Does the KA-BAR USMC have a strong tang?

thebrain said:
I had one as a teenager and I couldn`t break it ,I say couldn`t because I did things that should have broken it and it didn`t. I liked the knife even when I gave it to a knifeless friend, he still hasn`t broken it yet. Get one if it breaks you know better for next time and move on to a BK2 or ESEE5 or Busse&kin .Also I think you can get them marked for all the branches of the US military and some marked for special editions.
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Gosh what do you guys do with your intermediate sized fixed blade that you'd break the tang off of a Ka-Bar?

Who want a to lug a Battle Mistress around on their camping trip? What can a Busse knife do better in real life use? Nothing. So many put down Noss's videos of knife testing - but he has built Jerry Busse a giant fan base of customers who carry ridiculously large, thick and expensive sharpened slabs of steel with handles that shine best when beating on stuff.

A ka-bar will do all of your camping chores unless you need your knife to hack a log cabin out of hardwood forest maybe. The Ka-bar come in different lengths as well, you don't have to get the full size and you can get the big overbuilt bowie model. Plus, you get to fold several $100 bills and put them in your wallet instead of blowing them on too much knife. :)

sisk61 said:
well i have the smaller version, and i did somewhat of a destruction test, i used it as a chisel to carve a tiki man out of an old log, (i know, stupid) but it held up, i beat it with a hammer, threw it against a wall, and the tang remained in tact. the only thing that happened was that the butt cap came off, but that was an easy fix, so its pretty durable. and the tiki man was worth it :)
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I didn't know that carving a Tiki figurine entailed all of that!! :eek: :D
 
@cziv

at least it was better than my indian carving.... i had to set the dang knife on fire.....

but really, its a great knife!
 
sisk61 said:
well i have the smaller version, and i did somewhat of a destruction test, i used it as a chisel to carve a tiki man out of an old log, (i know, stupid) but it held up, i beat it with a hammer, threw it against a wall, and the tang remained in tact. the only thing that happened was that the butt cap came off, but that was an easy fix, so its pretty durable. and the tiki man was worth it :)
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Ca you post pics of the Tiki?
 


hmmmmm, anyone know how i can do this correctly?

sorry for trolling..
 
I have (essentially) the USMC (it came with a Kydex sheath and has a Kraton handle). It is a wonderful knife. The 1095 steel is great, and after stropping it to a mirror finished cutting edge, it goes through everything (within reason) like butter. My only complaint is that the blade is slightly off center, and it hangs slightly over the front of the handle (a few millimeters, it's just an annoyance). If you are on-the-fence about buying this knife, get one, unless you plan on using it as an ax, and you will be perfectly content with the excellently built knife.
 
Adaam said:
Just curious, I know it's been proven as a good knife etc, but just wondering about the tang. How much of a beating can it take before it breaks/ bends, or what kind of force do you have to apply to it to bend or break the tang? Is it going to bend if I have to use it and put alot of force on it, or is it pretty much unbreakable by hand or any force you'd apply to it?

BTW, this is off topic, but can you get the traditional KA-BAR with the stacked leather washer handles, with USA indented into the side of the blade rather than USMC? Just because I'm Australian, so I don't really want a knife with USMC on the side, it just wouldn't be right. I wouldnt mind if it had USA, because that's where it's made, but I'm not American, so USMC just wouldn't be right.
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How about "US ARMY"? https://www.kabar.com/product/produ...goryId=1,2,3,7&categoryName=Military/Tactical

The Noss destruction video demonstrates just how much of a beating the KaBar can take before experiencing a bend in the tang. In point of fact, many a wide tang will fracture before the KaBar's full tang bends! (Indeed, most knife blades fail long before their tangs do anyway) The tang junction certainly could be improved by 'radius'-ing, but the current design has served its purposes well enough to earn the knife great fame. Many knives from KaBar, Marbles, BRKT, Fallkniven, Cold Steel, Buck, Randall, etc. and knives inspired by such designs sport this same full tang design. Also note that most quality swords, khukuris, etc. sport the same sort of tang. Is it durable? Yes. Is it going to bend/break? Unlikely, even under extreme use. Can it bend/break? Yes, under VERY heavy abuse or deliberate destruction (per the video). These knives basically created the "sharpened prybar" variety, designed for "grunts" in the field to misuse and beat on. It is certainly not the best woods-knife on the market (not designed as such), and it's made of perhaps the simplest steel available (read 'inexpensive' good quality), so there are definitely 'better' knives... But it is affordable, durable, and a design that you like - why not buy it? I personally prefer the Cattaraugus 225Q to the KaBar if you can find one in good condition, and no USMC stamp for you preferences.
 
I'd carry a Kabar any where at any time and have no worries about it's durability. Of course, I baton with my Mora Clipper and I've never broken one of them either (OMG it's only a half tang, it's supposed to break!).

Like other's have said, there are designs that will cut better, but most of them won't have the edge durability of the kabars thicker grind either.
 
sisk61 said:
stuff


http://s1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa459/reidsisk/stuff/?action=view&current=DSC_1771.jpg

not the most attractive tiki man... BUT all i used was i knife... so you have to give me some props.... hehe

stuff


http://s1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa459/reidsisk/stuff/?action=view&current=DSC_1776.jpg

theres the blade
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Not bad for being done with a large knife. I myself could not do something like that even using a variety of chisels.

And to properly post a pic inline do the following:

Click on the icon that looks like a tree in picture frame (beside the B I U icons) paste the url to the image in there. Or write it like this "
".

DSC_1771.jpg
 
chiral.grolim said:
I personally prefer the Cattaraugus 225Q to the KaBar if you can find one in good condition, and no USMC stamp for you preferences.
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Me too. I found a Cattaraugus 225Q at an antique store here, and it replaced the Kabar on my list. I do have a Kabar #1273 KBD-1, similar to the regular Kabar USMC #1217 Combat knife, but with a different blade point, designed by Bob Dozier. It has the same tang as any other Kabar, and I used it pretty hard for a while, but then retired it - not because of any strength issues, but mainly because it was discontinued.

The regular Kabar #1217 should serve you well for a lifetime, but there are other tough knives out there that will do the same job, too. Another option would be to get an old Camillus Combat/Utility knife. While not an actual "Kabar", it looks almost identical, and should serve you just as well. I have two Camillus Combat/Utility blade blanks, and the tangs look like they can certainly handle any regular use you can throw at them. If I can find them, I'll post up pics later. (We just moved.)

~Chris
 
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How do people think that the Ka-Bar tang design isn't good? The design has been around for a very long time, and it's actually one of the military issue knives. If it's tough enough for the military, I would think that it would be more than strong enough for your average Joe. Just like the Buck 110 & 119. They have been around for as long as they have been for one reason, and one reason only. The designs (while I may not like them) are tried and true. A knife design won't stay around for over 20 years if it doesn't sell, and a knife doesn't sell if it doesn't work well.
 
It's a classic design with it's strengths and weaknesses. It's a bargain for the price. I'd recommend an ESEE-6 for a better but more expensive knife.
 
I have an old USMC KA-BAR. At one time someone must have done some serious batoning with it. The spine has a peened area about 2" long. That didn't come from hitting it with a log. The knife is still good and tight and takes a good edge too.
 
One more piece of advice to the OP. You could consider the Kraton handle version instead of the leather one.

They are identical but Kraton is more slip resistant when wet and personally I like it's look better than leather even through it is far from traditional.
 
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