replaceable blade knives - worth the hype?

[raisins]

I was just at the Havalon webpage....aren't you guys worried about cutting yourself while changing a blade out in less than ideal situations? That and the greater chance of snapping or losing a blade in an animal makes me pretty certain that a high dollar fixed or folder is safer. Also, I'm sure that the Havalon locking mechanisms are safe, but I'd bet the locking mechanisms on a benchmade or spyderco are way tougher. Prove me wrong? Is the primary draw here of the Havalon being all gas and no brakes towards convenience regarding not sharpening? Seems one dimensional of an analysis.

 

[Swingin' Free]

I was just at the Havalon webpage....aren't you guys worried about cutting yourself while changing a blade out in less than ideal situations? That and the greater chance of snapping or losing a blade in an animal makes me pretty certain that a high dollar fixed or folder is safer. Also, I'm sure that the Havalon locking mechanisms are safe, but I'd bet the locking mechanisms on a benchmade or spyderco are way tougher. Prove me wrong? Is the primary draw here of the Havalon being all gas and no brakes towards convenience regarding not sharpening? Seems one dimensional of an analysis.

They give you a plastic "sissy" thingy to take the blades off. I lost mine pretty quick, it's simple to remove them with one hand no worries.
If you're breaking the blades or worry about it folding back you're using it wrong. It's basically a scalpel, no prying. Let the blade do the work, cut the tendon in the joints.
I carry a fixed blade too. I like to split the ribs with my serrated Cutco. Pretty sure it would do a number on a aggressor or a chunk of wood.

 

[Wirrex]

I was just at the Havalon webpage....aren't you guys worried about cutting yourself while changing a blade out in less than ideal situations? That and the greater chance of snapping or losing a blade in an animal makes me pretty certain that a high dollar fixed or folder is safer. Also, I'm sure that the Havalon locking mechanisms are safe, but I'd bet the locking mechanisms on a benchmade or spyderco are way tougher. Prove me wrong? Is the primary draw here of the Havalon being all gas and no brakes towards convenience regarding not sharpening? Seems one dimensional of an analysis.

Weight is another factor I guess.

 

[Wirrex]

Weight is another factor I guess, especially if your carying a sharpener.

 

[weekender21]

Havalon knives are great and yes, worth the money. The weight and space savings is significant.


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[2Sloe]

I've been doing research on how to pack out game and the proper kill kit necessities and see practically everyone carries and recommends a replaceable blade knife like a Havalon or Gerber to name a couple.
I've been carrying a 5" fixed blade Buck knife for over 15 years and have gutted and skinned plenty of deer with it without any problem which got me thinking about what is it that makes these type of knives so great? Is it the fact that they're less weight and there's never a need to sharpen a blade? I see them as a sort of sales gimmick, like for example the latest and greatest super duper rifle caliber that boasts a blazing 12fps faster than the one it was modeled after but costs almost double. I can sharpen my blade to shaving sharp and I might be concerned about weight and packability if I was hiking 15 miles but that is not my situation.
So what am I missing that makes these things a must have?

If you like your 5”, then keep carrying it. Sharpen it once before the start of the season, only use it to gut the deer you kill and you won’t have to sharpen it again until next year....if then. When you get home and want to start taking the deer apart, reach over in your tool box and take out your $5.99 Home Depot carpet/box cutter. Ha, Ha, I think I just heard a bunch of folks gasp! Box cutters excel at skinning deer. Cutting hair really dulls your knife, but that box cutter just zips through it and the blades are only a few cents each. I have a 5” Buck folder like yours, another fixed Buck, a benchmade, a kershaw and a few others that I rarely use. Save your blade for gutting and let the box cutter do the rest.

 

[Blacksmith]

I carry a 3" G Fred Asbell neck knife and have cut up a few deer w/it in a lifetime but I do have a replaceable blade I use for taxidermy work, turning eyes, ears, lips. Thats tuff w/a fixed blade knife. At least this site isn't like another I saw, that every time someone suggests something, 50 folks jump down his throat and tell how wrong he is. To each his own, Just like diaper choice, broadhead choice, and bows. I think everyone should use what I do.

 

[kuzinva]

I'm one of those guys that really enjoys sharpening knives, broadheads, lawn mower blades, etc. That said I did pull the trigger on a Tyto replaceable blade and have to say I like it for field dressing and tend to use other knives for other tasks. I find that it does extremely well, the blade is long and narrow, so the initial rear end cut is easy and the blade is scary sharp so the following underside and any small cuts are done with ease. If I just use it for field dressing - I usually get about 10 deer+ per blade. Skinning and processing, usually done while hanging and not in the field, I use another knife. I tend to be a bit rough on my processing knives and did break a replaceable blade while using during processing.

 

[TexaninSconny]

Regarding knife sharpening...what’s worked best for those of you that enjoy that? I see lots of different whetstone sets. I’d enjoy improving in that area, but I see that you can easily mess up a blade if you don’t know what you are doing.

 

[Weldabeast]

Regarding knife sharpening...what’s worked best for those of you that enjoy that? I see lots of different whetstone sets. I’d enjoy improving in that area, but I see that you can easily mess up a blade if you don’t know what you are doing.

Diamond-Arkansas Precision Sharpener

Our Diamond-Arkansas Precision sharpener is a all-in-one diamond sharpening system. Set at an affordable price so you don't have to break the budget.

smithsproducts.com

 

[TexaninSconny]

This guy was suuuuuper thorough. Tested several options from cheap to almost a grand. In the end, it seems something similar to what you posted gave the best bang for the buck. Just ignore the sound of his voice.

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[Still Kicking]

Regarding knife sharpening...what’s worked best for those of you that enjoy that? I see lots of different whetstone sets. I’d enjoy improving in that area, but I see that you can easily mess up a blade if you don’t know what you are doing.

I use a file to set the angle then a coarse stone or diamond, a fine stone, a ruby stick, and strop with leather.

 

[Weldabeast]

This guy was suuuuuper thorough. Tested several options from cheap to almost a grand. In the end, it seems something similar to what you posted gave the best bang for the buck. Just ignore the sound of his voice.

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The smiths is more use friendly than the lansky IMO. That kit I posted I've owned for almost ten years and I recently bought another since the diamond stones are worn out. The new 1 is better than older 1s. With more blade angle options. The soft case is really nice also...works on broadheads too

 

[Maverick1]

I bought a havalon for back country elk hunting to save weight. What I found was the havalon blades were breaking way to easily when cutting up an elk. Their hide alone is like Kevlar, it’s ridiculous. I was breaking 3 or 4 blades on one elk. You can only be so gentle with a knife when breaking down a large bodied elk on uneven, sloped ground in the dark and cold and I was still managing to snap them. I gave up on it and went back to a ultra light weight fix blade in a hardy S90V steel that weighs the same as my havalon with 4 extra blades.

Very similar thoughts here as well. I looked at the Havalon for a couple of years for backcountry elk hunting after they first came out. I read too many stories online (for my liking) of blades breaking while processing elk, and/or guys cutting themselves while changing out the blades that I just decided they weren't for me. (Really never a good position to be in with a sliced up hand/arm/etc., much less being in that situation by myself 4-8 miles from the truck.) They appear to provide very sharp blades at a significant weight savings, but I ended up finding a lightweight fixed blade that works really well for my elk hunting needs and checks those boxes without the "safety" drawbacks of the Havalon.