KA-BAR Tech Talk

Kabar Camp Knife, precursor to the Cutlass Machete. Cutlass blade style, with a Kabar standard oval handle in Kraton.

8" instead of the 10" blade of the Cutlass, a real work of art, and one of my favorite blades until I started using the BK9 heavily.

Just didn't sell very well.

Moose

Thanks Moose :), do you know when they were around though? Like what year? Wouldnt mind at all if they came back into production or reincarnated (Snoop Lion :D!) in to the ZK line or something...Looks like a cool little chopper.
 
Thanks Moose :), do you know when they were around though? Like what year? Wouldnt mind at all if they came back into production or reincarnated (Snoop Lion :D!) in to the ZK line or something...Looks like a cool little chopper.



I'm not sure, Toooj will have to confirm that. I remember seeing them dissapear around 2005/2006, but I could be wrong.

Moose
 
Every time someone brings up the KB Camp Knife, I feel the universe mocking me because I haven't gotten one yet.

Stop mocking me, universe.

Also, if KB released one with the Toooj handle and the new coating, it'd be a Day 1 purchase for me.
 
Toooj, I was able to get one of the pre release BK 24's. I am loving it. Can you tell me at what RC did you temper the D2?
 
CamH,

The 1244 (Black Camp knife) was produced from 2002-2010. Not so great sales. If you search hard enough you will find them at some of the small ma and pa stores.

LG &M,

We hard/temp our D2 to final hardness of HRc 59-60. It's a touch lower than it could be but we have found that it makes it easier for the user to sharpen the edge and adds a bit of toughness. Remember, that the same abrasion resistance that allows the D2 edge to keep on cutting is the same abrasion resistance that makes D2 a bear to sharpen.
Hope all of this helps.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
 
Thanks, thats about where I would want it. Like you said a good balance for knife that might be used hard. I have a bunch of cardboard and am going to test it next to my Kabar 1095 CV BK11 and my Cam era BK11 for edge holding. should be interresting. Any bets on the outcome? I have a D2 Dozier I am going to toss in the mix also.
 
Toooj, what do you think of L6 steel? I would think it more popular. How about the next BK 11 /14 in L6?
 
LG&M,

L6 is a great steel. I've played with several of Larry Harley's knives out of L6 and they were superb cutters and very tough. (Of course, he austempers his blades so that helps tremendously) Larry is one of the Kings of L6.
Here is the issue with L6 and many of the other superb knife steels: Getting sufficient quantities and in the sizes and thickness's that we need to process. Many Smiths use L6 as it is readily available in rods and bars which is conducive for smiths. However, it is not conducive for production. It is hard to get in sheets and in the size, thickness and tonnage we require. Also many of the fancy steels require very different processing methods (different grinding wheels, heat treat protocols, blanking/cutting processes; etc. To name a few things). We have the technical knowledge but are not ready to commit large times, monies and effort to large scale production without assurances of good ROI. Remember, we make a LOT of knives, so the scale of economy is very different from the Custom Smiths and Stock Removal makers.
As you can guess from this post and the many others I have posted concerning steel; it's not about the steel. That's the easy part. It's about all of the other ancillary and secondary things that cause the issues. I get steel samples all the time. Love them all. There are a lot of great knife steels out there by a lot of great steel companies. But unless we can figure out all of the issues that are created from adding a new steel, we have to beg off.
Sorry for the long winded explaination. Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
 
Thanks for the response. I guess I never thought of it like that. I do understand, I work in manufacturing also. We just don't make anything as cool as you.
The logistics of putting a project together and getting what you need when you need it from your vendors can be a real pain. I just think the BK 11 & 14 are such a great platform for testing (playing ) different steels but if it can't be done in a cost effective way it would never work.

So what you are saying is a L6 BK11 would rock right?
 
LG&M,

So what you are saying is a L6 BK11 would rock right?

YES. So would Crucible steels, Cartech, Latrobe, Sandvik. Love them all. :D

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
 
blazerman,

I talked to both Mike and Jeff at Smoky Mt Rep weekend. They don't have a problem with us doing it. However, we at KA-BAR will have to do some serious thinking about it. The added length is not the issue. The tooling cost of the handles that we just introduced for the Eskabar I is the issue. We need to get our money out of that before we change the handle and obsolete the tooling. In the words of one of my former bosses: "Nothing is ever easy".
But don't give up hope.
Hope this helps.

Best Regards,


Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
 
flipaldinho,

The BK-10s are moving through the factory. It is scheduled for release at SHOT Show 2013. It will be powder coated and have the pommel.
Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
Will there be any difference between the production model to be released, or will they be the same as the BK10LE's?
 
Warrior,

The BK10LEs were made from old Camillus blanks. The new production run will be made entirely by KA-BAR. There may be some very slight profile variations just like the other Cammy vs KA-BAR Beckers but our intention is to keep the look the same.
We will try to improve on the "feel" and performance characteristics of the knife.
Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
 
Warrior,

The BK10LEs were made from old Camillus blanks. The new production run will be made entirely by KA-BAR. There may be some very slight profile variations just like the other Cammy vs KA-BAR Beckers but our intention is to keep the look the same.
We will try to improve on the "feel" and performance characteristics of the knife.
Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
What will the thickness be, if I may ask?
 
Warrior,

Thickness will be 0.1875" Cro-Van.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives
 
Warrior,

Thickness will be 0.1875" Cro-Van.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives

Thanks again Tooj, appreciate it. I'll probably end up buying another. I sold my LE. Couldn't bring myself to use it.
 
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