Does anyone use them for skinning critters, are they any good? I'm thinking about getting the Torch.

Some guys use them. Personally I learned how to sharpen a knife.

I use one they work great,I sharpen the blades numerous times before I change them.

I dont find them that useful as the blades really arent made to do the opening cuts well, at least not in a way that will keep the blade sharp.

You can resharpen the havalons, though it is a bit tricky to do so due to the attachment point unless you take the blade off.
Its a lot safer and easier to have a few regular knives sharp that you can use in rotation as go along.

I think the Havalon EXP looks useful. Has a tanto blade and a replaceable blade. Best of both worlds. Reviews say the regular blade comes sharp and holds an edge.

Sharpening the blade on a replaceable blade knife seems to defeat the purpose. Why not just use a regular knife and sharpen it when needed?

I didn't see that one, I'm thinking that's the one I want now!

Ability to sharpen a knife seems to be becoming a lost art.

Think cost here, the Havalon blades are really just a #22 scalpel blade yes they are sharp yes they can dull fast but the saving grace is it's a quick change to a new blade when you have a pile of fur to do and it's later in the day you will like the time saved then.

They take some getting accustomed to so don't start out on your best furs and you will cut yourself just by a slight touch, put the thing down when pulling on a hide and simple slip could become very serious in a hurry if your not careful. It take 1-2 to do a yote and figure .30 a blade so they won't break you, now how much time would it take to get that sharp of an edge on a shop knife.


They fit the Wiebe handles also so if your going to only skin with it they make replacement blades and fixed handles.


Used the bigger one on a elk a few years back scary to use in the middle of nowhere!

i have used one for 3 years now and havent looked back or missed sharpening a knife for lots of critters. i buy my blades on ebay for dirt cheap.

The advantage is you can sharpen up a pile of them during slack time, to have on hand during the busy times.

I found them Very useful for fleshing around the face, eyes, and ears of cats. Especially the blade that’s rounded off on the tip.

I never learned the art of putting a razor or surgically sharp edge on my knives,lol.I always have a razor edge and don't have to waste time sharpening knives.A real plus when working with skunks.Nice to have 100 sharp knives for $5 or $6.00.

Can you get replacement blades that cheap?

I love mine! Ive even used mine to skin and debone two elk Primarily using just the havolon. Don't need a big blade to process big game. Also great for skinning rats and mink which is what I primarily trap. I use it to make the opening cuts then set it down. Have a Chicago blue skinning knife I use when I get to the head since
cutting on bone /around the skull dulls any knife quickly.. can do about fourty rats using this technique then it usually gets switched out.

I should note that the Chicago blue gets sharpened every couple rats to maintain " adequate "sharpness.. just a few licks on the sharpener doesn't take long- but it's nowhere near as sharp as the razor sharp Havilon.

Ebay $5.99 100 pk.

I carry one of those smith stones in my pocket trapping. Skin in the field most of the time. Pull the stone out and touch the little old timer right up with a few passes.
I've tried the razor knives, they are nice! just hated buying the blades when I can put an edge on a pocket knife.

I started using a havalon several years ago for both my fur skinning and taxidermy work. I now use it for almost everything I do,as cheap as the blades are and as quickly that you can change them. I see no need to spend time sharpening knives

If it take 5 minutes to sharpen a knife to that kind of edge and you sharpen it say 12 times what's a hour of your time or a extra hour of sleep worth when your running hard when you can change the blades 12 times in less the 5 minutes.


"It's not how fast you mow but how fast you mow well!" LOL