The Rambo knife in the test – The most male knife in the world
Summary:
For collectors and fans of John Rambo an absolute highlight with a high collector value.
For those who only want to buy a Rambo knife and do not want to read the full article, follow a list of the currently available Rambo knives. These are available as officially licensed original knives and as much cheaper imitations.
Buy original licensed Rambo Knives
Cheap Rambo knife replicas
Rambo Knife – And the rest is just history
Since then, John Rambo has been an absolute cult and an unprecedented symbol of American patriotism, militarism and American freedom. In the film, Sly always carried a very large Survival knife that was prominently featured on every occasion. We want to take a closer look at this knife, which was simply called the Rambo Knife, as part of our “Filmmesser” section.
Rambos knife
These rambomesters quickly gained a high profile and enthusiastic collectors and fans all over the world. Since then, the Rambo knife designed and manufactured especially for the film plays an important role in every new Rambo film adaptation.
Rambo First Blood knife
The knife from Rambo First Blood is the grandfather of all Survival knives. A sturdy blade paired with useful features such as saw toothing and a secret compartment. This rambo knife began a trend, with hollow-handled knives gaining in popularity. Although it is a nice feature for Hardcore Survival, the Rambo knife does not do itself a favor, as the knife without Ganzerl (Full Tang) loses a lot of stability. Countless knives were modeled on this classic by master blacksmith Jimmy Lile.
Rambo First Blood 2 Knife
In Rambo 2, Stallone uses a revised version of the first Rambo knife. The Rambo II knife has been enlarged and now has a blackened blade with polished edges for visual reasons. This makes it visually more present and considerably more threatening than in Rambo First Blood. Another given function of the black blade is that it does not reflect the sunlight or moonlight, leaving the user of the knife undetected by his enemies.
Rambo 3 knives
After no cooperation with Lile came about, Stallone turns to Gill Hibben from Kentucky. The knife professional designs a new Rambo knife bowie style. This “monster” of a Rambo 3 knife is considerably larger than its predecessor and enjoys due to its beefy and aggressive look quickly great popularity. The collaboration with Gil Hibben also worked for Stallone’s retro-action hit “Expendables”, for which Hibben also produced a series of knives.
John Rambo 4 knives
In the fourth part of the action series, Rambo 4, John Rambo loses his classic knife. So that he can still fulfill his mission, he forges from an old propeller a new Rambo knife. This John Rambo 4 Combat Knife resembles a stylized machete and exists as an Original Licensed Edition limited to 10,000 knives.
Rambo V Last Blood Knife
Dietmar Pohl, a German knife designer with a worldwide reputation, has designed two extraordinary knives for the action strip Rambo 5 – Last Blood. The original Pohl Force Movie Knife MK 8/9 can be acquired by collectors in a strictly limited edition.
The presented offers are replicas in an edition of 5000 pieces. Each copy carries a serial number and the imprint Rambo – Last Blood on the blade.
Using the best materials, the series knife is produced by the exclusive knife smith Lionsteel in the northern Italian town of Maniago at the foot of the Alps. The manufactory enjoys an excellent reputation for precision craftsmanship: So far, the renowned Blade Show in Atlanta, USA, has already awarded six “Lion of the Year” models.
Rambo 5 Last Blood Knife MK-8
Perfect design also marks the 38 cm replica MK-8 Bowie knife. The film knife represents a modern homage to the classic Bowies, which first appeared in 1826.
The powerful 200 mm long blade has high resistance, flexibility and resistance to rust. The used Niolox steel “SB1” with the material number 1.4153.03 achieves high edge retention due to 60 Rockwell hardness grades.
Dark hardwood (in the original fine ebony wood is used) with elaborate three-dimensionally milled grips covers the fuller. But the contrast in color forms a striking contrast to the partially polished and frosted steel, which ends in a square knob. A groove and the titanium hand guard round off the visual appearance of the 500 g heavy MK-8 knife.
Rambo 5 Last Blood Knife MK-9
The tactical MK-9 movie knife for the main character Sly Stallone was created in the Italian knife manufacturer Lionsteel according to the highly detailed specifications of Pohl. The result is a perfectly shaped Spearpoint knife that is unparalleled in terms of its unique build quality.
