Gil HibbenAlaskan Survival Knife with Sheath – Laser-Etched Stainless Steel Blade, Black Micarta Handle, Genuine Leather Sheath - Multi-Purpose Knife for Sport – 12 1/4" Overall

Built like a knife should be built - looks like an outdoorsman's tool. the fit and finish is really good and includes brass details nearly all around . I've started collecting Gibbon knives and I don't know when I'll find an end point . Chinese made and a little lower steel grade so what? I never picked up a knife to use without checking the blade condition first. Great products are great because they work, that's all.

Fits great in my hand. Very practical. Great knife design. I figured since Gil lived in the Alaskan wild he must know the perfect knife. He nailed it. if I didn't look at the stamp I wouldn't know it came from China and I don't really care. It is his design and crafted perfectly. If your on the fence like I was get off it. My advice is to buy it. You will save your self the trouble I went through returning 4 before deciding on this one.

Came sharp but I still had to take a ceramic rod to it to get it "my sharp" like a razor now. for the money its a well craftes handsome knife thats useful. Just make sure you take a Dremel and carefully round off the end of blade at the choil near the handguard. you will cut your finger if you use it to skin cape..they should have made choil much bigger and got rid of the last 1/8" of blade rear part. I use a dremel to gently eound it and then a sharpening stone to polish it. you are not losing amy real usable part of blade near the rear of the edge. just grind it done a bit so you dont cut yourself because you will....I promise. but other than that, damn nice knife for the money. if you want a razor edge use a mesium Crock stick ceramic rod to finiah sharpening it. with a recurve blade you need a rod...

This is my second Hibben knife.....I think the knife was designed in the US, but was made in China....hhhmmm. The construction is solid and they allege that the knife was hand crafted. I am inclined to believe that this true because of a couple minor craftsmanship flaws that I was able to see upon close inspection, nothing to complain about, but I believe it gave my particular knife a little more added character, thus I liked it. The knife has a little weight to it, but nothing the least overbearing. It seems balanced and feels good in my hands. The knife is full tang and I do love the design of both the handle and the blade. I think they used a grey in color hardwood on the handle, beautifully done. The knife is sharp right out of the box, though I know some of you will put a razor edge on it, lol. The knife has a dagger like shape to it, but only the cutting edge is actually sharp. I will leave mine just as I received it. Comes with a leather sheath of decent quality.....has two holes at the very bottom of sheath that can be used as a leg strap or whatever. Shipping was speedy, not complaints there. I think the knife was made offshore to make it more affordable for the general public.....with that being said...I don't think it will ever be as valuable as more quality knives made in the US. All in all, no real complaints.

This thing is a beast. Really like the unique blade design, and it came very sharp right out of the box (passes paper test). The handle is also amazing. The micarta pieces look and feel great in the hand. Finger cutouts allow for a nice solid grip that won't slip around, and the inlay detail is a nice added touch that adds to the overall quality. Can't really speak to the durability of the knife as I have no intention of chopping branches or anything like that with it. But I can say that it's a large heavy piece that looks and feels great, and should definitely do the job of fending off an intruder if that's what you choose to use it for, or just to have in the collection.

This is a great knife! Beautiful when you see it in person. I think it would make a much appreciated presentation gift on numerous occasions. The blade IS razor sharp out of the box. Do not play around with it or sadness will follow. I was concerned the handle might be too small, but it fits my hand fine with thick size large winter gloves on. The sheath seems quality enough to me, no reason to believe it will not hold up to normal wear. No reason to believe the knife won't hold up when used as a knife either. You will not build a log cabin with it. There are other tools for that. Gil Hibben is a master knife maker, and this blade is approved by the Alaska Professional Hunters Association.

This was suppose to be a Christmas gift but I received it January 10th. I would email BUDK regarding the shipping and tracking and it took an email to Amazon to get in contact with them. To make matters worse the knife showed tool marking every where.Con: It had a few dings on the handle, tool marks at the base of the blade, needed to be polished. The blade was sharp but not razor sharp. Leather sheath belt hoop is too big, too expensive for quality, Shipping was horrible!Pros: Style points, full tang, Dark Grey (not black) micarta handle, lace holes at the end of sheath to tie to leg, sturdy leather sheath, nice long blade, Great handle, great design.Don't get me wrong, the blade is nice to look at but not worth the price. A blow to Gil Hibben and his name. Lower the price that would make it better. Hope this helped.

When i saw this knife online i knew that it would be a perfect fit.....i dont have enough good things to say about the quality of the knifes construction....I happen to be an experiance hunter and servivalist with big hands, it is hard for me to find a knife with a good quality handle made for my sized hands.....but this knife truley fits like a work of art made for my hand size......it is very sharp and even though some would disagree with the metal that used in its construction, i do not...i happen to appreciate a knife that i can sharpen and can use.....this knife is good qulity and i would recomend it to anyone with large hands....if you have little hands this knife is not for you.....it has good weght and is balanced very well......I know why the APHA gave this knife its stamp....i am a bigger fella and am greatfull that a big handled sturdy knife has finaly been made with quality for the bigger stronger hunter.