Gil Hibben IV Combat Machete Blade Knife | 12" Blade | Pakkawood Handle | Premium Leather Sheath | from Acclaimed Knifemaker Gil Hibben | 17 1/2"

The media could not be loaded. This thing belongs in a museum it looks so nice! The wood handle is beautiful, the edge it came with will DEFINITELY do the job! Sheath is good quality too! Would I trust this in the combat zone? You better believe it!

Very good quality. I use it in the backyard for everything.

Could not be happier!! Extremely beautiful blade, Very clean, sharp, and HEAVY. I hope the pictures explain them selves.My only criticism (I'm still giving 5 stars) the advertised picture is either miss-leading or I didn't pay close enough attention. Notice the bottom part of the handle, I thought that it extended to guard the lower ring/pinky knuckle. However upon deliver I realized that this was only a few pieces of leather on the bottom of the handle as well as the sheath.(Like I said earlier still 5 stars)P.S. even though this is a major photography fail, PLEASE make the lower handle look like the picture. I'll buy it!!!(Edit after 6 months of ownership)Its a Worthy Show Piece but, I couldn't help myself! I've put the GH-IV through tons of abuse: camping trips.. backpacking.. bottom line (Im retiring my hatchet forever.. and EVERYTHING Carnivor) have fun with this futuristic pirate knife/sword!The blade is still in very good shape and held up perfectly. A 6" diameter tree is nothing. That should be enough :)Within the last few weeks my handle shattered (I probably had too much fun) however the blade is still in 99% condition! Since then I've broken 2 Carnivor machetes in half.All is can say is THANK YOU GIL, I've fashioned a new handle and I won't replace this signature piece!

I have been wanting this Hibben Machete for a loooong time. I was a bit cautious which is why it's taken me so long to purchase it. It arrived yesterday and what can I say other than 'AWESOME'. This item looks EXACTLY as pictured, is EXTREMELY sturdy, and fits perfectly in hand. Like others have mentioned, not 'razor sharp' but sure sharp as hell. Run it across an Arkansas stone once or twice and you have an edge sharp enough to split the hairs on a nats butt.The sheath is very nice, bit of a tight fit though. While I like the leather lanyard and thigh tie, I'll be replacing those with paracord, just because I don't want them breaking at a moment I need them the most.Like others mentioned, the blade does say 'CHINA' on one side, I however am not so bothered by that as others are. Based on what I see in my hand, I have every reason to believe this thing will last a life time and hold an edge long enough to do any job I put before it. Isn't that all a blade is supposed to do?HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ITEM TO ANYONE!!!!

This is absolutely, positively, the most Bad-Ass "Machete" I've ever used. It's not a machete in the classic sense. You would never use this to clear light brush, grasses, lots of fast swings. It is quite heavy. This is an amazing chopper. It works like a giant axe. I cut through a 16 inch tree stump in about 20 swings. I broke down 8 large branches from an aspen tree in a matter of minutes. I could definitely see using this as a "combat" machete.Some other reviewers have commented on the quality, or lack there of. Mine came razor sharp out of the box. Slicing paper in mid-air razor sharp. After extended use outdoors, it has maintained its edge. I have not had to sharpen it yet. The handle is comfortable, and attached firmly. The sheath is made of real leather and fits the blade perfectly, it might not be the sturdiest, most well-made, but it works fine.I want to order one of these for everyone I know. It looks Bad-Ass! Feels Bad-Ass in your hand! And Chops like a Mo-Fo! I'm just waiting for the price to go back down.

This machete is a beast! Although I have not had the opportunity to put it through any serious tests, it has performed very well with the little projects I have tried. It came several days ahead of schedule, so I was extremely happy about that. Now on to the more serious reviewing. Also, check the pictures for extra details!The good:The sheath is TRUE leather! The majority of products I get that say "real" leather, are a made with scrap leather forced onto a synthetic surface. And because they use scraps of real leather, they can legally get away with saying that. But this is real quality leather, and seems like it might last a little while, but not quite long enough.Has a thick, sturdy feel to it, and the handle is real wood. It's all steel, and gives nice solid contact.Came hair-shaving sharp, first thing out of the box it cut my roommates thumb. It's easy to put an edge on and maintain.The bad:First and foremost is the "tang." Now I haven't taken it apart yet, but the fact that I can without breaking it, scares me. Especially because it is on a blade that should handle a lot of punishment. The nut on the base of the handle points towards the fact that the handle sandwiched between the pommel and the hand guard that are removable. Making me wonder if this is thing will fail at a critical moment.Another thing is its made in china, so there's no telling how good the steel is. It is stainless steel, but how well was it put together? We all know they are a fan of taking to things that are meant to be one solid piece and manufacturing them separately, then wielding them together.******Sure enough, it is welded together. Luckily, it seems like a true weld, and not just a spot weld. Now that I have seen it, I am more confident that it will hold*******The biggest issue with the sheath is the fit; this thing just wasn't designed properly. The strap and button the lock the machete in place, function but not quite right. The strap is too short, or the snap is too far away, however you want to look at it. But when you snap it closed it is putting a lot of strain on the leather it is attached to, and I am positive it will fail relatively early on.The ugly:This handle is pretty damn uncomfortable. Everything about the handle is very angular. There is almost no blending of the handle into the pommel and guard, and there are some pretty harsh edges on them as well. The same goes for the wood handle, it is slightly boxier than I would like, but I'm sure they did that to avoid favoring right or left handed people. These are fixable issues if you are competent and have the right tools, but for most, you'll just have to deal with it. If you are using gloves, you should be just fine though. *********The handle and guards smoothed out nicely. It makes it much easier on the hands, and it didn't take much at all. Just used a $20 file set I got from Lowes a while back. You don't have to take off much, just a little where the handle meets the hand guard. This will work fine until I replace it********When all is said and done, I STILL suggest you buy it! That's right, even with all those negatives to look at: I still think it is worth every penny, and more with a few adjustments. This thing is a piece of art, and is functional to boot. I highly suggest it and would recommend it to anyone.Future modifications:Replace the handle with G-10 or ZytelSmooth out the edges on the entire handleReplace the sheath with a custom combat sheathAlso, this isn't really a positive or negative, but the other edges are false, only the front edge is real. just in case anyone was wondering.*****Update*****I've had this machete for about 6 months. I haven't exactly been chopping wood or anything, but I like to mess with it and show it off at parties. even had to chase some obnoxious party crashers out of my apartment with it, that was fun. haha. Anyways, back to my reason for updating. As I suspected the strain on the button was too much to handle all the opening and closing and the metal snap, well, snapped. Looks like I have a reason to start that custom sheath project now. just gotta wait for some extra funds, its not easy to maintain this expensive hobby on a college budget. I will post some pictures of the break soon.