As expected, the materials used are the finest: the massive 230 mm long blade consists of SB1 “Niolox”, a highly alloyed carbon steel with around 60 HRC Rockwell hardness.
Long-lasting edge retention and high resistance to rust characterize the alloy, at the same time the blade is extremely resistant and flexible. Differently matted areas give the massive blade even more profile.
The full-size is equipped with structured handles made of green canvas micarta, but it would not be a Rambo knife, if that’s all. Blade and handle separate an imposing hand guard made of pure titanium, which looks even more authentic with precise CNC-milled ornaments.
The crossguard perfectly balances the 38 cm combat knife. The purpose of the choice of material is 40% less weight compared to stainless steel. Maximum control in critical situations allows the “Subhilt”, the fingerrest in the middle of the handle.
The angularly shaped end of the full-length forms an effective impact tool at the end of the handle. Optionally, the enclosed lanyard can be pulled through. The MK-9 replica comes with a buffalo sheath.
Please note:
The original MK-8 / MK-9 Rambo 5 film knife comes in a high-quality buffalo sheath with leg strap from the house of the traditional manufacturer Galco Gunleather. Next to it is a 3D patch, a collector’s bag and a signed picture print by Dietmar Pohl. A certificate guarantees the authenticity of the Rambo 5 Last Blood film knife MK-9. On the blade is the word Pohl Force.
Rambo 3 knives – differences
In 1988, Carolco Pictures released the long awaited Rambo 3. New Year‘s Eve Stallone contacted Jimmy Lile again in search of a suitable Survival knife. He had already worked with him on his first two Rambofilms.
However, Jimmy Lile could not or did not want to design the Rambo Knife that Stallone was looking for in his new film – his designs came through. Then Stallone contacted the master blacksmith and knife expert Gil Hibben.
Stallone already had some knives from Hibben in his private collection and commissioned the blacksmith to make some prototypes. This he sent to Sly and the film studio. The first models were still similar to the Lile Survival knives from the first films.
Starting difficulties with the knife construction
Hibben made at least four different versions of this first model. This Gil Hibben knife was also used at the beginning of the filming. Especially in the scenes in which John Rambo crosses a Soviet minefield this is seen several times.
New Year’s Eve Stallone, however, originally wanted a bowknife in the style of a Bowie knife. This design later evolved into the legendary Gil Hibben Rambo 3 knife.
Stallone once again changed his mind and insisted on a visually finer type with saw teeth on the back of the blade. Hibben added in another change additional finger hollows on the handle.
After the first scenes of the film were in the box, contact Stallone’s secretary again Gil Hibben and told him that Sly had changed again.
Stallone wanted to have the original Rambo Bowie knife in the movie again.
Due to the high cost of a Nachdreh the scenes in Mienenfeld was out of the question. Therefore, in the finished film two different Rambomesser can be seen. However, this is the least spectators on.
The Rambo 3 Film Knife – The Original
The legendary Rambo knife, made by the inventor personally and by hand. Gill Hibben manufactures these knives in limited quantities in his small manufactory. The knives correspond to 100 percent of the original from the film. Even though the Rambo 3 knives are supposed to serve as adornments and memorabilia as opposed to a Gerber Bear Grylls Ultimate Pro or a Gerber LMF II, the technical data of the Rambo 3 Knife should not be underestimated in a real test.
Qualitatively no wishes remain unfulfilled: A sturdy blade made of good steel and a solid handle made of ebony wood. The massive knife has been made with great attention to detail and shines with a perfect finish. Not only does the knife make you an envy of friends as an exhibit, it’s also a real survival tool.
Specifications of the Rambo 3 Knife by Gil Hibben:
Manufacturer: Gil Hibben / Hibben Knives
Steel: 440C stainless
Material handle: ebony
Weight without scabbard: 1050g
Weight with scabbard: 1440g
The Rambo 3 Knife United Cutlery replica
This replica of the Rambo 3 Knife by United Cutlery has been manufactured for several years since 1988 and was the first replica knife to be mass produced. With over 250,000 copies sold, the Rambomesser was a huge success.
The replica is minimally smaller than the original Rambo knife. It is well-balanced and feels good in the hand, although it is much lighter than the original due to its smaller size and thinner material.
The 420J2 steel is perfect for a replica. It is very resistant to rust and discoloration, but the steel is relatively soft and is not suitable for hard use in everyday life.
