Ka-bar

[iampmat]

I was also quite skeptical about 'merican big knives as I like to have short sturdy blade. I have a finnish pukko (you can find it ronnie sunshine site http://www.ronniesunshines.com/bush...knives/finnish-double-combo-pukko-knives.html) but then I saw the kabar bk2 which looks quite thick and acceptable length (link http://www.kabar.com/knives/detail/1) . does this come closer to a good bushcraft knife? anyone has it and can review it and/or direct me to an objective review?

thanks

P.

 

[Corso]

my latest Ka-bar, really nice knife and a useful size.

looked at the mk1 myself - I was put off by the black plastic piece between the guard and the leather as I wanted to strip the paint

 

[Everything Mac]

I read that the handle was a bit short on the mk1? He are you finding it Robbi?

It looks like a pretty good knife.
Andy

 

[airborne09]

Hello All ,
I am kind of re-opening this thread by adding my ten penneth worth due to the fact that I have recently purchased not the KA BAR manufactured model , but the "Case XX USMC utillity/ combat knife" , which in my opinion is a slightly nicer model if not equal in shape , size , ergonomics etc (the same knife) . Most people who are either collectors of knives or simply knife enthusiasts will be familiar with what is normally termed the KA BAR USMC fighting knife . I am not an expert but I have been around knives for around 57 years now ever since I used to toy around with what we termed as small penknives back in the 60s which you could buy from many corner shops and newsagents very cheaply . in about 1970 I progressed onto my first fixed blade Sheffield made 4" sheath knife and like most lads my age used to whittle away at bits of tree branches and practice throwing into tree trunks .
Anyway I think I am right in saying that the Case company actually designed the Mk2 Utillity / Fighting knife in 1942 for use by American armed forces personnel , especially US Navy and Marines . For whatever reason Case did not get the actual contract to produce these knives and the main contract instead went to United Cuttlery ( now known as KA BAR ) along with two or three other smaller producers to supply a cheap combat / utillity knife to US Forces . Ontario was one of the other manufacturers of these knives and after the end of WW2 were the only company to still produce these knives for the Military and this continues to the present day ! It is interesting to note however that the Case manufacturing company still exists and actually have their USMC Fighting / Utillity knife manufactured by the Ontario Knife Company (OKC) . Case have their version made to the old specs and apparently the nearest to the original trial models of WW2 , with the stacked leather handle and better quality brown leather sheath than the KA BAR version but both makes as well as the military spec Ontario model use 1095 carbon steel for the blades .
I will admit to only buying this knife as a collectors piece as Ive always fancied one since I was a kid but saying that it may get a little light use as a utillity knife . Ive seen videos on youtube of these knives taking a bit of a pounding but to be honest in my opinion they are only medium strength use knives for cutting , rough whittling light chopping and light battoning in a bushcraft environment . There are much better knives on the market for bushcraft use but these USMC knives are what they are and I would imagine many knife users and collectors will have one , As an afterthought I practice knife handling every day of my life just because I always have done and this Case XX USMC Combat knife does feel very natural and comfortable and reasonably light in the hand with quite a good balance .

 

[Ystranc]

This is something that I just don’t understand, I can carve or split wood and skin, gut and butcher animals….all with my £4.50 Hultafors orange handled craft knife.
Considering British knife laws I can’t be bothered spending more on something that could be confiscated at any moment.

 

[SoldierPalmer]

Hardly going to get it confiscated in the country side unless you decide to go down the local tescos and start wielding it around like some lunatic.

 

[Ystranc]

Hardly going to get it confiscated in the country side unless you decide to go down the local tescos and start wielding it around like some lunatic.

I’ve no idea how you came to that conclusion, knives get confiscated every day in exchange for police cautions.

 

[John Fenna]

Never even see a police officer around here....

 

[Ystranc]

Hardly going to get it confiscated in the country side unless you decide to go down the local tescos and start wielding it around like some lunatic.

Brandishing any knife, either in public or private is a separate offence

Never even see a police officer around here....

Fine, you’re both right, let’s all carry combat knives in public….

