re: Need New Cleaning Knife

There are always certain questions amongst outdoorsmen that will generate a myriad of responses. One of those is "what kind of cleaning knife do you like?" I'll share my personal experiences as well, but ultimately the decision's up to you.

Since my available time seems to be constantly dwindling, Ive recently found myself using knives w/ replaceable blades more and more. I first used a Havalon Piranta my kids bought me. After Skinning one deer w/ it, I retired it from deer cleaning. OTOH, it's one of my favorite squirrel skinning knives. For me, the blade holder is just not substantial enough making it easy to pop the blade off the blade holder w/ any torquing of the blade. If you're able to use very straight movement of the blade, it's good. For me, it's good for skinning, but cleaning, a deer. A few years ago I started using an Outdoor Edge two bladed knife, one a replaceable blade and the other a non-replaceable gut hook. I really like this knife for cleaning a deer. Yeah, fat and other stuff can get caught between the blade and blade holder, but that's not hard to clean out. In addition, the back of the knife is open so it's really easy to clean and dry. The blade holder is very substantial so the blade doesn't pop off for me like the Piranta. I've got an Outdoor Edge knife that's shaped like the Wyoming Knife, but the blade is not replaceable. It's a good knife for cleaning, except one still needs a traditional blade to ream out the anus.

Other than the Outdoor Edge, I like fixed blade knives as they're easier to clean. Here are my main ones.
Cold Steel "Roach Belly"

Kissing Cranes

Mora

As far as folders, it's hard to beat the Buck 110 Hunter.