Szco Supplies Damascus Brass Guard Bowie Knife

The pros: *Knife feels solid and decently balanced *Damascus etchings are darker and more pronounced than other Damascus steel knives i own *Sheath is leather and solid construction *Genuine Horn Handle,remodeled to aid griping *Great show pieceThe Cons: *The Blade has many mini cracks in the spine and edge. -probably due to the materials used during forging. the cracks indicate that the blade is not very solid, cant hold a edge and is brittle. -The chips and cracks seem to a result of the blade steel not being very durable *The Knife i got has a decent sized chip in the blade edge. and another chip in near the knife end edge *The Horn handle at places lack proper polish so it feels roughly made *The Sheath leather strap to secure the knife is awkwardly placed. Every time u sheath the blade you slightly cut the strap if u don't use a hand to pull the strap way back.Conclusion: The blade is beautiful to look at BUT shows many blemishes if examined closely. The cracks makes one hesitant to use this as a hunting/camping knife. That being said it looks awesome and if not examined closely looks and feels like a expensive knife. Great show knife, not good for practical use.

I actually searched for the best knife and found this knife in the top 5.The first one had a defect at the edge - a visible crack (imperfection). I think it was from how steel kneaded together to achieve the Damascus profile. I returned it and got a replacement. No hassle from Amazon. The replacement knife also has a defect. This time is on the spine (back) of the knife. A loser look reveals that this imperfection is from the cause. I am not sure if I should expect perfection, so I am keeping it.The strap for the sheath is on the wrong side. Just take a look at the picture. Every time you take the knife in and out of the sheath, you are cutting the strap unwillingly. No such issue if the strap is coming from back (top) side of the knife.[Edit Feb 7. 2014] I also bought a sharpening stone. No matter how I tried, I could not make this knife to razor sharp. My kitchen knife is sharper. If I kept sharpening it, I just created burr on one side or the other. What is wrong with this knife? I am dropping one star from my previous review.

This was a cool knife, looked great. I don't know a whole lot about Damascus steel but the tip of my blade split (not from usage) within a couple months, not sure what happened or if its fixable. Emphasis on the "not from usage," I pulled it out of the sheath one day and noticed that the tip had started to split apart (I guess the different metals werent bonded well? Like I said I dont know all that much about it). But anyway, expensive knife to just become handicapped so quickly, I can still use it for decoration or minor cutting but the tip is far too brittle for hard use

This is the most aesthetically pleasing knife I've ever owned (and I've owned many knives since childhood). It arrived with a laser's edge on it. The knife seems to be very well made. The bone handle is quite pleasing to the feel and to the eye. The look of the watered steel blade is quite amazing. Functionality it has very good balance. The case fits as it should. I am quite pleased with this purchase. I recommend it strongly.

Came razor sharp out of the box. The blade is very nice. It is better than the picture. I comes with a durable saddle leather sheath. I have put this through the ringer as it is always on my hip when hunting and in the woods. The back of the blade in wide enough to pound through brances with a rock or small hammer. Blade is well made but the handle is faux bone I believe. The brass is also nice and I have hade this out in the weather in snow and rain with no corrosion.

Its OK not the best finish. The blade needed a little more work to it to be uniform in its finish.

I'm not planning on using this for hunting or survival purposes. I don't plan to throw it at trees or stab a bear. I bought it as a costume prop and maybe as a cutting impliment to carve up a turkey leg at the local renn fest. I am very happy with what I got. The blade is solid and sharp and looks great and the handle is very authentic looking. I got exactly what I was looking for. >:)

Nice knife except that the blade was broken on arrival. A little qc would go a long way.

Holds a good edge. Not a bad looking knife, only problem, blade was bent upon arrival. Shows no quality control during manufacturing or from distributor. A manufacturers and distributors reputation hangs on the product you put out and customer satisfaction. Suggest product inspection be stepped up. Do your own if you purchase this one.

I'm very pleased with this knife, it's has a tiny flaw on the handle , seems to been nicked by the saw when it was cut. Other wise it's all good.

You'll be happy with this knife. I have this in my collection, and will never give it up.

Great looking knife with leather sheathe. Great price.

handle looks unfinished bleached out white other than that its ok