I just purchased a Gerber E-Z Open Fine Edge gut knife and thought others may be interested in what I considered in making this choice – and recognize that others may weight the information differently to arrive at a different choice.

 

I did not want a knife with a gut hook as the hook can “hang” when cutting with the knife inside the cavity.

 

I tried a Wyoming knife and really liked it. That was my original choice.

 

Last year, I used a friend’s Outdoor Edge Zip Blade (ZP-10), a concave blade, sharp on top, with a blunt point and really liked it. The blade is 4” long and the knife has an overall length of 8 7/8”. It weighs 4.0 oz.  The only place I could find out what kind of steel it was made of was the photos on E-Bay, where it was marked “420 Stainless Steel”. Having lower carbon content than the 440 series, 420 is softer and does not hold an edge well. However, it is very stain resistant and often used for dive knives. I preferred a harder steel.

 

The Gerber Metolius E-Z Open Fine Edge is very similar, also having a concave blade, sharp on top. It has a ball at the end and is slightly smaller: 3.2” blade, 7.9” overall length, but weighs 4.8 oz. Again using E-Bay, I found out the blade is 9Cr18MoV steel, a Chinese steel comparable to 440C. 440C takes a nice edge and comes back fairly easy making it a good value-priced steel.

 

Much to my surprise, it has been discontinued. However, they are available for half-price from Cabelas.

I could not understand why Gerber would discontinue the E-Z Open Fine Edge. Then I found the Gerber Myth E-Z Open. It has a hard plastic ball on its tip and is slightly larger with a 3.5” blade, overall length of 9.0”, yet only 2.6 oz.

Some others may contribute additional data that I did not find or have different preferences. I had pretty much zeroed in on the Gerber Metolius as a good solution before I discovered it had been replaced by the Myth. As impressive as Gerber’s Myth series is, I preferred the steel ball at the tip over the plastic – so I chose the Gerber Metolius.

Very nice review jmaher! Great info. I'll stick with my 60 year old Case but we need more folks like you that pipe up with detailed info such as this. Thanks for taking the time to share your experience!

Oh, and welcome!! I'd say "join right in" but me thinks you have ;-)

Sorry for the duplicate post... me thinks I may need to reboot.

I've used the Wyoming knife for many years. One of the features I like about it is the replaceable blade.

Guys check out Heirloom game calls for some awesome knives,I have more then a few and  they are great products.

I enjoy experimenting with different tools, so I've dressed out critters with everything from a double edged Gerber Mk2 dagger to a full size K-Bar, to a #10 scalpel. ( my favorite remains the Buck 110 Folding Hunter) I've concluded that the quality of the operator and their knowledge of anatomy are the absolute key elements. When teaching beginners to field dress, rather than a gut hook, I use a 6-8" length of 1/2" PVC with a 1/8 or 3/16' wide slot 4-5" long cut lengthwise in one side. The ends are rounded smooth and sometimes filled with a rounded plug of wood or epoxy putty. After making the initial 1-2" opening into the abdominal cavity, I slide in the tube with a knife blade sitting in the groove, sharp edge up and just unzip the belly. The tubing pushes the viscera out of the way nicely. The concept was borrowed from a surgical tool that does pretty much the same thing on a smaller scale. it also re-enforces the edge-saving principle of, "wherever possible, cut from the inside out."

Thanks -- exactly the type of information/knowledge-sharing discussion I hoped to generate. The Gerber E-Z Open, Outdoor Edge Zip Blade, and Wyoming Knife all cut from the inside as you emphasized. I will build one!

Can you post a picture showing how the end is rounded and/or tapered?

Sounds like an economical and effective solution. There is beauty in simplicity.

When one of my computer-guru children come home for a visit, I'll try to post a picture. The last time I tried it, my picture came out the size of Kansas.

The leading end is rounded like a Los Angeles class submarine. My first attempts were too short (4") and I kept losing them in the offal. The length of your knife seems to work best.

I have been using the Gerber EZ-Open for a couple years and it works great !

Here is the gizmo I made. This one started as a 1/2" x 6" high pressure PVC nipple I got at Lowe's. The nose is an epoxy putty from Loctite sanded to shape after it was set. I cut the slot with a drywall bit in my Dremel tool. Gripping the tool and the knife together at the base of the blade gives good control.
PVC tube was $0.74, Putty was 1/6th of a $4.86 package, so one device was about $1. Using plain 1/2" PVC would be even cheaper.
I used my mini-lathe to turn off the threads and the hexagonal band around the middle, but that was just playing.
Have fun with it!

I think that is the picture I asked for -- but it is not opening.

If someone else sees it, then the problem may be on this end.

I see the pic.

I see the pic now.

This is a great practical example of beauty in simplicity.

Yes -- I will build one to fit my Folding Hunter.

In size, it is not as compact as the Wyoming Knife, but comparable to the Gerber E-Z Open and Outdoor Edge Zip Blade.

In comparison with my Gerber E-Z Open, I will use the one I like and the other can be loaned to any needy companion. Already keep the Folding Hunter sharp, so no extra labor.

And, I will include in in Hunter Ed classes.

Thanks

Finepoint,
I combined your inputs and photo into a "fact sheet" (attached).

Review it, add to it, correct it, include something to indicate it is your idea/creation (not mine).

Then I can repackage it as a .pdf file using Adobe Acrobat and send back to you.

I use a Hen & Rooster with a 3 1/4" blade that has a 2" deep rounded belly and a gut hook, or a Buck "Zipper" with the gut hook. Since I never have field dressed a deer in my life, and always use a cradle to raise the deer off of the concrete floor of the skinning shed, I never have cut a gut while skinning a deer. Once the skinning is 90% complete on the cradle, I use an electric hoist and a gambrel to elevate the deer (hind end up) to complete the job and do the gutting. I've never experienced any problems with the gut hooks catching anything inside the body cavity. I also own a couple of Gerber "gators" with gut hooks, and on days when we have killed several deer and the job requires multiple skinning and gutting, it isn't always feasible to touch up a knife, so for that reason I always have at least three or four skinning knives handy. BTW, there is always a Buck 110 in a sheath on my belt when hunting. I have skinned and gutted as many as 15-20 deer in a day of hunting and my warthog isn't always convenient to carry with me to the skinning shed, for sharpening and touch ups.

jmaher,
Fact sheet looks good as it is.
just label it "D.G. Curtis, Lampasas Tx 7-20-2012"
I hope your students enjoy it!

Here it is.

Really appreciate this.