Kabar Original Design Discussion

If you give respect, you get respect, simple recipe. By the way, nice picture and good looking knife. What's the handle material?

I'm curious about KA-BAR's quality control process. Guys like me cut syrofoam a couple of hundred times, check the edge. Maybe do the brass rod test, although I've never though to much of it. Cut free hanging rope, 2x4 cutting, etc. What does a modern factory do in lieu of these simple tests?

Thanks! That handle material is just KA-BAR's Standard Kraton, grippy, and comfortable. All in all good stuff. To add fuel to the fire and just as some additional information KA-BAR has released certain unique updated models of the standard F/U with varying blades. These in turn have thicker guards, and a slightly thicker tang. However, stock/spine thickness is the same. Just walked out and snapped a couple pics for you. This is the KA-BAR 1211 F/U VS the KA-BAR 1245 8" tanto F/U.



Here is the tang difference 1211 F/U on the left, 1245 Tanto on the right. The difference is slight but its there. I guess you could say the 1245 is more "complete." The 1211 is a little more forward in the pic but I think you get the idea.


And the guard difference.
 
That's not the tang difference at all, its a small cutout section where the pommel is seated, I'll upload some pics of how wide the tang on the 1247 is in a bit, stay tuned.
 
That's not the tang difference at all, its a small cutout section where the pommel is seated, I'll upload some pics of how wide the tang on the 1247 is in a bit, stay tuned.

obe-wan,

The width of the 1211 tang is the same as the 1217 tang.
There have been models that have/had the wider tang. These include: 1245 Tanto, 1280 combat Khukri, 1281 (current product). 1221/22 nextGen, 1270, 71, 72, 73, 44, 47, (discontinued product) also had the wider tangs.
Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
Sr Eng
Prod Dev and Qual
KA-BAR Knives


I think I understand what you are saying, but I have not taken a 1245 down and compared to a 1211 underneath the handle.
 

I think I understand what you are saying, but I have not taken a 1245 down and compared to a 1211 underneath the handle.


Verily, the visible portion does not show the tang difference in width, it's just a cutout section where the pommel is seated.

The tang difference under the handle is much wider, I have a busted 1247 lying around here that I will snap pics of for yous guys.
 
Well, here's the clothes I'd like to put it in. It's beyond my abilities to make. What do you think?

a fine looking sheath indeed, but with the guard in place it wouldn't be secured in that drop pouch style. A strap going over the top guard with the whole handle exposed would be a better choice.
 
a fine looking sheath indeed, but with the guard in place it wouldn't be secured in that drop pouch style. A strap going over the top guard with the whole handle exposed would be a better choice.

I agree.

Great avatar, is it yours?
 
I agree.

Great avatar, is it yours?

I wish! I started to play with a belt sander last year and am about to upgrade to some serious tool, but that avatar is way beyond my skill and pocket level. That is an ivory-handled scimitar by the late Buster Warenski.
 
A point that I found interesting was that the length of the blade was so that it could reach the heart on a stab from a variety of angles (ex: through the armpits, behind the collarbones, under the ribs). I don't know that I'd have put the fullers in that way, since it seems that they don't work out to be as strong if they aren't offset. Don't know if the wartime ones were made that way or not (same with thickness- a point someone else mentioned before).

The original Ka-bars also had that back curve sharpened, which I think makes A LOT more sense than the way they are made now (they're made that way because of there being frequent knife laws about double-edged blades). This allows someone to catch the wrist, neck or any of the stuff in the leg without having to really crane their wrist around or switch their grip

The thing that really aggravates me about the Ka-bar is the BACK GUARD- it gets in the way of your thumb while carving & putting it against your forearm for support with combative uses. Sure, it can be taken off, but it's an extra step that isn't that easy without a vise or a grinder of some form. An Ontario SP-50 seems better all-around, to me (especially if you can get a good sheath- maybe use a Condor like on the Hudson Bay?).

