Gil Hibben IV Machete Knife with Leather Sheath | Heat Forged 1090 Carbon Steel | Weathered Blade Finish | Black Cord-Wrapped Handle | Rugged Machete for Practical Use | 18 1/4" Overall

I collect edged weapons and already had the Gil Hibben III, which is a cross between a cleaver and scimitar and is a work ofart.I handled the Hibben IV at a gun show ($90.00)and was impressed. This thing is a BEAST. No bells or whistles, just 2 lbsof 1090 high carbon steel.The grip area is wrapped with flat black leather, which feels good. It comes with a nice, heavyblack leather sheath that has a large belt loop. The sheath has a "cosmetic" snap on the front(but no strap) with Hibben logo on the back. This is to stay true to the movie version. There are 2 holes for leg tie-down on the bottom of the sheath and a hole in the handle of the blade with a brown leather wrist strap. The blade is approx. 1/4" thick and is sharpened about 2/3 of its' 18" length. It needs to be further sharpened, but with 1090 I haven't done it yet. In use, this is great for cutting heavy branches etc.,or for any chopping where the weight of the blade does the work. It is really too heavy for any long, sustained use. It is brutal as a weapon, and could easily knock-out or kill with a strike from the back of the blade. I would highly recommend it. I wanted a large blade I could chop anything with, without worrying about damaging it. This is it. A word of caution: The 1st one I ordered came with a visibly twisted blade, but I returned it quickly and easily, with free return UPS shipping,and fast credit back on my card. The 2nd had an 1/8" burr in the notch near the base of the blade, but since it doesn't effect its' use, I kept it. All things considered, a great blade for the price.

It comes with a certificate of authenticity, but I have suspicions this isn't a Gil Hibbens original, as I saw this same one in the BUDK. However, that doesn't make it a bad replica of the Rambo IV knife.It's quite a whammer, inw solid hunky of steel. The blade comes darker than I've shown in my photos, as I took fine grit sandpaper to the blade to remove this dark coating. Also note that the blade comes with protective oil coating that can be easily wiped away with a towel.The knife comes unsharped, and is too thick for your normal kitchen knife sharpener, but can be sharpened with a whetstone or a power grinder, though I'd recommend the whetstone for better control.The knife also comes with a cloth wrap on the hilt. The movie knife used electrical tape, which I've added to my copy.The sheath is made of a tough fakeleather. Feels very cheap and plasticky, but I suppose it will keep the knife protected, though I would have preferred real leather myself.In all, I'm very happy with this purchase and it's a very well made knife despite the size and price. I would recommend it to your less discriminating Rambo fan and any knife collector.

OK This is a pretty heavy piece of steel. But as a whole I am very pleased. As stated by another reviewer the factory edge is lacking but a couple hours with a combination whet stone and it has a very nice edge now. I'm a big fan of the sheath (although the one lone snap on the front did puzzle me until customer service advised me that they all have it. Hibben got something planned for the sheath?) It's a high quality leather sheath and not a cheap leather/leatherette one that I've seen on a few copycat knives. Wearing it might prove difficult so I figured on my left side so I can draw it right handed. It is heavy but not cumbersome heavy as some larger knives can be. This one is def a workhorse kind of knife. No real frills! As its one big piece of high carbon steel with a leather wrap, its very spartan in its look but then there's nothing to break on it! I have yet to chop/cut with it (hence only 4 stars) but my upcoming camping trip should prove fun! All in all I am very pleased. Normally I'm not a fan of large knives but this one stands out. Great price for it as well! So either chopping fire wood or fighting off bigfoot from your campsite, I think this one will do the trick.

Just got this in the mail, and it is not what I was expecting. This thing is big, heavy, and brutal looking. I pulled it from the box and was surprised to see actual hit marks from what looks like a forging hammer peppered throughout. If this was done from a machine, it would have fooled me easy. This thing is supposed to look primal, and nasty, it accomplishes that easily. Took it outside and knocked around some brush, branches, small trees, and even in its less than razor sharp right out-of-the-box state, it did the job and begged for more. Like any machete type blade, it is not supposed to be shave your head sharp, but the weight behind it is the driving force.If Stallone used this tool in Rambo IV, he is truly much bigger man than I originally thought, because my hand barely wraps completely around the handle. I might be augmenting the leather handle wrap with my own paracord creation for a tighter grip, as the leather does not take away from the shock as well as I believed, also having a more rounded grip will be a must.If you are looking for the Rambo IV official, this is not it, but it looks good, and performs as only Gil Hibben himself would have expected. If you want the Rambo official, expect to put a large dent in your wallet. For 37$, I got a great, enduring tool.