Will Kabar ever make USA made machetes?

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darkdomino

Joined
Oct 23, 2011
Messages
199
Does anyone know if Kabar will ever make US made versions of their Cutlass, Grass Machete, or Kukri?

I am interested in a Kabar machete... But I've heard horror stories about the heat treat on some of the Taiwan made blades.

Is there an official Kabar rep here than can answer this for me?
 
Never heard many negative stories on the Ka-Bar machetes or any of their Taiwan blades...

But as for USA made Ka-Bar machetes...Don't think they'll happen soon. People wanted them to bring back the BK-6 patrol machete but the reason given was that Ka-Bar don't have the machinery to make such a long blade and also the costs would be way to high.
 
I'd like to hear some of these horror stories, my first hand experience with the khukri has been positive. I've even had the blade stuck in a log and bent about 15 degrees and when I popped it out it was straight as an arrow.
 
Yah... dont know what horror stories you are taking about... have there been broken blades? Yah, but I havent seen anything but goodness beyond some youtubers messing up their blades. Get a KA-BAR you wont be disappointed.
 
The only problems with that line of blades that I know of is the handles getting loose on the early Haevy Warthogs and Grass Machetes but the handle is held on by the lanyard tube so the handle still won't come off. I do know that because they're machetes the hardness on them is a little lower than their knives so maybe people are mistaking something intentional for a flaw.

A lot of guys like to bash on the Taiwan blades just because they're made in Taiwan and they think that just because a lot of cheap knockoff junk comes out of China that everything that comes from Asia is garbage. The fact is that the Taiwan-made blades go through the same QC standards as any other Ka-Bar product and are just as good as if they had been made in the states.

As for a US-made machete: They don't have the capacity to produce blades that long in their US plant. If they are able to expand and acquire machinery to produce longer blades then you can expect to hear all us Becker fanboys crapping our pants in excitement when Ka-Bar announces the return on the BK6 patrol machete.
 
I recently got back from 4 days of camping, where i literally batoned 4 nights worth of firewood with my Made in Taiwan KaBar #1248 Cutlass Machete (the one in the middle). It got stuck many times because the wood was knotted & twisty. I had to get it out by hitting the handle a few times with no issues, still tight. I also used wood wedges & other large knives to help get it out. It also deflected a few times to where i thought it might break but it did NOT. There is NOTHING wrong with mine. It meets the same strict standards of KaBar.

Get you some.

I also have the #1249 & #1279. GREAT blades.



These are just some examples of the kind of wood i baton. It is WICKED twisted & knotty but it was free.









This is one nights worth.





This is considered severe abuse by some but not to me. This is just ordinary use. If i break one, sure, i will be bummed but knives afterall are just tools. Pick the right tool for the job. For me, it is not an axe. While i do have a few, i am not proficient enough with them to be safe when trying to split this nasty wood. Batoning is safer for me. :D
 
TwinStick said:
YEAH, I wants me a BK-6 !!! :thumbup: :D
Click to expand...

Fer serious. I'm not aware of something that even has similar specs to the BK6. The grass machete is the closest thing I know of, with it's 14" thicker-than-normal-machetes blade. And that's not really what I'd call similar.
 
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