Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Harsey
AM, TR,
Thank you. Best for what is a good question.
I started that way on purpose because this forum covers a wide range of activities and wanted to see which way this might go.
There are hand tools here in the shop that are ugly but I learned to like them because they work right. They become "best".
TR,
For application: First category of knife would be "field use" military in deference to the primary group on this forum. Included in field use would be daily carry.
also of note, unless something has changed we do not discuss use of a knife by military personnel for lethal purposes here.
A knife used to open, clean and skin a game animal is the first step of food preparation. The chefs knives are the last step in food preparation just before that steak knife is used. Making food in the field happens with whatever knife is on you and that becomes the chefs knife.
It's human nature to value our knives and it started a very long time ago.
That is why I asked the question.
Great responses so far, thank you.
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I never doubted that you had a reason for asking.
To turn your question around, what is the best tool you have ever used? You probably have several favorite hammers, each adapted for a specific purpose. Could you really say that one of them is the best though? Will any of them replace a saw or a screwdriver?
Similarly, would a single knife be optimized for skinning, gutting, quartering, slicing, and preparing larger game?
Most guys I have seen working on deer and larger-sized game used a number of edged tools, usually at least a fixed blade skinner, a hatchet or small axe, a hand saw, possibly a gutting knife, maybe a cleaver, and at least one thin butcher knife for slicing the cuts. The knife that would break the shoulder joint on an elk will probably not be very effective for skinning, gutting, and cutting steaks.
Of course, you probably have significantly more experience than I do in that field. Deer here will frequently fit into a game pouch, and cattle and big hogs are the largest thing I have worked on turning into food.
Life is a compromise.
TR