Grohmann Knife Original Design Staghorn

I bought the original model with the staghorn handles and stainless blade. The handle looks as great as I hoped, and an unexpected benefit was that the horn adds a nice amount of weight to the knife which makes it very well balanced. The handle also provides a nice grip without seeming to be so porous that it would be hard to clean well afterwards. I absolutely love the staghorn handles! I’ve admired the Grohmann knives for years, but always held back due to the cost. The standard original with wood handles is available for $25-40 less than the stag horned version. If you are a knife buff, or considering this blade for someone that is, I strongly suggest that you spend the extra money for the staghorn. It really is that much nicer. If you can’t spring for the staghorn, then the knife with wood handles is still an awesome blade. Either way, it is something that can be passed down several generations. I have knives that seem shaper than this one out of the box. But still, the blade comes with a good edge on it and I decided to leave it as it came for the first use. A few years ago I purchased the cheap knock off made by Cold Steel, so I knew that I’d like the geometry of the blade. Other than a cosmetic similarity though, the two knives are as different as night and day. The Grohmann has better steel, a thicker blade and a much better balance thanks to the more substantial blade and handles. Even though they are shaped similarly, the Grohmann just seems to fit my hand better as well. The Cold Steel is defiantly going into the “loaner bin’ now, because I am not letting anyone else use my Grohmann! I had a chance to use this knife last week to field dress and quarter up a nice whitetail doe. The shape of the handle and blade make this knife really nice to clean an animal with. The rounded blade slices through skin and hair nicely and the leaf shape slides inside the skin without cutting organs. It also slides down the inside of the skin on deer legs like a zipper. From start to finish, it performed very well and I never had to stop and touch up the blade. The blade seems just as sharp now as it was before I cleaned the doe, so perhaps the blade was better than I initially thought. I’ve heard that the heat treatment can be more important than the metal, within reason. From what I could find online, the type of steel is similar to that used in the classic Bucks, Victorinox and Puma knives, all of which have a good track record. Given the edge retention on the knife, I am inclined to believe Gromann’s statement online “This steel has withstood the test of time due to its ease of resharpening and long lasting edge holding ability.” Part of the reason for this knife’s unusual shape is to make it ergonomically more efficient to use. I found the blade very pleasant to use. I didn't detect any hot spots or areas that were uncomfortable as I used the knife at various angles. I love items that are designed first to maximize function, yet that are also pleasing to the eye. Everyone at camp admired the knife, first because of its unusual shape, then the beautiful handles. Once they picked it up they were all impressed with the ergonomics of the knife. After they watched me quickly and efficiently clean my deer they were even more impressed. The sheath seems to be well made, but initially I was not fond of the design. I like a more exposed handle with a retention strap. The string on the handle also seems kind of pointless. In fact, it might serve as a snag point for a branch to pick pocket your knife if you are not careful. I think the youtuber “Wooded Beadsman” may have lost his knife that very way. I recommend removing the string lanyard while cleaning an animal as it seems like it would collect yuck. If I keep the lanyard, I am inclined to replace the string with a similar length of leather since the knife and sheath seem to be a much higher quality than the string lanyard. After falling pretty hard for the staghorn handles, I now think the sheath design makes more sense as it will probably protect the handle better than a more exposed sheath design. I am definitely a knife hound, and I have several folders with high end, wonder steel. I also have several other quality fix bladed knives, including a custom one which I also love. If I lost the Grohmann today, I would absolutely buy another one to replace it. A quick tip for new hunters; if you feel like your knife is getting dull quickly while cleaning an animal, it might be that the blade is getting coated with fat, rather than losing its edge. Especially if you have been careful to avoid cutting perpendicular into hard bone. If a tree with bark is not handy, I usually keep a piece of soft wood around to clean the blade every once in a while. All you need to do is slice into soft wood or bark at about a 45 degree angle once or twice to clean the fat off the blade. Slice as if the wood was a carrot and you were going to cut a section out. If you use the whole blade on about two strokes you’ll often find that your blade will feel just as sharp as when you started out. This is especially helpful if you are cleaning a wild hog, since they has so much fat in them.

The picture of the Grohmann knife orig. design staghorn is not staghorn. It is water buffalo . Is the picture wrong or is the description wrong? I would like to buy the staghorn, but I am not interested in the water buffalo.