Bowie Owners: Ontario Bagwell Hell's Belle vs Gambler

L

losangeles

Joined
Oct 6, 2005
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326
Is the only difference between these two only price and size?

I see the Gambler has a 9 1/2" blade whereas the Hell's Belle has an 11" blade. On ebay, I'd be able to get a Gambler for $125 and the Hell's Belle for around $200. That's a big difference in price for just another inch and a half of blade. The way both products are described, seems the same except for the size. Is this true?

I like the idea of adding a Western type bowie to my knife collection, and am not likely to use the knife much. If I need to do some chopping, I have plenty enough HI khukris that go over 15" on the blade so I'm not just itching for a super big blade.

Thanks.
 
Two of my favourite production knives! The differences between them are greater than that inch and a half suggest. The HB has a much bigger and longer handle at just under 6" versus the Gambler's 5" handle. Both are, by modern standards anyway, large knives and yet the Gambler now feels to me like a concealment piece. The HB 'feels' massive, powerful. In theory the Gambler should be a bit quicker in hand than the heavier HB but I can discern, nor measure, any difference in handling speed. I think this is due to the handles which have been properly scaled to each blade (I marginally prefer the HB handle).
The Gambler does conceal more easily than the HB if that is a concern.
It should be noted that the large guard of the HB is actually less likely to snag on clothing when drawn from concealment. This seems to go against commonsense until you apply a little empiricism to the mix.
The real problem will be that once you buy one you'll need the other to do your own experiments!
 
Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated.

I want one of them --- well, just because. ;-) Because it's my knife collection. I always want the more premium version, but I need to think about price.

Still vaccillating!
 
Happy to be of any help. The HB might be considered the 'premium' version, not so much because it costs more, but rather because it encapsulates and refines Bill Bagwell's ideas on what constitutes the perfect fighting bowie.
The Gambler is more like the bowies he made in the 80's and it's really up to the individual to decide which suits best his needs.
The HB certainly generates more 'raw power'. One might ponder the .45acp versus 9mm debate...
Hopefully, a can of worms has just been popped open...:D
 
OK, I just bought the Hell's Belle in ebay for a little over $200 including shipping. I can't wait to check it out!
 
But- these Ontario Bagwells are not built to be utility knives or choppers, they're hardened to be fighters.
Better off to go with something else if you want a general purpose blade.
Denis
 
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