I had a good friend I hunted with for 18 years. He owned a large ranch in Western Colorado. He would break down 8-10 elk a year shot on his ranch. It was kinda his thing, he enjoyed it more than hunting/shooting the elk. Yeah, best hunting buddy a guy could ever have.
Anyway, all he ever used was a small Schrade folding carbon steel knife. Not the big Buck 110 copy, but a smaller version, I think it was called the LB-4. That an a sharpening steel, the kind that screws into a brass tube. I do leather work for a hobby and I would make him a sheath combo for both tools. He was a working rancher and he wore them every day. He could completely quarter and pack and elk just using that little knife. He knew exactly how to pop those front knees just using that knife. Every elk was quartered and hung in the old chicken coop back at the cabin.
The reason for the sharpener was always about half way thru the process he'd declare the knife needed a touch up and he'd sit back take a break and take a few swipes on that sharpener. I don't think the knife needed sharpening as much as Ed needed a little break. I know when I was helping him I did. What I learned from Ed and all those elk over all those years was you can do it with just about any good knife, skill and knowledge count more. I don't think I'll ever get there given the frequency I need to quarter elk these days.