Ka-bar fighting/utility knife problems/ new grind??

Had to see for myself what da fuz wuz all about.
And I do concur that the grind sure is higher than what it was previously with the kabar model in question.
And yeah, the knife I picked up had a fuller or "blood groove" which was slightly narrower than the previous production model.
The grind on the knife where it meets this fuller was imperfect and unequal on both sides.
I suspect the passing standard concerning visual quality control inspection might have been lowered somewhat.
Strangely, I notice that the false edge does not come sharpen as in my older USmc model.
So that is one step less in production I suppose.
Overall this "new grind", makes the kabar blade grind look on par with those from Ontario and the old camillus kbars.
But for what it's worth, I would rather have any sort of non leather sheath for this knife.
I like the look of the USmc kabar.
However I would recommend having a better alternative knife like the Becker for real use, should these new production realities bother you.
 
GIRLYmann said:
Strangely, I notice that the false edge does not come sharpen as in my older USmc model.
So that is one step less in production I suppose.
Click to expand...

They stopped sharpening the top swedge for legal reasons. In some areas it was considered a "dagger" and therefore illegal.
 
HHmm. 12 posts total. 9 in the Kabar forum about this knife, 1 here about the same knife. No pics of the knife in either thread.
 
I use to own a knife shop and had a customer order every single Ka-Bar Fighting/Utility variant (same knife, different markings, commemorative editions and so on). The fit and finish differences from one knife to the next were surprising. Some had a sharpened swedge, some didn't, some had crooked grinds while others were perfect, some had sloppy coatings, etc. Most were cosmetic flaws (which are actually a big deal on a display piece like the commemorative knives). I also received a couple with cracked and damaged leather sheaths.

The Beckers were very consistent, thought.
 
BlackenedSteel said:
Yes, you read that right, I got a shitty KA-BAR fighting/utility knife. I posted before about this individual blade. It is the new grind model ka-bar with the WWII original high grind. Though this wasn't what I ordered, I can look past the different blade shape now. However there are a few things I can't look past, things that all point toward bad quality craftsmanship.

-The newer model fighting/utility blade is offset from the handle like all the others, but it's now so far to the side, that it hardly fits in it's kydex sheath, specifically made for it. Instead of the two sides of the finger guard clipping into place on the kydex, the handle is so offset from the blade, that only one side of the finger guard touches the kydex, and the other doesn't even come in contact with the sheath. In short, the extreme new offset is NOT compatible with the fighting/utility kydex sheaths that COME WITH THE KNIFE. Kind of a fail in my book.

-The angle cut into the steel for the stick tang is extremely thin and offset. I've noticed this looking at KA-BAR's official site that ALL the new models are like this. Where the tang goes into the handle, it is NOT a straight line, but a slight angle up, making the blade feel weak in your hand. I will not be stabbing this blade into ANYTHING whatsoever, for fear the tang will snap. I've never had that hesitation before...

-The grinds on the clip point were way off, as far as a full centimeter off. Neither side looks like the other, one grind is long and thin, and the other is short and wide. Slight differences in the grinds are not important but it is when they are THIS far off.

-The edge was hardly sharp at all, barely cutting paper and very roughly cutting wood. I was a bit shocked that halfway through carving a tent peg I had to pull out a better, sharper knife to finish the job, and banish the KA-BAR back to it's sheath. A utility knife that hardly works is unacceptable in deep woods.

Guys, I need some help here :( is the legendary KA-BAR plummeting in quality over the years and I should stay away from other purchases or did I just get an individual dud?
Click to expand...

No, KaBar is not plummeting.

Don't worry about stabbing anything with it. I'm sure your wrist would break before the tang did.

Sharpen it. That will solve the "my knife isn't sharp problem".

The grinds are NOT a full centimeter off. This word "centimeter" - I do not think you know what it means.... There is no damn way the grind is off by a centimeter. It wouldn't even look like a knife - a lawnmower blade maybe, but not a knife. Pics, or you're full of chit.

