meat birds ourselves and butchering them in the kitchen. We've found that our current knives (which are nothing special by any means) are not the best for butchering the chickens. They work, but sometimes they get caught up on joints and tendons.

Thanks for the advice on the cheaper approach. I'm not oppose to cheaper knives, I think my issue is I'd just like some nice steal that I can have for a long time and only have to sharpen. I'm no knife expert so truthfully I don't know the difference between a $500 knife and a $100 knife.
 
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Chris said:
… I'd just like some nice steal that I can have for a long time and only have to sharpen. I'm no knife expert so truthfully I don't know the difference between a $500 knife and a $100 knife.
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We’ve had the set I pictured, one knife at a time, about 5-6 years. So far the Butcher & Santuko have never been sharpened, only a steel once or twice a year. The Chef knife was what we thought very sharp when we got it, however my buddy was over one night and asked about it. He ended up taking it home and redoing the edge because he couldn’t believe he let us have it like it was. Since then, about 5 years we’ve only ever taken a steel to it about 3-4 times a year & it’s used daily.

I’m the same as far the difference between high dollar vs. the dollar store. But I will say, once you have a good knife, you never want to go back. I think I paid $300 for the Chef’s knife. And that was going rate & handle of choice.
 
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Unfortunately there’s no one knife to rule them all; but maybe that’s fortunate because it’s fun to buy & try knives!
The Havalon or similar replaceable blade scalpel-style knives have become essential for big game field dressing. I also use mine to process our chickens and ducks, along with some decent game shears for legs and necks.
For the rest of the big game processing I still use the Havalon, with frequent appearances by:
Morakniv: excellent blade value
Esee: high quality; I want these to be my “one knife” but just can’t beat the function of the Havalon
Buck: everyone’s gotta have one!
Benchmade: hadn’t heard of the gun thing but their steel is good
Dexter: excellent semi-pro processing knives that clean up easily and take an edge very well and respond well to stropping throughout the job.
 
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Granite said:
Morakniv: excellent blade value
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100% I’ve got a handful of their fixed blades in camping boxes, tool bags, etc.


Granite said:
Benchmade: hadn’t heard of the gun thing but their steel is good
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I’m into BM for well over 1k in pocket knives, they and Leatherman are one of the few remaining, US based companies that stand behind their warranty and customer service.

Edit: went down the BM gun rabbit hole, this was the most recent article I found. https://www.recoilweb.com/benchmade-anti-gun-we-ask-them-to-explain-147462.html
 
red02tj said:
100% I’ve got a handful of their fixed blades in camping boxes, tool bags, etc.




I’m into BM for well over 1k in pocket knives, they and Leatherman are one of the few remaining, US based companies that stand behind their warranty and customer service.

Edit: went down the BM gun rabbit hole, this was the most recent article I found. https://www.recoilweb.com/benchmade-anti-gun-we-ask-them-to-explain-147462.html
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...and they help the police destroy firearms. Cool!
 
Good context on the Benchnade fiasco, thanks. We have to be careful; cancel culture is rampant.

I do think their knives are a bit overpriced though and their sharpening service is a prohibitive hassle.

Actually a great way to go @Chris is to find a local knife maker and just have him/her make exactly what you want. It’s not a mystery; but it is an art to make good knives; and science. There are awesome knife makers everywhere that will pick the right steel for your application, shape the exact blade profile you like and treat it for the right hardness and edge characteristics, then put a totally unique handle on it that will make it a multigenerational heirloom. Probably for less than some Benchmades! 😬
 
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red02tj said:
100% I’ve got a handful of their fixed blades in camping boxes, tool bags, etc.




I’m into BM for well over 1k in pocket knives, they and Leatherman are one of the few remaining, US based companies that stand behind their warranty and customer service.

Edit: went down the BM gun rabbit hole, this was the most recent article I found. https://www.recoilweb.com/benchmade-anti-gun-we-ask-them-to-explain-147462.html
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I too was mildly into them at one point. I have since sold most items in the photo. I don’t think I want to consider how many have replenished since I’ve “stopped collecting”.
 