The shape of the tang is a point of frequent complaint. I think a full tang would have made more sense, or at least not having the shaping that it does on that particular knife. Besides strength issues, the handle might rot away- what then? IF you don't have anything to wrap around it at the moment, how are you going to hold it? Otherwise, it's a good idea to have the handle the way it is (shaped so that someone can hold it with the blade in any position & it doesn't spin in the hand, leather for grip even when the hands are wet from sweat/blood/water/etc..., grooves in case the leather gets saturated, and it doesn't make much noise if something hits it like a branch).
 
A point that I found interesting was that the length of the blade was so that it could reach the heart on a stab from a variety of angles (ex: through the armpits, behind the collarbones, under the ribs). I don't know that I'd have put the fullers in that way, since it seems that they don't work out to be as strong if they aren't offset. Don't know if the wartime ones were made that way or not (same with thickness- a point someone else mentioned before).

The original Ka-bars also had that back curve sharpened, which I think makes A LOT more sense than the way they are made now (they're made that way because of there being frequent knife laws about double-edged blades). This allows someone to catch the wrist, neck or any of the stuff in the leg without having to really crane their wrist around or switch their grip

The thing that really aggravates me about the Ka-bar is the BACK GUARD- it gets in the way of your thumb while carving & putting it against your forearm for support with combative uses. Sure, it can be taken off, but it's an extra step that isn't that easy without a vise or a grinder of some form. An Ontario SP-50 seems better all-around, to me (especially if you can get a good sheath- maybe use a Condor like on the Hudson Bay?).

The shape of the tang is a point of frequent complaint. I think a full tang would have made more sense, or at least not having the shaping that it does on that particular knife. Besides strength issues, the handle might rot away- what then? IF you don't have anything to wrap around it at the moment, how are you going to hold it? Otherwise, it's a good idea to have the handle the way it is (shaped so that someone can hold it with the blade in any position & it doesn't spin in the hand, leather for grip even when the hands are wet from sweat/blood/water/etc..., grooves in case the leather gets saturated, and it doesn't make much noise if something hits it like a branch).
If you like the sp50, try out the bushcraft woodsman, basically the same ( uncoated) blade shape but full tang and integrated finger guard. Handles are, meh, replaceable. I never liked kraton-only finger guards such as the cs master hunter, srk etc. Back to Kabars the 1281 d2 extreme fighter is Awesome, but good luck sharpening the back curve. The guard is much improved, imo and the heat treat and slightly thicker blade makes the d2 blade unbreakeable, but hard to sharpen for me without a diafold
 
A point that I found interesting was that the length of the blade was so that it could reach the heart on a stab from a variety of angles (ex: through the armpits, behind the collarbones, under the ribs). I don't know that I'd have put the fullers in that way, since it seems that they don't work out to be as strong if they aren't offset. Don't know if the wartime ones were made that way or not (same with thickness- a point someone else mentioned before).

The original Ka-bars also had that back curve sharpened, which I think makes A LOT more sense than the way they are made now (they're made that way because of there being frequent knife laws about double-edged blades). This allows someone to catch the wrist, neck or any of the stuff in the leg without having to really crane their wrist around or switch their grip

The thing that really aggravates me about the Ka-bar is the BACK GUARD- it gets in the way of your thumb while carving & putting it against your forearm for support with combative uses. Sure, it can be taken off, but it's an extra step that isn't that easy without a vise or a grinder of some form. An Ontario SP-50 seems better all-around, to me (especially if you can get a good sheath- maybe use a Condor like on the Hudson Bay?).

The shape of the tang is a point of frequent complaint. I think a full tang would have made more sense, or at least not having the shaping that it does on that particular knife. Besides strength issues, the handle might rot away- what then? IF you don't have anything to wrap around it at the moment, how are you going to hold it? Otherwise, it's a good idea to have the handle the way it is (shaped so that someone can hold it with the blade in any position & it doesn't spin in the hand, leather for grip even when the hands are wet from sweat/blood/water/etc..., grooves in case the leather gets saturated, and it doesn't make much noise if something hits it like a branch).

I believe most of these points you make are all items that were mil spec at the time and Ka-Bar has stuck mostly to this design through the ages with some subtle changes and a few updates with new models.
 
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