I was chatting to a Canadian friend of mine from another forum and the subject of Grohmann knives came up (this was before the "bulk deal" came up and i had been thinking about getting a factory made knife rather than a kit).
Anyway i looked up the thread where i asked him his opinion and as he has both carbon and stainless versions of the same knife i thought i would share his view's......
"Good evening Rapidboy,
I have a pair of the Grohmann knives. I bought the carbon steel one back in the 60s I think and I bought the stainless one about 1994.
I love them both, they are some of the greatest most practical well made knives for the whitetail deer hunter and small game hunter I've used. Yes, I have Randalls and Marbles which are also first rate.
The unusual angle of the handle is to keep your knuckles up off what your cutting, which works and is more comfortable cutting.
The CARBON steel and tempering makes for incredible, beyond belief bite when sharpened, not just sharp, but biting sharp. Its got tooth. The STAINLESS knife will sharpen easily to a shaving edge, very very sharp. But the edge is smooth, slick, sharp, but without tooth and a bit less bite. The stainless is tempered to a higher Rockwell and does not have the torsional strength of the carbon. This can result in minor chipping of the edge if you put some weight behind the blade and twist the edge sideways. This can happen when trying to cut through tendons. Twisting a blade sideways while cutting with weight on the blade is not good anytime, but stainless is more likely to chip than carbon.
The carbon knife can be sharpened too sharp for hunting purposes. When skinning, too sharp of an edge will bite into the hide and cut a hole in it. It will if angled the other way, bite into your meat. Neither of these things are good. The stainless knife edge is smoother and easier on the hide and the meat. The stainless knife is safer for me than the carbon. On small deer, I don't split the sternum to dress out the upper body cavity. I reach up into the upper chest cavity with both hands and forearms, guiding the blade with my left hand holding the knife with my right hand. My hands are warm and bloody up in there and I am working by feel. If I touch the edge of the carbon steel knife, I will nick and or cut myself, My carbon steel Randall will do the same. If I use the Grohmann stainless I am less likely to have the edge bite me.
Both Grohmanns clean up perfectly, they both get a dab of metal polish before putting away. The carbon MUST get a dab of polish AND a wipe of mineral oil.
The design of the knife is purely Canadian and came from interviews with professional hunters and trappers in Canada. One of these knives is on display at the Metropolitan museum of modern art.
I think it is a brilliant design and very funtional, manufactured with fine quality materials. The carbon model was my fathers favorite, the stainless is my favorite."
Just one man's opinion but he is an avid knife collector/user and hunter.
rb
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