I recently placed an order with WASCO to obtain a skinning knife. I received a call stating that it was on back order. I attempted to order the "Perfect Knife" but I was told that it wouldn't be available for a while. I settled with the Victorinox Swiss skinning knife from WASCO. Are these knifes comparable? Has anyone had experience with either? Thanks
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Brad iv used that vic.swiss knife its good still have a few but now i have my knives hand made for certain specs but that knife is good used on my trap line a few times need any thing else let me know robin Kirkland Taxidermy
Over the years I have asked a slew of professional outdoorsmen, craftsmen and other artisans what they considered their most important piece of equipment. Almost to a man, they said their knives were. I have used a the same set of buck knives for thirty years: The 103 skinner and a drop point caper that is now discontinued; and a long, thin bladed model that is also discontinued. They have traveled all over the world with me and have skinned too many critters to count.
The knives sold by WASCO and others are good equipment, but they are not lifetime purchases. I have bought a number of knives, both commercial and custom, over the years. Besides the Buck series, only four stand out from the pack. I really like the Alaskan Kinfe Company's combo heavy duty skinner and caping knife set. It is made "pro" tough and will skin anything from a bunny to a cape buffalo and beyond with ease. The other two honorable mentionables are the Henkel folding drop point hunting knife made from Soligren steel with a four inch drop point blade that is very thin in cross-section. The final entry is the Schrade "Old Timer Sharpfinger".
I have made a lot of knives over the years. They are not the gem-polished beauties I would like them to be, but they are made from blanks cut from a 7 inch wide Swedish bandsaw blade used to cut steel "I" beams. I have no idea what kind of steel those blades are made of, but it is the hardest metal I have ever worked with. Over the years I have made several hundred knives to do specialty carving or taxidermy jobs for which I could not find a commercial counter-part. At this point, I have no idea why I made some of the designs or how they were used........I suppose I should join Knifaholics K'nonamous or something.
The knives you asked about are all fine, but they are not my idea of a skinning knife.