Old Hickory Butcher Knife – Reviews and Ratings

There are many brands of butcher knives on the market today, but very few can compare to a good old fashioned “Old Hickory Butcher Knife”. Why?

Because the company (Ontario Knife) has been manufacturing high-quality knives for what seems like forever; since 1889.

That’s well over a century of nothing but consistent product delivery that’s stood the test of time.

What Is an Old Hickory Butcher Knife?

A butcher knife is designed specifically for the butchering or dressing of animal carcasses – large or small. Butcher knives typically have a slight curve which goes a long way in helping you cut through the meat.

The best ones also feature a Granton edge (oval dimples found along the edge). This design helps you easily cut through the meat in question without shredding or tearing it in the process.

An Old Hickory Butcher Knife is simply one that is designed and manufactured by Ontario Knife and bares the Old Hickory brand.

These knives are a cut above the rest (no pun intended) because they are made out of 1095 carbon steel, fully heat treated and finally tempered to provide you with nothing short of a razor sharp cutting edge can easily sharpen whenever needed.

These knives are also fitted with a high-quality hardwood handles with the good old “Old Hickory” logo on them and secured in place with brass compression rivets.

Old Hickory Butcher Knife Uses

Old Hickory knives, in general, are quite tough and rather sharp. The butcher knives, in particular, are used for a wide variety of jobs around the kitchen but more especially to:

• Dress large chunks of animal carcasses and turn them into smaller, more manageable pieces
• To cut meat from the bone
• To cut meat from the skin

In some cases, you can use them for a host of chores around a campsite such as splinter your firewood and even hunt, in the most extreme cases.

Granted, it’s advisable to refrain from using these knives for these kinds of chores since it will increase their wear and tear rate. That, however, doesn’t mean that they can’t get the job done when called upon to do so.

What I Always Look for Before I Buy an Old Hickory Butcher Knife – Considerations

Whenever you buy from Ontario Knife, you know you will get a high-quality knife, so that’s a foregone conclusion.

Let’s take a look at some of the other considerations that cross my mind every time I want to add an Old Hickory butcher knife to my collection:

Size

Size is an absolutely key factor whenever you want to buy a butcher knife. Most butcher knives range from about 6 inches to about 14 inches. The size you choose will depend on what it is you want to do with the knife.

For example, if you are more focused on dressing smaller carcasses such as chicken and other bird family members or even rabbits, then it wouldn’t do you much good going for a 14-inch butcher knife. That’s just too big.

What you want in this case is a much smaller knife; anything between 6 to about 10 inches at the very most. The opposite is true if you are more focused on dressing large carcasses.

Blade

Old Hickory blades are made out of 1095 carbon steel which makes them sturdy by nature. Some knives have Granton edges while some don’t.

While the choice is yours and it must be said that either design works just fine, the difference is that the blades with Granton edges are far less messy than those that don’t.

That’s why I, more often than not, go for a butcher knife that has a Granton edge.

Handle

Old Hickory knives have hardwood handles that are comfortable to hold and provide you with some level of non-slip features, which makes it much easier to cut through large slippery carcasses.

Also Read: Best Knife Sharpener Reviews | Find Professional Knife Sharpener Tailored for Your Needs

Final Verdict and My Favorite Old Hickory Butcher Knives Reviews

Old Hickory 705 Knife Set

PRODUCT DETAILS:

• Make: Old Hickory
• Type: Full set of knives
• Product Dimensions: Different blades ranging from a 3.25″ paring knife to an 8″ slicing knife (7″ butcher knife)
• Expertly Made In:S.A
• Guarantee: Lifetime
• My Rating:5/10

If you are an Old Hickory knives fan like I am then you will understand why this Old Hickory 705 Knife Set comes first on this list; it has pretty much every type of knife that you might need in your carcass dressing duties.

The beauty of it all is that you get knives made with the same high-quality standards throughout the range.

For what kind of job?

This set has everything from:

• A 7″ butcher knife which comes with a tall, curved blade that’s not only excellent for dressing meat from both large and small carcasses (cutting it down to smaller chunks, pealing it from bone and skin) but also perfect for a host of other bushcraft knife tasks such as chopping wood and splintering it.
• An 8″ slicing knife that has a long edge giving you a lot of slicing area. Unfortunately, it’s also the dullest tool in this set.
• A 6″ boning knife is much thicker than most boning knives you will find in the market today. It comes with a perfectly decent edge and works quite well despite being thicker than the boning knives you might be used to using.
• A 4″ paring knife which features a rather clever blade design making the art of cutting deeper into meat much easier.
• A 3.25″ paring knife is a surprisingly nifty tool that slices quite well and is comparable to a highly useful pocketknife.

As you can see, this set comes with a knife for pretty much every kind of job that might be required to fully dress an animal carcass.

How to clean this particular knife set

Cleaning this particular set of knives isn’t that different from cleaning any other knife made from high-quality carbon steel. You need to clean it using a bowl of warm soapy water with a clean dishcloth. Simply wash and wipe down the blades after use.

Be sure to dry them completely using a clean, dry washcloth before storing them away. You can apply a thin layer of mineral oil to each blade to keep them from rusting. Do not put these knives in a dishwasher.

Lifetime of this steak knife / warranty

This set of knives comes with a lifetime guarantee on defects in material as well as workmanship.

Why should you buy this set of Old Hickory knives?

