U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- I can’t believe that I’ve never have written a review yet on the Havalon Piranta Fitment knives yet. Years ago I was on Prostaff with Havalon and if I remember correctly, the Piranta was their first knife. In fact, as far as I know, they made the first replaceable razor blade knife on the market.
Looking at their website it looks like they now have a whole line of Piranta knives called the Havalon Piranta Fitment line. It appears that they’re all variations of the old Piranta, just a lot more options on the handle and blade. But, they do still offer the original Piranta with the silver handle.
Havalon Piranta Fitment Replaceable Razor Blade Knife
The Piranta has a big following. The truth be known though, they’re mainly popular due to the fact that no one can sharpen a knife anymore. That’s why I have to do Knife Sharpening seminars all over the country. I had one last week at the 2018 Minnesota Governor’s Deer Opener, one upcoming in Reno at the 2019 SCI Conv. and one at the 2019 DSC Conv. & Expo in Dallas as well as many others.
I see many people extolling them as a great skinning knife but it’s like I always say when someone chooses the wrong design of knives for their tasks. You can dig a foxhole with a spoon, it’s just that an Army shovel works a lot better and faster. Same with knives. Just because you’re excited and skinned your 1st deer with such and such knife doesn’t mean that it is a good skinning knife.
But after saying the above, lest you think that I’m saying that the Piranta is no good. That’s not the case at all. At certain tasks, it excels. I think that it is a great caping knife. In case you not familiar with the term caping knife, you want a small knife to skin out the head on your trophies. I like a 2 ¼-inch, thin, pointed bladed caping knife. That is what you’ll need to perform the delicate cutting around the eyes and lips.
Next time you’re at your taxidermist check out what he’s using. There’s a really good chance that he’ll be using a scalpel, which is basically like a Piranta.
I also think the Havalon Piranta Fitment knives are great for skinning out the feet and toes on your bears. This task also requires some delicate skinning to properly skin out the toes.
And today I discovered one more task that the Havalon Piranta Fitment knives are great for, breasting out your game birds. We shot 79 doves this morning in a little over 2 hrs. That involved a lot of cleaning but I whipped out one of my Havalon Piranta Figment knives and it worked great.
One word of caution though, the Havalon Piranta Fitment knives are super sharp. I mean wickedly sharp. They can slice you to the bone in a hot second. Which brings up what do you do when you dull a blade. Don’t carelessly dispose of it in the mountains. In fact, I don’t just throw them in the trash at home. Stick them in a bottle or something and then throw that into the trash. Maybe I’m paranoid but I don’t want the blade jabbing through the trash bag and poking someone or someone at the dump stepping on it.
Which brings up the next subject. You can buy replaceable blades. They come in packs of 12 and the MSRP is $9.99 or a pack of 50 for $29.99,
Changing the blade is easy. They advise using a pair of pliers to change the blade for safety reasons. To remove, lift the back corner slightly and pull the handle backward. The blade will slip right off. To put on the new blade, slide the upraised knob on the knife into the slot on the blade. Push the blade tip against a piece of wood and it will slide into place and snap into position. You can do it in literally seconds with a little practice.
I’d probably advise you to get one of the Havalon Piranta Fitment’s with an orange handle so you don’t lose it in the mountains while cleaning your game. It is a small knife so it would be easy to lose anyway.
As usual, we will close with listing the specs. These specs are for the Piranta-Edge, which is my favorite one. The MSRP on the Piranta-Edge is $44.99.
Havalon Piranta Fitment Replaceable Razor Blade Knife SPECS:
- 12 additional stainless steel #60A blades, 2-3/4″
- Rugged stain resistant ABS plastic handle
- Overall length 7-1/4″
- Ambidextrous thumb studs
- Open back for easy cleaning
- Liner-lock construction
- Removable holster clip
- Nylon holster included
- Fits #60A and #60XT blades
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoors writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
Author: Clifffalling
Comment:
Thanks. Yes, I did send to the manufacturer this last month. I wanted to give it a year to shake out issues.
One thing i forgot to add, i put two layers of shrink tube on the pocket clip. Easy way to keep it from sliding off your pocket and/or scratching the fender of your truck when you are leaning over the hood with the spotting scope. 😉
That shrink tube comes in mighty handy! Shoe laces too long? Slide a piece of tube over, cut to length, heat, cut tip and viola!
Sounds to me like it would be a great fillet knife for my wife to use in the kitchen. For the amount that it’ll be used it would seem to be worth getting. Should last a long time. It won’t be subjected to the intended wear and tear.
Let me say a couple things first. I grew up with one of the Smith’s from Smith whetstone. My Dad worked for another good whetstone maker in Arkansas as well. I grew up sharpenings knives and still do. A fine Arkansas soft stone cannot be beat. Having said that, I purchased the Havalon with high hopes. My review below: I would give the Havalon Piranta 4 stars except, I cant. It is clearly made for right handed people only. When holding in the left hand, the well placed rubber grips are almost useless. The pocket clip is not reversible. Ambidextrous… Read more »
Now, your comments plus the original review make for a GREAT review! Thanks to both. One suggestion, since you’ve discovered this one problem with small button have you given a heads up to the company? I’ve found, over the years, that companies appreciate feedback from consumers and though it may take a while to make design changes a lot of companies do listen.
Thanks. Yes, I did send to the manufacturer this last month. I wanted to give it a year to shake out issues.
One thing i forgot to add, i put two layers of shrink tube on the pocket clip. Easy way to keep it from sliding off your pocket and/or scratching the fender of your truck when you are leaning over the hood with the spotting scope. 😉
Vanns40, I agree w/ you regarding his comments. I emailed Havalon and told them that they ought to read his comments. Never have heard a word back though. They don’t respond very well the last 2-3 yrs.
Clifffalling-appreciate your comments. Great insights. I’m not left handed so never even thought about that angle. Tom