How durable is the good ole KABAR?

hello, i have a usmc fighter thats nearly unrecognizeable. im a 21 year old knife maker and collecter, outdoosy type. there was a day i was very emotionally disturbed and tok my knife to a steel bedframe and concrete stairs (5) out in a friends junk pile. i had a 3 lb steel mallet i used to put it through them, and some wood. if this isnt batoning proof idk what is. 1095 is a good sturdy tough hard strong spring steel, and ka bar adds chrome (tensile strength) and vanadium (refines the grains and increases everything) hence 1095 crovan. i sanded the blade down with my belt sanding table to put an edge back onand accidently burned the tip, which broke while heavily prying, but it never had problems before i messed up the temper. watch 'the destruction test" of the ka bars onyoutube. the bend is a fluke in y opinion, but youll get an idea
 
Thomas Linton said:
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.
Click to expand...

Been thinkin' bout grinding that part into a 60 deg. included "splitter wedge".

What do y'all think of that?




GR
 
OK, after reading about the weak points of the Ka-bar here, I took mine and was beating the crap out of it. Batoning and chopping through hard wood, in all angles. Other than the coating being worn off in some spots, the knife took the abuse without problems. Currently I don't see how this knife should fail in the woods.
 
EDC'd one for a few years, batoned, dug, smashed, prepped food and threw the shit out of it until I lost it. They do need to be sharpened frequently under hard use. I'd take one to the island for sure.
 
Thomas Linton,

Would you please give me some examples of issues you have experienced? I have a few Ka-Bars but have not used them extensively.

Thank you,

WJR
 
I merely noted that Ka-Bar is in the business to make money, as it has been from its foundation. I personally have no problem with the profit motive. Without it, we would have few choices. However, my comments drew "fire" as "hate" attack on Ka-Bar. Obviously, anything but 100% unadulterated worship of any brand gets this sort of reaction from fans, who typically wrap themselves in the royal "we," as if they spoke for the majority. "

Does attention to profit margins have effects on the relative and absolute quality of the product? Inevitably. Live with it. It does not stop me from owning, and using, a number of Union/Ka-Bar products, including three within my reach as I type. But those who suppose that the 1219C2 is some sort of high mark for quality, even for Union/Ka-Bar, are mistaken in my opinion. If this be "snarky," do your worst.
 
Um, no, don't.

We welcome any and all opinions regarding KA-BAR and their products. Not a single knife maker/manufacturer makes knives for the love of the game. If they sell them, they make'em for money.

I've read enough of Thomas's posts to know, he doesn't hate much, if anything. His posts do have an edge to them, but, like all things internet, they can easily be misconstrued or just ignored.

Lets discuss the Topic at hand, not capitalism, or each other, please. Its counter-productive.

Here is what I have to say about the toughness of a Kabar American Legend, I have owned them for more years than I didn't own them, by a large margin. I have done just about everything short of killing another human being with one. Bashed rocks, pryed, chopped, killed game, batoned, bashed, slashed, and much more.

And yes, I have broken them, but the amount of sheer abuse I have put upon each one prior to it breaking, far exceeds what a person would use their knife for. They aren't magic, they do let go.

But one of the best selling features and greatest points about the knife, is they don't cost much, and its easily replaced, just about all over the world.

I have a saying, "A million Marine's can't be wrong".

Moose
 
The only real weak spot is in the tang, which should have been made more akin to the Next Generation models. Other than that...fantastic knives and steel.
 
The Ka-Bar knife I believe you are talking about is actually called the Mark 2 or MKII. Many companies have made this design but Ka-Bar in recent years has kind of replaced the actual name.

I have had at leat 3 and probably 4 and I liked everyone of them. even though I liked everyone of them I must also tell the truth about the Ka-Bar make of this knife.

Fact is Ka-BAr has kind of a soft heat treat on this blade. I do not know why they chose to keep it a soft heat treat but they have. Now that does not make it a bad knife it just means the hardness on the Rockwell C scale is a little less than most modern knives. Ka-Bar advertises that it is a hardness of 56 - 58 on the rockwell c scale hardness tester and I am sure on the blueprint it says that but in reality it is probably more like 54 max which is probably in tolerance of ther print.
What does that mean in real life? Not much other than you will have to sharpen a little more and not to a really fine edge.

In reality the knife is just a marketing success. Fact is in WWII they were just knives to get by with. Prone to break but thats ok because you can just go get a new one at the equiptment desk. Ka-Bar has done a great job of producing this knife and they did such a great job at it that most think it is called a Ka-Bar. I even call it a Ka-Bar USMC.

Now that was the negetave side to my reply. Here is the fun part.

I love my Ka-Bar USMC. I think it is a light knife that carrys well on my belt. It does swing a little low but it still carrys well and it is east to put back into the sheath unlike the Buck119.

I have cleaned game, chopped wood, cooked with it, carried it with me on hikes to make walking sticks and protect me from bears and bigfoot I have enjoyed it everytime.

I do feel the price on it is getting a little steep. 12 years ago it was a good knife at $49 or $50 bucks but now days I se it in the 60 something dollor range and say to myself it may be a little too high it make it my so called beater knife. I may have to go back to a Buck119.

To make a long story short (too late for that I am sure) I must say the USMC is a good knife. If you know its limmits and how to use it it is fun as can be and I feel everybody should be issued one at birth along with a M14 and 5000 rounds of ammo.
 
I just got a new one and was trying it out earlier in the week. I didn't do anything too crazy with it but it did very well. I carved a whole bunch and practiced making curls and feathersticks and it held an edge great. Finished up by batoning some ~1.5" diameter and about 2' long sticks trying to hit the knots when I could. No problem at all. Not shaving sharp anymore but still usable, won't take much to get it back to popping hairs. Now I just need to trim the back of the guard off.

What self-respecting knife guy doesn't have a classic Ka-Bar USMC fighting/utility knife?
 
Fed up with doubts about the stability of my Ka-bar, yesterday I wedged the blade in between two logs, and used the handle as a step loading it with my full weight (165 lbs). And then I did it a second time. NO problem.
 
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