The handle is made of hardwood and is a bit more grained than the original film knife. The scabbard is made of a high quality leather and fits perfectly with the Gill Hibben and Rambo 3 signed knives.
The new edition in 2000 did not change much. In addition to some details, the name of the knife was changed to Hibben III because the license rights for the Rambo brand were not renewed.
Technical specifications
Manufacturer: United Cutlery
Steel: 420J2 stainless
Material handle: hardwood
Weight without scabbard: 650g
Weight with scabbard: 950g
The Rambo 3 Knife Master Cutlery Replica
Master Cutlery HWC manufacture and sell the Rambo knives against the will and without collaboration with the designer and creator of the original. The manufacturer does not even mention Gibben and does not involve him in the sales of his design.
Master Cutlery relies on his acquired licensing rights to the Rambo Merchandise and makes these modified replicas on their own.
The actual “full-size” Rambo 3 knife by United Cutlery is a shade bigger than the original. However, in contrast to this, the proportions no longer agree. The worst thing is the disproportionate and too thin blade negatively.
The knife is not very good in the hand. The handle is too big, cheap processed and the blade is just under 0.5cm much too thin for a knife in this size. The bulky parry lever and the metal cap on the handle reinforce the chunky impression of this replica.
Technical specifications
Manufacturer: Master Cutlery / Hollywood Collectables Group
Steel: 420 stainless
Material handle: wood
Weight without scabbard: 850g
Weight with scabbard: 1160g
Are Rambo knives allowed?
The Rambo knife is first and foremost a tool, like an ordinary knife, and the ownership is therefore legal and not punishable. However, since most Rambomesser (except for the Rambo Messer Mini by Böker) extend well beyond the allowed blade length of 12cm, the guiding of such a knife according to § 42a Waffg must be legal, but must be justified by sports or customs.
For example, if you fiddle around with the Rambo Knife while camping, this could be considered a legitimate interest in Germany, but at the discretion of the regulatory authority, how this is handled.
The practice: Rambo knife pointless?
Are Rambo knives useless? From the pragmatic practice view one could say – yes, with a smaller, high-quality outdoor knife you can do everything that can be processed with a Rambo knife and in most cases much better.
On the other hand, of course, the feelings do not play an undecided role, because not only by the real history, but also by the presentation in the Rambo films, the tool gains emotional grip.
Conclusion Rambo knife
Anyone interested in getting an authentic and exact copy of the Rambo 3 knife will not have many options. The handmade originals by Gil Hibben correspond visually and above all qualitatively to the original and are very high-quality processed. The main disadvantages of the handmade Rambo knives are their low number of pieces and the relatively high prices.
The various replicas of United Cutlery and Master Cutlery / Hollywood Collectables may not help as Survival Knives in the jungle fight, but shine in the closet as a great piece of movie history. They are slightly inferior to the original in terms of workmanship, material and overall quality. However, they are relatively cheap in comparison.
Supplement from 26.09.2019: Is Rambo 6 coming? Although the story about John Rambo in Rambo 5 Last Blood has apparently been completed, signals from Stallone himself indicate that a sixth part may follow. Nobody thought that the action hero would retire after the trilogy. Maybe we can look forward to a prequel to Rambo First Blood about his time as a soldier in the Vietnam War.
Supplement from 15.5.2018: Rambo 5 is coming! Sly has resumed work on the film. The strip around the veteran Vietnam veteran is scheduled for release in the fall of 2019.
Supplement from 24.01.2017: Good news – Rambo is coming back! As the website businessinsider.de reports, there will be a reboot of the popular franchise around John Rambo. However, without New Year’s Eve Stallone – the part of John Rambo will take on another actor. But the most important thing – we can look forward to new Rambo knives!
Supplement from 02.10.2016: Rambo 5 is not coming. As far as the official opinion of New Year’s Eve Stallone personally. Whether it really is the final stop for the popular movie series about John Rambo and his knives will only show the time. Successful and character-defining film roles do not just put off like that.
Supplement from 23.07.2015: Is Rambo 5 coming? One may assume, because New Year’s Eve Stallone had confirmed in an interview that Rambo 5 will be his next film project. So we can hope that Rambo 5 comes up with a new Rambo knife!
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