Ka-Bar JAB Potbelly, Biscuit View

The knife is the reason I found joy in the BK&T line. This was the first large knife (and first from kabar) I've bought. I seen it in a A.G. Russell catalog when they first came out, super excited. So I bought it online and waited anxiously. When it arrived I thought the knife was superb. As stated by the OP everything from fit to finish was great. However I came to realize that there was a huge flaw with the design of this knife. I promptly began to use the knife to prune some bushes around the house, nothing big, small greens less than 2" in diameter. After finishing up, I looked at the blade and it had a chip in the blade big enough to fit half a dime into it!! I had no idea what to think. So I contacted kabar and we both came to a conclusion that poor heat treatment was the reason and I sent it back for inspection and replacement. After the second one came I was a bit cautious at first, then thought, "this is a knife, USE IT!" So began the next leg of my kabar cs adventure. The same exact thing happened in the same place on the blade, doing the same exactly thing. Chopping green wood smaller than what I would go for out in the woods. This time the blade deformed, but did not break. (I believe it would have if I had not been watching it so closely) Needless to say I was pretty upset. I actually put the knife away and bought a SRK. After about 2 weeks I decided that it was the edge geometry that was to blame. I think that the edge being hollow ground makes it not strong enough to handle the force you can obtain because of the handle design. And I'm no big Guy.... you can literally swing this knife so hard that the edge can't take. So I called kabar once more and asked them nicely to please send me something else. That is how I ended up with my trusty 7. Every part of this story was documented with kabar, in hopes that it will help them make a better product. I think this knife would be pretty darn close to perfect if it was flat ground. That is my experience with the Kabar potbelly.
 
Sorry you had the problems, bergholz. So far, I've had no issues, and I was chopping some hard, seasoned wood yesterday. As for the softer pecan, the Potbelly went through it like butter.
 
I'm glad to hear you have had good luck with it so far Guyon. I did work with Customer Support as well as I could ..... they really seemed to want to fix the problem. This all happened before I ever found out about bladeforums and that manufacturers actually listen and collect feedback from the forums. Hopefully the information I provided them was beneficial to the production of this knife. I know it sounds silly that one man's opinion could change a knife.... but that knife I believe has changed (ie pictures ; past & present) maybe they got it figured out :) However the absolute best part of the story is the introduction of the BK7 into my system. What a FANTASTIC knife. I'm glad for that.
 
Guyon said:
Two different animals. The BK-9 is a purer chopper, one of the best I have. I own, and have owned, a lot of choppers.
That said, the Potbelly is no slouch. It had good bite, and would consistently take chunks out of some hard wood with just a few swings.



No.
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So the BK9 is the better chopper, since I'm looking for a knife to complement my BK2.
 
cccpull said:
So the BK9 is the better chopper, since I'm looking for a knife to complement my BK2.
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I agree with that statement. If you want something just for chopping/batoning, it's hard to beat the BK-9.
 
The '9 rulez all, Imho.

Sorry to hear the Potbelly is making your hand sore and weighing down your belt, Guyon. You probably rue the day that knife showed up to torment you. I suppose I could be talked into trading you my BK2 for it.....
 
Derek - I'm with you in the posting minority.
Despite it being 1/4" thick slab of 5160 goodness, it's not particularly appealing to look at, hollow grind, and funky handle means I'm not likely to buy one.
 
DerekH said:
Might just be me going against the grain, but I don't find this knife very appealing at all.

It might be the hollow grind, or the weird handle shape, but something about it puts me off. If it is as functional as other knives available, say a BK9 or something of that nature, and all that is left is aesthetics, then I am going to pass this one up. Good review though, and I think that if I had no choice but to get this one, it would probably do the job well. Just not my cup of tea as they say.
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I'm with ya. Held one last time I was at SMKW and hated it more than I thought I would. Those scales look just like the junky ones on some cruddy USAF survival knife wanna-be clone thing I had as a kid. I'm sure it's a heck of a user but - sorry, not for me either.

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Beckerhead #42
 
Thanks for the review. It's been on my list of short choppers for a while. I am just not so sure about the handle on it. It just looks like something that wouldn't work too well for me.
 
