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I sharpen the new blades on the Razorlite and resharpen them after use. Then it’s a good knife. Too dull otherwise and no advantage over any other sharp blade.

I like the Havalon for caping around the face and antlers.

The Tyto knife is nice too. Lightweight. Uses same blades as Havalon but a fixed blade

Always have a fixed blade if I’m camping in the woods overnight, though.

My Thoughts exactly... LOL

OE for me, the Havalon always felt to flimsy and I like the handle and blade exchange way better.

Looks like Havalon is way ahead in this poll with thumbs up from some pretty serious hunters.

Ok, I'm a klutz.

Replaceable Knife Review

After a wonderful week in Omaha at P&Y, I was motivated to come back here and talk about gear. We’ve already discussed boots, packs, pants, soft shells, rangefinders, binos, bows, rain gear and of course the “puffy” jacket. What would be next...While rummaging around my shop one night, I opened my knife drawer, and the lightbulb came on: Replaceable Blade Knives.

When Havalon hit the scene a few years ago, I thought “what a great concept”. After buying and trying my first, it became clear that this was a “no brainer” for me. You see, I’m pretty much sharpening illiterate/inept? So the decision for me to switch from a fixed blade knife to a replaceable blade knife was an easy one. Havalon and surgery/taxidermy scalpels were pretty much the only option in the beginning. A few years later, (like everything else that works) we have a bunch of great choices.

As you can see by the photo above, I’ve tried/own most of what’s currently available. The beauty of trying/owning most of these these little knives is that they are relatively inexpensive. Most can be had on EBay for less than $30 a piece.

I’ve given most of these knives a workout on one hunt or another. I’ll try to do each post by brand showing the weight, talking about the functionality and the pluses or minuses of each knife I’ve used.

Let’s start first with the one that started it all: Havalon. IMO Havalon is the benchmark for replaceable blade knives. You pay a little more, but you also get a little more. I’ve owned a bunch of Havalon’s since they hit the scene. I’ve never had a failure, most of the models accept both the 60a and 60 xt blades, and even a small saw blade. They have several different models to fit your needs. My favorite is the Piranta Stag-. It is the lightest Havalon I’ve found—-. The rough handle is easy to grip and I like my knife to be “visible”, so I opted for orange. This is my “go to” mountain knife.

Another favorite Havalon of mine is the large blade Barracuda. This is their large knife with blade options for boning large animals, a fillet knife for fish and a saw blade. This knife works great on those Alaska DIY hunts where all three blades come in very handy. I’ve used this knife on several moose and elk hunts as well. I also use this as my boning knife at home.

I have nothing negative to say about Havalon. You need to be extremely careful when handling these knives, especially on a remote mountain hunt. For changing blades I generally use a small leatherman or the plastic tool that comes with the knife. I had my first Havalon accident this past fall when I stuck the big blade from the Barracuda through my thumb while breaking down my brother’s deer. The scar is a stark reminder to the sharpness of these blades as I stare down at it while I type. I have a feeling the Havalon has sent many to the emergency room!

Before we move on, let’s talk about blades. My favorite blades for these knives are the 60a. They seem to be a little thicker and less brittle than the 60xt. Most of the Havalon’s accept both. Some of the other knives shown above do not accept both. The Havalon’s will also accept the 22’s which are a short blade great for caping.

Tyto- This knife is a little different in that is not a folder. It is a handy little knife with a fixed skeletal handle. I don’t like carrying this one due to the fact that it doesn’t fold up. Works great for skinning, caping etc. Very high quality, no nonsense knife. Now also comes in a titanium version for the die hard oz. counter.

Gerber- I had high hopes for this one as it is the smallest lightest replaceable blade knife I have found. However, I just don’t trust the quality and mechanics of this one. The blade removal system on this one, while great in theory, just doesn’t stand up to any abuse. Multiple reports of this knife flying apart and the blade retention system breaking. Another disadvantage is that it only accepts 60xt blades. The blades that come with the knife trend to dull fast. This is one of the only “fails” in my group. I’ll carry it in the woods at home when I just want to carry a knife, but that’s it. The large version of this functions the same. The large one feels a little “more robust”, but I still can’t trust it.

Kershaw-This one is new to me and has not been on a hunt yet. It appears to have some potential. The blade feels a little flimsy when the knife is open, but not bad. The best part about this knife is the spare”handle” that comes with it. It is a polymer spare fixed handle that could be used as a backup knife. I’ll probably throw this handle in as a spare on all of my hunts. It’s thin and weighs nothing.

Outdoor Edge entered the market soon after Havalon. They use their own blades and come in a 3” or 3.5” version. The blades are much safer to replace but dull much quicker than a 60a blade. I’ve used these knives a ton and while I’ve never had an issue with the blade retention button, I’ve heard of a few that have. I’ve had great luck with these knives.

Summary: While all of these knives have worked and performed for me, there is only one I will take when having a reliable knife is an absolute necessity and that is a Havalon. I’ve had great luck with the Outdoor Edge knives and the Kershaw appears to be well made but when it comes to a mountain hunt, I’ll be carrying a Havalon.

I have never snapped an OE blade and have been using and abusing them for the past 5 years.....and I use them the same exact way I used the Havs. I skin an incredible number of capes for pedestal and life-sized mounts and hardly ever have any accidental slices like I used to have with Havs. I also skin 3 to 8 turkeys/year for lifesized mounts and hardly ever have any problems slicing through the paper-thin skins of turkeys. I'm certainly glad I switched to Outdoor Edge! OE blades and knives themselves are pretty much a bargain. I have around 5 of them in different packs, truck, etc.

If circumstances push me to be speeding up the process, I’ll use the OE. I am more likely to snap Havalon blades if I’m hurrying.

I also like to carry a lightweight fixed blade. I received a Kestrel as a gift, but the edge dulled amazingly before I was done with the first deer. It was replaced by an Esee Izula the following Father’s Day I believe. The Kestrel is now part of the canoeing cook kit.

A single 60A blade will get me through anything smaller than an elk using gutless method, deboning and removing the skull. Sometimes I can even make it through an entire elk with a single blade, but usually it takes me two.

I went with the OE. No regrets. FWIW I bought the RazorLite 2 pack - 3" & 3 1/2" blade) for $20 at Menards. For that price I got 2 and gave a set to my Buddy and his boy.