February 09, 2015
By PH Online Editors
Each year the outdoor industry gathers at the annual SHOT Show to introduce its most cutting-edge gear. It goes without saying that the cutlery department had plenty to bring to the table.
Sportsmen depend on knives and tools every time they step into the woods, which is why industry-leading manufacturers put so much into producing the most useful blades for hunters this year. Innovation was at the heart of the 2015 lineup, with special attention paid to task-specific functionality and finely-tuned ergonomic designs.
Check out some of the best new hunting knives and tools that carved their way onto our wish lists:
Gerber | Vital Pocket Folder An innovative Exchange-a-blade option that ensures a surgical cut through the entire skinning session. Now available as a folder, you won't have to worry about a blade coming loose or magically extending itself into your thigh when carried in your pocket.
You could probably fill a junkyard with all of the plastic EAB knives you've broken over the years, but this one won't add to the count. The heavy duty, bright orange polymer handle makes it hard to lose and even harder to break. This reliable, safe-operation
Vital version comes with seven 420HC #60 replaceable blades.
Price: $ 42 (Vital Replacement Blade Housing and 12 additional razors sold separately, $16)
Kershaw | Lonerock RBK Friends don't let friends field dress big game alone. That's why the new exchangeable blade
Lonerock RBK from
Kershaw includes an extra handle that allows a pair of hunters to make swift work of downed game.
The folding, K-Texture gripped RBK uses #60A replaceable razor blades and comes with a fixed, glass-filled nylon handle. With the RBK you no longer have to worry about a blade going dull halfway through a job or hear your hunting partner's excuse for why he or she is just there for moral support. Included with the knife are 15 extra blades and a sheath with compartments for all three items.
Price: $ 39.99
Leatherman | Tread QM1 This multi-tool/watch combo is something you'd probably expect to find on the wrist of James Bond instead of the outdoorsman in the plane seat next to you. The
Leatherman Tread QM1 combines style and function to give you a toolbox in the form of a shock resistant Swiss-made timepiece.
The innovative TSA-compliant design features a bracelet made from swappable links that serve as 20 individual tools, including 5 screwdrivers, 4 hex drives, 3 box wrenches, a cutting hook and bottle opener, to name a few. Weighing only 7.6 ounces and water resistant up to 200 meters, this utility tool will keep you prepared for anything — anytime, anywhere.
Price: $ 500 -
$ 600
SOG | Huntspoint Skinning and Boning Knives This duo is made for the rough-and-ready hunter who needs to get the whole job done in the field. The
Huntspoint's solid, co-molded grip with rubberized accents will keep your hand connected to the knife when slippery blood enters the equation.
A single sharpened edge lends to an easy resharpening, and the jimping notches at the top of the blade and handle give you the extra bit of control you need for precision cuts.
Both the skinning and boning versions offer your choice of 8.2-inch AUS-8 or S30V steel blades and include leather sheaths.
Price: $ 80 to
$ 127
Spyderco | Burch Chubby There is such a thing as too much knife, but
Spyderco's new
Burch Chubby packs just the right amount of punch for those pint-sized jobs in the field.
The titanium-handled folding design sports a 2.3-inch CPM S30V blade that is a robust .177 inches thick and 1.5 inches wide to give you maximum control when maneuvering inside the tight quarters of a carcass.
The blade's hollow-ground swedge reduces weight while maintaining a strong, acute tip, and a Reeve Integral Lock (R.I.L.) mechanism ensures immobility when in the open position. Features a pocket clip for convenient tip-up carry.
Price: $ 360
Victorinox | Delemont RangerGrip 58 Hunter The
Victorinox RangerGrip 58 Hunter puts a complete field dress kit in the palm of your hand. Part of the new Delemont series, this multitool includes a single-hand deployable lockblade accompanied by 4.2-inch double-cut saw and 3.4-inch gutting blade. The RangerGrip 58 Hunter's hefty size — 7 tools with 11 functions weighing 6.7 ounces — means you probably won't be attaching it to your keychain, but what part of field dressing a deer ever involved your car keys? Plus, a cellidor polished handle accented with rubber inlays ensures a secure grip for those slippery situations.
Price: $ 94
Victorinox | Hunter Pro Designed with a Swiss-made blade made to meet the needs of the slaughterhouse and meat-packing industries for over 130 years, it's easy to see why the new
Victorinox Hunter Pro will have a home in the field.
Fitted with a bright orange, plush rubber grip that allows for ergonomic handling when wet, the Hunter Pro's easy-care 1.4110 stainless steel folding blade is designed for convenient single-handed opening. Don't be afraid to push this knife to the extremes — these Swiss blades are made to be re-sharpened to the point that they outlive your sharpener. Olive drab nylon pouch included.
Price: $ 80
Benchmade | 162-1 Bushcrafter EOD Hunters seeking reliability and versatility from their hunting knives on planned or unplanned adventures should check out Benchmade's new
162-1 Bushcrafter EOD . Made from S30V stainless steel (58-60HRC), the 162-1 features a 4 1/2-inch blade with a hand-blended sand contoured G10 handle and a molded Kydex sheath with reversible loop that combine to provide refined performance and rugged durability. The 162-1 is available now.
Price: $ 215
Buck | 737 Bow Tool Buck Knives heard the frustrated cries from treestands and came to the rescue with their new 737 Bow Tool, a multipurpose tool designed to keep your bow functional when it matters most.
The pocket-sized archery tool features a rugged, milled black handle housing, 10 separate Allen hex drivers, a Phillips screwdriver, a set of scissors, and a 2-inch blade. Whether you're adjusting draw weight, tightening a sight or performing in-the-field maintenance, you'll want to make sure you have this tool within arm's reach.
Price: $ 38
Buck | Open Season 547 Folding Skinner We've come to trust the quality and dependability of
Buck craftsmanship over decades of use in the field, and the new Open Season Series is the next line to carry on that tradition.
The series features a variety of cutlery styles for specific processing needs, including a compact folding model, the 547 Folding Skinner, equipped with a 4.5-inch, S30V or 420HC steel drop point blade and Rosewood Dymondwood handle. Designed to make quick, clean work of even the toughest hides, the 8.1-ounce knife is ready for all sizes of game.
Price: $ 125
