KA-BAR Product Development Friday!

BRL

BRL

Joined
Apr 27, 2011
Messages
3,201
Ok, so way back in the mists of time, Toooj mentioned that KA-BAR folks meet on Fridays to spitball ideas for new products. I thought it might be fun for KA-BAR fans to 'meet' on Thursdays and attempt to influence our good friends who make the toys and who also make the decisions :)

I'll kick things off and see where this goes...

Toooj Tweener
We got Becker Tweeners in 2012. The JAB "tweener" (the Biggyback, a.k.a. PiggybackXL) is coming in 2013. Most of these designs were scaled versions of existing blades out of the designers' lineups. In my opinion it's time for Toooj to give us a tweener of his own, and the obvious choice would be something out of the "Toooj Handle" line.

Options could include:
Large Heavy Bowie
Heavy Duty Warthog
Cutlass Machete
Grass Machete
Kukri Machete

To me the only two real options would be the LHB or the Grass Machete... the Cutlass and Kukri designs are primarily choppers and basically become pointless when they're scaled down to where they have no weight, and I can't see a small Warthog being useful at all (I don't really get the Warthog folders).

If I had to choose, I'd pick the LHB as the most likely candidate, since it's got the most distinctive profile and the long clip seems more utilitarian than the more snub-nosed Grass Machete.

KA-BAR had a shorter (7") version of the LHB, but that was still a damn bigass knife. I'd like to see something shorter still, not as wide, shorter handle, thinner and more nimble. Of course I'd like all knives to be full tang with replaceable scales and an exposed pommel, but if the big one doesn't have those things then I'm not sure a tweener-sized one would really need them.

1277_60.jpg


Just my thoughts. Anyone else?
 
I'd like to see a smaller heavy warthog knife, something about the size of the original.
 
A 6" heavy bowie would send me right to the bank fir some cash.

I love that heavy bowie shape, the handle is awesome, but 6" blades are a rare find and the size I have been wanting lately.

Good thread BRL

Moose
 
The LHB blade shape reminds me of the MK1. I'd vote for the Grass Machete.
 
The cutlass scaled down may make a useful tool, still able to chop but the edge near the hand still able to do finer whittling.
 
Lately I have been dreaming of the large heavy bowie... full tang... with becker handles... scaled up to 5/16 thickness, or something ridiculous like that... or scaled down tweener style still with the becker handles. Either way that long clip bowie blade, full tang, and on a set of becker handles would be killer.
 
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All,

Noted.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
 
Toooj said:
All,

Noted.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
Click to expand...

WO0T!!!

ToOoj says we all get our wish!!!!!

I'm kidding, I'm kidding......
:D
Moose
 
Moosez45 said:
WO0T!!!

ToOoj says we all get our wish!!!!!

I'm kidding, I'm kidding......
:D
Moose
Click to expand...

YAY we all get our wi.... Oh wait....

Well.... Seeing what kabar has been capable of recently... And well practically forever... I know whatever they come out with next will be incredible. Kudos to Tooj and my favorite knife company.
 
Next suggestion for consideration at tomorrow's meeting!

Thin: is it in?

I got a wild hair a few months ago and thought through the specs of a custom outdoors knife where the primary feature was that it was thin. What I was aiming for a blade where terrifying sliciness would be the main selling point, rather than the brute strength of the knives I have in my collection now.

I chatted through specs with Mark Wohlwend, my favorite custom maker, and once we solidified the details I placed an order for a .108" blade in his Hiker pattern. Sadly, Mark's schedule has been complicated so I don't have it yet in order to comment on it's viability.

The reason I'm bringing it up in this thread is to suggest that KA-BAR consider a new trend... so many woods blades have gotten MASSIVE; what about going the other direction? Assume that the user's heavy work will be done with an axe or hatchet or saw, and instead take advantage of 21st Century technology to make toughass knives at a tenth of an inch or even less.

The marketing folks would love it. The feathersticks would be amazing. Toooj has mentioned that actual broken blades only account for a tiny fraction of failures, so I'd think that leaves some room to play with (depending on KA-BAR's tolerance for an uptick in broken and chipped blades).

And no fair using a hollow grind to keep the spine thick!
 
The only way I can see it play out would be some sort of Tooj handled bush knife... Full flat ground, carbon steel, fairly thin, in a drop point or spear point and about 4-5 inches blade length... From there you could either keep the stock wide or thin... Imagine a Tooj handled spear point bush knife. It would probably be cheap (as in price) as can be... Like a good general purpose blade that focuses on carving, slicing, and detail work. A Mora competitor or something like that.
 
See, I was thinking it'd be hard to compete with and differentiate against Moras with a cheap knife... so rather, to increase toughness it'd mean a better steel, maybe some blade geometry tricks that'd drive cost up, full tang, a good handle... make it spendy instead. Dunno, but we'll have a good prototype sometime early 2013 once Wohlwend gets my knife done and I go pound on it!
 
What about a ka-bar sword? Seems a number of people are into the idea of it. If it is kept around $150 (on the street retail), I would be up for it.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1019068-I-had-a-dream-about-a-Kabar-sword

What about making D2 versions of other blades on the Becker line or a Thinner BK2 (maybe thats what the BK10 is). A slight redesign to the traditional Ka-bar Marine/ Army fighting knife with a full tang? IDK, some interesting things.
 
I'll toss in a couple of ideas. Here is an idea I had for a soldiers knife.
6-7 in. blade
.200 thick
No fuller.
Reinforced clip-point tip with a diamond shape
Sharpened swedge
Full tang, skeletal, ending in a glass-breaker with a wire-notch
Contoured to fit the human hands, micarta scales
Single-guard
Flat, rough spine.
Full Flat-grind
One quarter edge serrated, but flat teeth instead of pointed.
Jimping on spine before it meets the handle
Quieted slim kydex sheath with a clip, with piggy-back carry for a large multitool.
Steel:Good old 1095.

In that you have increased utility use, as well as increased penetration/piercing capacity. Durability would be high. Flat grind would ensure a tough edge capable of being sharpened in the field. Flat-toothed serrations would increase cutting ability for nylon webbing, straps, etc without getting caught by it's teeth. Knife could easily double as an egression tool. If the skeletal tang is done properly, it would tolerate quite alot of abuse and minimize weight, while forwarding balance (Also, if the pins come out, the scales get lost, you can wrap a skeletal tang..) Yes, that's pretty much my dream knife (except without the swedge, clip-point, and it'd be one-to-two inches shorter. :-)
 
I think Ka-Bar already makes that knife. You just gotta add the serrations, jimping & a littke more thickness to a BK-7. LOL :D

Seriously though, I REALLY like what Ontario did by having 2 lines of some of their knives---for example: the "ready deployment" (RD) and the "bush series" (RDB) , by having a choice of 3/16" or 1/4" steel thickness, but the same knife. I think thats a GREAT idea. Gives the buyer some choice.
 
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