Ka-Bar, Sog, and Ontario?

E

equalizersnc

Joined
Apr 1, 2008
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Hey everybody, I've been looking through several threads in the past about the following knives and im getting more confused/enlightened that I'd like to ask this community straight out! I'm looking to get a full size fixed blade about 12" in total length for myself and for a friend who used to be a marine. This far, I've narrowed the choices down to:

Ka-bar D2 1281 extreme (My friend used to use a ka-bar in the marines)
Sog Seal Team elite
Sog Seal 2000
Sog Seal Team (the 2008 S37 on their website)
Ontario RAT-7 in D2

The usage of the knive(s) will be fairly heavy duty (camping/survival) and all around use (cutting boxes, etc.) but not for actual combat (the closest will be hunting) - the heritage and combat-readiness is a nice touch as a gift though!

Can anyone rank these knives? I GREATLY appreciate the feedback, as I respect the opinions of this community very much (I've been lurking for many many months!)
 
I have a seal 2000 for a few years, right now it sits permanently in the truck door. It will do all of the above in a pinch, but far from doing it well.

I don't think it's a great camp knife. The factory edge chips easily, it lacks the weight forwardness for chopping. I don't know how much boxes you cut, but it's way too thick for my liking as it binds heavily with cardboard. It is however pretty lively, but it's only important if you fight with it.

I like my CS recon scout in carbon 5? for camping now. It's fairly cheap, and decent balance for chopping. Not gonna make me cry if it breaks as I can get another readily. Otherwise, RD7 and the rat 7 seems to be well suited for the job as well.
 
"equalizersnc"
If you can find 'em; well, yeah... kick-@zz - D2 Ka-Bar is top dog, IMHO.
RAT's D2s equals that FYI.
Pretty is how I would define the SOG SEALKnives, so nice in fact - that it could get in the way of some way serious hard use.
 
It sounds like Sog makes knives that look good and are good for true tactical purposes, but aren't the best suited for general applications while the ka-bar is fairly well rounded? I've been reading on the forums a lot about d2 versus 1095 vs others.. The AUS8 used in the Sog knives seem to be at the bottom of the materials then? Is the extra brittle-ness of D2 really noticeable versus 1095? I really appreciate all the comments thus far!!
 
"equalizersnc"
That's right, dude! You are very well informed indeed.
and
"... Is the extra brittle-ness of D2 really noticeable versus 1095?..."

It's normal for any knife made from any steel, to wear down from use.
That's when you begin to notice a gradual loss of "sharpness" on a blade edge during use.
That's when it doesn't dig-in quite well, as it did, or shave away material you intend to shave-off.
Time for some quick sharpenin'.
Brittleness? Well, I won't put it quite that way.
But... should the blade edge start to develope "chips" (or appear "toothy" along the cutting edge), then it's mostly the result of constant pounding or chopping upon a type of particular material which usually turn out to be much harder than what the blade type was designed to handle.
In which case, chopping down branches is pretty much an acceptable practice.
But to chop-up dead wood or an entire log is a job better suited to an axe or really heavy duty woodsman's blade.
I won't even mention diggin' up roots...
But, given the right workin' conditions and in circumstance permittin' - D2 still has a lot more goin' for it than the usual 1095.

As for SOG Knives usin' stainless steel blades - well, it's no secret that if given the choice nobody want's to bother with knife aftercare (especially if your job mean's workin' 24/7 and gettin' no downtime from the Government...).
Stainless Steel requires less "immediate" attention after use.
So that works out quite well for a particular market segment.
The rest is all about makin' sure you know the limitations of any said knife type and the environment in which it operates in.
 
I've heard good things about the SOG Bowies and Seal knives; the AUS8 isn't as edge-savy as the supersteels, but it's not as brittle, either. It's still really tough steel, and the ratio of edge-retention to ease-of-sharpening is ideal for folks who have to go long periods without benchstones.
On that note, I don't mean anything by this - maybe I just don't hang out with the Marines enough - but I don't often hear of any Marines using tool steel or carbon steel blades these days. I'm fairly certain that in their line of work, stainless is the way to go. I could be wrong. My $0.02
 
equalizersnc,

You should post this query in the "Wilderness Survival" forum, as well. Also, do a search there for "survival knife", "wilderness knife", "survival blade" and the like. You'll find heap-big information there :thumbup:
 
In all honesty, although good for the hunters ego (one never knows, attack by tiger may occur), big knives do not make dressing a deer easier. Anything more than a 5 - 6" blade just gets in the way. Been there, done that. Best (quickest) Whitetail dressing (assumes a saw or a hatchet for the bone) is with a 3-5" blade which can be wielded more precisely. That being said, check out the short Kabars. They look just like the MK2, but are a down about 1/3 in size and much more utilitarian for non-combat use.
 
I have a SOG Tech Bowie and my brother-in-law has the KABAR D2 Extreme Fighting Knife, the KABAR is really superior for a camp knife that you can just murder whereas the SOG does a good job and looks/feels great to me. I'm guessing the KABAR or Ontario are the way to go for your needs.

Good luck and post pics!
 
Thanks a lot everybody, I really appreciate all the input. I think that I'll spring for the Ka-bar in D2 and the Sog for my buddy who'll probably appreciate the liveliness,feel of the blade, and the ease of aftercare whereas ill be able to use the Ka-bar for more practical matters. What IS the proper method of aftercare of a D2 or AUS8 knife?

and I'll definitely post pictures as soon as theyre in my hands! thanks guys
 
well, D2 isn't my personnal preference for a larger knife that may be handling these chores.
I'm not sure exactly what you know about blade steel, but just in case, D2 CAN be brittle if chopping hardwoods and such (and I guess it depends on the maker too) so the kabar he might have used will be alot different than this D2 one, and if you are going to be doing anything "heavy duty" I would not go with a kabar in D2.
honestly, I'd get a ranger.
:D
way more suited for the type of work you described.
 
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