Kabar usmc, Kabar fighter, or cold steel leatherneck d2?

J

Joshua Wong

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Feb 26, 2018
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I’m looking for all around knife that can be used for hunting, camping, survival jungle use. I like the look of the Kabar fighter, but is it more robust than the cold steel leather neck? I just want one option that is more durable and reliable.
 
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The leatherneck is full tang, and D2 has a bit more stainlessness than the kabar. If you're looking for heavier use, I think the leatherneck would be better.
 
Dergyll said:
The leatherneck is full tang, and D2 has a bit more stainlessness than the kabar. If you're looking for heavier use, I think the leatherneck would be better.
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But Kabar's 1095cv steel is tougher than D2, even if it's more susceptible to corrosion.


The real question, in my mind, is whether those three really represent best choices for your application. We can suggest other options if you're open to suggestions for better suited knives.

If you only want to consider those three, then so be it.
 
19-3ben said:
But Kabar's 1095cv steel is tougher than D2, even if it's more susceptible to corrosion.


The real question, in my mind, is whether those three really represent best choices for your application. We can suggest other options if you're open to suggestions for better suited knives.

If you only want to consider those three, then so be it.
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Kinda want to stay within those three
 
I would go with the "Fighter".

It's my understanding that the tang on the Fighter is drawn-back taller (*"wider"?) than on the standard F/U. 🤷‍♂️
 
Joshua Wong said:
This is a great option, but I’m concerned about weight as well.
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The BK-7, while being a VERY robust knife, handles very much like the Navy Mark II/Marine F/U knife. In other words, it's a very fast handling knife.

It is an outstanding full (*exposed) tang option to the knives you are considering. I definitely wouldn't rule it out without giving it some serious consideration.


Your mileage may vary. Happy hunting.
 
I heard that the BK-7 was borne of a request made to Ethan Becker to re-imagine a modern version of the Navy Mark II.

In typical Ethan Becker style, he created an outstanding knife...



 
I understand the 1095/D2 comparison...but I still think the leatherneck would be a better general purpose beater. I think the failure chance of the usmc is just a tad higher.

Ahhh here's a young demko and master lynn...good old days lol

Edit: good breakdown by Nutnfancy.
 
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Of the three, I like the fighter the best. Now thst it is offered in a straight edge, I think it improves on the classic kabar in a lot of ways.

That said, for field use, I dunno if I would pick any of those three. They all will work just fine, but I dont think I would baton and pry with them too much. Kabars and their copies are "tough" but not really "robust". By that I mean that they are "tough" inasmuchas you can throw one under a jeep, bend the tang to hell, and then straighten it back over your knee and roll on. "Robust" is more a function (to me) of being able to be pried on, slammed, and twisted while maintaining its shape. The Becker would be better for that. I am kind of digging my new TOPS Combat in that role, but it is pretty dang heavy if weight is a factor.

Any of the three you listed should be fine if you use them within their parameters.
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Of the three, I like the fighter the best. Now thst it is offered in a straight edge, I think it improves on the classic kabar in a lot of ways.

That said, for field use, I dunno if I would pick any of those three. They all will work just fine, but I dont think I would baton and pry with them too much. Kabars and their copies are "tough" but not really "robust". By that I mean that they are "tough" inasmuchas you can throw one under a jeep, bend the tang to hell, and then straighten it back over your knee and roll on. "Robust" is more a function (to me) of being able to be pried on, slammed, and twisted while maintaining its shape. The Becker would be better for that. I am kind of digging my new TOPS Combat in that role, but it is pretty dang heavy if weight is a factor.

Any of the three you listed should be fine if you use them within their parameters.
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Why do you like the fighter better than the leatherneck? Is it more robust ?
 
I'd look at the Ontario SP series too, Specifically the SP-6 or SP-1.

Between the stand KA-BAR and the Leatherneck, the Leatherneck is a much beefier knife, way more substantial in the tang particularly. I don't have experience with the Fighter version.
 
Joshua Wong said:
Why do you like the fighter better than the leatherneck? Is it more robust ?
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I have always just liked the Kabar line over Cold Steel's version. No real subjective reason other than I'm not a huge fan of D2 for most applications.

I bought the fighter several years ago when a forum friend was passing around old James Keating DVDs. I had a practice plastic knife and several larger knives that were made to be large and heavy-ish fighters, but I was curious to use a lot of Mr. Keating's techniques with a slightly shorter blade to see how they translated. They totally did.

I like that I gain a little more blade length with the Fighter. I also like the wide blade and pronounced clip (which could easily be sharpened for back cuts). The blade shape is a little unique. If memory serves me, the original version of the knife before the Fighter used a single guard and allowed for one's thumb to ramp up on the spine.

In short, I think it is a very handsome knife and certainly one that could live up to its name. It's just not the knife I would pick to beat on in the woods. Then again, I seldom NEED much knife in the woods these days.
 
Dergyll said:
I understand the 1095/D2 comparison...but I still think the leatherneck would be a better general purpose beater. I think the failure chance of the usmc is just a tad higher.

Ahhh here's a young demko and master lynn...good old days lol

Edit: good breakdown by Nutnfancy.
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I believe they discontinued the full flat grind Leatherneck and later versions matched the Kabar F/U knife. The Nutnfancy video shows the FFG version.
 
I have several military Kabar's


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I purchased a Cold Steel D2 leatherneck and I think it is a more substantial knife than the military kabar. It is heavier, and the prefer the handle for orientation. An original Kabar handle is round, Cold Steel's is not. But let me say this, the kabar is not a good ulitity knife, it is big, it is long. You want to kill someone, it will work just fine, but for most other activities, meh.

Let me recommend something like this for a camp knife

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or this, I really like this knife
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These are not ideal for going mano e mano with a Grizzly, or Zombie, but they are much more useful as general purpose knives. As a "survival knife" you do not want to be carrying any more weight than you need in a calorie restricted environment.

And, this is also a great outside knife

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i recently got a kabar USMC knife with input from the knowledgeable folks here for similar use. You soon get an idea of the depth of knowledge on knife models when the replies start coming in. I actually live in jungle, well tropical rainforest we call it, or 'the scrub' for short. I wanted general use, tough, not overly heavy, all rounder and a personal preference of at least 7" blade which is usual minimum for pig sticking as a sport here. If I didnt stick pigs, something even shorter would do. I considered bigger knives like the heavy beckers and big bowies but found no benefit in this terrain. The next level up, eg trail clearer or pack knife, the extra weight is better distributed getting you some more reach and slashing ability, machete, kukri, etc. Thats not to knock a becker bk-9, Im sure it would do the job, but I am always trying to shave ounces of my carry weight, and I cant justify short heavy peices of steel. For other climates/terrains, the fellas above are better able to assist you. I only jumped in with my usual jungle blurb as you mentioned it specifically
 
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