Hi Mr. Slayer
Just to share my experience, I have several MTech large fixed blade knives. And a couple S&W Search & Rescue large fixed blade knives which I think were made by the same company. They look alike and have the same handle design and material anyway. The S&W's are just heavier and have thicker blades. Two have recurve blades and the other two have saber shaped blades.
Anyway, they were rather affordable, and I liked their designs. The only real problem I found with them is that the hand guard would loosen up and rattle. It happened on one of each after testing them on my wood pile out back.
I solved this by turning the hand guard as far as I could to one side and filling up the space with Super Glue, then turning it the opposite way and doing the same on that side. I wiped off the excess glue and you can't tell I ever used any.
After letting them dry over night, I took them back out to the wood pile and spent some time chopping and stabbing logs. I even battoned with them which is something I never do out in the woods.
The edges held up just fine. The tips did not bend or break either, and the hand guards are still tight. I cleaned them up and re-sharpened them and they are ready to use. I liked that the rubber handles absorbed a lot of the shock.
So now I have several inexpensive knives that I think will hold up to most chores I expect to encounter. They aren't luxurious to look at like some of my more expensive blades, but I also will be using them when my more expensive knives are left behind in the safe. MTech Knives have so far been a good value for me.