Doesn't sound like you got a dud. Sounds like you are over exaggerating.
 
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I just read this, and my first thought was: when you sent it back and they happily replaced it with apologies for your dissatisfaction, was the new knife better?
But then I realized, you've been whining without doing a thing to give them a chance to fix your worries.

Why invest so much time in whining when you could just call them?

BTW, I have a WWII USN MKII that was trashed when I got it. I've had it 25 years now, and the tang has yet to break. It was in a war, then abused who knows how bad for the better part of 30 years, and very heavily used by me. The tang is just fine. The tang has been used in their knives since it was created, and never changed. There's a reason for that.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My recommendation is send it back and get a completely different type of knife. This one is obviously not for you.

In the meantime, quit posting so much about the same knife.
 
1) I cannot post pictures on this site
2) I'm sorry you feel I'm lying, but the upper grinds on the top of the clip point are a half centimeter off
3) no, ka-bar will not refund/ trade and yes I have talked to them, check other posts
4) I expected genuine help/advice from this site, but I can see now what kind of people really use this forum
5) forget everything I ever said, I have come to the conclusion that I will simply take my time and money elsewhere than ka-bar. They have lost my respect as a blade manufacturing company and I'll just not bring them up anymore. Thank you for your few seconds of time
 
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AntDog said:
No, KaBar is not plummeting.

Don't worry about stabbing anything with it. I'm sure your wrist would break before the tang did.

Sharpen it. That will solve the "my knife isn't sharp problem".

The grinds are NOT a full centimeter off. This word "centimeter" - I do not think you know what it means.... There is no damn way the grind is off by a centimeter. It wouldn't even look like a knife - a lawnmower blade maybe, but not a knife. Pics, or you're full of chit.

Doesn't sound like you got a dud. Sounds like you are over exaggerating.
Click to expand...

Sorry I misspoke, half a centimeter. I apologize for being a dumbass northeastern American. I meant half a centimeter, five millimeters. That was my bad, but the clip point grinds are drastically off. And no, I feel the tang is weak in my personal opinion and so it will just sit in it's box on the shelf collecting dust.
 
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jimh0220 said:
I just read this, and my first thought was: when you sent it back and they happily replaced it with apologies for your dissatisfaction, was the new knife better?
But then I realized, you've been whining without doing a thing to give them a chance to fix your worries.

Why invest so much time in whining when you could just call them?

BTW, I have a WWII USN MKII that was trashed when I got it. I've had it 25 years now, and the tang has yet to break. It was in a war, then abused who knows how bad for the better part of 30 years, and very heavily used by me. The tang is just fine. The tang has been used in their knives since it was created, and never changed. There's a reason for that.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My recommendation is send it back and get a completely different type of knife. This one is obviously not for you.

In the meantime, quit posting so much about the same knife.
Click to expand...

YOUR knife had a strong tang. An older model made with actual care. The new model they are producing is not nearly as well made and if you think otherwise, buy the new model blade and see for yourself. And I did try "doing something about it" neither Amazon.com nor KA-BAR will replace/trade/refund the knife.
 
Silvanus said:
They stopped sharpening the top swedge for legal reasons. In some areas it was considered a "dagger" and therefore illegal.
Click to expand...
Uh? Well, that's taken the fight outta the knife.
Guess it won't be too hard to fix that though.
And finally I would like to point out that the Length on the Kraton handle of a black kabar
is slightly shorter than that of a stack leather USmc.
That being so, I would suggest a hands on feel before deciding on which bar fits the part.
 
GIRLYmann said:
Uh? Well, that's taken the fight outta the knife.
Guess it won't be too hard to fix that though.
And finally I would like to point out that the Length on the Kraton handle of a black kabar
is slightly shorter than that of a stack leather USmc.
That being so, I would suggest a hands on feel before deciding on which bar fits the part.
Click to expand...

Slightly being the operative word. We're talking like 3/16" a difference in length between the kraton and leather handles. So overall it's not exactly that big of an issue.
 
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