Holtzman's Gorilla Survival Lavaline Fixed Blade Hunting Knife with Sheath, Fire Starter, G10 Scraper & Paracord (Black+Orange) - Durable 1095 High Carbon Steel

Ok, the photo I have included is for two knives I have purchased. Specifically the longer one that this review is on, and previously the shorter bushcraft one.I ALWAYS start out with the good, and there is a LOT of good with these knives. First of all, they come in a really great presentation box. In all honesty, when I bought my first one, I expected just the typical brown cardboard box with the kit in it. No biggy and nothing fancy. What I got really, and honestly, blew my mind. A really nice black box with the kit inside of it, in form cut foam. The blades were oiled and sealed in plastic, with the edges of the blade especially protected with an additional plastic sleeve.The weight of both of these knives is hefty. Not uncomfortably so, but when you pick it up, you KNOW you are holding a KNIFE. I like a substantial spine on my knives, especially if I am going to go to the woods and beat the everloving tar out of them. I need a knife that isn't going to slip out of my hand, that is ready to deal with, well, torture. That's what you'd expect from a good field knife, and I'm sure most would agree...but the 440 family of steel isn't going to do it.Speaking of steel, when I look at a knife, that is the first thing I look at. I don't care how fancy the grip is, how fancy the sheath is, or whatever doodads are on the knife itself. I want to know about the steel, everything else is pointless unless that is good. So, in searching for bushcraft knives, the shorter one in the picture came up a few times on a few bushcraft sites, so I looked into it. The first thing that stuck out was the D2 steel. That's tool steel, in case anyone doesn't know what that means. So the tools you use in your garage (the good ones), that is the same steel. Hard, hard, hard. And I know it's hard because I took my hardness files to it. None of them left a mark or bit into the steel. These blades are HARD.Now, I DO know that the harder the blade, the more prone to being brittle. I get it. So I decided to test out the smaller knife with some firewood and a bit of batoning. I did this with the knife right out of the box, and not even with my edge on the blade. This was all factory. It DID take a TINY TINY little chip on the edge, but I am not entirely sure if it wasn't there from something else I did or from the process of batoning. But that was it. These blades are tough.Now, to speak more about the blades, and really the rest of the knife...These aren't hand forged. I have to hand it to Holtzman's, they know how to make a good blade as efficiently as possible. I can tell these are CNC machined, from the blades to the scales. At it's most basic, the material is loaded into the machine and the operator essentially hits "print." Then the rest of the blade is formed, perhaps automatically sharpened, maybe hand sharpened, but either way, I suspect the amount of manual work is limited. Then the blades are hardened, polished, etched, and scales attached. The sheaths are heat formed kydex, which is not complaint at all. The material is durable, and easy to form. It makes perfect sense.One more thing about the steel, being D2, it lacks some of the elements that goes into the stainless steel we use in the kitchen. Therefore it WILL rust a bit easier. However, decent proper maintenance can limit or eliminate that risk. In other words, clean it well after use and apply a little oil to it before putting it away.However, this is where the other side of my comments come in. The BIGGEST down side comment I have is the belt clip. That isn't a good belt clip. I like the intent, with being able to open it and attach it to the belt in a secure way. However, the spacer in the factory clip (the one that is moveable to size to your belt) isn't good, and mine broke right away. I wasn't going to bother the manufacturer about that so I bought a new clip. Same design with a change to the spacer. In the factory clip, the spacer has only one contact point with the clip. Any torque on it one way or another will break that contact point. The new one has two.Second down comment is in regard to the shorter knife. The scales are GREAT, but back at the bottom there is a flare. That flare is rather pronounced and would dig into my side. I had to grind it down a little. I see no issues with the bigger knife.Lastly, there really is no need for a scraper. The spine of the blade is what most people are going to use anyway. That's what I use, so I removed it from the knife. I kept the firesteel, because THAT is useful.I tell my son all of the time, the only two things you need for survival are a good knife and what's between your ears. With a good knife, you can do anything your creativity allows you to do. My search for that good knife led me to Holtzman's, and I am glad it did. I don't regret getting these knives, and I am sure you will like them too.

Just received this today...I've gotta say...this thing is a beast! It's bigger than I expected...it's a very hefty blade...about a quarter inch thick and razor sharp out of the box. The G-10 scales are textured nicely and it fits in your hand great! It comes with a fire steel and scraper that throws plenty of sparks... the sheath is also well made...everything fits snug with no ratteling...this is one of my favorite knives...I'll put it up against my Falkniven...cold steel...or ESEE knives any day...if you're a knife person like me, this is a must have!!! Im super impressed!!!

To get the suggested topics out of the way; Super sharp, fantastic handle, looks astounding and perfectly thick. I trust this will last a lifetime. Saw a lot of reviews about the sheath which just the fact it comes with matching fire steel and striker is a great value.Mine fits okay, it does not fit like typical sheaths like this where the device would click in place. It relies on the strap snapping it in, otherwise it would fall right out. However, that’s what it’s there for and I couldn’t be more pleased.

Let me start with I was skeptical. I collect knives and personally have about 30 now. Typically, I would shop at WMK, knifecenter, blade HQ etc. So when I see some of the lower quality knives Amazon sells and they still have high reviews, it makes me think these people reviewing are not "knife people" With that said this thing is the real deal in my experience. Compare it to the TOPS steel eagle or Becker bk7 or Ontario rat 7. This is priced right in the middle of all of those, it's also made in America(to my knowledge) and comes with some decent accessories. I took it out and really beat the snot out of it and it's for real. It held a better edge than my hogue exf01 in A2 steel. I had never heard of holtzman and none of the "knife channels" had reviewed there products but I'm a sucker for red g10 so I tried it and I'm glad I did. Speaking of looks, the black coating will scratch or even come off during batoning but I don't own a blade that the coating has ever stayed on fully after hard use. The box it comes in does make it feel special and it's a real looker that you could really bet your life on. I'm surprised but also very happy with mine. It's not going to hold an edge like cpm20cv but it's easy to sharpen. Idk who's heat treating these but I personally am very happy with it for just a simple 1095 knife

Excellent quality, beautiful knife. It’s a beast! Can’t wait to put it through its paces on next camping trip! However, the fit of this knife in its sheath is way, way too tight. Removing the knife from its sheath requires two men and a mule. I worked it 55-60 times, no difference. Oiled blade, still no difference. You have to grip the sheath in left hand, knife handle in right hand, bring up in front of your chest and pull like hell in opposite directions. If this were attached to your waist, it would be impossible to pull knife from sheath with one hand. Not exaggerating here. Must be a manufacturing issue. I’m hesitant on modifying the handle to make it easier. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to correct this problem without reinventing the wheel?

Good Quality. Packaging is incredible. It’s a great survival knife.

I purchased this knife to use for camping, survival or general use like in the kitchen. It came with fire starter that attached to the sheath, lanyard cord. The knife has a thick backbone for batoning, holds edge well. The handle is textured for a good grip. The weight of the knife adds to its strength. The only thing I did not like is the fire starter would not fit well in the sheath. The knife falls out of the sheath and this is not good. But all in all a great knife and I would recommend.