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Just saw this thread. We lived exclusively off white-tail deer meat for about a decade (until I lost access to the ranch I hunted). No beef. I'd shoot up to 6 per year (all small cull deer - you can't eat antlers), and my wife and I would butcher them ourselves. In the field, I only ever used a skinning knife to field dress, skin, and quarter. Once home, I only used a boning knife to butcher, and knives never touched bone (unless accidentally). Forelegs were severed at the knee by carefully cutting the tendons running over the mid bone (kneecap?) and then bending the knee sideways to break the ligaments and separate the foreleg. Rear legs were removed by slicing down around the ball-and-socket joint and then severing the single tendon the retains the ball to the socket. The rest was easy, but it would take a good bit of time to process one. And the hands get sore.

My opinion - you're asking the wrong question. Knives are only as good as their edge, and all knives need sharpening. The more important question is, "what type of sharpening system should I get?" I've tried many of them over the years, and I discovered that you need to run the stone at a very repeatable, consistent angle to get a razor sharp edge. This is the company I ended up buying a system from, and I have a lot invested in the system, but I can put a better-than-the-best-factory edge on almost any knife (serrated excluded) with it:

https://www.edgeproinc.com/
 
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My vote is for Outdoor Edge. We use their cutlery kit ALOT during hunting season. Pretty good quality steel that holds a pretty good edge and sharpens easily.
However this is what is on my hip all year long and does the dirty work of field dressing. Can't go wrong with a Buck knife. Unfortunately they quit making this model several years ago. Fits my hand better than any others.

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sab said:
Just saw this thread. We lived exclusively off white-tail deer meat for about a decade (until I lost access to the ranch I hunted). No beef. I'd shoot up to 6 per year (all small cull deer - you can't eat antlers), and my wife and I would butcher them ourselves. In the field, I only ever used a skinning knife to field dress, skin, and quarter. Once home, I only used a boning knife to butcher, and knives never touched bone (unless accidentally). Forelegs were severed at the knee by carefully cutting the tendons running over the mid bone (kneecap?) and then bending the knee sideways to break the ligaments and separate the foreleg. Rear legs were removed by slicing down around the ball-and-socket joint and then severing the single tendon the retains the ball to the socket. The rest was easy, but it would take a good bit of time to process one. And the hands get sore.

My opinion - you're asking the wrong question. Knives are only as good as their edge, and all knives need sharpening. The more important question is, "what type of sharpening system should I get?" I've tried many of them over the years, and I discovered that you need to run the stone at a very repeatable, consistent angle to get a razor sharp edge. This is the company I ended up buying a system from, and I have a lot invested in the system, but I can put a better-than-the-best-factory edge on almost any knife (serrated excluded) with it:

https://www.edgeproinc.com/
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I've always used a file to sharpen mine (broadheads too). Nothing fancy and I can get it sharp enough to shave WAY quicker than a stone or steel.
 
Chris said:
I'm looking for two sets of knives basically. One for the work in the field and one for butchering the meat at home.

My wife and I are raising two flocks of chickens. We have 20 chickens for egg production and we have 20 more for meat production. We've been slaughtering the meat birds ourselves and butchering them in the kitchen. We've found that our current knives (which are nothing special by any means) are not the best for butchering the chickens. They work, but sometimes they get caught up on joints and tendons.

Thanks for the advice on the cheaper approach. I'm not oppose to cheaper knives, I think my issue is I'd just like some nice steal that I can have for a long time and only have to sharpen. I'm no knife expert so truthfully I don't know the difference between a $500 knife and a $100 knife.
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I think if you research types of steel and the upkeep they need you'll know what you want. For rough work like boning and processing its hard to beat german stainless with blunter edges meant for more sharpening. A cleaver or hatchet even might do well with bulk processing.
 
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