• You get 5 high-quality knives
• You have a complete set of knives for every carcass dressing task necessary
• Lifetime guarantee
• The butcher knife comes in handy
• Reasonably priced
• Trustworthy brand

Price vs Quality

For this price, you are definitely getting a good deal because you are getting a set of five knives.

My personal experience with this knife

This was my first set of Old Hickory knives, and I can confidently say that it was a wonderful and valuable purchase. What most people might have an issue with (something that bothered me as well) is the fact that the butcher knife in the set is only 7 inches. That’s not ideal dressing really big animal carcasses.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

• Make: Old Hickory
• Type: Curved butcher knife
• Product Dimensions:5 x 14 x 0.1 inches
• Expertly Made In:S.A
• Guarantee: Lifetime
• My Rating: 9/10

Now, this is the kind of butcher knife you get when you are serious about dressing really large animal carcasses either at home or in the wild.

This New Old Hickory 14″ Inch Butcher Knife is massive, made out of high-quality carbon steel and has a comfortable blade handle which makes wielding this huge blade quite comfortable and relatively safe.

I say “relatively” because we all have different carcass dressing skills. Here are some tips on how to butcher a deer like a pro.

For what kind of job?

This is a massive butcher knife. At 14 inches, this blade is designed to make easy work of large animal carcasses such as venison.

The blade is not only thick and sharp enough to slice through the meat, go through some bones and peel the meat off the skin but it’s also strong enough to carry out other odd outdoor chores such as cut wood.

You can even use it for hunting mid-sized game such as a juvenile hog.

How to clean this particular knife

While some knives are labeled “dishwasher safe”, as a matter of principle, I never put my knives in the dishwasher, and there’s a good reason why.

Leaving your knives in the dishwasher allows excess water to find its way into the groves (especially in the handles) which causes severe damage to both the handle and the blade.

That’s why you will find that your knives are spotting after just a few washes.

The best cause of action, when dealing with any knife – even the dishwasher safe ones, is to hand wash them. This involves putting some warm soapy water in a bowl, dipping your washcloth into that bowl and using it to clean your knife.

Once the dirt is off, hold the knife under running water to rinse it off and then dry it off with a dry washcloth. You can then apply a thin layer of mineral oil to the blades to keep them from rusting.

Lifetime of this steak knife / warranty

Old Hickory knives have a lifetime guarantee on defects in materials and workmanship, and this one is not an exception to that rule.

Why should you buy this butcher knife?

• 14-inch blade
• Lifetime warranty
• Trusted brand
• Comfortable handle
• Excellent balance

Price vs Quality

If you want a huge blade that is essentially multi-purpose, you should go for this one. At its price point, you are getting an excellent deal and good value for your money.

My personal experience with this knife

I’m a big fan of huge butcher knives because I like field dressing my kills whenever I go hunting.

This knife, in particular, is pretty handy when it comes to that as well as the fact that I can use it for almost every other outdoors task that needs a sharp, strong blade.

Also Read: How to Clean a Knife – Proper Knife Care

PRODUCT DETAILS:

• Make: Old Hickory
• Type: Curved butcher knife
• Product Dimensions:75 x 7 x 0.1 inches
• Expertly Made In:S.A
• Guarantee: Lifetime
• My Rating: 8/10

This Old Hickory 7-7 7″ Carbon Steel Butcher Knife is a professionally handcrafted cutting tool made out of high carbon steel finished off with a genuine hardwood handle that is comfortable to hold.

For what kind of job?

With just a 7-inch blade, this knife isn’t designed for dressing huge chunks of meat. It’s more suited for people who like to work on smaller animal carcasses such as chicken, mid-sized turkeys, rabbits and such.

However, that doesn’t mean that it can’t take on huge game such as venison if need be; it’ll just take more effort on your part.

How to clean this particular knife

Old Hickory knives are carbon steel and these call for special care. You need to was it in a bucket of warm soapy water using a clean dishcloth.

Once it’s clean, dry it using another dishcloth and then apply a light layer of mineral oil before storing (helps keep the rust away).

Lifetime of this steak knife / warranty

When you buy an Old Hickory knife, you can rest assured that you’ll get a lifetime warranty that guarantees that the product is free of defects in material and workmanship.

Why should you buy this butcher knife?

• 7-inch blade
• Comfortable handle
• Lifetime warranty
• Trusted brand
• Excellent balance

Price vs Quality

The thing about Old Hickory knives is that they are always high-quality knives. This one is very sturdy, almost always sharp (easy to sharpen) and comes with a comfortable handle that allows you to work efficiently. For that price, you are definitely getting good value for money.

My personal experience with this knife

I love Old Hickory knives. I have more than one set of these wonderful tools, and although I like to work with bigger knives, when I have to dress smaller carcasses, this 7″ piece of art is my go-to alternative.

Old Hickory Butcher Knife – Comparison Table

Product Image	Product Name	Dimensions	Guarantee	Price	Rating
	Old Hickory 705 Knife Set	Different blades ranging from a 3.25″ paring knife to an 8″ slicing knife	Lifetime	$51.52	5
	New Old Hickory 14″ Inch Butcher Knife	5 x 14 x 0.1 inches	Lifetime	$28.99	9
	Old Hickory 7-7 7″ Carbon Steel Butcher / Kitchen Knife	75 x 7 x 0.1 inches	Lifetime	$14.98	8