A new little knife...

Diomedes Industries

Diomedes Industries

Joined
Mar 19, 2007
Messages
7,440
I got in the mail today - a little fun blade for myself as I wait for my BRKT.

https://www.kabar.com/product_detai...&categoryId=2,7&categoryName=Hunting/Sporting

A Ka-bar hunter:

AUS 6 Steel.
Blade 4 inches long
0.1000 width at the hilt and .0500 at the tip (due to a clip blade).
0.668 tall
Hollow Grind (very slight due to width of blade.
Overall length 8 and 1/8th inch

Aluminum butt cap and Brass guard. Leather washer handle with colored spacers.
Handle width at the palm swell 0.824 with finger grooves.
3.574 usable handle length.

The sheath is made of leather. It looks CHEESY in the photo's but in reality isn't too bad. I need to stitch the handle wrap so it does not move - but other than that - it is a serviceable little sheath.

The fit and finish of the blade and handle was surprisingly very good. Mirror polish on everything and it was a VERY tight little knife! The Guard had a few rough spots where it butted up against the spacers and you can see where the stick tang begins slightly by looking closely to where it joins with the guard - but other than that - the fit and finish is very nice indeed.

This little sucker is a fun knife! I sharpened it using a simple Lansky kit (I wanted it to have the blade geometry it came with) and set the bevel at 25 degrees. It was fairly sharp out of the box - but it wipes hair away now after I cleaned up the grind (which was respectable) and took it to a 2000 grit stone. I stropped it on jean material, polished it again, then stropped it lightly.

It fits great in my hand. It is a suprisingly small knife - but does not feel uncomfortable in my hand. The butt cap makes all the difference. I quickly took a branch (medium hard wood) and batoned it in half, cleaned up the batoning - drilled a hole (it drills like a beast) and cut a notch for my fire board. I made a spindle and had fire in no time.

The knife looked no worse for the wear and was not dulled.

For 25 - 30 bucks - I don't think you can really go wrong with this!

I will take pics soon.

TF
 
You're a brat TF. :p

I was looking at those earlier today. I went to the KnifeCenter website after you posted the pink Ka-Bar. While browsing through the Ka-Bars there I stopped to admire the stacked leather handles on those and the hatchet.

You're an enabler and a bad influence. I hope you're proud of yourself. Now I gotta move that one up on the must have list.

;):D
 
Others claim the steel is inferior. I am sure it would not hold an edge for a super long time. But - for an emergency kit - or to tinker around with - this knife is great! I think we put too much emphasis on steel (to a degree). This thing was fun!

TF
 
Their handles are classic and I really like the overall design of the knife.

I would have to agree about how much emphasis is placed on the steal in a knife. KaBar has treated me right over the years.
 
I read that they have a new president at Kabar and he is trying to reclaim their image as a quality knife maker. For the dollar of this knife - it is VERY nice.

TF
 
Talfuchre said:
I think we put too much emphasis on steel (to a degree). This thing was fun!

TF
Click to expand...

waaaay too much, many miss out on decent knives because they think its too inferiors to the best.

440a works fine, just as aus 6, its all in the heat treat.:thumbup:
 
You are right on the steel. I've messed around with quite a few and I'm pretty content with "lesser" steels.

I've taken a shine to Buck's 420HC and Victorinox/Wenger blades lately :o.
 
Man - for the ability to sharpen it - I am thinking the super steels are too finicky to deal with.

What I mean about this is that they are great - hard - and lazer beam sharp. But if you get a nick in one (which isn't all that hard) you are there for a month with some wet/dry and a piece of glass. Once you get that - you have to work for a while with some diamond hones to get it real sharp. Granted - it stays like that for a while - but I am wondering if 440C or AUS 8 isn't a nice comprimise.

The reality is that D2 or 01 is probably the better choice for a person who uses their knives a lot.

When is that Aurora coming in? ;)

TF
 
Fonly said:
waaaay too much, many miss out on decent knives because they think its too inferiors to the best.

440a works fine, just as aus 6, its all in the heat treat.:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Taking it a step further I suspect at least in regards to smaller knives that geometry is more important even than heat treat.

I think even a mediocre heat treat will make for a fairly good performer, just less wear resistance, say, or difficult to grind.

The first knife I ever made was done completely totally 100% spur of the moment with an old worn out file. I eyeballed the grind, eyeballed the shape, even eyeballed the temperature for quenching, as in, "hmm, a dullish medium red...that's probably good and hot, I'll dunk it in old motor oil now."

I tempered it at about 200 degrees farenheit in my oven for about half an hour because I wanted a really hard shaver.

That knife is still one of my better performers! (sure ugly though.)

Anyway cheesy everything but I made it the shape I needed and as a result it cuts like a demon. So I think that at least with small knives you can go sub-par on everything and still have a great cutter as long as you know the shape you're looking for.
 
From another thread...
Rupestris said:
I'm not a steel snob as much as a steel slut.
Click to expand...

Nothin wrong with that!

misanthropist, I think you're on to something. Although I still very much prefer a small knife with great geometry, made from an excellent steel with superlative heat-treat. But there's also a growing number of folks around here using cheapo kitchen parers and such and absolutely raving about them. If the form follows function, you're right that a small slicer allows a little leeway in materials and manufacturing.


Talfuchre, I was looking at that line recently too. Classic stuff. I'm glad to hear the quality is so good! I've heard great reports on the "new" Ka-bar-made Beckers, as well.

Hats off to Ka-bar, I sure hope they can those jobs here in-country:thumbup:
 
Last edited:
Nice score.
Personally I am not fond of a hollow grid for bushcraft.
I look forward to seeing your pictures.
 
Many years ago I gave a similar but even smaller Ka-Bar to a lady friend who wanted a good outdoor knife. She loves that knife and is amazed how well it cuts. I don't know if the steel is the same, but it was stainless.
 
Last edited:
Looks great and like ya say there is a lot to be said for ease of sharpening over edge holding.
 
I just bought one Ka-Bar 1232.... I agree with TF's review.

I have a no. of knives and found the metal on the 1232 is quite hard...just as hard as my Puma White Hunter & Bowie. I can tell when sharpening it on a Black Hard Arkansas whetstone. A softer metal "cuts" faster; with this one it is equivalent to those on the Puma's.

A very handy knife that is more useful than many longer blade knives. The instructions mention that batoning with it is abusive...so I guess I shall refrain from using it that way.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top