Did Gil Hibben Ever not Make Junk

lagarto

lagarto

Joined
Oct 26, 2001
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Does anyone know if Gil Hibben ever made anything other than his (IMHO) crappy fantasy knives for United Cutlery?

Lagarto
 
I don't believe Gil EVER made junk. Now, his United Cutlery stuff(that he doesn't make) pretty much IS junk. Gil's handmade stuff is high quality, and brings pretty good prices on the aftermarket.
 
Danbo,
Thanks for the update, does Gil have a website, or somewhere that he showcases his personal work, as opposed to the stuff that United sells? Tony CCW, I agree that his Kenpo knife looks pretty neat, but I've only seen the low grade United versions. Does he make a custom one that uses better materials? (edited to add) Sorry, I haven't checked in with this part of the forums in a while. Just noticed the other Hibben thread. Those customs that Keith Montgomery posted a link to are sweet.

Lagarto
 
I don't think any of his stuff I've seen is "crap", per se. I mean, "crap" means a bad product. A bad product is one that doesn't do what it is supposed to do. His stuff as produced by United looks pretty wild, and that's what its supposed to do. Is it a waste of money for people who want functionality? Probably.
 
lagarto said:
Tony CCW, I agree that his Kenpo knife looks pretty neat, but I've only seen the low grade United versions. Does he make a custom one that uses better materials?
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I've only handled his custom versions. He always have at least one every time he visits NYC for the Knife Shows.
 
Gil Hibben has made a lot of excellent knives. His hunters have always impressed me and he has made some Scagel style knives that look fantastic.
 
Boink said:
Gentlemen here need to learn subtlety. At least bury a negative comment somewhere in the middle of a post. :rolleyes:
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.
Well said, Boink,
Civility goes a long way, thank you for the reminder
 
lagarto said:
Does anyone know if Gil Hibben ever made anything other than his (IMHO) crappy fantasy knives for United Cutlery?

Lagarto
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Gil doesn't make the cutlery for United, he designed it. They make that junk.

Gil is a old time knifemaker. His handmade pieces sell well, when you can find them.
 
What is the consensus on his United produced throwers? I like his designs, and they are very nicely waited, but I'm always skeptical of SS throwing knives. I like carbon steel for such peices because they will take so much abuse.
-KC
 
Mr. Hibben also taught/worked with quite a few of the high-end knife makers of yesterday and today. Chances are that if they were a maker in Utah in the 70's, they had some dealings with Gil.
 
Why are you calling his knives crap, because you don't like the designs, because you don't like the materials, or you find some fault in workmanship? Also are you making this judgement based on an actual Gil Hibben made piece, or the stuff UC makes?

I honestly don't really like the fabtasy pieces, just not my thing, but I am sure the custom made ones are top notch pieces. Heck, even the UC ones would probably be good as a fantasy knife would mainly be a display piece. No need for expensive steels on a knife that will be sitting on display. You shouldn't call his knives junk just because you don't like the style anyway, it is bad form and besides everyone likes something different.

Also as stated there is a world of difference between a custom knife, and a production version of that design.
 
lagarto said:
Does anyone know if Gil Hibben ever made anything other than his (IMHO) crappy fantasy knives for United Cutlery?

Lagarto
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You may find your wait for a custom is twice the average, at least. :D
 
I bought it back in about 1990-91 off of satellite tv knife show that Bruce Voyles ran, and when Gil was on the show with some of his customs I was lucky enough to get one of his hunters with buffalo horn handle, and what an excellent made knife it is. I even had him sign the back of the sheath to make it worth more money if/when I sell it. I have had it stored in my safe for the last few years, and prize it dearly so I know that he does make some excellent knives.
Just my .02 cents. :)

Larry
 
I own several of Gil's knives. They are all beautiful and of excellent quality. He was one of the first to make fantasy knives, but he also does great hunters and fighting knives. He's also an accomplished martial artist and a wonderful gentelman. I always look forward to seeing him at shows.
 
similarly to the seemingly common use of 420 hc nowadays, even if the knife is perfect, if its made of butter steel its going to be 'junk' unless its meant to cut butter.

hibbens knives (the ones that are hand crafted) are of a high degree of fit and finish, and are in general show a very high level of craft. if you get one of his knives in 440c, youve got an excellent knife.

so did gill hibben ever not make crap? i dont think gill has made much of anything that could be called "crap", its just that a lot of his knives, especially the fantasy lines, are made of crap steel.
 
Hi Lagarto, your post shows you need some history.

Gil is a great knifemaker. A great knife designer. He can build anything regardless of how difficult. His customs are beautiful in design and execution.

He is one of the few knifemakers that will stay at his table for the entire Knifemakers Guild Show and talk knives with show-goers. As an expert in martial arts, his knives for combat are designed with knowledge. His 40+ years in the knife industry place him high on any knifemaker list.

He is a major asset to the knife industry and I for one would love to see more like him.

What he makes with United designs is money.

sal
 
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