However, if you came to the site looking for a “HOODLUM-ESQUE” kind of knife, we have done a bit of research and found a Hoodlum alternative knife that looks very similar and offers the same features as the Cocobolo Hoodlum.

Say hello to the Ontario RTAK II by the Ontario Knife Company.  The RTAK II is made of 5160 Steel and the blade is 10.3 inches long.  The overall length is 17 inches and it weighs 1 pound and 6.5 ounces.  It features textured Micarta handles and is made to be more durable than most.  The reason is that the Ontario Knife Company (OKC) is a major supplier to the U.S. Military machine!  The knife also is a full-tang blade hardened to around 55 HRC.  The whole package comes with a nylon sheath.

Ontario RTAK II

Check Lowest Price

---

Most survival knives in the market are either compact and multi-purpose or large and aggressive. The Buck Hoodlum survival knife is no shy survival knife. It is large, long, and visibly sharp. It is a 16.5-inch chopping knife meant to guide its owner through thick foliage. It even provides a great fighting chance against the wilderness. This article will review the Buck Hoodlum as well as mention what other reviewers online have stated about the knife.

Designer and Manufacturer

Buck Knives is a US manufacturing company known to make very sturdy and reliable survival knives. The company is known for its quality blades and Shock Mitigation System incorporated into their products’ handles. The Buck Hoodlum knife is designed by Ron Hood and how it is built follows the quality standard of Buck Knives.

Dimensions and Features

The Hoodlum’s dimensions are as follows: it is 16.5 inches in total length with the blade stretching at 10 inches. The blade is made of 1560 carbon steel and is around 0.22 inches thick. Its design is in a straight clip which is great for chopping and it has a corrosion-resistant powder coat finish. Without the sheath, the knife weighs 14.6 ounces. It has a removable 5.8 inch Micarta handle (black linen) and a MOLLE heavy-duty nylon sheath with leg strap.

Blade Dimension and Performance

Firstly, the blade is quite pointy but the edge is extremely sharp and perfectly sized for hacking thick wood. It won’t work great with carving, peeling, and chopping small to regular sized fruits. It is too big to control for that so it is best to use it on much larger fruits and more exacting outdoor work. It is, after all, not a kitchen knife.

Steel Quality

The blade is made of corrosion-prone steel. It does have a specialized coating to prevent that, but it might not last as long as the knife’s life span. On the other hand, the carbon steel is easy to re-sharpen provided that it is given extra special care.

Weight and Length Issues

The knife is actually lightweight enough for its kind, and thin at 0.188 inch. Because the blade is thin, it is much easier to carve faster on bigger and thicker objects. In addition, the handle length is suitable enough for a person to make turning cuts with ease. However, the thin blade makes it awkward after prolonged usage. It seems that the length does not match very well with the thickness of the blade.

Handle Design and Material

To support the long Hoodlum blade, Buck Knives had the handle designed with a removable black linen Micarta. As standard with most survival knives by Buck Knives, the Hoodlum’s handle is integrated with SMS (Shock Mitigation System). Given that the survival knife is quite lengthy and aggressive, this feature is more useful to it than smaller survival knives. Since it’s a chopping knife, the Hoodlum has a tendency to reverberate shock to the user so the SMS feature helps lessen that a lot.

Features and Issues of the Handle

There is also a large finger choil, blade groove, and a lanyard hole for added convenience. The choil, though, is limited to some hand sizes so not all can appreciate it. It also makes the side grip a little uncomfortable, but again, that depends on hand size. The handle is fairly easy to grip but might not be as easy to hold on to with gloves on, so that is a disadvantage.

User Reviews of Buck Hoodlum

The main complaint of many Hoodlum users is its handle length/ accommodation. Those with bigger hands find it uncomfortable to carry because of a lack of gripping space and the awkward positioning of the choil. For some, the length and thickness of the blade don’t add up but besides the feel of the knife, its performance rates high enough on many reviews and ratings online. It is also quite affordable at $120-$170.

Concluding Rate

As a survival knife, the Buck Hoodlum is great for facing the wilderness and chopping off obstacles. It’s not ideal for combat since the weight won’t provide much control except for hacking immobile objects. All in all, this knife rates at 8.8/10 on average.