I also have the Glock field knife model 78, the one without the sawback. It is a good knife for the price, around 30 dollars/euros. It's tough and has many of the properties I'd look for in an outdoors knife. According to the manufacturer, this model is also balanced for throwing.
The blade is clearly an evolution of the bayonet. It is not very wide, but still quite thick, making the saber grind a high angle one. The secondary grind is pretty obtuse aswell, but as the steel is not that hard, reprofiling the edge is not a problem. The knife was not sharp out of the box and the point was really blunt. But sharpening is no problem and sharpening the back "clip", which I did, makes the point acute enough.
The steel, as I understand, is simple carbon steel. It also could be some low alloyed carbon steel. It's hardened to the mid 50s HRC. This makes it easy to sharpen with any abrasive medium, a big plus in the field. Also, combined with the thickness, it makes the knife tough. I would not have great reservations about using it as a pry bar or as a hammer in emergencies. The overall construction is solid. I'd really like to see someone take it apart, to see what the construction is near the guard and inside the handle.
The handle is hard polymer (the same as the sheath). It has no hot spots and is decently secure under optimal conditions, but can get slippery. It would be possible to shape it to your preference, using a hot-knife or a dremel type tool perhaps. Inside the handle there is a small space machined into the thick, round tang(?). This is covered by a tight-fitting plastic plug. It is just big enough to store some thin steel wire or a small piece of tinder. I'd recommend smearing a drop of oil in there to prevent corrosion. There's also a lanyard hole, but to utilise it, the aforementioned plastic plug needs to be modified slightly. A drill or a sharp knife or a file will do the trick, and the plug will stay on afterwards. I fashioned a lanyard from green paracord, and hid the knot inside the handle.
I gave my knife a convex edge, using sandpaper. It got really sharp, and polished easily. Also after the black coating started to wear off, I removed it with some rust remover (gel, with <10% concentration of phosphoric acid). Acetone didn't really do anything to the coating, or the handle for that matter, so the resistance to chemicals seems pretty good, at least short term.
The sheath is just great. The belt loop is generously wide and can be slipped on without removing your belt first. It can also be used to suspend the sheath from thin vertical surfaces. The lockup is very solid and can be disengaged single-handedly, at least with my girly thin fingers.
From experience, the Glock field knife is able to hack through most "soft" materials, even though some force is required due to the relative lack of heft. It performs decently in light carving, making kindling is no problem. I would think that splitting firewood would be easy with the aid of a baton. It pierces as well as you would need it to (remember the slight modifications I did on my knife). The edge, as it is not very hard, does deform (not chip, never seen that and probably wont), but again, edge maintenance is surprisingly easy. As advertised, windows can be broken (no damage to knife, tested on car side window)

. Rust forms easily, but not as easily as I have seen on some carbon steel blades. A thin coat of oil at all times is a good idea. After light-moderate use only wiping the blade dry is enough.
One of my friends used a Glock FK78 during his mandatory service in the Finnish defence forces. He's not a "knife person" and neglected nigh all maintenance of it, but it did what he asked. I'm supposed to give it a clean up some of these days. Maybe I'll write more about that afterwards.
Oh, and... the bottle cap lifter works great.
Madmanamus said:
I have a plain edge Glock Field knife (no saw teeth on back), not sure what its number designation would be.
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I'd still use it in the woods now except that the sheath (which is a marvel in itself) lets the blade rattle around in it. That's the only thing that bugs me about it. Anyone know of any modifications to help prevent this?
The model number is stamped on to blade, next to the guard. Mine says
Made in AUSTRIA [Glock logo] 78.
Maybe a the sheath could be lined with a piece of thin fabric. It could be glued somehow perhaps, or maybe it would stay put on it's own. In any case, it might be best to soak it in oil once it is in place. This would prevent it from accumulating moisture and the blade would get oiled whenever sheathed. Care should be taken not to use too thick a material, and not to block the drainage hole.
All in all, these knives are a good buy, especially the plain spined 78, as I don't see a need for the saw serrations (nor can I evaluate their abilities, never having used them). The Glock knives can stand harsh treatment, and most of all, are fun. That's about all you can ask for the price. No reason not to own one.