I wish some still made..,

S

superc

Joined
Sep 30, 2003
Messages
382
A Ka-Bar Commando. A good 6 inch bladed woods knife but it has small flaws that should be fixed. The tang has the usual 90 degree stress riser. The tang is prone to corrosion under the leather.

I'd want someone to bring the blade back, but in stainless steel. Keep the blade thickness at .185" - .190". Thicken (just a little, at least to the same thickness as the blade) and deepen the tang (current/original tang dimensions are .38" x .18", .5" x .185 would be much better) and eliminate the stress risers where the tang meets the ricasso. Use the first spacer to hide the swell of the tang. Keep the spacers, but use a tough plastic instead of the brittle Bakelite. Offer high visibility spacers of Day-glo orange or lime-green so we can find it when we drop it in the leaves, as well as some other color options. Keep the leather grip washers and the oval shape. Think about replacing the aluminum fixtures with brass.

KaBarCommando.jpg
 
Yes sir, I had one of those and the handle broke, I was personally unimpressed by the quality of the handle material. I agree that some improvements are in order.
 
Are you really Lynn Thompson?
Looks like a neat knife. If you want a good woods knife with a 6in blade these days, look no further than your nearest Wal-Mart, where a Buck 119 can be had for $34.
 
jim preston said:
Are you really Lynn Thompson?
Looks like a neat knife. If you want a good woods knife with a 6in blade these days, look no further than your nearest Wal-Mart, where a Buck 119 can be had for $34.
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second that :thumbup: a plain 'ol full size Ka-Bar works well also.:D
 
second that a plain 'ol full size Ka-Bar works well also.
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Agreed, along with the Air Force Survival knife.
Nice thing is, those knives are Carbon Steel, and should be easier to sharpen than the 119.
My experience with Buck stainless was that it wasn't that hard to get sharp, but still, 1095 & CV are easier.
 
If you are 'the' Lynn Thompson, then there is hope. Possibly we may see one with a better tang and in stainless, but otherwise unaltered in your next catalog?

Sadly I simply don't like the Buck 119.

I find the MK2 to simply be too big, and a 5" too small. (comparison shot with the MK2 below)

I have several Cattaraugus 225s and like them for heavy duty work, but the Cattaraugus Commando is heavier than the Ka-bar Commando. I just spent 9 hours running a DR F&B through meadows with the Ka-bar Commando on my belt and a Kamel back on my back. More weight was not needed. I like that I can twirl the Ka-bar with my fingers. The balance is perfect for me. My only complaint is the weak tang design. It is time for someone to offer an improved model.

Ka-bar comparisons
IMGP0194.jpg



The two different WW2 Commando knives.
IMGP0191.jpg




 
Lynn Thompson, no doubt you had no intention to mislead anyone, but that choice of username is only going to cause confusion. Please open a new account with a different name. If that happens to be your real name you can call yourself "The Other Lynn Thompson" or something....
attachment.php
 
Cougar Allen said:
Lynn Thompson, no doubt you had no intention to mislead anyone, but that choice of username is only going to cause confusion. Please open a new account with a different name. If that happens to be your real name you can call yourself "The Other Lynn Thompson" or something....
attachment.php
Click to expand...

And when you choose a new name don't make it "Mick Strider"!
 
"superc"
I am so with you.
Someone's gotta do more replicas from the vintage era...
I find the Colonial Knife Company's replica of it's version of the WWII Mark 1 USN Knife
-http://www.colonialknifecompany.com/images/1943_L.jpg
simply not doing justice. Plastic fixtures??! Come on!
The Ontario's P3 Army Quartermaster Presentation Knife is
-http://www.ontarioknife.com/images/designer/p3_army_quartermaster.jpg
pretty but nothing quite like the short k-bar you speak of.
 
I already have an Ontario Quartermaster. IMO it isn't the equal of the original Quartermasters (i.e., the 225 and the Case 337s) and it appears to suffer from the same weak tang design issues as the Ka-bar. It also has a weird blade to ricasso area. The best feature of the Ontario Quartermaster is the stainless steel of the blade. Further the Ontario Q'master has a very skinny grip with some kind of coating on the leather that prevents a secure grip and the pommel is as cheap looking as they could make it. Also the balance is totally different.

I already have an SRK too. It too is quite different from a Ka-bar. The issue is not just a 6 inch blade knife. They are everywhere. The issue is a modern improved repro of the Ka-bar 6" Commando.

Neither of the Boone River knives come with that ridged oval handle. Nor is a 5 inch or a 6.5 desired. I just want a simple clone of the original Ka-bar 6 inch, but with the tang, handle and steel improvements specified.
 
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