How durable is the good ole KABAR?

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darkdomino

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Oct 23, 2011
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I'm interested to know if any of you have had your 7 inch (or 5.25 inch) KABAR fixed blade knives fail or underperform while outdoors? Have any of you tried to baton wood with them? How did they perform and what are your thoughts?

I like the KABAR fixed blade because it's made in america and it feels very solid. I think the design is pretty tried and true. I'm considering picking one up and I'd like to know your thoughts.
 
I baton a lot with mine, no problems.
The Kabar USMC is one of my favourites, it served thousands of soldiers well, so it sould be more than Ok for me.
 
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The false edge tears up batons.

The square shoulder at the blade/tang junction is a weakness that could be easily eliminated but is still there when last I looked.
 
Never had an issue with my Potbelly. Even though it is a little thicker then the standard Ka-Bar. Ya that false edge never gave me any issues just some dents in the baton.
 
MechanicsDoBushcraft said:
Never had an issue with my Potbelly. Even though it is a little thicker then the standard Ka-Bar. Ya that false edge never gave me any issues just some dents in the baton.
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O.o potbelly and usmc design are too far different animals to be likened to one another.

Don't baton ur F/U model and it will never let you down.
 
I assume you mean the standard Kabar #1217 Fighting/Utility knife? The one I have has been through a lot, and it'll still be going strong for decades; I don't now and I never will baton mine. Actually, my son has it now, and he'll put it through as much as I have when he's older. I have a #1225 Navy knife that I bought when my son decided my standard F/U knife was his. The handle-to-blade junction is still somewhat narrow with a sharp shoulder, and it is a weak spot. If you want a stronger design, I think some of the other models have wider tangs. I have a #1273 KBD1, and the tang on it is a bit wider than my #1217 F/U.

~Chris
 
If you understand the knife and use it accordingly? They are virtually indestructible...

...but they are not the brutes that the BK's are.




GR
 
I love mine, it was my first fixed blade worth mentioning. Kabars in general are a great value IMO. I have chopped, whittled, and batonned heavily with mine. The guard loosened up when I hit it with the baton on accident but that is my own fault. As long as you dont do anything stupid with them they should not fail. Check out the new Mark 1's, I dont have one but they look like they are performers and are a handy size.
 
Ethan_Hardy said:
I love mine, it was my first fixed blade worth mentioning. Kabars in general are a great value IMO. I have chopped, whittled, and batonned heavily with mine. The guard loosened up when I hit it with the baton on accident but that is my own fault. As long as you dont do anything stupid with them they should not fail. Check out the new Mark 1's, I dont have one but they look like they are performers and are a handy size.
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I have a #1217 with a loose guard as well; a solution is mentioned here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1004063-Loose-guard-on-a-1217-C-U?highlight=guard

That's one nice thing about Kabars - generally they're a pretty easy fix. :thumbup:

~Chris
 
If you treat the 1217 properly, it will probably last forever. I can't envision the knife ever "failing" when it comes to actual knife related tasks. I'm sure we've all seen the twig boy on Youtube who snapped a few off at the tang treating it like a hatchet, but that really isn't a fair indicator of quality. Just because you really shouldn't baton or beat a piece of wood with it doesn't mean that it isn't still a good knife. That seems to be the only real criticism I see from people. For a hunting / utility / general use knife, you will be fine. If you want to baton and are worried about it breaking, get something from the BK line.
 
I remember that youtube kid, he was cross grain battoning with it, the blade at 90 degrees to the wood . Anyone that would do that would not know enough about what he was doing to really give a second thought to.
I have heard Camillus fighting knives had a more robust tang, or better design or something. Anyone ever see one without the handle, is there a radius at the transition??
 
Liam Ryan said:
I remember that youtube kid, he was cross grain battoning with it, the blade at 90 degrees to the wood . Anyone that would do that would not know enough about what he was doing to really give a second thought to.
I have heard Camillus fighting knives had a more robust tang, or better design or something. Anyone ever see one without the handle, is there a radius at the transition??
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The Camillus F/U knives tangs are virtually identical to the KA-BAR versions, definitely no more robust or better designed and also no radius at the blade/tang junction. I've had the handles off various 5684s and 5685s, they all looked the same.

As far as how durable the KA-BAR is... IMO it's a damn fine knife that has withstood the test of time.
 
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The knife has been made for over 60years so that should tell you some thing. But i never battoned with my 1211 so I can't speak to that. But the knife will last longer then you will be alive if treated right.
 
monstrum said:
The knife has been made for over 60years so that should tell you some thing. But i never battoned with my 1211 so I can't speak to that. But the knife will last longer then you will be alive if treated right.
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It tells me it is a profitable product - period. Private for-profit companies are in business for . . . . profit.
 
True they are in it for the profit... But they wouldn't be in business this long and making that blade for so long if it was not quality... Just my opinion.
 
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