I'm curious as to who here sharpens the swedge on their Ka-bar knife (military issue, USMC, etc.) and why or why not. I'm hesitant to sharpen mine because I want the back dull enough to baton with, yet I want that sharp swedge. Opinions? Do you sharpen yours?
Do You Sharpen Your Kabar Swedge?
- Thread starter JNieporte
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Is it not sharpened from the factory? Mine was extremely sharp from the factory.
The edge was very sharp. However, the swedge (the 2" closest to the tip, on the back of the blade) wasn't sharp. It was ground, but not sharpened. None of my Kabars (either the leather-handled ones or the Kraton-handled ones) had a sharpened swedge, and I've owned about nine of them. I'm still debating on whether or not I'll sharpen mine.
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That's what I'm talking about. Mine was ground and sharpened from the factory. Strange. It's the old leather washer style.
I think I would have liked it better not sharpened. I understand why it's there, but I've never used it for anything.
Maybe mine was just ground more than usual, but it was very sharp out of the box and would easily slice hanging newspaper.
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All those I received in the late 90s & early 2000s had sharpened top edges, but sometime in the last few years they started coming through unsharpened: Can't remember exactly when, but I think it has been at least 5 years .
It was apparently done without any fan-fare - I just noticed one day that they were no longer sharpened.
It was apparently done without any fan-fare - I just noticed one day that they were no longer sharpened.
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For what it's worth, I've never seen one with a sharpened Swedge. I've been handling them since I was a child, since my father was a career Marine and always had them around. Then I put in nine years in the Corps, and never saw one sharpened. There may have been some, but I never saw them.
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If you are hitting the unsharpened swedge, even though it isn't sharp, it will still do a number on your batoning stick. If batoning is what you really intend to use it for you might want to even unsharpen it even more. In other words grind down the swedge edge to make it even more thick. You can probably do this with a file by draw filing. If you want a more purpose built fighter, sharpen the swedge. In this case you kind of have to pick your battle.
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Nu to me also,i have saw several.......
Probably a move on Ka-bars' part to keep sales in all states. Some states do not allow double edge knives. I only noticed they stopped sharpening the top swedge over the last few years.
Ontario still makes the issue model and they sharpen the swedge, so did Camillus before they went out of business. More than likely a "PC" thing.
Dan
Ontario still makes the issue model and they sharpen the swedge, so did Camillus before they went out of business. More than likely a "PC" thing.
Dan
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It takes just a few minutes to sharpen the swedge, so it's not a big deal really. I wouldn't want it sharpened myself, but then again I'm actually not a huge fan of the Kabar pattern in general. 
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Mine is sharp, because what's the point if it isn't? And besides, playing around back-slashing cardboard and stuff is just plain fun. 
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Yes, to make it more versitile in different cutting chores, and for easier penetration.
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sure do, why because it looks cool.
Interesting, I thought I was the only one that sharpened the entire bevel.
But yes, I do sharpen mine.
1.) It's a fighting knife by design, and having the false edge sharp is a bonus in that arena.
2.) Like others said, it can strike your fire steel/misch metal rod without damaging your primary edge.
BUT, do check your local laws, many places make it illegal to carry a double-edged blade (usually defined as sharpened more than 1/4" back fron the point).
Another point: legally speaking, often when laws prohibit bowie knives, the difference between a bowie and a clip point is that the false edge on a bowie is sharp, a clip point, although the same shape, is not.
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My Ka-bar's didn't come sharpened but my Camillus did.I have sharpened my Ka-bar and a few others for other people.My good buddy and a fellow hiker has his sharpened for firesteel striking.
A pseudo-relative of mine (my wife's cousin's husband - is that a relative or not?) is a retired Marine Sergeant Major. As a matter of fact the Corps offered him the position of Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, however he didn't want all that travel so he retired instead.
Anyway - I asked him this question and he was aghast that I would even question why anyone would choose to not sharpen that part of a Kabar. "Its for killing, and the sharper it is the better it kills."
Mine is sharpened that way - always has been.
Anyway - I asked him this question and he was aghast that I would even question why anyone would choose to not sharpen that part of a Kabar. "Its for killing, and the sharper it is the better it kills."
Mine is sharpened that way - always has been.
Absolutely. I see some responses that mention the disadvantage of doing so for batoning - the KaBar is a combat knife, not a survival knife. It's got a rat-tail tang, and batoning with one is not an "if" but a "when" that tang is going to snap. You shouldn't be batoning with anything but a full tang fixed blade survival/outdoor knife. And preferably one with a tanto, spear, or drop point, anything with more meat near the point.
With that being said, Kabars are designed for fighting. The clip point is designed for cutting and stabbing, the symmetrical handle so it can be held comfortably in any position without changing how the knife feels in the hand. If you're using reserve grip or ice pick (which you should be if you're fighting someone that also knows how to use a knife), you don't want to be limited to only being able to slash in one direction. I would go as far as to say I imagine the design is such that it's actually intended for the swedge to be sharpened, but not done so in the factory to avoid legal issues, as this would make the knife unsellable in most states.
In short, sharpen that swedge. More blade is never a bad thing. Unless you want to baton, but in that case go get yourself a Becker Combat Utility or Combat Bowie and do NOT sharpen the back of the knife. Or just buy yourself a hatchet
With that being said, Kabars are designed for fighting. The clip point is designed for cutting and stabbing, the symmetrical handle so it can be held comfortably in any position without changing how the knife feels in the hand. If you're using reserve grip or ice pick (which you should be if you're fighting someone that also knows how to use a knife), you don't want to be limited to only being able to slash in one direction. I would go as far as to say I imagine the design is such that it's actually intended for the swedge to be sharpened, but not done so in the factory to avoid legal issues, as this would make the knife unsellable in most states.
In short, sharpen that swedge. More blade is never a bad thing. Unless you want to baton, but in that case go get yourself a Becker Combat Utility or Combat Bowie and do NOT sharpen the back of the knife. Or just buy yourself a hatchet
