Review on Dexter Russell 012 5SK 5 Inch Skinning Knife by Tiffany Williams

This is a classic butcher knife with a carbon steel blade and full shaft. The handle is raw wood (something with large pores. Maybe beech?) and is attached with three brass rivets. The shank is 1/4" thick and the blade itself is about 3/16" long along the shank, tapering straight down to the cutting edge. The blade is almost completely stiff and heavily curved as you can see in the picture. The blade is short enough to be maneuverable in tight spaces, and the curvature lets you cut by simply twisting your wrist, rather than moving your entire hand like you would with a straight blade. The blade doesn't have a good edge and also has a fairly square handle (it's octagonal and doesn't quite match the tang) so I sharpened mine to a round shape. Take it out and smooth it out where the stock was recessed, then soak it in oil so the handle doesn't pick up any evil (I would consider this optional). After that I sharpened it, starting with a 1000 grit waterstone and ending with an 8000 grit. The steel is high quality so I haven't had any issues holding the edge so far. When buying, remember that the steel is not stainless. You have to clean and dry it right after use, and it's almost useless for anything that doesn't peel off the skin. However, this is a fantastic skinning knife. Fish, pork, chicken, deer - this knife has done a good job on all of them.