I've cycled through a lot of pocket knives, but a true hawkbill always sat on my wishlist. When I finally tried the Honey Badger Knives Medium Claw in 8Cr13MoV steel, it didn't just satisfy the curiosity — it earned a permanent spot on my belt. Here's my honest, hands-on review.
The Honey Badger Medium Claw is a folding knife built around a claw (hawkbill) blade — a curved, talon-like shape ground from budget-friendly but dependable 8Cr13MoV stainless steel. Honey Badger pitches it as a powerful all-rounder, and the hawkbill profile is purpose-made for pulling cuts: fishing, hunting, rescue, and general utility. It's the kind of specialized blade that, once you use it, you wonder how you managed without.
The curved edge is excellent for skinning and scaling fish — the hook shape keeps the tip working where you want it.
For precision skinning, a hawkbill gives you control that a straight blade can't match. This is a classic field-dressing profile.
Honey Badger highlights rescue use, and it makes sense: the claw rips through seatbelts, rope, and webbing in a single confident pull.
Plenty of owners love it for gardening and everyday cutting tasks where a pulling motion beats a push cut.
If you mostly do fine push cuts or food prep, a straight or drop-point blade will serve you far better than a hawkbill.
8Cr13MoV is a solid value steel, not a premium powder steel. If you only buy S30V or MagnaCut, manage your expectations.
The defining feature. The downward-curving talon shape concentrates force at the belly and tip, making pulling cuts through rope, cordage, and hide effortless. It's a specialist edge that genuinely outperforms a standard blade at its intended jobs.
This is a proven, easy-to-maintain steel. It takes a keen edge quickly, resists corrosion well enough for fishing and outdoor use, and — crucially — it's simple to touch up in the field with a basic stone or strop.
Fishing, hunting, rescue, gardening, general utility — the Medium Claw is marketed as an all-rounder and lives up to it. One knife covers a surprising range of tasks once you adapt to the pulling motion.
The "Medium" sizing hits a sweet spot: big enough for real work, compact enough for comfortable everyday carry without dominating your pocket.
At the time I checked, the Honey Badger Medium Claw was listed at $47.00 USD and showing as available. For a purpose-built hawkbill with reliable 8Cr13MoV steel from a brand known for punching above its price, that's strong value — this is the segment where Honey Badger consistently delivers. Always confirm the current price on the product page before ordering.
Pros:
✅ Specialized hawkbill excels at pulling cuts
✅ Easy-to-sharpen, corrosion-resistant 8Cr13MoV
✅ Genuinely versatile across fishing, hunting, rescue, garden
✅ Carry-friendly medium size
✅ Excellent value at the price point
Cons:
❌ Hawkbill is poor for push cuts and food prep
❌ 8Cr13MoV isn't a premium super-steel
❌ Curved edge takes practice to sharpen well
❌ Knife-carry laws vary — check yours
A drop-point is the safe, do-everything choice — and that's exactly its limit. For the specific tasks the Claw is built for — slicing rope, cutting seatbelts, skinning, scaling — the hawkbill is dramatically better, pulling material into the edge instead of away from it. If you already own a general EDC, the Medium Claw is the specialist that complements it rather than replacing it.
Yes — for the right user. If you fish, hunt, work rescue, garden, or just want a capable specialist blade, the Honey Badger Medium Claw delivers real performance and easy maintenance at a fair price. Just go in knowing a hawkbill is a specialist tool: brilliant at pulling cuts, awkward for push cuts. As a focused addition to a kit, it's an easy recommendation.
A hawkbill is a sharp, aggressive cutting tool — always cut away from your body and hands, keep fingers clear of the edge's path, store and carry it closed, and keep it out of reach of children. Knife ownership and carry laws (blade length, lock type, concealed carry) vary by country, state, and city, so confirm that owning and carrying this knife is legal where you live before purchasing.
Pulling cuts — fishing (skinning and scaling), precision skinning in hunting, cutting rope, seatbelts and webbing in rescue, and gardening tasks.
Yes, for the price. It's a dependable stainless that's easy to sharpen and resists corrosion — ideal for a hard-working utility knife.
The medium size carries comfortably, but remember a hawkbill is specialized — it's superb at pulling cuts and less suited to fine push cuts or food prep.
8Cr13MoV touches up easily with a basic stone or strop; the curved hawkbill edge just takes a little practice to follow.
Ready to add a serious hawkbill to your kit? Check current pricing and availability here:
👉 Get the Honey Badger Knives Medium Claw
Affiliate disclosure: This article contains an affiliate link. If you purchase through it, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend gear I'd actually carry myself.