Umm.... Lots of people have issues with the Becker handles, but that doesn't stop people from buying them. Just sayin'.

My JAB Potbelly is the reason that I don't have a BK7 or BK9 right now. I truly feel that I would have to go custom to get a better knife for similar use. I've beat the hell out of the knife without a single problem.
 
Nice review & some interesting statements....Mine should be here Monday or Tues. I had a BK9 & traded it off a few months ago(Stupid, Stupid,Stupid) & I have missed it BAD but then I got a good price on one of these PotBelly & thought I'de give it a try before I got another BK9. My friend who has my BK9 has already offered to trade me my BK9 back for the PotBelly (More than likely I will). We will see after I give the PotBelly a try !
 
coaldigger said:
My friend who has my BK9 has already offered to trade me my BK9 back for the PotBelly (More than likely I will). We will see after I give the PotBelly a try !
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It would be interesting to see how someone that likes and has experience with the BK9 feels about the Potbelly and see which one you choose...
 
shortwinger said:
It would be interesting to see how someone that likes and has experience with the BK9 feels about the Potbelly and see which one you choose...
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I'll let you guy's know next week ! The PotBelly will really have to impress me for it to be a keeper ! I loved the BK9 & was getting ready to purchase another one when I came across this great deal on the PotBelly....we will see ! I already know what the BK9 could/would do & I put alot of trust in the BK9, the PotBelly has some really big shoes to fill !
 
I pulled my Potbelly out about a week ago and have been trying to get used to it. I handled it a bit after buying it a couple months ago, but did not try it out on anything, and put it away unused. It definitely has a different "feel" to it than any of my other fixed blade knives. I do like it, and have found the hollow grind makes it a much better slicer than my other blades with the same thickness. However, the grips do feel cheap to me, and the contour of the single-finger swell handle seems to spread my index and middle fingers apart such that I don't feel like I have a good grip on the handle. I also find the lack of any kind of protection between the handle and blade a little disconcerting, but that's probably just stemming from the weird feeling grip. I would definitely use a lanyard if I were to do any chopping with this blade.

The little by-knife that came with it I absolutely love! It has groves on two places along the spine for choking up on the blade for detail work, and it's just the perfect size. I have used it on several apples, and have decided it is going to replace the little by-knife that came with my BK-9 (the BK-13 I think?.....not sure of the model), which I don't care for much. The by-knife that came with the Potbelly is much more ergonomic and actually has a usable handle.

I think the Potbelly is a good compromise between the BK-2 and BK-7 or 9, but the handle is just not for me. It won't be replacing any Beckers on my belt.
 
riversidedep said:
the contour of the single-finger swell handle seems to spread my index and middle fingers apart such that I don't feel like I have a good grip on the handle.
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I can understand this statement, and I've been thinking about a modification for my own knife.
I'm going to put some micarta on it anyway, so I'm considering a little grind work on the tang (see below).
Moving the curve forward and shallowing it out will do two things, I think.
One, it'll allow for a more compact grip when the index curve is used.
Two, it'll make more room at the rear of the handle for a full chopping grip.
Everybody's hand is different though. I just think the change will work for me.

P1020586-1.jpg
 
You mean to remove that whole section, something like so? (quick job, sorry):

P1020586-1.jpg


EDIT: I see, you meant to leave some of the finger groove there.

More like this:

P1020586-1b.jpg
 
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I haven't handled one, so I'm just spitballing, but what if the section Warrior "removed" was moved. Forward of the current location and up near the end of the handle. Then maybe add a palm swell, that could alleviate hand fatigue.
 
Yep, something close to Warrior's second pic there. :thumbup:
 
Guyon said:
One, it'll allow for a more compact grip when the index curve is used.
Two, it'll make more room at the rear of the handle for a full chopping grip.
Everybody's hand is different though. I just think the change will work for me.
P1020586-1.jpg
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JMHO, but I would be hesitant to do that modification. You would be intentionally doing what the kukri guys complain about all the time. That finger groove really locks your hand in and without it I don't think that handle will give as much grip as you will want for chopping. The handle is grippy but not soft grippy like kraton, it is hard grippy and I think it would be slippery without that finger lock.
 
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