You can see a detailed comparison of the Rambo IV knife and the replica factory knives on my website at
http://www.cartertown.com/rivcomparison.htm
Thanks for making your review available MS. It's a very well done piece of writing and very informative. I've saved it for future reference.
I should mention, however, that some of the specs presented for the Master Cutlery version of the knife are mistakenly repeated from those given for the Hibben replica. In particular, the blade steel and knife weight for the MC blade are given as D2 and 2 lb 7 oz, respectively. In fact, the blade steel for the MS is 1060, as stated in your text, and my postal scales give the weight as 29.0 oz, which is considerably lighter than the other versions of the knife. In fact, the RIV is not even the heaviest chopping blade I own. That honor goes to my FFBM (Fusion Battle Mistress) by Busse, which weighs in at 31.7oz.
I have the MS Rambo IV in hand at this point and would like to clear up some of the misconceptions concerning the motivation for ownership of the knife. Everyone has their own reasons for making such a purchase, and the objections of one person are not necessarily meaningful to another. Otherwise we would all own the same knives. Right?
In my case, I have no interest whatsoever in the blade I purchased being a replica, and no interest whatsoever in any connections with the Rambo movies. Instead, I purchased what appeared to be a roughly-made, heavy-duty chopper with a clipped blade shape that is reminiscent of the southeast Asian parangs and goloks that I sold for Valiant for two years. So I see the MC RIV as a short, heavy duty parang with an absolutely unbreakable handle, and I expect it will make a very useful camp knife that can outperform a hatchet in most applications. I'm 6'3" and my usual weight is about 250lb. I work out every day, but I'm no Rambo, nor do I need to be a Rambo to handle this blade.
As for the legal matter involving possible piracy of Hibben's design, don't the differences between the two blades (the lack of "authenticity" so to speak) argue against such a claim? I'm not a lawyer, but I assume that if Hibbens case were strong enough he would argue it in court or at least make a fight of it. I was a whistleblower at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the last 6 years of my employment, so I am well aware of how a wealthy and powerful institution (the Univ. of California in my case) can abuse the legal system by overwhelming all opposition. Nevertheless, at great personal risk, I fought back rather than whining and won a few rounds by dealing with the realities of the situation I was caught up in rather than with the supposed ideals of the legal system. I never went to court (where I was sure to lose), and I protected myself from retaliation by becoming one of the best known whistleblowers at the Laboratory. Among other things, I spoke before a joint session of the California and New Mexico state legislatures about UC mismanagement of the Laboratory contract. I was also slated to speak before congress at one point, but UC succeeded in getting that activity cancelled at the last minuter (like I say, it's a powerful institution). I guess my greatest success was winning a nonscheduled raise that was retroactive for over a year. Ya have to take what you can get.
I've been receiving a bunch of new blades lately, so I haven't gotten around to reviewing the RIV. But I will do that review soon. I will also discuss how I would like to see the blade modified to produce a one-of-a-kind chopper that is fun, comfortable and practical to use. Among other feature, it will have a choil and canvas micarta scales. I plan to have a lot of fun with this blade. :thumbup: Isn't that what it's all about?
Cheers,
) Concerning the weight, that just determines what applications will be appropriate. I've certainly carried heavier tools (hatchets, khuks, etc.) into the woods, just not for long treks. 