 

[John Fenna]

I certainly carry a fixed blade 4" with me on my walks - I generally cut myself a walking pole or do a bit of whittling in the woods part way around my circuit ... Ka Bar was designed for combat but is an OK woods knife so - yup I would carry one in public!

 

[Ystranc]

I certainly carry a fixed blade 4" with me on my walks - I generally cut myself a walking pole or do a bit of whittling in the woods part way around my circuit ... Ka Bar was designed for combat but is an OK woods knife so - yup I would carry one in public!

…and I would not. Carrying a fixed blade without good reason is an unnecessary affectation that many bushcrafters adopt.
Apart from its very obvious primary function as a close quarters weapon there is very little that a K-bar will achieve better than an entirely legal folding Swiss Army knife. A SAK will skin a bunny, cut sticks and whittle every bit as well, probably better. (depending on what model you can also trim your toe nails or extract a splinter part way through your walk)
If you should be unlucky enough to encounter an unsympathetic police officer while carrying a combat knife in public then confiscation is probably going to be the most lenient outcome.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Hi @Ystranc
I know we don’t have a particular rule agains necro posting, but it is certainly unusual to reopen a thread where the last post was 10 years ago. Your opening post about cost and confiscation could apply to any fixed blade that cost more than £4.50, from Moras on up, and has nothing to do with blade size or style.

It seems like something put a bee in your bonnet and you reopened a long finished thread to provoke an argument.

If you have a problem with Bushcraft affectation, a new thread would be more appropriate. However, historically, venting personal frustrations that other people are pursuing “bushcraft” wrong has not gone well.

Chris

 

[Athos]

…and I would not. Carrying a fixed blade without good reason is an unnecessary affectation that many bushcrafters adopt.
Apart from its very obvious primary function as a close quarters weapon there is very little that a K-bar will achieve better than an entirely legal folding Swiss Army knife. A SAK will skin a bunny, cut sticks and whittle every bit as well, probably better. (depending on what model you can also trim your toe nails or extract a splinter part way through your walk)
If you should be unlucky enough to encounter an unsympathetic police officer while carrying a combat knife in public then confiscation is probably going to be the most lenient outcome.

A knife is a knife. Calling it a “combat knife” doesn’t make it any more or less deadly than a 12” chefs knife. A Ka-Bar will definitely baton a lot better than a SAK too amongst many other things fairly obvious when comparing a fixed blade to a folder.

I can’t remember when I last saw a Bobby in the sticks. Aren’t they all too busy making Tik Tok dance videos or something?

 

[C_Claycomb]

We might have some responsibility to advise new and inexperienced people, joining the forum to ask for advice, of the laws around carrying a knife, or to steer them towards suitable tools for camping and wood carving. However, there is no need to argue with other experienced members that their preferred choice of knife is wrong because we think they risk more serious legal consequences if they encounter police.

The many old threads of someone saying “ I don’t understand why you all use expensive XXX, I do just fine with cheap YY, you are all wasting your money” never had much to do with the poster being concerned over the financial well-being of fellow members buying expensive kit. If the posts were motivated by concern, they would have been crafted more sympathetically to persuade, rather than confrontationally.

This reminds me of the stupid arguments that bushcrafters advocate through hiking with cast iron cookware, or that someone is going to die if they wear cotton, or burst into flames if they wear synthetics.

 

[Ystranc]

