Buck Mayo Kaala or RAT Izula?

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ipm

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Buck Mayo Kaala or RAT Izula?

Which one would you pick and why?

Price, quality, toughness, utility, materials, fit/finish?
 
Can't go wrong with either. I can tell you right now that most replies that you will get here will say Izula. It just has that large of a following. That doesn't mean the Kaala is bad. It's an awesome knife. It also has s30v versus good old fashioned 1095. I'd say pick the one that you think looks cooler. Both are great knives.

Personally, I love the looks of the Izula with 550 cord. I also like the blade shape more.
 
Bos treated S30V is wicked stuff, and the Kaala has nice proportions in all aspects, very easy to carry.
 
Have to second what Hark said. A lot of love for the Izula. I have yet to read a bad review of it. I also prefer the blade shape to the Kaala. Also the handle and choil makes it seem like the Izula grips better.
 
The Kaala's a bit longer, and also more slender.
Beautiful fit & finish and a razor edge.
One of Buck's nicest fixed blades, IMO.

But...I don't like the sheath.
It doesn't grip the blade like Kydex sheaths do - instead it has like a little "nub" that pops
through one of the holes in the handle.
Just doesn't feel secure enough for me. I sold my Kaala because of that reason alone.

If I bought another one, I'd have a custom sheath made for it.
So I'd go with an Izula because of the knife/sheath combo.

Between the 2 knives themselves, I prefer the Kaala.
I'm not saying it's a better knife than the Izula, I just like the size/shape/design more.
 
The Sharpshooter sheath that BRKT fits the Kaala well if you wrap the handle or put some handles on it.

CPK_in_Sheath.jpg


Here is one Phillip Dobson put some handles on for me:

3639793314_4958ff3987.jpg


It carries well in the pocket or on the belt.
 
J_Curd said:
The Sharpshooter sheath that BRKT fits the Kaala well if you wrap the handle or put some handles on it.

CPK_in_Sheath.jpg


Here is one Phillip Dobson put some handles on for me:

3639793314_4958ff3987.jpg


It carries well in the pocket or on the belt.
Click to expand...

LOVE that knife in the bottom picture! The Kaala simply begs to have handles put on it; it's a great blade.

Thanks for the info. :thumbup:
 
rifon2 said:
LOVE that knife in the bottom picture! The Kaala simply begs to have handles put on it; it's a great blade.

Thanks for the info. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Mr. Dobson is a resident forum-ite who also made custom polished g-10 scales for my ZT 0350. I'd post pics, but I'm unable to use a camera to produce any kind of quality picture. I'll have to get my bro to take pics with his DSLR. My pics were so bad that I took yesterday that somehow, the blade looked transparent because the text behind a piece of paper that I used to lay the knife on bled through the blade. Strange.
 
I don't know what the kaala costs, but for around $50 the Izula comes with an all encompassing, lifetime, no questions asked warranty. Even if it breaks due to your negligence, Rat will happily replace it. Why, you might ask, can they make this outrageous guaruntee? Wellsir, its because the knives they make are practically nuclear holocost proof. Plus, the kaala looks like a shiny turd. Who designed that hideous thing?
 
Don't wrap the Kaala - and expect that 'sheath' to hold it safely. With the holes covered, there is nothing for the little nub mentioned earlier to pop into. I unwrapped it and gave it to a friend headed to Iraq as a contract worker.

IMG_1002.jpg


The knife is a great cutter - super steel (S30V). You can ease the handle edges easily, too - not so with a coated CS blade. It makes a great blade to be 'handled' in some neat materials. One day, I may get another one - or the RAT mentioned - it is ~$10-$15 less.

Stainz
 
The Izula was my choice. I like the 1095 steel and the RAT cutlery company is second to none as far as customer relations go. The Izula just looks like more of a workhorse than the Buck also. Izula sheath is nice with almost unlimited carry options. The list goes on.
 
Amazon lists the price of a Kaala at around $100, so I would get the Izula just because it is a damn good knife for half the price...
 
beaverballs said:
I don't know what the kaala costs, but for around $50 the Izula comes with an all encompassing, lifetime, no questions asked warranty. Even if it breaks due to your negligence, Rat will happily replace it. Why, you might ask, can they make this outrageous guaruntee? Wellsir, its because the knives they make are practically nuclear holocost proof. Plus, the kaala looks like a shiny turd. Who designed that hideous thing?
Click to expand...

You can buy a Kaala for about $65.00.

While RAT has a great guarantee, so does Buck.
The guarantees are very similar. Buck's had a lifetime warranty for many years; it's an important part of its great reputation.

The Kaala was designed by Tom Mayo.
While some folks (such as yourself( might not like his designs, many think they're excellent.
 
My Kaala is wrapped and still fits into the sheath with no problem. Just don't wrap the last hole. I also wrapped the sheath, adds very little weight, tightens the sheath and gives you more cord to use if needed. The sheath never gave me any trouble, wrapped or not during months of EDC. The Buck warranty is just as good with a heat treat by Bos, one of the very best available. That being said, if I had some extra cash I would probably pick up an Izula to go along with the Kaala.
 
Second, Jcurd on the Bos S30V steel, its a keeper. Don't care for the 1095 but the izula appears to be much wider and has much better overall blade shape for utility and general use. So despite the blade steel would have to go with the Izula. Kaala seems more suited for food prep like slicing tomatoes while the izula looks better suited to cleaning a deer, shaving fuzz sticks for a fire and in general harder use for heavier applications which could also pull double duty as food prep. IMO
 
they are both great knives. if you plan to use the knife hard for outdoor oriented tasks then you simply cannot beat the Izula, it's 1095 is tough as nails, holds a great edge and has a nice little belly on it. On the other hand I would go with the s30v Kalaa if all you plan to use it for is to open letters, packages, boxes, etc, or if stain resistance is an important factor for you.
 
I'd say it's a tough call. For edc, I like the Kaala blade shape. The Izula has too much belly for me. I have a few hunter/skinner knives with such a shape and you loose 25-30% of the utility cutting surface with the big upswept curve. That's why wharnecliff blades are great for edc. I'll take a drop point every time for edc.

Now for the steel. For hard outdoor survival, I'd have to go with the Izula, but for edc, I'd probably again go for the Kaala. OUtdoor survival I want an easy to sharpen steel that will roll under the hardest use, not chip. S30V can't do that. S30V also takes longer to sharpen, and the edge will eventually chip instead of roll. However, the edge will stay sharp enough to use longer than the Izula. So for edc, where I can spend all evening sharpening my knife in my nice warm dry basement, I want the S30V. But out in the dark of night after fishing/hunting all day and setting up camp and prepping food in the rain, I don't want to spend 45 minutes sharpening my knife. The Izula sharpens easier.

Lastly, the ergos. I think it's pretty close grip wise but I think the Izula has a slightly more comfortable grip. Now the sheath. The Kaala sheath is less secure than the Izula. Wrapping a small band of tape around the top of the Kaala sheath will keep it in there securely but the Izula is better overall. If you cord wrap the handle, the Kaala probably won't fit. The Izula sheath is plastic, not Kydex and it's too big and bulky for a necker, but it is secure. You can trim the plastic Izula sheath but I'd just buy a nice Kydex for it. Another option is pocket carry. I have a Sharpshooter pocket sheath that is terrific, and using that, I can alternate between a number of fix blade edc knives that I own and I don't get poked in the side all day long. So there you go!
 
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