Pros: Materials, Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish, Handle Material, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Weight, None
Nice knife
First, The Sheath. On first glance, sure, the sheath doesn't look all that special. It is not a $30.00 sheath. But, the knife is only $22.00 so what can one expect? A closer look shows while it is thin, which is a good thing if you want to avoid bulkiness, is made quite nicely. The majority of the sheath is of a tightly woven nylon thread with 5 rivets for strength at vulnerable spots. 2 where the knife enters the sheath. Where the tip of the knife rests, there is a rounded triangular piece of leather on each side and 3 more rivets which nicely protects the sheath from being damaged by the knife. So, while the sheath doesn't look like anything special, it seems to be crafted quite well. Time will tell.....The knife itself. I wish it weighed a few ounces more, but it is a nice knife. I haven't taken it outside yet, but I did fling it at my indoor target a few times, no spin, to see if it would pass my test. I bought three more. Now I have 2 to beat on practicing, and 2 to take out "hunting".... The handle, the paracord. I really like very much this paracord wrapped handle. It is not just wrapped round flat against the handle as most knives are. It is done in some kind of woven pattern that gives your hand something thicker to grasp onto. Not so much a feature for throwing IMO, but for other knife use, very "handy"....I have read many reviews about all knives with wrapped handles and with each, people say they fall off quickly.... Throwing at a wood surface, which I highly do not recommend, is a big part of the problem (put layers of cardboard in front of your wood for many reasons. It will make your wooden target last longer, protect your knives from breaking and stop the bounce that causes lost knives and coming back at you)... Regardless of the cause, one reviewer of another knife said to use the liquid (not the gel) type super glue to hold the cord in place...VERY good advice. For this wrap, you need only to put a few drops at the end side of the handle A drop here and there where the beginning touches the rest of the cord....For the traditionally wrapped knives, find the spot where the cord is tucked under on each end of the handle, a little line of glue along that lump it causes to start. A drop in a spot or two along the first wrap around and then a quick thin line straight across each side toward the bottom to keep the cord from bunching from impact. I like to try to avoid glue where my fingers will be touching the knife as much as possible. I throw no spin, so I don't want glue on the top edge where my finger slides along the top edge. It probably won't hurt anything, but the glue makes the cord hard and I prefer the softer feel. Also, don't use too much. All you want is a tiny bit in between threads to glue them together. It doesn't take much. This stuff soaks in nicely and 'welds' the two wraps together nicely. Using too much will look ugly. One of the first ones I did, using too much in a couple spots made it turn white in those areas. it looks like I dripped the glazing off a doughnut on my knife. Don't bother trying to scratch or sand it off. You will just make it worse. Do one spot on one knife at a time till you get the hang of it, so if you do use too much the first time, you can learn quickly. One tiny 2G tube is enough for a couple dozen gil hibben 8 1/2" cord wrapped knives plus a couple of these . .... Also, some people said the cord didn't last long from other knives hitting them. DID I READ THIS RIGHT?!? are people actually throwing there knives at their other knives? Sure, we see video of knife throwers hitting the same spot to impress upon you that they can throw accurately with consistency. They don't do this otherwise. They also don't mind you thinking they do, as they are also trying to sell you their knives. .. Notice they have multiple dots on their targets. Normally, they throw one knife at one dot... I understand you not wanting to retrieve after each throw, but, Space your shots. Hitting a knife with another will be far less frequent. Remember. Take care of your stuff. Especially your weapons. Don't buy more to replace damaged stuff, but by more because when it comes to weapons of self defense, more is better...Another nice knife? The Wes Hibben 10". Read my review of that knife to see more detail advice about targets.