Ontario or Ka-Bar

revolverman357 said:
Oh yea!, the Becker BK2 looks like it may be the one for me.

How is the 1095 CroVan steel, is it durable?
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Keeping in mind that it's 1095 carbon, and not a stainless, I have to say that it is outstanding. Not only is it a very good steel in its own right, but Ka-Bar's heat treat is outstanding as well. It is very easy to sharpen, takes a very good edge (mine is shaving sharp) and holds it well. 1095 is a very tough steel that holds up well to almost anything you can throw at it. Durable? Yes, exceedingly.

There seem to be those who think that if a knife isn't made of the latest "Super Steel," it isn't worth noting. Well, as many on this board will tell you, 1095 has been a favorite for a long time, and for a very good reason: it's a superb steel. As heat treated by Ka-Bar or RAT, it's simply ... well ... outstanding.
 
Save up and by a RC knife. Never bought one, but I've handled one at the dealer's and it looks to be worth the money. Head over to the RAT cutlery forum if you still need convincing :D
 
Just an update, I ordered the Becker BK2 Companion knife and while I was at it, I ordered the Rat Izula neck knife with the kit.

I took Jake Bauer's advise and ordered from ridgeknifeshop.com, they had the best prices and reasonable shipping charges. Now I wait......

Thanks everyone for the input.
 
dawsonbob said:
Keeping in mind that it's 1095 carbon, and not a stainless, I have to say that it is outstanding. Not only is it a very good steel in its own right, but Ka-Bar's heat treat is outstanding as well. It is very easy to sharpen, takes a very good edge (mine is shaving sharp) and holds it well. 1095 is a very tough steel that holds up well to almost anything you can throw at it. Durable? Yes, exceedingly.

There seem to be those who think that if a knife isn't made of the latest "Super Steel," it isn't worth noting. Well, as many on this board will tell you, 1095 has been a favorite for a long time, and for a very good reason: it's a superb steel. As heat treated by Ka-Bar or RAT, it's simply ... well ... outstanding.
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x10

but the Ontario RD6 or RD7 are some very nice blades too.
:-)
(no.. I don't hate Ontario Knife Company,sorry)
 
i beat the crap out of my kabar and it worked great till i was stupid and ruined the edge with my dremmel
 
cabala said:
Glock model 78. Three times cheaper and three times better in every way. I got RAT 7, Ka bar kraton and 78. RAT has terrible handle, Ka bar has has best handle in the World but very narrow thorn in handle so blade can be broken with strong lateral force ( if you try to open wooden box or door ), Glock has good handle ( not like Ka bar ), but is strongest knife of all three. I really don't understand how is RAT 7 actually used in NATO forces. Useless piece of steel.
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I have a glock knife with the saw back, and yes I like it. It opens Heinekens exceptionally well. To compare the glock 78 with a RAT 7 is ludicrous. The glock will not hold an edge as well as the RAT 7, will not slice, the 7 is also a better chopper if it had to be used that way. Granted the glock does have a nice handle. "An xray of the glock knife showed the tang goes into the handle and then splits, with a connector or shock plate at the tang's split. The pommel end of the split tang consisted of concealed metal found within the pommel's butt cap, creating a working pommel able to absorb shock from pounding and also preventing electrical shocks. These are well-made, tough knives" (taken from http://www.allbusiness.com/international-relations/weapons-arms-firearms/8915523-1.html. ) But out of the two the Rat 7 is more utilitarian than the glock.
 
jamaljahda said:
I have a glock knife with the saw back, and yes I like it. It opens Heinekens exceptionally well. To compare the glock 78 with a RAT 7 is ludicrous. The glock will not hold an edge as well as the RAT 7, will not slice, the 7 is also a better chopper if it had to be used that way. Granted the glock does have a nice handle. "An xray of the glock knife showed the tang goes into the handle and then splits, with a connector or shock plate at the tang's split. The pommel end of the split tang consisted of concealed metal found within the pommel's butt cap, creating a working pommel able to absorb shock from pounding and also preventing electrical shocks. These are well-made, tough knives" (taken from http://www.allbusiness.com/international-relations/weapons-arms-firearms/8915523-1.html. ) But out of the two the Rat 7 is more utilitarian than the glock.
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yeah but when carrying the Glock, you dont even feel you carry it so lightweight this blade is.
and I have to agree with cabala on the Rat handle,i also came back from the RD6 and 7 .those handles started to annoy me.way too awkward(square,flat) in the hand.no good ergonomics whatsoever at all.
the Glock is a suberb stabbing knife.tough (you can even throw this knife).and for a soldier that is not a bad asset in a knife.when you are in a trench-like situation(hopefully not).

i agree with you on that the Rat is a better chopper and slicer.wide blade ,flat grind.works like a kitchen knife.

