Buck Knives 393 Omni Hunter 12pt Guthook Fixed Blade Knife with Heavy-Duty Nylon Sheath

I have a pretty decent colleciton of knives from buck, kershaw, spyderco, benchmade and Leatherman. I needed a knife with a skin hook because it makes field dressing a deer 10x easier. I wanted a nice sharp, small skinning knife I could keep in my hunting bag all season.Here's what I've found about this blade so far:Pros:-Very sharp right out of the box-Grip is excellent, dont have to worry about slipping-cleans off very easily, no rough textures that keep fat/tissue/blood in the crevices.-sturdy and solid, feels like a full-tang blade-lifetime warranty with Buck-comes with sheath that feels pretty sturdyCons:-Larger than I expected. Picture made it seem much smaller to me. Overall length is probably over 8 inches. blade width is close to 2 inches at it's widest. It's a bit too big to carry into the field with me with the rest of my gear so I leave it in the truck until I do my retrieval.This is my only con, but can also be considered a pro because the additional size gives leverage when splitting ribcages, or making tough cuts that prove harder with a smaller knife.I'm happy with it so far but if I had to, I'd get something just a bit smaller.

I purchased two Buck 393 9 3/4" Omni Hunter Guthooks for the firearms deer hunting season 2012 in upper Minnesota. I was so impressed that I purchased a third. They are EXTREMELY well made. I agree with one of the other reviews...they are ready-to-use right out of the sheath...surgically sharp. You can strap it on and be ready to gut your first deer or elk that you harvest this year. There is no sitting around making sure you make your list and, oh, by the way, don't forget to sharpen your knife before heading out at o-dark-thirty on opening morning. This baby is ready to go, including the zipper-blade, as I call it. You will be very happy that you made this purchase. My hand has slipped off other guthook knives. This Buck 393 has an indentation that works quite well when the knife is flipped over while you are opening the gut area. And best of all, it is a FULL TANG and MADE IN THE USA! You cannot get much better quality than this and at a very affordable price, to boot!Update; 4 October 2012: I was so impressed with these knives that I purchased more - five total acquired during three separate Amazon orders. They will make for terrific camaraderie gifts for all the current attendees of our deer base camp during the November 2012 white-tail harvest. The craftmanship quality is second to none! Don't get cheaply made crap from overseas...buy BUCK MADE IN THE USA knives and keep supporting the American dream!

I hope to never have to test how strong the tang is but I did hear it referred to as "full tang". Since I don't plan on using it to chop wood, it probably doesn't matter much. Don't know yet if it's too big for small game but I can say it has a beefy blade with a nice shape. As much as I don't like the fact that the sheath was made in a "Peoples Republic" when the ad says "MADE IN THE USA", it shaved the hairs off my arm right out of the box - It's good to see Buck still cares enough to sharpen their blades.

I got this knife as a knife as a gift in 2011 and at first was skeptical of the quality. The first time I used it, I knew this knife would be with me for a long time. Seven hunting seasons and many, many deer later, I'm still happy to reach for this knife. It takes a razor edge and will hold it for several deer. From gutting, skinning, to quartering, reach the edge stays true and the only time I need to use another knife is for backstraps and tenders. I like the shape of the blade and the handle is large enough to grip easily. It's not a pretty knife but for me it's well designed and does exactly what I need a hunting knife to do.

The good:- This thing comes razor sharp.- Gut hook works perfectThe bad:-I live in coastal NC where deer are not huge. This knife would be more suitable for gutting a rhino, elephant or possibly a large dinosaur. Too large to be hunting with on my belt/pocket. I know...I should have measured.-Makes too much noise in the sheath. Rattles around in the hard plastic.All in all, I recommend it.

I held off on reviewing this knife until I got a chance to use it field dressing a deer, and I love it. The knife is razor sharp right out of the box, and the guthook works very well, really cuts out the worry of overpenetrating when field dressing. Just make a 1-inch cut and the guthook does the rest. The thumb grooves and ridges on the back of the blade make this knife comfortable to hold in any way you will need to when using it. If you're looking for an affordable hunting knife that will get the job done, this is it. Best of all with the fixed blade, this thing is very easy to clean.

Just as I expected!! Beautiful quality of a knife from a company that has stood the test of time! The handle is solid, and the gut hook is perfect. It's the right size, and solid. I used it twice to gut two deer this year and it made the task. Much easier. I will definitely buy buck knives again!!

I am stunned. Buck is suppose to be a top quality American made knife. However, the blade is brittle and noticed that there are little chips and notches in it already. (I didn't use it on anything hard or metal). Not only that, but it gets rusty VERY easily. I have hade to clean it with CLR two times already. I'm very dumbfounded overall, and will not be purchasing anymore Buck knives in the future.