Buck 120 or Ka-Bar 1213

bikerector said:
The 120 is a lot prettier, buck does a very nice finish on their knives. The kabar is a great all-purpose knife, but the 120 is good as well. If you want to hard use it I would recommend the 5160 version for the tougher steel. However, if you don't plan to chop or split wood with it then it should still hold up really well.

IMO, the kabar is ugly but it is very functional knife. Probably a better knife for "survival" but the 120 is generally a better slicer. Both can take a really nice edge and cut really well though. The 120 has a finer tip making it more fragile but also a lot better for piercing.

I have had both and I use to beat up the kabar as an inexpensive working knife (bought used) and the 120 is use a little but a lot prettier. Eveled mentioned the 119, and that's usually the buck I tend to use when I want a buck or a durable knife with a fine edge.
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My only fear is to break the tip (for Buck).I think I will choose Buck
 
eveled said:
Don’t be confused. You are trying to pick from 2 great knives. They are very similar both are iconic American designs. Both are great. You cannot make a bad choice here.

One is more military the other more hunting. How do you see yourself? A warrior or a sportsman? Then go from there.

It’s your first. Not your last.
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I think the first knife must be special.
 
David Nowlin said:
Ahh eye candy!
Darn i was enjoying the thread then it came to the end.....
I have both and tend to agree the Buck is more Hunting/Sportsman and the K Bar more Survivalist/BadAss.
I boil it down to another thought. Buck is more a Gentleman's knife while the K Bar is Primal. Does that make any sense?
Example. I have fun using my Buck fixed blades to cut my steak at dinner time.
I don’t even entertain wiping out a K Bar fighting knife to to that task. lol
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"Ahh eye candy!" very true promise.I think I will choose Buck.
 
David Nowlin said:
I do like the shorter 119 as i think the 120 appears too skinny at that longer length.
For that reason the 124 is my all time favorite because of the beefed up blade.
And it falls into both the hunting/sportsman and the survivalist category IMHO
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124 short for me (blade length)
 
The 124 is my favorite big Buck. I was going to recommend it, but did not want to add to your confusion. It cost more but is the best IMHO.
 
berkay885 said:
My only fear is to break the tip (for Buck).I think I will choose Buck
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Just don't stab it to pry and you should be okay. Or drop it on cement or metal tip first. It's a tip made to slice more than to stab though it does have some reinforcing still. It's just not thick like many other knives, especially with the grind that's on the 120.

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I don't have the kabar anymore as I gifted it to a fellow forum member a while back so here's a more survival oriented knife in a similar size. The black makes it a bit hard see the thickness but you can kind of see the lack of a swedge and the additional height reinforcing the tip on it compared to the 120. The other is an older model that is basically an esee 6.

yU8v5dLl.jpg
 
both are high on my favorites list but I use the ka bar 1213 a lot more I perfair the grind love the buck but hollow grind worries me a bit but is more slice and is still a very usable but I would take the ka bar out the 2 I have well used my kabars and I really like the 1213 the kraton grip is very comfy and grippy in all weather and covered in all sorts mud blood water you all ways have a good solid grip and I perfair the grind and the 1095 just my opinion
edit the kydex sheath is amazing iv fell down a few hills and one rockey one and it stayed in and did not brake
 
If you want a carbon steel blade (and the maintenance they require) get the Ka-Bar.
1095 carbon steel.
The Ontario 498 is the same knife (and unlike the Ka-Bar) is Mil Spec for a lower cost.
Both the Ka-Bar and Ontario have an excellent heat treat on their 1095.
If you want stainless steel, get the Buck.
The Standard Buck steel is 420HC, and they use the BOS heat treat on every knife they make. (from what I understand, the BOS heat treat is the best there is.)

The Buck is "slicier" than the Ka-Bar/Ontario.
Either of these three will do the job in the sticks.
The Buck 119 may be a viable option. The difference between the 120 and 119 is roughly an inch of blade length. (6 inches vs 7 inches)

Good luck.
 
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berkay885 said:
Case does not matter to me.For me, stability is what matters.Do you have a Ka-Bar? How? Is it good?
And thank you for your answer.
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Yes I have a Kabar 1213 and Buck 120. They are both good knives but I would always reach for my Kabar if I could only choose one.
If either of these knives break, it's because someone was way to hard on the knife. I think you will love the Kabar 1213 and the Buck 120.
 
kaos 13 said:
both are high on my favorites list but I use the ka bar 1213 a lot more I perfair the grind love the buck but hollow grind worries me a bit but is more slice and is still a very usable but I would take the ka bar out the 2 I have well used my kabars and I really like the 1213 the kraton grip is very comfy and grippy in all weather and covered in all sorts mud blood water you all ways have a good solid grip and I perfair the grind and the 1095 just my opinion
edit the kydex sheath is amazing iv fell down a few hills and one rockey one and it stayed in and did not brake
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I'm sorry for the late reply.is there a bad side?
 
afishhunter said:
If you want a carbon steel blade (and the maintenance they require) get the Ka-Bar.
1095 carbon steel.
The Ontario 498 is the same knife (and unlike the Ka-Bar) is Mil Spec for a lower cost.
Both the Ka-Bar and Ontario have an excellent heat treat on their 1095.
If you want stainless steel, get the Buck.
The Standard Buck steel is 420HC, and they use the BOS heat treat on every knife they make. (from what I understand, the BOS heat treat is the best there is.)

The Buck is "slicier" than the Ka-Bar/Ontario.
Either of these three will do the job in the sticks.
The Buck 119 may be a viable option. The difference between the 120 and 119 is roughly an inch of blade length. (6 inches vs 7 inches)

Good luck.
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What is the difference between 1095 and 420HC? I'm sorry for the late reply.
 
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