First let manage expectations. Most knives and blades used in butchery, cooking, hunting, carving, woodwork etc do not keep a really sharp edge for very long. Most using a blade will touch it up after every few cuts.
In the field, how long a gralloching knife keeps an edge really depends on how you use it. What really kills it is touching bone - removing the legs, head and opening up chest cavity.
I use the Mora Companions. They are really good for one or two animals. I carry two when in the field, both fully sharpened. When the edge starts going it’s put to one side for the heavy duty leg removal, head type stuff, leaving the remaining one for the delicate work.
To bring back the edge is but a few strokes on a good steel or sharpening stick.
Other knives will hold an edge longer, but will require a lot more sharpening.
Sharpening is one of those that any hunter, chef, outdoorsman should really learn - it’s a core skill that is just as essential as gun cleaning and maintenance. Indeed in the core best practice, DSC 1 or 2 etc knife work, including sharpening, should be part of it all.
And whilst shaving sharp is wonderful, it is not really necessary for good practical sharpness - but essential on youtube videos.
For knives a general scandi type blade is fine for all particularly the biggest 3 deer species, keeping it sharp is part two of the equation
I can sharpen most knives to a ok edge and that’s it, scandi grind is a no go area and by crikey I’ve tried because the grind is perfect for legs and head removal particularly on larger deer
I think my expectations of sharp is perhaps set tooo high
The only grind I can sharpen to very very sharp is flat grind with a secondary bevel hence I have only those that I use in my bag
I’ve seen on occasions times when a guy has say just shot a Muntjac and it’s gralloch time
Goes to open to gralloch the tough old muntjac skin won’t split and in frustration the stabbing starts and no it’s a down hill struggle
What people are told what to buy and then what they buy can be completely different by a long chalk peoples ideas of a working knife from 3 and 6 pence through to £360.00. They all cut when new, all the malarkey I only use a cheap blade is in case I lose it or it’s good enough is because the guy has frequent sharpening skills for that grind
he is on a winner
The 360 guy thinks his purchase will cut concrete because of how much it cost and heresay, do a couple deer and not sharp anymore, out comes the FOC strop that don’t work so a stone comes then a strop again, end result lovely but it’s blunt.
. Hasn’t spent anytime learning about what he can do himself properly so he either gets a mate to chivvy it up or send it back for a resharp - Still no time spent on finding the right blade / grind he can sharpen and sometime or other it will be blunt again. You know - send it back for a resharp
Bit of time finding your own skill level and grind to keep your treasured blade razor and you like and want to use, its certainly worth research into knife, grind and sharpening as its really essential
I’ve beenn through the hoop a few times myself but I’m improving
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