There are few things a man needs, a good pair of boots, a favorite pair of jeans, a manly beard and a knife in his pocket. Pretty simple really and there is cross over there for women, less the beard. The last part for me is the most important, a good knife.
I have a few qualifiers for a good skinning knife for processing game,
1. Sharp
2. Easy to handle/Won't slip with bloddy.
3. Fixed Blade or Folding I want Strength!
Simple easy and a straight forward list of requirements.
The Review-
Gerber Gear came out with the Myth Series knives in hopes to mean the need of the hunting community and by and larger they have done it. In a since that have developed a series of knives that could very well match up with all hunters. I personally like the fixed blades. I was able to put the knives to the test this past year on 4 Wild Boars, 2 Mule Deer and about 20 Chickens, so I speak with authority on how this blades work to say the least.
1. Sharp- There is nothing worst than having you knife go dull while working in you trophy's journey to the table, especially while skinning pigs that seem to be made of both leather and concrete. The Myth Knives have a solution for that. Starting with a high carbon stainless steel blade that is factory sharp out of the box and then they have added a built in knife sharpeners on the sheaths. Something I find incredibly useful and easy to access. One does not have to look further than their belt to Sharpen their knife, no more forgetting the sharpener at home or rummaging though your pack.
2. Ergonomics is the big word for it feels good, I have big hands and that means I like big knives. Ones that remind men that I am still holding them an when I am holding them they do not slip or slide while I am doing my dirty work. The soft rubberized handles solve that by staying put no matter the situation. The pictures to the right show the kind of work I do on wild boars and as you can see with all the fat, grease and blood grip is everything.
3. I tend to lean towards fixed blade knives while hunting and though my daily driver is a Gerber Covert FAST, I like strength. Hence fixed blades only in the field. I have had other good skinning knives from multiple companies and they have lacked the structural integrity needed to not be a danger while working in a slick environment. Everyone has purchased those knives that you have had to tighten the screws after a few uses. Gerber fixed that by bonding the blade to the handle in the molding process, simply no screws to mess with on the fixed blades. The folding knives have been good to, strong, easy to open and for me they have been a good back up knives in my pack.
Final Say-
Reasonably priced, strong, fits well, and doesn't fall apart. The Gerber Myth Fixed blade knives have earned a place in my pack and will stay there for the foreseeable future. The only thing that I wish they had always a slightly longer blade for cutting meat on large animals. The blades they do have are still very workable and very useful, an inch or two longer blade would be nice on the Compact Fixed Blade. I use their EZ Open to open up the skin, Field Dress Kit to pull back the skin, to remove meat off the bone and de-flesh skulls.
Pros- Strong, Won't Slip and easy to sharpen.
Cons- Would like a longer skinny blade for cutting meat.
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