Ka Bar large Bowie - anygood?

vwb563

vwb563

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I cant seem to find anything using the search feature so has anyone had any experience with Ka Bar's new large heavy Bowie knife. I have learned it is made in Taiwan but this is ok with me. If you have one please tell about your experiences with it like chopping ability, comfort in the hand, and how about the factory edge - was it thick or thin? - sharp or dull? ( i hate reprofiling an edge).,,thanks ,,,VWB.
 
Check Knifetests.com. They said it's good. The Kabar Kukri is a great chopper to me. I would get one, but I want to see what Kabar / Becker knives will be like. I'll still get one they are worth the money, and the handles are nice.
 
I give it two thumbs up. It slices remarkably well for such a large blade with the grind that they gave it, and it has proven to be a tough, comfortable, and easily sharpened camp knife for me over the past ~2 years. The price is very reasonable, and it will be money well spent, I assure you.
 
recently bought one of the ka-bar kukris and it is a very solid piece of steel...very sharp out of the box.

have not used it yet but i expect great things.

i kinda like the noss tests (not that i would ever push anything that far) and the cold steel machete did very well; i can't imagine this one doing much worse, it's 1085 i believe and i don't think that i would want one much heavier.
 
I have the Ka-Bar long bowie and the kukri. I got them both two years ago to keep on a belt as a smaller tool to accompany a chainsaw for park trail management. I have used both of them extensively and expected them to be trashed by the end of the first season. They are very inexpensive and they are a real bargain for a large dependable knife with decent steel. The bowie has been used for many smaller chores like limbing, etc and has really surprised me with its edge retention. I own several hand made customs and a couple Busse choppers and I wouldn't trade them for anything but I also have room for some beaters, and thats where the Ka-Bar bowie and kukri fit in. I highly recommend them for the price.
 
The Heavy Bowie is just awesome. The edge retention is great, it gets pretty sharp and for a knife of that size it is very well-balanced. It was the first big blade I purchased and it still is one of my favorite blades, cause it can handle almost everything you throw at it.
 
I'm very pleased with the model 1277 "Large Heavy Bowie". Most interesting is how un-"heavy" it is. It's got a full flat grind (unlike the saber grinds you see on a lot of Bowies). It's also got that very pronounced clip that runs for maybe the distal 1/3 of the blade. The result is that it slices exceptionally well for such a large blade, and also is surprisingly quick in the hand. I've had no edge-retention problems with it, and have used it pretty hard for chopping large, dry limbs for shelter-making. I find the handle comfortable. If I remember correctly, it came with an at-least-okay factory edge, though I probably sharpened it before using, since I try to keep my knives hair-shaving sharp just as a matter of course, and I just assume any new knife needs at least some sharpening. There was no need for a drastic reprofile, however.

It's a good knife, and the price is a lot better than several other hard-use knives.
 
Buy an Ontario Spec Plus 10 Marine Raider Bowie instead. They're made in the USA.
 
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I have the Ka Bar Large Bowie. I havent done anything major with it. Mine came razor sharp from the factory. In my experiance after I dulled it, it was not hard to resharpen but I cant get the edge like it came with. Its good for rough use.
 
While it is great to buy American, do not forget that some of the folks who work for Kabar are still American too, and they get a paycheck, and pump that stuff back into their everyday needs. It is made in Taiwan which is not Communist China. Also, Ontario has or had a dispute with Randall Adventure Training about the use of the RAT name for their knives, taking Randall to court for use of the name. It has been Randall's name all along. Does anyone know the results of that yet?
 
I'm sure the dispute was settled. So, why not just let be. The fact is that Ontario makes quality knives and their sister company Queen makes some great pocket knives. It's a genuine American company and in these hard times we have to expect some consolidation in the industry.

Evidently the dispute wasn't settled and is still ongoing. After reading more about the dispute, I may quit buying Ontario products. Now I'm torn...

http://www.ratcutlery.com/history.htm
 
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