GCS Handmade Stacked Leather Handle D2 Tool Steel Tactical knife Hunting Knife Camp Knife with leather sheath Full tang blade designed for Hunting & EDC GCS 147

If this knife does get listed again, snap it up before they take it off the market again. Especially at this price—$69. It boasts a handsome, sophisticated blade shape, has precise, high-resolution grinding and polishing, and it sports a subtly shaped hand guard, all of which make this one of the finest knives in my rather extensive collection. The stacked-leather-washer handle, however, is a disappointment. First, the washers themselves just are too small in diameter to offer a secure grip. I mean this is a Bowie knife, not a whisk broom. Bring to mind the K-bar, whose stacked washers form a generous, confident grip. Also the washers on my knife were stacked a little askew, enough so that they looked sloppy and slap-dash. I was able to rectify this problem by cutting a ribbon of oil-tanned leather, splitting I’d down to about a 3-oz. thickness and wrapping it carefully around the leather washers, which when sanded made a nice glue surface. This increased the diameter just enough and provided a softer, textured gripping surface that’s more appropriate for a blade of this authority and heft.Plainly, this knife is an artisanal product that was crafted and assembled with experience and care. It’s a gratifying knife to sharpen as it takes and holds a keen edge without a lot of stroking. You can tell it’s made of a high-quality steel by the pitch of the sound it makes on the stone (I use Japanese water stones to start and finish up by stropping on a leather strap charged with gray buffing compound, followed by a final stropping on plain leather. The result will make your fingers bleed if you look to long on the edge.)But even without this simple improvement, this knife is a desirable addition to any collection, or worth having even if all you want is one or two good utility blades.

Knife appears to be good quality for hand made.Has 1/4 inch thick leather rings and epoxy filler filling empty spaces in the grip. (Not good)Sheath rivets were literally falling out in the package and all were corroded.So, great idea, poor execution on all counts.Like the size, came razor sharp.Knife steel work looks verry good.Will see how it holds up after I take it to a leather shop for new rivets and stitching.Hopefully all that epoxy holds.

My fourth GCS knife, blade edge was never finished properly, as best as can be described as skipmarks on edge, like it was raised an lowered when edge was worked

I bought this knife for my nephews graduation from high school so that he would have a good hunting tool! I truly appreciate the time and efforts taken to truly create such a fine knife. It is solidly made and has a good heft to it. This is going to last him a lifetime and then maybe some! This is the finest knife I have ever purchased and spent more on well known brands this is better!

I was a little concerned with the quality of the blade when I bought it on amazon, but once I received it in the mail my concerns were quickly gone. The blade is very nice, and seemingly well made, and sturdy. The handle is really well made and I have received several compliments on how nice it looks, and I love the brass hand guard. If I had to give one complaint, I'd say the sheath isn't great, it's leaps and bounds better than a lot of the junky knives you find out there, but it's a generic one size fits all leather sheath, the sheath is well made, and seems very sturdy, but not made for each blade, which is understandable. I'll probably have a custom sheath made to fit the knife at some point, but in the mean time, the sheath is definitely not bad, just not great. I already have plans to buy another blade from GCS in the future.

Product arrived timely. However it was unevenly sharpened. The tip was completely dull. Where it was sharp the edge was not straight.

BLUF: I expected better at this price point. Lots of "questionable" claims...UPDATE: Seller contacted me and apologized, but didn't refute any of the below. They also offered a refund, but never issued it.ORIGINAL REVIEW:Blade is pretty thin. Did not come sharp, but was easy to sharpen. I don't think this is real D2 tool steel. It was unmarked, and is a little too magnetic for my tastes. D2 tends to be a little less magnetic due to the alloy.Sheath is "crazy horse" leather, not full-grain leather. Look it up. Crazy horse is the Pringles of leather. It's only *technically* leather. Mine arrived damaged, even though the item was packed well, so it must have been damaged before packing.Leather handle was rough and not round. Fit and finish we're only so-so. The tang is most likely a threaded rod, and the joint to the pommel was clearly visible.I asked the company where the knives are made and they said UK. Their website says USA, and has an American flag. It also claims the knives ship from FL, but the customer support used the California (pacific) time zone. These are most likely Pakistani or Chinese knives. Quality control and materials are poor. The logo is a quite obvious "homage" to Randall Made Knives. Which is out of Florida...

It would have been a perfect knife if the grind marks were polished out of the handguard. Blade quality is very good D2 steel.