Name a few of the greatest inventions in the past 100 years or so. Computers? Cell phones? Microwave ovens? Gravy in a jar?
One of the slickest inventions for hunters, trappers and other sportsmen just might be the replaceable-blade knife.
A few weeks ago, I filled my crossbow tag when I used an expandable broadhead to harvest a 3-point buck. The deer’s rack won’t land in any record book, but the tender yearling will be delicious eating.
Both mechanical and fixed-blade broadheads of nearly all brands and designs now rely on replaceable blades. Although some can be resharpened (like we did in the early days of bowhunting with Bear Razorheads and Ben Pearson Deadheads), most blades are simply replaced with fresh, razor-sharp new ones.
Try as we might, my brother Brian and I always struggled to get our classic broadheads sharp back in the 1970s. At some point, I discovered Satellites, one of the early replaceable-blade heads. Even earlier were Little Shavers, which combined a fixed-blade design with single-edge, replaceable blades that fit in steel pockets. Just like fresh razor blades for shaving, these broadhead blades are keen and ready to go when purchased and never require sharpening.
My good friend, Tom Walters, of Bettendorf, Iowa — a former Hy-Vee Food Store meat cutter and owner of American Bat Management, a nuisance wildlife trapping business — introduced me to replaceable-blade hunting knives when he bought me a Havalon for a gift.
I was fascinated by the lightweight, crazy-sharp knife for two reasons: I could get a fresh blade whenever I wanted because it came with a pack of new ones, and I’d never have to sharpen a knife again!
I thought maybe Walters liked them because he also struggled to sharpen knives, but that was not the case. As a meat cutter and trapper, he’d mastered the art of knife sharpening.
“No, I’ve rarely had trouble sharpening knives,” he explained. “I learned how in the Boy Scouts and have been doing it ever since. Like many skills, practice makes perfect. The first 100 tries are the hardest.”
Walters’ experience in the meat-cutting business helps explain the difference between a traditional, stiff-bladed hunting knife (fixed-blade or folding models) and a replaceable-blade knife.
“I never wanted a razor edge on my work knives when I was cutting meat. Too fine an edge rolled over too easily and that made for a dull knife. There’s a fine line between a razor edge and sharp enough. When you get the right edge, it’s easy to bring it back with a sharpening steel so you can keep cutting.”
These quick-change blade knives are made for fine, light cutting, such as opening up a deer for field dressing or skinning an animal. Walters says they are ideal for the opening cuts on small furbearers like mink, muskrats or foxes.
“The curved gutting blades are what I use for opening cuts while skinning. I began using these when skinning beavers. They’re technically a tile or shingle blade, just adapted for my use.”
“I know trappers who skin their entire catch with one, just not me. I also know trappers who attempted to skin with them and end up cutting holes in the furs with them. I’ve read magazine stories on guys butchering big game with one, but I’d want several extra blades with me,” he said.
The replacement blades are wicked sharp, but don’t hold an edge long and aren’t strong enough for whittling or cutting anything but soft materials. In fact, the owner’s manuals with both my Havalon and the Tom Miranda Signature Series model of Wiebe replaceable-blade knife both state this. Walters gifted me the Wiebe folding knife, which like the Havalon came with a nylon belt case and a set of blades, after he attended a trapping convention.
Follow the directions closely when replacing blades. Both knife models have a permanent metal arm with a long, oval retention protrusion that fits in a slot on the blade. Walters recommends using a pair of pliers to replace the blades and avoid cuts.
There are also fixed-blade versions.
My beloved Wyoming Knife, a compact knife with a curved gutting blade on one end and a short, sharp blade for skinning on the other, also takes replacement blades. The Wyoming Knife has been around for decades.
Let’s not ignore one of the original replaceable-blade knives, the lowly utility knife. Famous for costing next to nothing and offering a variety of blade shapes, the utility knife is available at any hardware store and typically used to cut flooring such as vinyl or linoleum. In recent years, folding utility knife models have appeared, which makes them easier to carry in a pocket. These are much heavier than the Havalon and Wiebe options, however, and not built with the same level of quality.
The fresh, sealed blades also have another advantage: they are sanitary and free of dirt and bacteria. If you are like me, you use a pocketknife almost every day and some of a knife’s chores involve cutting fruit or other food. I typically give my blade a quick wipe, which can leave bacteria for the next cutting jobs. I’ve also left a dirty knife in my backpack or on top of the kitchen sink.
You will love replaceable-blade knives, especially if you have a large collection of knife sharpeners but very few sharp knives.
Your list of hunting- and trapping-related chores just got a little smaller, too.