should i retire it

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bryant R

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May 29, 2011
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i have a 30 year old usmc kabar that my father carried throughout his time in the corps do y'all think i should retire it and buy another one or keep using this one
 
should i retire the 30 tear old kabar that my father used throughout his time in the corps and buy a new one sorry double post
 
I'd retire it. Clean it up well. Protect it and make a nice shadowbox display or something.
Take it out of the display once or twice a year(his birthday, Corps B-day) and use it to slice up prime rib or birthday cake.
 
I like what Angus said. I have done the same for the knives that I have inherited. I might "use" a few of them, but they don't go out, or get carried around. I might use them for very light tasks, at home.
In the case of your Ka-Bar, you can replace it, so but one to use if you like the model. Otherwise, get whatever you want to use, and just display your Father's knife, cause you can't replace that exact one.
 
My suggestion would be to use the Ka-bar. A hands on keepsake is a special treasure. If, after 30 years in the hands of your father, it is still useable, it will probably remain so or be restoreable, if necessary. You can add to the legacy, then pass it down to your offspring, also as a user, to be part of their life stories. A well worn Ka-bar has little cash value and if, in the hands of yourself or descendants it is somehow lost, well, then it becomes a family anecdote. I think that beats hanging on to another dust catcher, no?
 
Good advice from Angus follow it and retire that knife because while it is a knife it is also a family heirloom and should be treated as such.
 
i think im gonna keep using it for about a year and get a few more battle scars then get a new one
 
Buy the new model (1095 or D2) for a reasonable price and beat the snot out of it, so you don't have to worry about damaging a family heirloom.
 
IMO it only keeps its value in use. Unless it is something ridiculously special and rare. I would bet that your grandfather would want you to use the hell out of it. Obviously you can baby it a little more, to hopefully keep passing it on. If my Grandfather passed me down an old knife you bet I would use it every chance I could. And he'd probably clock me if I had kept it in my sock drawer or a glass display case, haha.
 
Angus McGunnigl said:
I'd retire it. Clean it up well. Protect it and make a nice shadowbox display or something.
Take it out of the display once or twice a year(his birthday, Corps B-day) and use it to slice up prime rib or birthday cake.
Click to expand...

Outstanding suggestion. I'm pretty sure you win the thread.

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Beckerhead #42
 
I have some knives my father has handed down and my grandfather/Great grandfather have handed down and I dont so much retire them as baby the ever lovin stuffin out of them. The may ride in my pocket for a day, I check that everythings sharp and oiled and put them away. A few of my very old hunters (passed down) I have cleaned up and find there way into my pack alongside other knives just so they get to go out and see some country every now and then. So no I wouldnt retire it, but I would use it sparingly and certainly for occasions as Angus pointed out.
 
If it was your father's knife, I'd retire it if I were you. You can always get another Kabar, but there's only one in the whole world that your father carried during his service.
 
Put it in a glass display case and get a new one....As far as cleaning goes. Just wipe the dirt off. Nothing more.
 
Retire and display. If you have a couple of pictures of your dad in uniform and some medals make them part of the display. If your dad is still around make sure to ask what he thinks. If you display it think about getting one as close as possible to the one he carried.
 
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