Alright, let me walk you through my pig sticker knife showdown last Tuesday. See, I’ve been butchering hogs on my cousin’s farm every fall since 2016, and my old blade snapped mid-ribcage last season – total nightmare with 300-pound hogs staring at me.
The Contenders
First I hit every hunting forum and hardware store within 50 miles. Picked five fixed blades that kept popping up:
- That thick black one with orange handle wraps everybody hypes
- Military-looking tanto style that costs half my mortgage
- Random budget pick from the feed store clearance bin
- Curved “gut hook” model my neighbor swears by
- Basic carbon steel blade Grandpa’s generation used
Test Drive
Grabbed two freshly processed hogs from Hank’s slaughterhouse. Started with hide penetration – jammed each knife straight down through the shoulder fat. The tanto chipped immediately, like hitting concrete. That fancy curve blade got stuck in the ribs bad – took both hands and cussing to wiggle free.
Spent three hours slicing fascia tissue. The carbon steel one rusted right before my eyes from all the fluids. Kept wiping it down like crazy between cuts. The budget blade? Handle screws came loose after 20 minutes – nearly sliced my thumb off when the grip rotated.
Shocking Results
Ended up using the orange-handled beast for 80% of the work. Weirdly enough, the clearance bin knife did best at skinning despite the wobble – resharpened it twice with my truck’s emergency stone.
Biggest surprise? Grandpa’s old-school blade held edge better than the $300 option. But man, that rust situation… had to dunk it in vinegar after.
Conclusion
Sticking with orange-handle for heavy work from now on. Still keeping Grandpa’s blade around though – just gotta baby it with oil like my antique shotgun. Moral of the story? Forget fancy steel types. What matters is thicker than your pinky and won’t snap when you lean into it.
