KA BAR Utility Knife

[Nick3309]

This is just a quick post to anyone considering the Ka Bar Utility knife. The blade on this knife is 5 1/4 inches in length which is what i liked about the knife. In the past i have always carried a full sized KA BAR when hunting, but recently i purchased this smaller "utility" KA BAR, hoping that it would be easier for cleaning deer.



Blade: 5 1/4 In.
Blade Thickness: Around .165 In.
Overal Length: 9 1/4 In.
Blade: 1095 Cro-Van Steel (Seems to be KA BAR's signature material)
Grind: Flat
Blade is blackened (Though if you grind the edge down, this will come off.)
Blade: Fixed
Handle: Leather (Needs oiled periodically)
Sheath: Leather with belt loop (Also needs oiled)

Pro's of this knife: Very sturdy. You can cut through anything with the knife. The handle isn't slippery when wet, and the knife looks great in hand. Not serrated like many of the full length KA BARs. The top of the knife is dull all the way to the tip, making precision cutting easier. My full length KA BAR has the last 2 inches of the top sharpened, which is fine if you are using the KA BAR for combat purposes, but gets in the way when you want to hold the blade (say for skinning).

Con's: Now here is where i was surprised: The knife was difficult to sharpen. The knife refused to hold an edge for some time, and it took some grinding and a lot of whetstone work to get the knife sharp, and even after the work, it still needs a good half hour of whetstone care, after a hard day of work. My full sized KA BAR in contrast, sharpened up nicely and holds an edge for forever. Was dissapointed by this.

Overall a great knife, especially for hunting or outdoor purposes, as long as you are willing to devote the time to sharpening it. Much easier to use than a full sized KA BAR for hunting.

[jimmyjo]

I bought one for my son just before they moved the manufacturing to China. Lots of people thought this would affect the quality of the knife. Sorry the had to screw up a decent knife with a great history.

[bfm]

I bought one for my son just before they moved the manufacturing to China..

Their web site lists this as being part of the US made line.

Though I stopped in a hardware store today to buy a pair os shears, they had two side by side that looked the same, one said made in USA on the packaging, the other said made in Chine. Bought the US made one, brought it home and after removing the packaging saw that it was stamped made in China on the shears.