Just bought one from Wal Mart for under $26.00 I have a no. of Buck and Puma knives...I was interested in how this one compared. Out of the box it looked very nice. No manufacturing defects whatsoever. Was very sharp...just as much as a Buck or a Puma out of the box. Most bad reviews trash the Staglon handle. IMHO it is very good--solid & beefy with finger grooves. A very manly handle if you will. As I have real stag Puma's IMHO the Staglon looks quite good, but it is a matter of taste. The blade is very well finished with no flaws...it is very heavy duty, but some may prefer a longer one as it is 5.5" in length. For most cutting chores it is plenty good enough. The finger guard/pommel is of a brushed brass...looks quite elegant...a feature not found on Buck or Puma knives that use aluminum. . The blade is not a full tang and is similar to a Buck 119. Not a good knife for batoning. The blade is 4.4mm thick---a Puma Bowie is thinner (3.65mm) , the Buck 119 is a bit thicker at 4.65mm.
The Sheath is of a good quality leather, not quite as nice as on a Puma (which retails for $48.00) or a Buck, but perfectly useable. It is thicker than I had expected, but doesn't have rivets at stress points, however the stress points are double stitched. It has a snap closure that fits around the handle...very heavy duty. I did read a review that stated that the sheath was junk...I respectfully disagree.
IMHO this is a very useful knife that fits a broad range of uses. This is not a machete but would be a great skinning knife with its' 5.5" bowie style blade. An excellent general purpose knife similar to the popular Buck 119.
The blade is of 440A steel...only with use will I know how well it holds an edge. I would guess very well with an occasionally touch up to keep it sharp. Perhaps it has been heat treated to do better than one might expect. It is a very wide blade which means it has a long service life even if frequently sharpened. Take a Buck Woodsman with a fine blade that is very narrow, with frequent sharpening the blade's useful life is noticeably shortened. As it is of 420C...it will have to be touched up more often than a blade of 440C.
In summary and excellent value and knife that I feel most would be pleased with. For those that are handy in woodcraft the handle can be easily removed and you can replace with a homemade wooden one that you can custom fit to your specifications. As I have many high end knives, I like this one as I would not be afraid to use it in the field. I certainly would not want to beat up my Puma White Hunter or Bowie.
The Sheath is of a good quality leather, not quite as nice as on a Puma (which retails for $48.00) or a Buck, but perfectly useable. It is thicker than I had expected, but doesn't have rivets at stress points, however the stress points are double stitched. It has a snap closure that fits around the handle...very heavy duty. I did read a review that stated that the sheath was junk...I respectfully disagree.
IMHO this is a very useful knife that fits a broad range of uses. This is not a machete but would be a great skinning knife with its' 5.5" bowie style blade. An excellent general purpose knife similar to the popular Buck 119.
The blade is of 440A steel...only with use will I know how well it holds an edge. I would guess very well with an occasionally touch up to keep it sharp. Perhaps it has been heat treated to do better than one might expect. It is a very wide blade which means it has a long service life even if frequently sharpened. Take a Buck Woodsman with a fine blade that is very narrow, with frequent sharpening the blade's useful life is noticeably shortened. As it is of 420C...it will have to be touched up more often than a blade of 440C.
In summary and excellent value and knife that I feel most would be pleased with. For those that are handy in woodcraft the handle can be easily removed and you can replace with a homemade wooden one that you can custom fit to your specifications. As I have many high end knives, I like this one as I would not be afraid to use it in the field. I certainly would not want to beat up my Puma White Hunter or Bowie.