SZCOSupplies Hunter Blade Knife, 15-Inch, Silver, BL-7717

Good product

Good base for making a nice-looking project for a better-than-average period piece; impressive size. The blade itself was hefty, clean, well ground and pretty sharp as received, no cleanup needed. The "coffin" style handle helps set it apart. Tip was quite sharp, but had a tip protector in place. The brass guard fit a little loose & canted, requiring a bit of work with punches, etc. to get it to fit like I wanted, but not a big deal. A bit of epoxy back-fill between guard and blade holds it in place & disguises any small gaps. I filed and polished some notches on part of the guard to customize it some more (mix the filings with the epoxy when you set the guard).You might want to drill out the pin holes for larger pins; they're sort of small as-is (or you could just epoxy your handle scales on without pins, if that's the look you want). I left out the lanyard hole in the back of the handle & just covered it...didn't fit with the style I was doing. Since I was making the knife for a gift, I used pieces of wood for the scales that came from a source of significance to the receiver, and cut the notches on the guard in a number pattern also of meaning to the giftee. I used sinew and small brass tacks to give it something of a nineteenth century western look.Still have to make a sheath (& so will you), but from what I've seen, most of the blades like this that come with a sheath have one that's not that attractive anyway. I hope this item becomes available again; I'd order a few more.

Nice piece of steel. I left the guard off. Original Bowie did not have a guard. The blade was sharp. It will cut paper. I used a piece of oak that came from my oak trees. Whenever I cut off dead branches I use the wood.. Look at the pictures thanks.

It’s good hard steel, and you get more than you pay for. Perfect for the project hobbies who doesn’t have a large amount of tools. The fit on the guard is a little sloppy but again, you get what you pay for.

WOW, this is one great blade. I've finished several large and regular size knife blanks already. Can't wait to get started od this extra large blade. First time with SZCO Supplies and couldn't be happier. Heavy duty. Fair price. Already checking out another one of SZCO's hunter blades.

Overall I'm quite happy with this knife. It arrived fast and had no defects. The steel was harder than other blanks from this company. I think they might have some inconsistent qc. I had to use hardened drill bits to size the holes for my brass pins. I think this is a plus.One minor gripe. In the photo, the brass guard looks like it's attached. It wasn't. It was a good excuse to practice my soldering, and all in all, I'm very happy with the result.The edge was pretty dull out of the package, but it was pretty easy to get it sharp enough.

Super reasonably priced. Metal is ok. I drilled the pin holes to a larger size because they were too small for my taste. Good buy

I bought this for my husband! He custom etches designs in knives and gives them to family and friends at Christmas and Birthdays!