Ka-Bar 1317 Dog's Head Utility Knife with Sheath - 12" Fixed Blade Hunting Knife for Outdoor Camping, Survival & Bushcraft (Brown)

Though it has been mentioned many times, this knife is essentially the same as the original KA-BAR Marine fighting knife, except it has a wider pommel and crossguard. It also has the "Dog's Head" symbol stamped on the knife and sheath instead of "USMC," which particularly appealed to me because I am not a military member, and do not feel I should be carrying a symbol for a service branch I do not belong to. Also, I've read rumors that KA-BAR knives stamped with the Dog's Head eventually become more collectible and valuable, though I can't verify that.The knife has all the good features you will find in any similar KA-BAR: polished leather washer handle with an oval shape for more comfortable grip, made of sturdy 1095 steel, and with a perfectly-finished, evenly-ground blade that is razor sharp right out of the box. The wider pommel of the Dog's Head appealed to me, because I very often use the pommel of my knives to hammer on things, and this provides a much wider area to do so. The longer crossguard is also nice, because it gives you a lot of security to prevent your hand from slipping onto the blade.As with any product made of leather, no two will be the same. My handle and sheath have many more "dark lines" than the ones in the picture do, though I actually think this gives it a really appealing pattern and makes it look unique and cool. I used mink oil on the handle and sheath, then applied a few very light coatings of beeswax. The handle is already very well treated, but the oil and beeswax darkened the sheath a bit and gave it really cool color and smooth feel. The knife is made in the US; the sheath is made in Mexico, but appears to be of very high quality. Mexico makes very nice leather products if quality control is good; my family has been buying great leather items out of there for years. The sheath is both sewn and riveted, making it very sturdy, and it fits the knife very well.Overall, this is a great knife for either collection/display or everyday use. Not sure if I'm allowed to post links here, so Google "KA-BAR Dog's Head review": the second listing (right below the official KA-BAR website) is a great chronicle by a man who used the knife for all sorts of bushcraft tasks over a period of months, and a much better guide for this knife than I could have written.*5 out of 5 stars*