does the kabar usmc suck?

BrazosCoTX said:
Carried one for more than 20 years. It was like using a piece of history.

Later, when I had some disposable income, I bought a Randle # 14 and a # 15. The 14 was stolen, and I gave my 15 to my son when he shipped out to Iraq. That left me with two Kabars (regular and smaller-sized), and I don't feel under-equipped. That Kabar and a 1911 .45 ACP have been my best friends forever.

Semper Fidelis
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Funny, I prefer a 1911/Kabar combo myself.

Thanks for your service and post Brazos.

Moose
 
The original MK II knives were made by several companies .... Camillus, Ontario, Ka-Bar ... etc.

They were tempered to about 53RC.

In the 70s' companies started raising the RC to 58 for better edge retention.

A current MK II made by Ka-Bar or Ontario is a better knife than the originals with better edge retention.
 
Oh don't even get me going. The day I was told we were phasing out the M1911A1s and getting the M9 I almost organized a mutiny! Just like the KABAR, there was a reason the M1911 was in service forever! Being an Armorer, I used to massage my 1911s to within a pinch from being fully automatic. You just couldn't do the same work on a Beretta. ALSO, we had to modify the Berettas right off the get go with a slide stop mod because the slide came off the receiver and hit us in the head. I suppose there were a lot of reasons why we got the M9 and a few theories as well but the bottom line was most likely the reason. We could have had SIGs or S&W pistols for a few more bucks.
 
Mine is my go-to outdoor knife. The grind makes it act very well as a wedge for batoning and its a good chopper as well. I've beat mine up time and time again and have never had any issue with it. Great knife.
 
moosez45 said:
The only thing I have to say when folks ask me is a Kabar any good?

A million Marines can't be wrong.
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I dunno about this argument. The military gets issued gear from the lowest bidder. They don't get issued the "best." Plus, people can make the worst tool work if they're motivated enough. Adequate doesn't equal good IMO.

I don't care for the Kabar. As a fighting knife sure but for utility the tip is too fragile and like has been said before the tang is poorly designed. Fix the stress riser issue in the tang and do a less aggressive clip and it would be worlds better and cost just as much.
 
I like the way they look and the history behind them - so much that I've bought 3 of the things at one point or another. :thumbup:

I've never had any use for one, though. For me the design isn't practical at all - too long, awkward, and obtuse for most of the things I do with knives. I hardly ever used them so I ended up selling all three of them off.

Does the Kabar knife suck? No, but it doesn't suit me all that much.
 
well mine is retired but not cuz they suck! only reason is my dad gave me it and wanna pass it on to my kid. it is a good time proven knife!!!!!!
 
The KABAR USMC definitely rocks more than sucks. It's a heavy duty knife capable of 'abusive' cutting and other tasks. It's primary design is also that of a fighter and not a hatchet/ax.

The tang is plenty strong for uses designated for a knife.

It's a great and capable blade, and for the price it rocks. If for some reason it's not enough knife, a BK2 (also a KABAR/Becker) would be happy to assist.
 
"does the kabar usmc suck?" - I am having a hard time imagining a clearer example of a trolling title for a thread in this forum.

---

Beckerhead #42
 
It's a classic knife. Have there been any improvements in knife design and manufacturing engineering since it was originally created? Certainly. But does a '65 Ford Mustang "suck" because it lacks some of the safety features or the newer brakes of the '11 Ford Mustang? No.
 
I just got my second USMC as an extra knife and like it a lot. It is a classic knife owned by millions of users and a time-proven tool. Hard to knock that reputation if you ask me.
 
hmmm, i dont have the love for the kabar that alot of people here have. Its a classic all right, but so is the m16 at this point and even at the a4 stage its still hinky. i guess the thing that truly bugs me about it is lack of a full tang.

The thing about the kabar is that nowadays there are knives that blow it out of the water, the thing people dont tell you is that there always have been. eks knives and randal knives are prime examples of companies that have been making knives for about as long as kabar with things like full tangs and better edge geometrey. alot of military associations have eks or randalls as their official knives instead of "kabars"

I feel if i was getting ready to ship out for a world war, and i knew fighting was going to be in a trench and brutal, id bring a tomahawk and a custom fixed utility knife. its not that it sucks but ill take a grayman or ESEE please.


oh and the m9 is terrible in regards to a comparison with the 1911, i have yet to even hear someone try and argue with the logic. if for no other reason the m9 just doesnt have the knockdown power that it needs in the gwot, there are people running at you with explosives attatched to them and every inch might make the difference between injury and death, id want to know that my pistol is going to put the guy down. but then again if it was up to me wed sell our m16s to countries we really didnt like and adapt the mk17 cqc as the standard for troops in all services, sdms would get modified m-14s similar to the current 21's but with more substantial stocks and every s.a.w in the arsenal would be replaced with mark 48s, full ammo cross over.
 
