KA-BAR make quality knives?

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They can last long and yes they are good. More specific questions can get better answers though. What task are you needing this knife for?
 
IMO they are "OK" knives. Especially when the price is taken into consideration.

Overall, I wouldn't say the KA-BAR is as good as the Marbles Ideal knife it copied, but it's still OK.

The 2 problems I have with the KA-BAR is the size and way the endcap is attached.

Personally, I prefer something smaller or larger, depending on the circumstances, but I find knives with 5-8" blades to be kind of a bad-at-everything size.

The blade is held in place by a single pin driven horizontally through the endcap and tang--no epoxy or anything else. If that pin breaks (from say, pounding with the butt of the knife,) the whole thing falls apart.
 
Tony_A said:
IMO they are "OK" knives. Especially when the price is taken into consideration.

Overall, I wouldn't say the KA-BAR is as good as the Marbles Ideal knife it copied, but it's still OK.

The 2 problems I have with the KA-BAR is the size and way the endcap is attached.

Personally, I prefer something smaller or larger, depending on the circumstances, but I find knives with 5-8" blades to be kind of a bad-at-everything size.

The blade is held in place by a single pin driven horizontally through the endcap and tang--no epoxy or anything else. If that pin breaks (from say, pounding with the butt of the knife,) the whole thing falls apart.
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I agree that the design has some flaws. Though I've used my Kabar USMC very heavily, hitting the cap and batoning like no tomorrow. Yet, it's as good as new, no breakage or wiggle developed whatsoever.
 
The KA BAR USMC is a decent knife. My friend has one and he takes it camping all the time. That being said, i would feel more comfortable taking an RC6 camping instead
 
I love my Ka-Bar USMC.

Personally to me it is designed as more of a survival/combat knife than a woods/camp knife but it easily will do as the latter in a pinch.

Tostig
 
CuriousGeorge said:
I know KA-BAR is famous for their role in WW2 Knives, but do KA-BAR knives last long? are they any good?
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About which KA-BAR knife are you talking?

There are MANY KA-BAR knife designs.
- The traditional marine knife styles of WWII in 1095 Cro Van alloys steel.
- They have the same design in 440A
- They have the same designs in D2.
- The Becker Line in 1095 Cro Van alloy steel
- traditional style knives in traditional low end stainless.
- nice folders in AUS8
- cheapie folders in cheap steel.

The traditional Marine knife is a robust knife that will get most jobs done really well. And yes, they last long.

The Beckers are even more robust.
 
Since Ka-Bar does make many different knives, in different countries, along with different collaborations, one would need to know which Ka-Bars you're asking about.

I just picked up a Next Generation Fighter that has the pinned tang (Which I agree should be a weak link on the knife), but it's an older U.S. version with 12C27 Sandvik. I actually like it better than the SOG Seal 2000 I had.

I'm sure some of the foreign made knives are good, but I've always thought the U.S. Military type Ka-Bars to be decent knives & the Becker line is excellent. I don't have any Ka-Bar made Beckers anymore, but they were decent (I only have a Camillus made BK3 Tac-Tool).
 
ka-bar is using cro van carbon in many new models. on paper the specs do'nt look impressive but formites have reported the heattreat is great & performance surpasses earlier alloys. do'nt know if it beats their d2 since i've got a d2 but not a cro van yet.
 
DennisStrickland said:
ka-bar is using cro van carbon in many new models.
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The KA-BAR Becker BK7 I have uses 1095 CroVan and I like it. It arrived VERY sharp and after chopping some thick branches it is still sharp. I like my BK7 so much that I have ordered a BK9 as well.

The KA-BAR Kukri Machete is also VERY good - I did some chopping & batoning with it on the weekend and it performed VERY well. :thumbup:
 
I hate kabar. At least there fixed blades I dropped one about 15 feet on a patrol in the mountains and it literally broke in half. I won't buy another one. I'd buy a cold steel all day over a kabar
 
joebobx said:
I hate kabar. At least there fixed blades I dropped one about 15 feet on a patrol in the mountains and it literally broke in half. I won't buy another one. I'd buy a cold steel all day over a kabar
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What model broke in half? Was it the stainless steel bladed version?

