Anybody used a SwingBlade knife before

[az41mag]

I was wondering if anybody has had any experience with the SwingBlade knife made by Outdoor Edge. The advertisements make the gutting blade look pretty slick, but sometimes advertisements can be a little deceiving. So I wondered if anyone had some experience using one in the field and would like to share. Thanks.

[AxisWorks LLC]

Havalon with pointed and rounded tipped blades and a cable saw is the only way I roll anymore. No more stoping to sharpen knives 1/2 way through or lugging around sharpeners anymore for this guy. I had an outdoor edge for a couple years and just couldnt seem to keep it sharp. My $0.02\

 

Speedy.

[6ANut]

Totaly agree with speedygoss, swingblade never was very sharp, even out of the box. I have used the Havalon knives on birds to elk and with no problems. Picked up a nice Buck, fixed blade knife, the Alaskan Guide Series and love the knife.

[ready2hunt]

Great advice from both speedy and 6A,

 

I have both actually- the Havalon and the Swing Blade. To be perfectly honest I love my swing blade, last Oct. I had my coues cleaned and quatered and butchered in 45 min. and packed away in a cooler. I was very impressed with it and it is still sharp as can be (actually used it on 2 deer that hunting trip). However, the Havlon series is much more practicle and yes, you do not have to worry about resharpening it.

 

While I prefer my Havalon Knife I would not hesitate to use my swing blade. You'll spend less on a lower end havalon with an extra pack of blades which will last you a while. I have a buck knife as well and their steel holds a sharp edge with the best of them but agian, just like the swing blade you will have to sharpen it eventually.

 

Oh, and plus the havalon is excellent when cutting for a cape....small and precise.

[az41mag]

Thanks for the input so far. I do have a follow up question about the Havalon; how sturdy are the blades? They look a little thin, but the idea of simply replacing a blade is appealing.

[firstcoueswas80]

I bought a combo a few years ago of a Outdoor knife and bone saw. I absolutely love the knife. It is sharp, its held an edge etc. I have and use a piranta, but I only use it for skinning/caping. I have a awesome Charles May knife for skinnging/quartering etc, basically all the field work.

[ready2hunt]

The blades are for the havalon are thin but they are for cutting. If you are planning on going through bones then yes have a bone or hacksaw available.

 

That is why these knives are so nice when caping or just cutting...they are thin and can make are those difficult small cuts. I can honestly say that when I have been using them I have never thought to myself "I wish I had a thicker/stronger blade." I have not had one break on me or anything...maybe someone else has had a different experience.

[Viper]

I have the swing blade and love it. Very sharp and easy to sharpen. Just be careful when you "swing" the blade.

[elkhunter]

Couesfan broke one and removed blade with his mouth to install a new one. Honest to god

[reganranch]

I have the swing blade and love it. Very sharp and easy to sharpen. Just be careful when you "swing" the blade.

 

I have a Swing Blade it is very handy, in the field. I always break the pelvic bone with a rock and my big buck knife, and the swing blade does the rest. I always have a small diamond less then .5 lb in my pack.

[Antmo23]

I bought two for my buddies for helping me on an elk hunt. We all got bucks last year so I got to see them in action and they zipped right thru their bucks. Very sharp and easy to use, we were all very impressed. Feels good in the hand and the blades are very sturdy, plus, it's two knives in one. Had to empty out my pack, I found 7 knives in there, 7! No wonder the pack felt so heavy...

 

[Becker]

I also use the havalons, for hunting and all taxidermy work. They are sweet. As mentioned they are thin, meant for cutting. If you know your joints they zip right through. I have used them on lots of coues, and 4 elk over the last couple years, never had a problem. Again though I don't cut through bones, just joints.

[azmetalman]

Speedygoss and Becker I agree with you 100% on the Havalon and cable saw. I prefer the gutless method for deer, elk and javelina so the Havalon gets 99.9% of the duty at the kill site. I still love my 30 year old Buck skinning knife but don't carry in my pack anymore. Age makes me appreciate light, simple and effective.

[rossislider]

I have and use both the Swing Blade and a Havalon knife. I find they compliment each other very well. With the Havalon being so small and light it is nothing to throw in my pack, while I put the Swing Blade on my waist.

 

I shot a nice bull last fall and was really glad to have both.. The Swing Blade was awesome for opening him up and cleaning him out. But the sharpness and the ease of changing blades rather than sharpening while caping and skinning were great. As I started butchering I broke a couple if the thin Havalon blades so switched back and forth depending on my butchering needs.

 

I have many knives but these are the two that will be in my gear again this fall.

[az41mag]

So I thought I would post a follow up on this since I was fortunate enough to harvest a deer this fall, and in case anybody was wondering about this knife like I was and did a topic search, (I've done that frequently on here and I have to say that this site can be a great resource for information). Anyways, I purchased a swingblade knife and as some have said it was not a very sharp edge, but if you can sharpen a knife this is no problem. It worked well and seemed to not leave as much loose hair as other knives do. What ever you do, don't wash this knife in bleach water... it will rust like crazy. Unfortunatly I learned this the hard way. I also purchased a havalon knife since everybody I've talked with seems to love theirs. It is a remarkable knife and yes it's crazy sharp. I used them both on my deer, and think that they pair well with each other.