Feedback On KA BAR

T

TV VET

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Jun 17, 2006
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31
Tried using the search function, but not much came up on Ka Bar. From the little information I've found they seem to be good knives for the money. Most of their fixed blades are USA made which is a good thing. How do you Kings Of Steel feel about them? How do they stack with the other big domestic makers?

And is there a source here somewhere where I can educate myself about the different steels used and manufacturing methods for knife making? Thanks.
 
I think KaBars are great,especially for the price. My grandfather still carries his USMC issue from vietnam era ED. We use(abuse) that knife alot when we go camping and its never let us down. I have a Kabar multitool and its not so hot. I also have a KaBar fighter and it is pretty nice as well. Havent put it through hell yet. Give me another week :) They sharpen very easy as well. For $50 I dont think you can go wrong with them.
 
Most people feel Ka-Bar makes good knives for the money.

The classic Ka-Bar, is, well, a classic. Many feel there are better fixed blades for the money (Becker is a good example), but the allure of the classic is sometimes worth having a knife that is .000000001% more likely to break. If you want the best knife possible, something like a BK-7 would be better than a Ka-Bar USMC. However, if you want the classic Ka-Bar, you are getting a good knife for the money.

Their Dozier designed folding knives are a bargain at $20.

Their TDI is a fairly unique and very effective self-defense knife. I like it a lot as a utility knife as well.

Ka-Bar is very good. Few disagree with that. But they are often out-classed by other brands even at the same price point. Their Dozier and TDI models, however, are pretty amazing for the money and are not outclassed for the price (though they are also not the only good options).
 
They're also very comfortable, with that leather handle. Best advice I got was to use Sno-Seal (a beeswax product) to seal it.

I've got a Becker Patrol Machete (BK6), which has the same basic handle design as the BK7, and it too is very comfortable in use. The KA-BAR far outclasses it though. If it's merely a tool get the Becker; if you want something with a little character get the KA-BAR.

One consideration: As I noted in another thread the pommel on the KA-BAR is now made out of potmetal, so if you want to use the knife as a field hammer you might want to look elsewhere. Interestingly, the BK7 has a nice wide spot on the end of the tang just for this purpose. And they're right about the same price.

Decisions, decisions... :-)

-- Sam
 
One area that Ka-Bar outshines Becker is in terms of availabilty seeing how Camillus is on the canvas.:(

The Ontario RAT line is also an excellent line of functionally designed carbon steel, full tang, knives if something about the still very tough stick tanged Ka-Bars turns you off.
 
I have 8 ka-bar knives and love'em all.the two I cary most are the classic U.S.M.C. leather handled and the D2 extreme.Both are exelent knives and have my utmost confidence in the field.....or peat bog:D .
 
Are there any USGI Kabars available anywhere? What would be the value of one in good condition?
 
the USMC KaBars that they still make are the same as the original issued ones. Only difference is the tangs steel makeup as I have been told. Never noticed any difference at all in my eyes.They are around $50.Sometimes on ebay you will see an old KaBar on ebay that is actual GI issued. I have seen them go from 25-100 dollars.
 
Boats said:
One area that Ka-Bar outshines Becker is in terms of availabilty seeing how Camillus is on the canvas.:(

The Ontario RAT line is also an excellent line of functionally designed carbon steel, full tang, knives if something about the still very tough stick tanged Ka-Bars turns you off.
Click to expand...


What happened to camillus?


Does kabar heat treat their D2 better than ontario?
 
I am going to take out my new Ka-Bar Fighter today camping. I am going to see if I can get some pics taken while I play err I mean work. :)
 
Damn, thats a real shame. I hate to see this happen. I can honestly say with no political bias that the time of the union has passed. It seems they are more of a detriment to production than a boon to personal rights anymore. Its nolonger the 1920s and Camillus, GM and Ford are feeling the pinch. Though I dont see spyderco jumping on the namesake, Sal would make an excellent home for the company.
 
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