Just think about this for a second. These large Bowie type knives were used by people that thought that old west towns (population 43) were too conjested and they just had to get away from it all and go up in the mountains. The knives had to take the place of many tools that the average farmer would have in his barn. But because they had what they can carry or could strap to a horse, this had to be a bomb proof versatile design that lasts and lasts and lasts.
In modern times, the only group that endures anything comparable to this is our military troops that are cast out in hostle places with minimal equipment. In such places, you will find more USMC Ka-Bars than just about any other knife. Sure things like the "Buckmaster" comes and goes but through it all, the Ka-Bar just keeps trucking along. It is hard for average Joe to imagine all the things these knives are asked to do by our troops. They cut, dig, smach, pry, stab, get dropped, run over, thrown and much much more. Even beyond that, most of these hard working USMC Ka-Bars do their tour of duty with honor and then get passed down to the next generation still intact! Nothing fancy, it is just a tool that does what it is advertised to do, and then some.
So as for your question about a "better" knife?. In another hundred years we can look back at what our troops take to battle and see if one stands out more than the USMC Ka-Bar has for the last hundred years. My guess is that the space Marines will still have a Ka-Bar straped to their gear!
