KA-BAR USMC Full Size -- Love or Hate?

My all time favorite, i currently own 5 of them.
To much history not to love it, it's a classic !!
 
the Ka-Bar was my first quality fixed blade. i like it quite a bit, great knife for the money.

i have the desert tan/serrated version. kinda wished i had gone black/PE but what do ya do.
 
You know what I think? It's the keyboard commando's and mall ninjas that have never used a knife in their lives to do more than open a video game box, they hate on the KA-BAR because it's not an absolute tank (like their hollow-handle 'survival knives'?? :rolleyes:).

KA-BAR :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
Hollow-handled survival knives? Yep, I've got one of them.

Randallcamo18.jpg


(I use the Ka-Bar more, though.)
 
The 5" Kabar was my first knife. Great blade.

For ~$50 shipped the 7" Kabar w/kydex sheath is a bargain. And it's made in the USA.

One cool thing i use it for is kinda like a mini-machete. If you choke down the 7" Kabar so the pinky is hanging off, a pinch grip with the remaining three fingers creates a nice flicking motion with decent reach. :thumbup:
 
FMJ Hunter said:
KA-BAR USMC Full Size -- Love or Hate?
Click to expand...

Samael said:
Love. For the price, it's still one of the best buys in the knife world today. Don't believe all the hooey about the tang - it's worked just fine under some pretty extreme conditions for about 70 years now.

Mine's got a leather handle, by the way. Wouldn't consider anything else.
Click to expand...

I agree with Samael.
Gotta love the Kabar USMC.
Some things are so classic and so functional that there is no choice but to love them.
 
Red, I don't think you get to "opt." But if you do, go Kydex. And I hate Kydex. But their leather sheaths suck.
 
Well... if you've got a leather handled one like I do, the kydex looks funny on it.

If you have a synthetic handle, get the Kydex... no questions asked.
 
FMJ Hunter said:
:o:o:o:o

well..... i DO have a lot to learn.
Click to expand...

Yes, you do. And I'm going to cut you a huge amount of slack and give you a free lesson. It's a little off-topic for this thread, but pay attention and you might learn something.

Way back in the '70s, a guy by the name of David Morrell wrote a book called "First Blood." He used the Randall model 18 as John Rambo's knife, since it had distinguished itself so well in Vietnam. When it came time to make the movie, the producers approached Bo Randall with an offer to make the knife for the movie, but there was a catch: They told him he would have to "customize" the knife so they could market cheap rip-offs. Bo showed them the door. They ended up going to Jimmy Lile, who made a great knife, but it had absolutely no pre-existing combat history. And yes, there was a flood of cheap knock-offs.

In the wake of the movie, everybody and their brother came out with a "hollow-handled survival knife." The best were "okay" (that would be the Buck); the rest were, indeed, "trash."

So I understand where your preconceptions may be coming from. The only problem is, you're wrong. Hopefully, this will set you straight.
 
How does the blade of a Randall model 18 connect to the hollow handle? Is it one piece like Chris Reeve's?
 
Good question, but you've been around for a while and I'd expect that from you.

Answer: I'm not really sure, I got in a load of trouble when I suggested on the Randall forum that it was welded. Apparently it's something close to that, but not exact. And nobody got into the nitty-gritty details.

Regardless, the fact remains that they must be doing something right, since they've been making them since the '60s and they haven't had one fail yet. Really.
 
I have a few knives that I really like. The full-size leather-handled Kabar USMC I LOVE. It's a classic. Like the Boss Mustang I used to have. Just somethin about it.
 
FMJ Hunter said:
Glad to be informed, that makes sense. What steel do they use in the Randall 18's blade?
Click to expand...

Either O-1 tool steel (my preference, but not recommended for those who live in places where humidity is an issue) or a stainless steel that borders between 440B and 440C (it runs so close to the line in carbon content that any given batch can fall to one side or the other).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top