I think the Kabar would be best for all around tasks.yes the tang is not as strong as that of the Rat.so?
it does what it has to do.
and the handle is very very good.

there was a time i also was looking for 'the most tough'blade,one being nearly indestructable.
but this is not the thing i have as high on my priority list as i used to have.
those hidden tang knives are way strong enough to do what they have to do.
plus,they are far more comfortable in the hand.

so many of those medieval swords had a hidden/narrow tang.
the Roman Gladius did.
and those fellows REALLY had their lives rely on their blades working well.(at the moment I've got my eyes on the Eickhorn KM5000 and Recondo IV,those look 'pretty cool')
 
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Great choice!
The Izula is my Favourite RAT knife, I got 2 new ones yesterday. that makes it 3 Izulas for me. And the BK-2 is the best becker you can buy (currently). My favourite is the Magnum camp still, too bad it's discontinued.
 
My USMC Ka-bar is over 10 years old and has been through hell and back three times over and it is still going strong and it still one of my favorite knives. I also have an Ontario US Pilots Survival knife and while it hasn't seen anywhere near the use and abuse as my Ka-bar, it is a very solid knife as well.
 
I would go with any Ontario knife over a Ka- Bar. Reason being Ontario knifes are full tang while Ka bar knifes are partial tangs. after watching a utube video on ka bar knife failures I went with Ontario and been happen with them ever since.
 
revolverman357 said:
I am interested in either the Ontario sp1 marine combat or the ka-bar u.s.m.c fighting/utility knife. Which do you all recommend and why.

Or is there something better in this price range ($45 - $65).
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It's very, very hard to go wrong with either one of them. Both are made in America be reputable companies, and both have good warranties.

Will Batayte said:
I had one Ontario knife and it will be my last. It was one of the marine raider bowies. I admit that I was throwing it into a wooden target, but I wasn't missing and the blade took a severe bend just from getting thrown into some wood. I've done the same with a bunch of my knives and the ones that fail like this are usually flea market specials left over from childhood. I was really unimpressed with that knife.
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What on earth are you doing, throwing a cutting/chopping knife at targets? I never understood the appeal of such a practice. It's not meant to be a missile, it's meant for cutting, stabbing, splitting, and other close range work. If you want a throwing knife, get one specifically designed for such.

smokey1187 said:
I would go with any Ontario knife over a Ka- Bar. Reason being Ontario knifes are full tang while Ka bar knifes are partial tangs. after watching a utube video on ka bar knife failures I went with Ontario and been happen with them ever since.
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I've seen enough of the tech talk with Tooj thread to know that this isn't the truth. Both knives have tangs of similar dimensions.
 
Sorry Charlie but your wrong on the tangs Ka-bar tang reduces into a rat tail in the handle, The Ontario knifes all full tang all the way through. Ka-bar might have the rep because of the used in WW2 but for the buck Ontario beats it by a "tang".
 
smokey1187 said:
Sorry Charlie but your wrong on the tangs Ka-bar tang reduces into a rat tail in the handle, The Ontario knifes all full tang all the way through. Ka-bar might have the rep because of the used in WW2 but for the buck Ontario beats it by a "tang".
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Full as in full length. Not full as in cut to the exact same profile of the soft cushiony handle material that wraps around it.

This thread http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/694950-Restoring-a-Ka-Bar shows the width of the tang in comparison to the blade. This blog http://christophersknifeblog.wordpr...y-kukri-with-custom-handle-and-custom-sheath/ shows the supposed full tang of the Ontario kukri.

You'll note the similarities between the two, even though the Ontario kukri is meant for far harder use than the KA-BAR F/UK.
 
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