Standard KA BAR is the best knife ever!

Have you ever used one? I have, not my favorite. Problem I found with it is the size. Its too big to skin and too wide to reach the appropriate level of sharpness (This could be due to my severe incapability to properly sharpen knives however, I know...laff), so I always found it more of a hassle to use it to cut any game open with.

I had one, I got a nice one back in my mall ninja days. I mean it has scare potential and is a good reliable fighter, but since I conceal carry that isn't an issue, besides I have a personal problem with using a knife as a self-defense weapon so as to not give politicians anymore reason to attack my utility knives that are 4" or so. Besides, trying to carry that thing around would be nothing but a hassle unless you are the ranch type and even then there are many better choices. Not that I ever tried, if I ever saw anyone carrying a Kabar around any urban area I would get a laff and stay away.

HOWEVER, I still have my Kabar as well as an extra one in my display case. I think the history behind them is great and I respect the knife. It just isn't something that I personally like using. I prefer my Chris Reeves Shadow. Saving up for another Chris Reeves, the only knifes I ever tore up besides my Emerson because I know I can get them refurbished to new for a cheap price.

If you want one, I'd say get one. Try it out and see what works for you. Nothing wrong with wanting a Kabar, in the end, they are still fully functional and well made. Mine was durable lol, I used to take a rubber mallet and beat it into wood logs in an attempt to destroy it. Never did break.

I'd also recommend looking into the Glock field knife, that is also an excellent fixed.
 
Im going to get one too soon, would be my second (sold it once among with my collection, then started regretting). Classic knife!
 
I think the Ka-Bar has a place in the collection of any knife knut that wants one. It is a good knife with a lot of history.

That said, the standard leather stacked handled version leaves a lot to be desired regarding the price point. It isn't that the Ka-Bar is bad for the money, it's just that you can get a much much better all around knife for the same amount of coin.

The tangs on Ka-Bars are very soft. You can easily bend the handle into a U without a lot of mechanical enhancement. I have never been able to DESTROY mine in over 10 years of near abuse, but it has not fared as well as a lot of other knives I have had just as long and used much harder.

Like I said, not a bad knife and it has mucho history. Also, I don't know about the newer versions with the synthetic handles. I also in no way shape or form would say "No" to the D2 version. I bet that one is a tank:)
 
Steely_Gunz said:
I think the Ka-Bar has a place in the collection of any knife knut that wants one. It is a good knife with a lot of history.

That said, the standard leather stacked handled version leaves a lot to be desired regarding the price point. It isn't that the Ka-Bar is bad for the money, it's just that you can get a much much better all around knife for the same amount of coin.

The tangs on Ka-Bars are very soft. You can easily bend the handle into a U without a lot of mechanical enhancement. I have never been able to DESTROY mine in over 10 years of near abuse, but it has not fared as well as a lot of other knives I have had just as long and used much harder.

Like I said, not a bad knife and it has mucho history. Also, I don't know about the newer versions with the synthetic handles. I also in no way shape or form would say "No" to the D2 version. I bet that one is a tank:)
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i was looking around and i found the USMC one for $50. which is like half the price i paid for the D'allara
 
DeathByCactus said:
Have you ever used one? I have, not my favorite. Problem I found with it is the size. Its too big to skin and too wide to reach the appropriate level of sharpness (This could be due to my severe incapability to properly sharpen knives however, I know...laff), so I always found it more of a hassle to use it to cut any game open with.

I had one, I got a nice one back in my mall ninja days. I mean it has scare potential and is a good reliable fighter, but since I conceal carry that isn't an issue, besides I have a personal problem with using a knife as a self-defense weapon so as to not give politicians anymore reason to attack my utility knives that are 4" or so. Besides, trying to carry that thing around would be nothing but a hassle unless you are the ranch type and even then there are many better choices. Not that I ever tried, if I ever saw anyone carrying a Kabar around any urban area I would get a laff and stay away.

HOWEVER, I still have my Kabar as well as an extra one in my display case. I think the history behind them is great and I respect the knife. It just isn't something that I personally like using. I prefer my Chris Reeves Shadow. Saving up for another Chris Reeves, the only knifes I ever tore up besides my Emerson because I know I can get them refurbished to new for a cheap price.

If you want one, I'd say get one. Try it out and see what works for you. Nothing wrong with wanting a Kabar, in the end, they are still fully functional and well made. Mine was durable lol, I used to take a rubber mallet and beat it into wood logs in an attempt to destroy it. Never did break.

I'd also recommend looking into the Glock field knife, that is also an excellent fixed.
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im buying my uncle one for his birth day and he is one of those ranch type. but if you know of better knives can you tell me some. thank you
 
My oldest KA-BAR is about 24 now & as with anything else if you don't try to make it into something it isn't, it's a do-able design.
It's not an ideal hunting knife and there are better tools for building log cabins, but otherwise it can do a wide variety of tasks in the outdoors as needed.
It is not a great pryer, and in factory form the edge is not the best. I had a local knife shop thin the bottom half of the blade slightly shortly after I got it to provide a better cutting edge angle.

