Kabar USMC fighting knife- still a great knife?

M

mickb

Joined
Jan 21, 2016
Messages
132
Fella I know is after a decent knife. His use is some field work, camping use, also pig sticking with dogs. Currently uses a cheap boning knife of all things. He wanted something a bit more serious but not overkill, 7" blade as that works on even the larger hogs. I suggested the kabar-Im ex military myself but not from the US, the knife however is pretty well known to us. I have on ontario which is no longer stocked here. Frankly not being a knife guy I dont know a lot of other options and figured the kabar is a safe bet. How does it look these days to you advanced blade guys though? Metals, construction, fittings still considered respectable? Am I missing anything?

Edited to add, as I am getting a few recommendations for heavier bowies, esee and beckers etc. For pig sticking some degree of slimness is good, also needs a handguard to stop riding onto the blade when things are bloody. I had a look at the beckers and Esees and I dont think any are real great in these regards.
 
Last edited:
Nothing wrong with a Ka-bar. A Buck 120 would also be a good choice for his purposes.
 
I've got the EK bowie, a great knife and better than a USMC imo and full tang but not good for any work with wood.

A Becker or Esee would be a better choice imo but then he seems to want a slimmer blade.
 
I am not a fan of stick tangs, which the Kabar has. While it is a full length tang, it is significantly skinnier than a full width tang.

If there is any chance of lateral forces being applied while cutting/stabbing, I am not an advocate of stick tangs.

Tops, Becker, ESEE may have some options for you.
 
The KaBar and similar styled knives are acceptable all around knives. I keep a USAF Ontario in my truck and use it for everything from driving stakes to cutting bait. My one gripe about the Ontario is it seems hard to get a good edge on it.
 
Since each person has their own preference, there are so many designs for each niche now that I don't consider anything great, they are all fine.
Cold Steel SRK (SK5 is about 1085CV, which is quite close to Kabar 1095CV) or Leatherneck (D2) are fine knives and you can find them online all over the world at a lower budget, and probably still last more than a lifetime.
 
In that style with a full tang you've got the TOPS desert nomad, 440c but I'm sure it's well heat treated. I'd guess it would be a superior Knife to the Kabar but haven't handled one.
 
we were trying to keep things inexpensive as well. Some nice knives above but into the couple hundred dollar range. Also worth mentioning for pig sticking better to have something somewhat slender profile, also handguard so your hand doesnt end up on the blade.
 
I would consider an Esee, Becker or Cold Steel. But the kabar will work too.
 
I couldnt find any esee or becker that look great for pig sticking. Wide heavy blades and the beckers have no guards on them.
 
Kabars are just fine on a budget. Personally, I like the 8" fighter model better. If they ever offer it without serrations, I'll buy 2.

I would also suggest he look at the Becker line, and there are several TOPS knives thst would easily fit the bill. However both the Beckers and the Tops are going to be heavier and more costly.

Honestly, anything upgraded from a boning knife is going to be an improvement.
 
I'm sure he'll be happy with it, most/all are "knife nuts" here so maybe some (me included) can be over critical. As long as he doesn't abuse it and he doesn't want to carve fine wood art it will suit his purpose.
 
mickb said:
okay kabar it will be, thanks all.
Click to expand...

I've got one of these:

KA-1320.jpg


It's one of over 60 fixed blade knives in my colllection. Bought it because I like its classic/retro styling, leather stacked handle and relatively low price. The kraton handled version would probably be more useful, especially in wet conditions, if that's a concern. Either should serve you well for general field/camp use.
 
Last edited:
I remember being in your shoes... "Is 1075 good? Is 1095 good? What's Cro-Van?" and it is a good, but basic steel. What matters is that it will hold up, that 1095 in the KA-BAR, for most cutting tasks. You can but should not beat it up to an insane degree.

I wanted USA-made, I wanted "military", I wanted a "real" KA-BAR, but without paying $100 for a slab of 1095. So, I bought a $50 slab of 1075 with my Ontario SP-1. It's USA-made, they gave the 499 to pilots to cut themselves out of a fuselage, iirc. So it is no knock-off (not that it is saying much) but some Ontarios are real "military knives".

The handle is Kraton which shouldn't present problems for a long, long time, very grippy, it has a hand-guard. Strip the coating off for a beautiful sheen.

The grind is frankly not as good as a KA-BAR. As a grinding project, I'd like to "clean up" the Ontario, to an even, thinner grind, just make it a better knife, the knife I know it could be. It's basically full tang (lanyard hole at the end, blah, doesn't matter) and could be just as good as a KA-BAR for one demanding perfection. But if you want a sharp, hard-to-fail knife made from good materials here in the country, albeit with a bit of a thicker edge, get the Ontario. Generally people don't use their KA-BAR as an EDC one they get it, but I get it, you have to have it or something like it.
 
Sgt 127 said:
I’d really consider the Glock knife. Cheap. Tough. Good sticking blade.
Click to expand...

I've got a 78 & 81 but, while they're good for stabbing, they aren't that good at cutting and would not IMO make good general field/camp knives.

Only bought them because I'm a Glock gun guy and thought I should own the knives too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top