Mark 2 Combat Knives

S

Stinky Whizzleteats

Joined
May 19, 2004
Messages
72
I've been picking these knives up here and there for the last year or so, and I've noticed that the prices on these things have gone through the roof.

I'm seeing prices over $225.00 on fair condition examples, and up to $100.00 for knives that look like they got left in the bottom of a boat for 20 years.

I know they're not being made anymore, and no one carries or issues them, but the prices on these are getting close to ridiculous. I saw one with the extremely optimistic price tag of $899.00 on ebay the other day.

I just picked up a Camillus Mark 2 in fair condition for $85.00, and I will be carrying this one to Afghanistan in a few months. My dad carried one just like this during his tour in Vietnam in 1967, and I think it'll be cool as hell to take one with me on my second tour overseas. I had newer model Ka-Bar when I was in Iraq that I bought at the Marine Exchange on our FOB. it was a great blade for utility work and general big knife goodness, but this time i want to take something special. I love the idea of putting one of these vintage blades back to work in a combat theater, and I don't want to take my excellent examples. This one's gonna be a work knife, so it can be a little rough around the edges.

Anybody collect these knives? I'm working on getting some of the other variants like Robeson and Ka-Bar as well.
 
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Yah, I have a few :) Anything from WWII with the initials U.S.M.C on the blade or guard seems to demand a premium, especially if manufactured by Union Cutlery (Ka-bar).

If you want to spend big money on a Mark 2, look for one marked M.S.I. They are rough like a modern Ontario version but quite rare. From there, look for Conetta, Robeson Cutlery, Utica, and Pal. Happy collecting.
 
D R E said:
IMG_0696-1.jpg


Yah, I have a few :) Anything from WWII with the initials U.S.M.C on the blade or guard seems to demand a premium, especially if manufactured by Union Cutlery (Ka-bar).

If you want to spend big money on a Mark 2, look for one marked M.S.I. They are rough like a modern Ontario version but quite rare. From there, look for Conetta, Robeson Cutlery, Utica, and Pal. Happy collecting.
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Nice collection!

I wish I still had my dad's old Camillus, but we lost that in a move years ago.

Lots of folks say there's better knives out there, and I'm sure there are, but for some reason I just dig on these old "Ka-Bars."
 
Are there any makers making this design? I do recall back in the 1990's there was one, but I can't remember his name.. The reason I ask is because I really lokve this design, but I worry about the only weak spot where it could fail which is where the blade meets the tang. I would think that a bladesmith recreating this knife would address this issue when recreating the design.. BTW, I used a Case knives version that I had reground and the leather handle treated as well as a custom leather sheath made when I was a 13B with the US Army back in the 1990's.. the MK2 is simply one of the best designs out there..

Cheers,
Serge
 
You can still buy the original KA-BAR from, of all people, KA-BAR for under $60 if you shop around. No, it won't be an antique, but it's still considered the knife that set the pattern for fighting/utility knives, and it's still a darn fine knife.

I carried one in Vietnam for a couple of tours, and it never let me down.
 
for duty now i would opt for the d2 variant made by ka-bar . pricey but when i chopped on dry liveoak a while back the edge holding was super.dennis
 
I have 2 Camillus combat knives,one got fried leather disks in a chopper and the replacement i got off guy in the 25 Inf Div but he cut the guard off where the holes are located.I want to take the guard off the burnt one and transfer over.How do i get the pommel off without any damage.
 
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