Hello All ,
I am kind of re-opening this thread by adding my ten penneth worth due to the fact that I have recently purchased not the KA BAR manufactured model , but the "Case XX USMC utillity/ combat knife" , which in my opinion is a slightly nicer model if not equal in shape , size , ergonomics etc (the same knife) . Most people who are either collectors of knives or simply knife enthusiasts will be familiar with what is normally termed the KA BAR USMC fighting knife . I am not an expert but I have been around knives for around 57 years now ever since I used to toy around with what we termed as small penknives back in the 60s which you could buy from many corner shops and newsagents very cheaply . in about 1970 I progressed onto my first fixed blade Sheffield made 4" sheath knife and like most lads my age used to whittle away at bits of tree branches and practice throwing into tree trunks .
Anyway I think I am right in saying that the Case company actually designed the Mk2 Utillity / Fighting knife in 1942 for use by American armed forces personnel , especially US Navy and Marines . For whatever reason Case did not get the actual contract to produce these knives and the main contract instead went to United Cuttlery ( now known as KA BAR ) along with two or three other smaller producers to supply a cheap combat / utillity knife to US Forces . Ontario was one of the other manufacturers of these knives and after the end of WW2 were the only company to still produce these knives for the Military and this continues to the present day ! It is interesting to note however that the Case manufacturing company still exists and actually have their USMC Fighting / Utillity knife manufactured by the Ontario Knife Company (OKC) . Case have their version made to the old specs and apparently the nearest to the original trial models of WW2 , with the stacked leather handle and better quality brown leather sheath than the KA BAR version but both makes as well as the military spec Ontario model use 1095 carbon steel for the blades .
I will admit to only buying this knife as a collectors piece as Ive always fancied one since I was a kid but saying that it may get a little light use as a utillity knife . Ive seen videos on youtube of these knives taking a bit of a pounding but to be honest in my opinion they are only medium strength use knives for cutting , rough whittling light chopping and light battoning in a bushcraft environment . There are much better knives on the market for bushcraft use but these USMC knives are what they are and I would imagine many knife users and collectors will have one , As an afterthought I practice knife handling every day of my life just because I always have done and this Case XX USMC Combat knife does feel very natural and comfortable and reasonably light in the hand with quite a good balance .

Hi @Ystranc
I know we don’t have a particular rule agains necro posting, but it is certainly unusual to reopen a thread where the last post was 10 years ago. Your opening post about cost and confiscation could apply to any fixed blade that cost more than £4.50, from Moras on up, and has nothing to do with blade size or style.

It seems like something put a bee in your bonnet and you reopened a long finished thread to provoke an argument.

If you have a problem with Bushcraft affectation, a new thread would be more appropriate. However, historically, venting personal frustrations that other people are pursuing “bushcraft” wrong has not gone well.

Chris

Not me that was resurrecting this post. As to giving my opinions? Isn’t that what forums are about? A frank exchange of opinions in a polite and reasoned manner?
To accuse me of reopening a thread because I have a bee in my bonnet just shows that you have not read this through before commenting.

 

[C_Claycomb]

@Ystranc ,
The last post before yours was Everything Mac September 2012.

Maybe some forums were started to share opinions. This forum was started to share knowledge, skills and give folk with a common interest the chance to stay in contact and make new friends. Restarting a long quiet conversation to give your frank opinions that includes that others are affected, waste money and are recklessly risking criminal proceedings was always going to provoke a negative reaction.

No I didn’t re-read the whole thread. I did what I think many would do, read your post, the reply and scanned two pages back to try to figure out how your post connected. Your first post didn’t connect with Ka-Bar. This is why I think that you would have been better with a new thread.

Maybe newer members would benefit from another interpretive knife law thread, even if they nearly always become bun fights. If so, better a new thread where folk might find it. No one interested in opinions of law will read five pages of Ka-Bar thread, and no one wanting to read about Ka-Bars will be interested in opinions that £4.50 Hultafors are better because of legal opinions.

 

[airborne09]

Im a bit confused now ???

 

[Ystranc]

Im a bit confused now ???

Why are you confused Airborne09?
BTW I was not having a dig at you personally as some people seem to imply. I understand that you’ve bought yours as a collector and posted on Friday 7:35pm. I merely quoted you to emphasise that I did not resurrect this thread in order to start an argument, contra to what Chris Claycomb stated because he couldn’t be bothered reading the the post immediately prior to mine or indeed read them properly at all. I’m sorry if you feel I’ve dragged you into this, that wasn’t my intention.

 

[Ystranc]

“Restarting a long quiet conversation to give your frank opinions that includes that others are affected, waste money and are recklessly risking criminal proceedings was always going to provoke a negative reaction.

No I didn’t re-read the whole thread. I did what I think many would do, read your post, the reply and scanned two pages back to try to figure out how your post connected. Your first post didn’t connect with Ka-Bar. This is why I think that you would have been better with a new thread.”

C_Claycomb, please read post #84, which I clearly quoted in my answer to you in #95 then go back through this conversation objectively with an open mind. I reiterate; I did not resurrect this thread.

 

[Corso]

Another one for the ignore pile...