5 Things to Look for In a Good Skinning Knife

All of us have gone through that point in our life when we are in the market buying a knife and are standing in front of hundreds of options and still confused on what to buy. Today’s world has presented us with so many options that it becomes really difficult to decide which one is the best and which one is not. But in order to have the best for yourself, you have to make that decision and that too based on logic and facts, otherwise, you just end up with the wrong option and that is just a start of the things that will go wrong.

There are so many types when it comes to knives and so many subtypes under a single type. Every type of knife has its own functionality and use. It seems literally hilarious when we have mostly seen all the tasks getting done with a single type of knife our whole life. But that’s just wrong. A single knife can perform all functions but it just won’t perform all those functions properly. Today we will cover one type of knife which will definitely pique the interest of all outdoorsmen. Let us talk about a skinning knife.

What is a Skinning Knife?
A skinning knife also known as a skinner knife is a knife that is specifically used during hunting to skin an animal. It is a hunting tool and is used by a skinner. A skinning knife is usually short but has a wide blade. If we were talking in terms of people, then I would say that a skinning knife is like a stout person, because it looks like one. Lol! The edge of a skinning knife is strong as it has to perform some pretty badass stuff and that is why this knife is not much flexible.

Characteristics of a Good Skinning Knife
Now let us have a look at some important features that you should look for in your skinning knife so that you are always equipped with the best. After all who would want to waste their hard-earned hunting catch by working on it with a bad skinning knife? Would you want that? No of course!

1- The Design of Blade
The design of a blade is of utmost importance when it comes to a skinning knife. Why? Because the design of a blade has its effects on the performance of the knife. All types of animals differ from each other due to the changes in their muscle tissues. So, that means that each one of them has different anatomy. The ones whose skins are loosely attached with their bodies like goats, deer etc can be skinned with only the tip of the skinning knife. So, in such cases, you should choose skinning knives having blades that feature either drop points or clip points. However, if you are skinning a boar or a beer, then always use a trailing point blade to get through the thick layer of fat with which their body is attached to their skin.

2- Length of the Blade
The length of a blade is another important feature that you should consider while buying a skinning knife for yourself. It is quite obvious, that a bigger animal i.e. bears and deer will require bigger skinning knives having blades of about seven to eight inches long whereas small animals i.e. rabbits and squirrels will small skinning knives having blades of about three inches to three and a half inches long.

3- Construction of Blade
The construction material of a skinning knife holds a great deal of importance too. For a skinning knife, a hard blade with a sharp edge is needed. The blade of a skinning knife should be able to hold its edge because you wouldn’t want your knife to get stuck in the middle of your task of skinning the animal. It would be such a hassle and of course would produce bad results. So, choose a tough blade with an edge which is tough enough that it is not flexible but not too hard that it becomes really hard to sharp it again. Therefore, choose your blade wisely.

4- The Design of Handle
There is only one thing you should look for in the handle of your skinning knife. Are you wondering what is that? Well, the handle of your knife should be ergonomic. It should provide you with a comfortable and secure grip. No matter how you choose to grip your knife, it should be comfortable to hold. Only then you will be able to perform your task efficiently and effectively.

5- Type of Knife
Now, this is a very important question which you should ask from yourself. Which type of skinning knife would you like for yourself? Fixed blade skinning knife or folding skinning knife? Both types have their own advantages and disadvantages. A fixed blade skinning knife is more durable, firm and powerful. Whereas a folding one is more likely to break easily but it can be carried around easily. So, now it’s up to you which one suits you the best.
The above-mentioned features are the ones you should look for in a skinning knife. And now that you know of the characteristics that you should be looking for in a skinning knife when are you getting yours?