Want a blade that’s always sharp? A knife that never needs a touch up on your trusty sharpener? You’re in luck. We have five stellar knife recommendations designed around replaceable blades.
These replaceable blade knives are great for hunting and everyday carry duty. They’re also very affordable. And, because they’re reasonably priced you’ll be able to buy plenty of replacement blades. Thereby reducing the time you spend sharpening your current knife.
Contents & Shortcuts
Havalon Piranta Z Skinning Knife
The Piranta is a great folding deer hunting knife. Actually it more of a great deer skinning knife. This knife uses replaceable blades that are not only affordable, but surgical razor sharp. The replaceable blades the knife uses are stainless, available in packs of 100, and are approximately 2-3/4″ in length.
The blade’s strength isn’t impressive by any means, but if you accept that it’s not a survival knife we think you’ll be impressed. Moving beyond the knife’s weak point, there are plenty of things to praise. The Piranta’s scales are made from Zytel with rubber grip inserts. Making the knife a little easier to manage when wet.
If you love the idea behind the Piranta, but not the appearance we suggest you take a look at the Piranta Forge or Piranta Stag. The Stag’s grips (scales) look great, a bit closer to the appearance you’ll find in higher end folders. However, we give the nod to the rubber grip inserts for processing game.
The knife’s blade (holder) has a thumb stud for easier blade deployment. A liner lock gives the knife a solid feel and safety. Folded, the entire package is under 5″ in length. With the blade deployed; just over seven inches.
At the end of the day this knife’s strongest selling point is that it’s a time saver. Perhaps that’s why some taxidermists swear by theses innovative knives.
Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite Hunting Folder
Looking for a slightly stronger replaceable blade hunting knife? Take a look at the Razor-Lite from Outdoor Edge. The Kraton handled folder comes with six 3.5″ razor sharp 420J2 blades. While the Razor-Lite will handle a bit more difficult cutting tasks, the tradeoff is that replacement blades are significantly more expensive than the previously mentioned skinning knife.
Blades are swapped out with the push of a button. We think it’s about as straightforward as the Havalon, but have heard complaints from users of either knife. Some say one is sharper than the other. Some say one has a better design than its competitor. We think they’re both great (especially for the price) and give a slight edge to the Razor-Lite for its beefier blade design and comfortable grip.
Gerber Vital Folder
This replaceable blade option is made by one of the heavy hitters in the knife industry. It’s made by the well-known Oregon knife maker, Gerber.
Gerber’s blade choice and blade holder design is similar to the Havalon. However, Gerber’s button is definitely an improvement. The blades Gerber selected are common #60. That means they’ll always be available; even if Gerber moves away from this model.
The other standout feature on the Vital is its grip. The rubberized grip is impressive and quite comfortable. The bad, not much. Well, we would like to see the knife accept heavier-duty 60A blades. Also, the design is slightly more difficult to clean than the Havalon.
With that said, we give Gerber credit for the making blade exchanges easy. Swapping blades with wet, cold, or arthritic hands isn’t as much of a nail-biter.
All three of the hunting knife options we covered are great. They make dressing a deer much easier. However, if we had to choose one it would probably be the Gerber. Which by the way, also comes in a fixed blade model.
Outdoor Edge Razor-Lite EDC
Outdoor edge claims that these are “the sharpest, strongest replacement blade knives for everyday carry.” While we typically tend to avoid such bold statements, we think they might be right. Unlike the Havalon (above) these knives feature a more substantial blade (420J2 Japanese Stainless). Supporting the beefier blade is a substantial blade holder.
Swapping blades is simple and requires only a push of a button. There is also a lock back mechanism to keep the open blade in place. Opening the blade is easier thanks to a thumb stud on each side of the blade holder. The glass filled nylon scales are durable. And, rubberized grip inserts make the knife much more manageable.
It’s not as pretty as other EDC knives on the market, but it’s much more affordable. And, best of all it’s easy to keep shaving sharp.
Gerber EAB
If you forced us to pick a single replaceable blade knife as our favorite, we’d have to go with the Gerber’s EAB. Granted, it might not be a hunting or EDC replacement, but this pint-sized wonder could easily become your most used knife.
The EAB (and EAB Lite – pictured) uses strong, sharp, and ubiquitous contractor utility blades. More good news is that like the replacement blades you will feed the tiny Gerber; the knife itself is insanely affordable. You can even use it as a money clip if you’re not a fan of wallets.
At 2.8 inches closed it’s nice and compact. Additionally, the EAB’s stainless body will keep it looking great for years to come. Even if you abuse it. We highly recommend picking one up. In fact, we owe this little knife a debt of gratitude. Like a dedicated bodyguard, the EAB jumps in save more expensive knives from taking a hit when the cutting gets tough.