Hi! Ive got one of these monsters, they are about as far a departure as you can get from a traditional Vic. This thing is even bigger than a Buck 110!! The blade isnt just long its wide as well and comes out of the box above razor sharp! As an alternative to my beloved Buck 110 it unfortunately doesnt come close despite its amazing blade. I barely even open mine as it has had blade movement in the open and locked position since the day I got it which broke my heart man. Going to try to see just how good Vic is about exchanging it for one that does not have left to right and up and down blade play when locked!
The rubber substance that make up the Hunters handle is excellent. I just feel there isnt enough of it. Grip the handle hard with the blade out and locked and youll feel where the rubber ends at the liners as well as feel that rubber pull back a bit when you grip strongly for heavy cutting. Not exactly confidence inspiring.
The Hunters poor showing in my case is what led to my Buck 110 madness. I still needed a good damn knife for work that had to be in the 3.5-4 inch blade ranch and after perusing this site actually I took a chance and picked one up at my local Walmart for 40 bucks thinking it was just going to be a compomise knife until I found something else. Boy was I wrong! Build quality like jewelry, big chunks of American Brass, real ebony scales and the baddest little Bowie blade on earth! The heavy weight of the 110 is a huge plus when having such an awesome blade because when you compensate for the handle weight youre also putting more control over the blade unconsciously. I now have 6 Buck 110's with my first Custom Shop on its way to me in the mail.
The Hunter has good balance despite the blade being so huge which is unusual in this class. It is nowhere near as properly balanced a big blade folder as the 110 but then again not much else is. If you just make sure your Hunter locks up air tight when open you should be okay. I suggest getting a 110 first at your local walmart and using that 110 as a benchmark for the entire large folder class. I still really wish my Hunter locked up as tight as my Buck I really do its blade is amazing. Good luck
