Choosing the right knife quality and durability are important you don't want you blade breaking. There definitely is some characteristics you might want to look at the blade itself, the handle for a fixed blade knife style, a lock back style knife, and the length and weight.
THE BLADE
I have found the blades made with a 440 High Carbon Steel seems to hold a sharper edge longer than most other. Some other material options would be a 420 High Carbon Steel, D2 tool steel, or ATS-34 steel. When it comes to length the preferred length is between 4" and 5". You can get a knife that has a sharp edge on one side of the blade and on the other side they have what they call a gutting hook, that is a sharp hook shape on the back side of the blade designed for actually opening the abdomen for gutting your kill. Serrated cutting edges are nice for cutting cord or other tough surfaces, along with a beveled edge for skinning.
THE HANDLE
With a fixed style blade there are many different materials and handle designs, I prefer a contoured hand grip that fits in your hand giving you a better grip which is nice when you start getting blood on your knife. They come with plastic, wood, rubber, polypropylene, and even metal handles which I definitely wouldn't recommend. The lock back feature is nice for its compact size, and they come with the same materials you can get with the fixed blades.
Once you see the knife you want, put it in your hand make sure the weight and balance feels good in your hand, then look at the sheath. Is it made of a good quality material? Sheaths can be constructed of metal, plastics, leather, cloth, and the list goes on. I prefer a leather sheath that is re-enforced with rivets. I also make sure all sheaths are double stitched. If you use a professional sharpening stone, make sure it has two sides. A good quality professional sharpening stone has both a rough side and a smooth side. Use the rough side first, then the smooth side. Your knife can be preserved by wiping it down with vegetable oil after you are finished sharpening it (even stainless steel will rust, it just takes longer). Many folks use other oils, but I prefer to use vegetable oil since it is edible and at some point I may want to eat with the knife; not to mention I use the blade to prepare an animal carcass after a kill. I just feel safer using a vegetable oil. If you invest in a good quality knife and maintain it, you wont have to purchase another knife again. Happy Hunting.
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