It cuts & it can dig if necessary. It could (although I don't do it) skin a deer if it had to. It could (although it'd take a while) chop through a 3-inch sapling if it had to. It could (although not very well with the swedge grind on top) baton wood if it was forced to. It can cut smaller branches, cord, webbing, and so on quite easily. It could also make an effective defensive tool.

The KA-BAR design was intended to be a multi-purpose blade, and it is. There are stronger & better designs available, and there are weaker & worse designs available. The KA-BAR is not the best, but it's far from the worst. With a farm background, I'd say the KA-BAR should easily handle general ranch use. It's a bit large for regular belt carry, but for a truck blade (or a Jeep blade), it works fine. I particularly like the grip, it fits in my hand extremely well.

As far as the Glock field knife goes, I don't consider any blade based on a bayonet pattern to be a very effective overall field knife. It has much less belly than the KA-BAR, and I see no better edge angle on the one I have here than the KA-BAR. The Glock knife is also a bit softer than the KA-BAR, and edge retention may be less in repeated use. I do like the grip on the Glock knife, much similar to the KA-BAR.

For 99% of what I need a larger knife to do, the KA-BAR does it, and it's light on the belt for long periods of carry on outdoor excursions.

Denis
 
I have a leather-handled USMC model that I got a few years ago, mainly because of the history behind the knife. I agree with DPris above. The KaBar is a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none kind of knife. I took the epoxy coating off of mine, so the blade is nice and shiny now.
 
The Cattaraugus 225Q is a great military fixed blade too.
225Q_2976.jpg
 
I too like the classic Kabar, but there are a few things that are a bit annoying:

1) The top guard. There is no place to put my thumb on the back of the knife with that top guard in the way. At least the M3 Trench knife has that top guard angled forward - more comfy. Would prefer no top guard and plan to convert one of the small Kabars to have a guard like Chuck Karwan's "Kar-bar". The Cattaraugus 225Q makes for a better all-around utility knife - IMHO.
2) The edge-holding. The basic steel is okay, but be prepared to touch up the edge fairly often. The older WWII era Kabars seem to hold an edge longer than their current counterparts - just my observation/opinion from my own use.
3) Sharpened top edge. There may be some use to that sharpened top edge, but I prefer to have a false edge and a more strengthened point.

Just my two cents...

Regards,
Mike
 
Other than the soft tang and top guard I absolutely love my Ka-Bar.
It was my first real knife and still one of my most used.
 
Agreed the top guard gets in the way, but it's easy to remove. The sharpened swedge is also not the best for general field utility, but again- it's also a fighting knife, and the swedge does have some application in that context.
The other thing I do like about the Glock knife, although I wouldn't personally carry one, is the bent top guard. Much easier to choke up on the knife if necessary.

Denis
 
Its a great utility knife, and I love it, but it is not THE best knife ever.

Everybody has its own favorite knife and even that preference changes often.
For me it is the Western little fin I own(has been for quite a while) but then again depending on what I wanna do with it, it gets paired up with something else.

Peter
edit: agree on the Catt 225
 
It is a knife with (great) history behind it. And that alone, to me makes it a great blade. However, I do not use one very often, and I really don't consider it the best (or close, in my opinion..) blade out there.

The main reason, and it may be outlandish to some, is the handle. I do not like the handle that is on it. I also do not like the looks of some of them. They just don't appeal to me as well as some others do.
 
A Ka-Bar will fit most outdoor/field/combat requirements perfectly well, though it is not ideally suited for some chores. When young soldiers come into my buddy's shop asking for a good field knife, I direct them to the Ka-bar section. Invariably however, they'll disregard and wander down to the section with Busse, Strider, T.O.P.S. and the like. Those are superior options, but for the buck, Ka-Bar goes a long way.
 
H2H907 said:
A Ka-Bar will fit most outdoor/field/combat requirements perfectly well, though it is not ideally suited for some chores. When young soldiers come into my buddy's shop asking for a good field knife, I direct them to the Ka-bar section. Invariably however, they'll disregard and wander down to the section with Busse, Strider, T.O.P.S. and the like. Those are superior options, but for the buck, Ka-Bar goes a long way.
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Or Buck(sorry for the pun:o I couldn't help it), but your right, the USMC Ka-Bar is a great all round blade.:thumbup:

Peter
 
I have a Busse Steelheart. Very solid knife, excellent design, superior materials.
So far, in the two years I've owned it, it has yet to leave the house aside from being sent off for a custom sheath.
I keep coming back to either an old Cold Steel SRK or my beat up KA-BAR when I strap something on my carcass to head out into the wilds. Lighter, less bulky, and more alive in the hand than the $350 Busse. (NOT KNOCKING BUSSE PRODUCTS, NOR SUGGESTING THEY SHOULD NOT BE BOUGHT!)
If I need to chop, I have other options. For just about anything less than chopping or prying, the KA-BAR does it for me. :)
Denis
 
Everybody has their idea of what the best knife is. I know of no way to prove anyone right or wrong. However, the Kabar certainly would warrant some votes. Ask any serviceman who has bet their life on it for decades.:D

Besides just being what they are, look at the influence it has had on the knife world.
 
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