i currently use the buck folder...thinkin about the buck 119, looks good and great reviews.

I carry an good ole buck folding hunter most days. If I'm going to stay out in the thicket and do it mountain man style, I take my seal pup (a SOG knife) as well.

Find a good maker and buy a custom. A good custom maker will use a high quality steel 5160, 52100, 10xx, 01, D2, etc, etc.. You ever look at what store boughts are made of? It most likely won't be any of those steels. It's usually one of the stainless types and not a good quality stainless either. It's usually 440 A, B or C. Leave the store boughts on the shelf where they belong. There's always a trade off when choosing a steel. Do you want something that's easy to touch up or one that the edge will last a little longer, but take a little longer to get an edge. That's over simplified, but you get the idea. Ok, off my soapbox now.
Oh....One more thing. Knives are made to cut with. They aren't hammers or pry bars.

A Buck 4" fixed blade. Great knives for the price.

Moore maker

eye brand

cheap knives for me. easier to sharpen, I keep a steel on me while skinning, a couple of strokes and back to skinning.
I have a gerber and never use it because its to damn hard to sharpen.

Seal Pup is what I carry if I am just carrying the knife. If I have the small pack, it's got a field pup in it, if it's the BIG pack, it has the Schrade 15OT and the Schrade Sharpfinger...

All three, the sheath and both packs, have SOG MultiTools...the best by far...

HMK: You sound very knowledgable and I'm sure you are correct regarding the steels used in "store bought" knives. But realistically, for the 99% of us who use our knife to field dress a deer or 3 during the season, won'g a Buck, Gerber, etc, serve us well. IME the steels in these knives keep their edge long enough to clean a deer, and sharpen up pretty easily after that. Not professional quality, perhaps, but good enough for what most of us use our knives for.

No flame intended, just curious what your expert take on this you be.

I lose stuff way too often, so I go cheap, store-bought.

Gerber typically.

Moore maker double spade

Buck Pathfinder #105. I've been using the same knife for over 30 years.

Gerber

Eye Brand for me.

This year used a panchO knife and it performed extraordinary !!
All the forum knifemakers knives are great. I bought a couple of SOG field pups and they are fantastic too. Also bought an orange rubber handled Cutco with serations that is wonderful.

Have 90%bucks an few others,camillys choice an pride to carry, ol sticky,stoned an stroped= like scalpel no stab just draw a line. an it opens up, bear toes,caping,right down to squirle hide. Wet look is dr pepper that exploded in backpack new years,mk! binocs ect, lost bit of depth over 40 years of stoning

SOG, Benchmade, Scharade sharpfinger, Gerber, Buck, K-Bar,


Depends on what and how i'm gonna clean it.

If I only use one knife it's Schrade Golden Spike

I use several every time I field dress something just because I have them and like to use them.

Knives are like tools. There's one for every specific job. These are the knives I carry in my pac, or on my belt.



The top is my Newf knife, (Left to right) My winchester knife that my step son gave me, My Buck 105 that belonged to my Dad, My Green River belt knife, (bottom) my Schrade Old Timer Guthook,
and last but not least, my Gerber Gator. That Gerber has cleaned more Deer than all of 'em put together.

I carry an Anza file knife. My son carries an Anza and a Cold Steel SRK (Navy Seal) knife.

I just bought my Anza knife and love it. My brother in law who has been hunting for 30 years used it to skin, quarter and cut through the vertibrae of my son's doe was impressed enough to by one himself.

It is hard to beat the price and quality of a Gerber. They hold a good edge, are easy to sharpen, and inexpensive enough I don't get mad when I lose one (which happens at least once each season).

Anza's are very cool knives. I think everybody should have a good custom knife.

Buck "Pathfinder" 105. I have used one for 30 years.

I carry a custom Folder from Diamond D, 4" drop point for field dressing. A new minni skinner from Jason fry, worked very well. And last I use a 5" Forschner flex for processing.
Oh yes, and a case stockman for feed sacks and general use..

no joke I have lost way too many knives in fields, creeks, and to the muddy bottoms of lakes.