I dropped a mil-spc Camillus F/U from waist level into a 2x4 and the tip broke off. Probably bad heat treat because I've pounded on others without breakage.
 
am repeating myself as usual. 4 yrs. in marines i never saw a ka-bar broken. we opened wooden ammo boxes by cutting steel bands, some guys whom lost the little can openers used the knife to open cans.some guys dug schrapnel out of target supports & oak trees as sovineers. from camp pendleton to the phillipimes no failures. might i add some of these knives were handdowns of pacific & korean wars.
 
The one I'm to inherit from my grandfather is still going strong and I'm sure its Mil-surp. I'm 42 and he had it as long as I can remember which is at least since I was 8 yrs old. Of course I've never seen anyone abuse it and in the last 15 years I doubt its been used for anything except to gut a few deer.
 
joebobx said:
I hate kabar. At least there fixed blades I dropped one about 15 feet on a patrol in the mountains and it literally broke in half. I won't buy another one. I'd buy a cold steel all day over a kabar
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So any knife that breaks when falling 15 feet on hard rock is a bad knife?? :confused:
I wouldn't consider it proper use, or even misuse. Many knives could break like that. Shit, any could. Depends on the angle and portion of the blade that hit the rock.
Anyway, I think it's very silly, and having many KABARs and CS knives, I can 100% say that quality wise - there is no diferrence. Both companies make mostly hidden tang knives (ie. trailmaster, recon scout, KABAR USMC, heavy bowie). I really don't think the laminated CS knives perform nearly as good as their carbon V line, which is close in performance to KABAR's 1095 Crovan. Meanwhile, KABAR have a Becker line, which includes knives so robust, it would make any CS shiver from fear.

Just MPO, YMMV.
 
CuriousGeorge said:
I know KA-BAR is famous for their role in WW2 Knives, but do KA-BAR knives last long? are they any good?
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I my opinion the current KA-BAR manufacturing has poor quality control. Even the replacements came back blemished and or defective!

Buyer beware!
 
Tony_A said:
IMO they are "OK" knives. Especially when the price is taken into consideration.

Overall, I wouldn't say the KA-BAR is as good as the Marbles Ideal knife it copied, but it's still OK.

The 2 problems I have with the KA-BAR is the size and way the endcap is attached.

Personally, I prefer something smaller or larger, depending on the circumstances, but I find knives with 5-8" blades to be kind of a bad-at-everything size.

The blade is held in place by a single pin driven horizontally through the endcap and tang--no epoxy or anything else. If that pin breaks (from say, pounding with the butt of the knife,) the whole thing falls apart.
Click to expand...

Trust me, the endcap is tough. I mean, really really tough. I tried to hammer the damn thing off (for re-handling) but I couldn't in risk of damaging the tang.

I wouldn't worry about the knife being able to do knife tasks. Some say that the tang is tad bit weak, but for me it has never posed any problem. If you don't prefer to use your knife as axe, USMC is one damn tough knife.

One thing I don't like about it though, is the guard. It's too akward, thin and it doesn't really look that nice for me. Something a bit more subtle and thicker would suit me and without the top guard.

It's also a bit clumsy knife. That unnecessary ricasso and big blade can have it's limits.
 
I've never had problems with Ka-Bar USMC knife. Mine has served me well soon 11 years. From military service to camping. No sign of problems even with years of abuse. Only the powder coating has taken some hit... In military i threw almost any kinds of abuse from using hatchet to dirt digging. I've done almost everything else but tries to cut stone and steel with it.

Currently my Ka-Bar services me convex sharpened. they say picture os worth of a thousand words. Here's worth of 3000 words of my faithful Ka-Bar 1095:


 
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