First off, as to the "hollow handles break easier" I had an extended discussion with Mr. Lile in the late 1980's during a lull in a knife show. I put the question to him directly. His reply was that he had designed a special 3- step process to attach the blade to the handle, which he would not detail except to say that it included it being "sweated and pinned" along with other processes that ensured it would not break. The real secret, he said, was proper heat treatment of the blade. He said he would be very surprised if someone could get a Rambo or Sly II to break off near the handle before the knife or the person gave way.
I might also add that he told me that, in his mind, 7" was the longest blade for a useful knife. Everything longer than that was just for show and not very useful. He told me in his gentle drawl that "If you showed up in my elk hunting camp wearing a ten inch bowie knife we would laugh you right out of camp."
Having said that, I like big knives and own a Rambo The Mission that hangs on my wall. A good compromise for someone looking to avoid the UC crap but get something resembling a Lile is the Martin MCE series which runs about $450 depending on the bells and whistles you get.
I own the Sly II "copy" It is far from the equal of the Lile knives, being very roughly done. Putting it next to a Lile reveals what an artist Lile was. The Martin is longer than the Sly II with a thicker blade. The sawteeth are, indeed split but not to the extent that the Lile's are: the gap is extremely thin and does not extend to the end of the top row of sawteeth. The Lile split teeth were designed to channel wood chips during a sawing action (necessary because the teeth were not offset); the Martin split is too narrow to accomplish this, although they look like they could rip the thin metal skin of an aircraft (the original reason Randall put teeth on a knife).
The sawteeth are also a little odd-looking. It appears they are made by drilling holes into the blade and then using a band saw to cut out the teeth. The result is far less pleasing - and deeper - than the Lile teeth. Overall, it lacks the graceful lines of the original, particularly where the teeth approach the clip point and in the design of the buttcap. Unlike the Lile, the tang extends about two inches into the "hollow" handle. When the overly large butt cap is screwed into the knife, the "useful" space in the handle is less than two inches.
To top it off, the Martins don't make a proper sheath for the knife, they just add wider spacers to the sheath for the Rambo-sized version. So you get this gigantic sheath for a relatively slim knife. The sheath is actually bigger and thicker than the one that comes with Rambo The Mission. All in all, though, it beats paying $2,000 for a Sly II and it looks like it can take a beating.
I might also add that he told me that, in his mind, 7" was the longest blade for a useful knife. Everything longer than that was just for show and not very useful. He told me in his gentle drawl that "If you showed up in my elk hunting camp wearing a ten inch bowie knife we would laugh you right out of camp."
Having said that, I like big knives and own a Rambo The Mission that hangs on my wall. A good compromise for someone looking to avoid the UC crap but get something resembling a Lile is the Martin MCE series which runs about $450 depending on the bells and whistles you get.
I own the Sly II "copy" It is far from the equal of the Lile knives, being very roughly done. Putting it next to a Lile reveals what an artist Lile was. The Martin is longer than the Sly II with a thicker blade. The sawteeth are, indeed split but not to the extent that the Lile's are: the gap is extremely thin and does not extend to the end of the top row of sawteeth. The Lile split teeth were designed to channel wood chips during a sawing action (necessary because the teeth were not offset); the Martin split is too narrow to accomplish this, although they look like they could rip the thin metal skin of an aircraft (the original reason Randall put teeth on a knife).
The sawteeth are also a little odd-looking. It appears they are made by drilling holes into the blade and then using a band saw to cut out the teeth. The result is far less pleasing - and deeper - than the Lile teeth. Overall, it lacks the graceful lines of the original, particularly where the teeth approach the clip point and in the design of the buttcap. Unlike the Lile, the tang extends about two inches into the "hollow" handle. When the overly large butt cap is screwed into the knife, the "useful" space in the handle is less than two inches.
To top it off, the Martins don't make a proper sheath for the knife, they just add wider spacers to the sheath for the Rambo-sized version. So you get this gigantic sheath for a relatively slim knife. The sheath is actually bigger and thicker than the one that comes with Rambo The Mission. All in all, though, it beats paying $2,000 for a Sly II and it looks like it can take a beating.
