Kabar fighting knife

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Blackcat471

Joined
Oct 23, 2014
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27
Whats everyones thoughts in the ka bar fighting knife i was thinking if getting ine fir my hiking partner for his birthday.
 
What would you be using it for? If its battoning then no, the stick tang won't hold up. I recommend you look at Becker's, Ontario's or Esee's line ups. Rock solid knives for great prices all around.
 
Thats a good argument about the tang thanks for brinking that up. Any havking at all that handles gonna bend.
 
If your partner is going to do multi-day trips then you might want to consider a smaller fixed blade or a lighter folder. When you are carrying everything on your back and travelling multiple miles over the course of days, then the ounces add up.

I carry larger fixed blades on day hikes and my light, cheap, tough rat1 for multi-day trips.
 
If you are talking about the KA-BAR MK II Utility/Fighting knife then I highly suggest you get one as I love mine and used it as my primary outdoors knife for a couple of years.
 
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I just realized I never answered the question. I love the Kabar. I'm just getting into this hobby but it's on my shortlist to own. It would make an awesome gift! I would take it on dayhikes, just not on longer trips where I'm trying to be weight conscious.
 
I just went to the military surplus and checked them out in person. That bk was beefy as hell. No hes not the kind to thrash things. One of thems on my short list too.
 
Idk honestly a guy I know broke his bk2 in half in the middle of the handle batoning but hasn't broken his USMC kabar and has had it for like 8 years and batons regularly with it. On a side note Becker replaced the knife and apologized for the incovience.
 
great knife with decades of proven use behind it in all situations. K Bars 1095 has a great heat treat and is tough as can be, don't let the fact that it is a stick tang fool you that knife can take a beating.

With that said I personally do prefer the bk16, but if this is for multi day hikes you might want something smaller and lighter than either of those. Look at the BK14 and the ESEE Izula.
 
Twank69 said:
What would you be using it for? If its battoning then no, the stick tang won't hold up. I recommend you look at Becker's, Ontario's or Esee's line ups. Rock solid knives for great prices all around.
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Won't hold up? Huh? Mine have been battoning for years. Just because it's a "rat" tang doesn't mean it's weak. Those knives are tuff as nails
 
droptrd said:
Won't hold up? Huh? Mine have been battoning for years. Just because it's a "rat" tang doesn't mean it's weak. Those knives are tuff as nails
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What's that old saying? Quality over quanty.

Unrelated example. Look at a life proof case, 1/8th of an inch of plastic and 2 o rings and you can throw your phone off the roof of your house onto cement and the phone lives. It's how it's designed and not how much is there.
 
They are good knives, and being a former Marine I've had a few. The KaBar wouldn't be my first choice for a woods blade but a lot of that is my personal preference. I have seen a KaBar bend severely at the tang while batoning wood. You have to understand that the knife wasn't designed for that. It's a fighting knife and a utility knife. If you understand the limitations of your tool, the knife will perform great. You may never see it bend or break but know that the potential is greater than a full tang knife for it to fail.
 
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For camping, bla, well, anything these days, I go for full tang. With Beckers being as inexpensive as they are, there's really no reason not to go full tang. Same steel as the kabar, better design for use in the field. May not need it, but when you are in the woods, it's one of those "be prepared" things.

Sure, if you want one for the history, or whatever, the kabar has that. If you want one for camping/hiking/whatever, the Becker is the better choice. If you expand your horizons in the woods, you will appreciate the becker a whole lot more because you won't be having to run out and buy another knife (the horror).

For me, this is one of those "buy it for the design, not the sexiness factor" situations.

As always, YMMV
 
I have a Camillus USMC, acquired in the late 60's, that I've carried on many outings. I still do. It's still in great condition. I'd recommend one easily as a good outdoor knife.

Years ago I drilled two holes through the top, paracord wrapped it and brought the cord ends through the pommel to form a slip-thumb/wrist strap coming out of the top of the handle. Totally changed the knife into an awesome tool---I can come way back on the handle now, secured by the wrist lanyard, and it's a hell of a chopper in addition to doing everything else well.

It's a great all-purpose knife that I've batoned a lot over the years. Never had a problem with it in any way. I have other knives I use too but the USMC has never run into anything it couldn't handle. Probably one of my top 3 or 4 heavy duty/outdoor users as far as time on my belt.

If you like the knife buy it, use it and enjoy it. You aren't going to break the knife.
 
Stick tangs can be fine for a woods knife, if it is made properly (differentially heat treated tang/blade) and the user knows what he's doing. If the material being split is allowed to contact the handle or guard, it sets up a shear and could snap the blade off.

I've used my Blackjack Model 5 (stick tang) quite a bit in the woods and it's been fantastic. If you want a knife with classic military styling, the Randall based Blackjack knives are great with micarta handles and convex ground A2 steel blades.
 
Ive seen the bks for 70 bucks too. I may get him that and get myself a fighting knife as a personal self defense knife.
 
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