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Of course, they're extremely versatile knives at an affordable price too. I recall the time my platoon held off a division of NVA regulars after exhausting all of our ammo. We pulled out our Ka-bars and turned into "spinning cyclones of death!"

After seeing the first wave of carnage the enemy retreated, leaving their dead & casualties, weapons, ammo and food stores behind them in a cloud of dust.

I made that up actually but I think they're darn good high value fixed blades! :D
 
Shotgun said:
I dunno about this argument. The military gets issued gear from the lowest bidder. They don't get issued the "best." Plus, people can make the worst tool work if they're motivated enough. Adequate doesn't equal good IMO.

I don't care for the Kabar. As a fighting knife sure but for utility the tip is too fragile and like has been said before the tang is poorly designed. Fix the stress riser issue in the tang and do a less aggressive clip and it would be worlds better and cost just as much.
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Its all relative I think. I say a million Marines can't be wrong, because the Kabar hasn't been an issued knife in a very long time, yet, it is still the most sold knife in Kabars lineup. They are found in every PX/BX across the globe, and military men and women are paying for them out of their own pocket.

Talk about a knife with a reverence, ask any Marine, from 18 to 80 what knife they want on their side, I'm betting I know what the answer will be. And its not just the Marines, I got few buds in green that will give.you the same answer.

Does that mean it is the be all, end all knife? Hell no, no such critter exists, but for an easy to buy, easy to use, tough enough to be abused, and so affordable that a private can get one, there aren't many out there that can come close.

Does it have flaws? I don't see it that way, what I see is a design creeping up on a hundred years of being a viable, and actively made knife with a rich history. It works, or it wouldn't have made it this far, if it sucked.

The only changes made to the design, is a step up in modern metallilurgical processing, to render a tougher blade, with better edge retention.

Moose
 
I agree that with using the standard model Ka-Bar for chopping isn't that good. But for basic utility tasks it will do the job.

I recently had the chance to examine the newer "Big Brother" model and it is what I would have liked to have had that instead of the standard model.
 
This thread typifies the web.

I doubt you can find ANYTHING that is immune from criticism from SOMEONE on the web. I do not have the knife in question, but like most knives...some will like it, some won't. I cannot recall any ill statement regarding this knife other than those stemming from personal preferences;)
 
On the Internet, you'll always find the expert who thinks that the Beatles couldn't write a decent song. Always. Enjoy his presence: once you get used to his stupidity, life is fun.
 
jimwalter said:
He mumbled about its pommel not good for hammering, stick handle and fighting design (making it specific for one task).
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Well then, he's kinda right. The pommel is not good for hammering, especially cast ones. The stick handle is not as strong, stiff, or tough as a stub or full tang. The sharpened clip and the pointless fuller don't improve the blade for utility work. Plus the round leather handle is not as resilient, resistant, or ergonomic as other materials and designs.
marcinek said:
"hammer" and "knife" really don't go together
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Then the dude who designed the knife with a hammer pommel is the goof.

Still, the Kabar is a knife. It cuts stuff, what more do you need for under fifty bucks.
 
The kabar was my first fixed blade ever and I still have it and it has taken alot of abuse without damage and this is the 1095 version. The D2 version has a larger,thicker more substantial tang that would take a lot more to break . You can see it being tested in Noss's videos.
 
razorsdescent said:
hmmm, i dont have the love for the kabar that alot of people here have. Its a classic all right, but so is the m16 at this point and even at the a4 stage its still hinky. i guess the thing that truly bugs me about it is lack of a full tang.

The thing about the kabar is that nowadays there are knives that blow it out of the water, the thing people dont tell you is that there always have been. eks knives and randal knives are prime examples of companies that have been making knives for about as long as kabar with things like full tangs and better edge geometrey. alot of military associations have eks or randalls as their official knives instead of "kabars"

I feel if i was getting ready to ship out for a world war, and i knew fighting was going to be in a trench and brutal, id bring a tomahawk and a custom fixed utility knife. its not that it sucks but ill take a grayman or ESEE please.


oh and the m9 is terrible in regards to a comparison with the 1911, i have yet to even hear someone try and argue with the logic. if for no other reason the m9 just doesnt have the knockdown power that it needs in the gwot, there are people running at you with explosives attatched to them and every inch might make the difference between injury and death, id want to know that my pistol is going to put the guy down. but then again if it was up to me wed sell our m16s to countries we really didnt like and adapt the mk17 cqc as the standard for troops in all services, sdms would get modified m-14s similar to the current 21's but with more substantial stocks and every s.a.w in the arsenal would be replaced with mark 48s, full ammo cross over.
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I've broke 2 kbars, the tangs week. not gonna say it sucks tho.
as far as m16 and scars. i'll stick with the m16.
1911 or m9, not a fan of either really, but i'd go with the m9.
m249 is one hell of a weapon, does a good job in the right hands. thats my opinion:cool:
 
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