Posted: 12/29/2003 10:08:00 AM EDT
| I just got one of these for christmas. Wow. With a knife like this available fo $50, why do people spend $500 on custom knives? |
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The KaBar pictured is a great military field knife, but ditch the leather sheath for a synthetic one. The leather will hold moisture and cause rust, plus it just doesn't retain the knife very well. The real 'KaBar' brand KaBars are top notch for the price. Avoid the imitation imported ones that look the same (from a distance) and cost much less. In my opinion even the other government contract makers, like Ontario suck. |
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Quoted: I just got one of these for christmas. Wow. With a knife like this available fo $50, why do people spend $500 on custom knives? Because some custom knives perfom much better than a factory made knife, regardless of the factory. Ka-Bar's are a good slice for the dollar though. If one is severely limited in one's funding. Bad handle material, bad guard. Get a Kydex sheath for it, defitintely. 1095 will rust, keep the blade slightly oiled. Until you've really ecountered one of the $500 customs, or god forbid the $5000 jobs, I wouldn't be so quick to talk pooh. How a knife with a blade 3" longer a spine 1/16" thicker can weigh less than a Ka-Bar and have better balance and lightening speed and seem to dance in your hand like nothing you have ever experienced, will astonish you. It will take your breath away. Then your wallet. Honestly, they're kinda like boobies in that sense. They astonish you, then your wallet is empty, and your wife is pissed off. |
| i've got one of those Ka-bars, and they're excellent knives. Of course you can be more knife, ie with Micarta handles heavier/thicker blades etc, but you can beat the performane/price from the Ka-bars. Ka-bars are light, good for carrying, other blades are better but where weight is an issue, the Kabar will win. The 1095 steel is the same steel used to make road grader blades, springs etc. |
| I carried a KBar for 21 years, my father gave it too me after Boot Camp, its been through hell and still in very good shape. I've used it as a hammer to drive in shelter half pegs, no problem. Went through about 4 sheath's in all that time, it was submerged in salt water for over 24 hours (my web gear was in a rigged raider and the boat filled up with water) and after I cleaned it and put a new edge on it good as new. I plan on passing it on to my son when he graduates Boot Camp. Great knife |
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Quoted: Can someone point me to a source for a good sheath for my KaBar? Right now I'm using the leather one that came with it. $ 20 kydex sheath, check the length though, there is another one for the shorter ka-bars |
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Really, the next step up above a KA-BAR is going to start around $200, but that's because a $40 KA-BAR is comparable to many other $100 knives. The age of the design and the volume of manufacture allows KA-BARs to be sold for less. But, take a look at some of these: [url]www.topsknives.com[/url] [url]www.striderknives.com[/url] [url]www.chrisreeve.com[/url] [url]www.newt.livesay.com[/url] [url]www.randallknives.com[/url] -Troy |
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Quoted: Because some custom knives perfom much better than a factory made knife, regardless of the factory. Ka-Bar's are a good slice for the dollar though. If one is severely limited in one's funding. Bad handle material, bad guard. Just curious, are you referring to the leather handle? What's wrong with that? Randall uses the same material on their $270 version of the Ka-Bar. |
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Quoted: 1911Shootist: In [red]extremely humid environments[/red], leather can & does rot. Same for leather sheaths. On the other hand, sythetics such as Koraton, micarta etc don't rot are impervious to most solvents. Oh, you must mean like what the Marines encountered in the Pacific in WWII. [BD] |