My neighbor when I was a kid in the 1960's gave me his brother in law's Robeson which had quite a layer of mold and grime. Now, it is clean and stored properly. Quite a nice piece and even though he has passed, I am still grateful for the gift.

my first ka-bar was found in the arizona desert, i was in my 20s and ditching work to go fishing at the verde river east of mesa, and while walking out of the desert to the parking lot, i saw a sheath just lying on the ground. i walked over picked it up and to my surprise there was a brand-new ka-bar u.s. marine so i looked around not a soul in sight i grabbed my pole and fishing box and ran the last 100 or so feet to the car popped the trunk tossed it and the tackle box in shut it and broke down the pole stuck it in the back seat and left. it was a good day to take off work to say the least, and when i got home i showed it to my brother-in-law who was a vietnam vet navy but still he loved it as soon as he saw it so i kept it for a few days then just gave it to him, sort of paid it forward

I'm and old Viet Nam (USAF) vet. Shortly after joining, I purchased a commercial (civilian) pre '74 Camillus MK II in 1970. It was never used in combat, but has served me well ever since. It's been on countless camping trips for any thing you might need to cut with a sharp knife, and is still in the original sheath. Thank you for information on this knife.

My dad had been a Marine. He brought his mark ll home with him after the war. He always called it a Ka Bar even though it was marked Camilus.

You made all us old vets smile. I had my grandfather’s MKII from WWII, my father’s MKII from the Korean War and mine. We were allowed to keep them or at least the Gov never asked for them to be returned. I was also issued a Gerber multi tool and serrated blade Gerber Gator folder with nylon case. I used the Gerber Gator for nearly everything followed by the multi tool. I gave the knives to my son, who added the collection to his MKII issued to him by the Marine Corp. 4 generations of MKII’s served the family and the United States with honor. And as a side note, I still use mink oil and saddle soap. Old habits die hard.

Thanks for the tour, it sure is impressive. The history of the Camillus and the Mark-2 Fighting knives have an interesting history.

I had a pet peeve once , but it ran away .

I have an ontario knife company mk 2. Took the blade coating off, put a forced patina on, sanded the handle from round to oval, and put some leather conditioner on it.

Very cool and wonderful history! I appreciated seeing your knife room as well! All the best Tobias!

Thank you giving us the tour of your knife collection walls, as always you give a lot of interesting info and history!

Had mine strappd to my unit 1 (first aid kit) while stationed on a ship.

lol, I’m reminded of my cousin who ask me once “what kind of Coke do you want?” Considering every brand of soft drink was a Coke.

My first Mk II was an Ontario, bought it on Ft Bragg in the late 80’s early 90’s when I was in the Army

Love your man cave. But oh those SAK'S 🤩🦉

Another awesome video. Thanks for giving us the history of these knives.

Love the history Tobias, thanks a bunch. I carried my dad's German hunting knife at times in the service. I liked it because I was able to fit the sheath into my pocket part-way to keep it from flapping around yet still was able to bend as needed. lol It only had a 4" blade but I never needed more. Keeping something of importance secure and handy is a life lesson.

I taught 95B reclassification and ANCOC courses one summer camp at Ft. McCoy one summer camp. I loved the area, friendly folks and a beautiful place.

Very impressive collection! Thank you for the video. I have always loved the looks of that knife !! 42 year ago as a Navy snipe all I was issued was, an engine room Steam Plant! LOL👍👍🤠🤠🎯🎯

I really enjoyed this video, I started collecting military knives when I was younger, I got away from it later, but I still have some really nice ones.

MK2 are Kabars. The Marines called them all Kabars whether they were made by Camillus, Robinson, PAL or Union Cutlery. The Conneta, MSI and Ontario are also referred to as such. When I show my buddies my MK2 collection, it's always referred to as my Kabar collection.

Case did make a nice quartermasters knife during WW2.

LOL! You’ll never escape it, Tobias. My WWII Marine friend called it a Ka-bar, and the one he used on Okinawa probably was. In the 60’s guys in Vietnam were calling them Ka-bars. We call adjustable wrenches Crescents, Linemen call their pliers Kleins, you can’t beat legend with mere fact. 😅 I love the history, though.👍

Thanks for the information Tobias. Great video and one of the knives I obsessed over before I starting collecting. Maybe I’ll need to make sure I pick up a Camillus made one. I oil and wipe down my carbon blades dry before storing and never have had an issue. Except for the knife in my pocket, dry as can be but gets occasional spotting. Turns out pockets can be pretty humid in the Texas heat lol

Tobias, thanks for sharing your beautiful example of your Camilus made Ka-Bar.......LOL! Just kidding, don't stick me with your Mark II fighting knife! Your man cave/garage looked great. You must have put a ton of work into that. I've got to do something with mine.

How crazy, I was just looking at my silver bullet knife this morning. Then I see this video and you show the poster. Great video (CAMCO USA is what mine shows on tang)

Good info and history. Sharing.

You see a tissue blowing down the road and you call it a Kleenex...same thing bro. The Mk2 fighter, mine from the folks in Olean NY, was the first fixed blade knife I ever purchased. I was just out of high school, found a new military surplus store and paid retail; it cost $29.95. Still have it and its still a beauty.

I found a Camillus fighting knife stuck in a tree in nearby woods. Tang stamp as one that began 1989. Following fall I hiked out wondering if the sheath was around somewhere...and it was! BUT, the sheath has staples vs rivets. ~ It was odd trying to research what found. ~ Younger knife, older sheath, it sure makes a dandy garage knife hanging at the ready. Kept pretty much shave sharp using my grandfather's kitchen steel. Old kitchen steel with no ridges/texture. ~~ TMI: I'm finding a kitchen steel used vertically, tip to a rag/handle up, slower 'n steady I can keep a more constant angle, than whipping like some chef. tips me hat ~

The one I have, that came from the daughter of WW2 vet. who was in the Navy,,, is stamped "U S Utica Cut. CO.",, like hearing the history of these knives,,,, I'm a collector,,, thanks

great content ,, i like the historical background , research , very nice examples ,and personal experience shared in all of your videos ,,,,, keep up the good work .

Yeah, I don't recall anyone in the Army (also in the 80s in Ft. Hood, TX, and Stuttgart, FRG) telling me not to carry the M-60 in the field. I'm pretty sure that damn thing took a couple of years off my life. LOL!

I have the K Bar USMC AND NAVY.and the Camillus . Navy K bar has the od green sheath, The USMC THE LEATHER. I have the Navy camillus in the gray sheath. That also irritated me when the camillus was referred to as K bar.

Excellent Presentation ! Thank You For Sharing Your Knowledge ! Thank You For Your Service To Our Country !!

Great video. God bless. From Glenn CATT in Massachusetts.

I got the KaBar USMC in '71. It was probably a left-over ww2 production, and somehow the blade had gotten CHROMED, (or nickled maybe, altho the guards were blued) never seen or heard tell of one like it altho I have looked. That KaBar went the way of many "young guys" knives and Ive since wished I'd kept it. Traded it to get a Buck 120 "general" which everyone was wanting at the time due to being strong and rust-proof. I did pick up a Camillus which has been around the world a couple times and now resides on my wall. Very informative posting, I had no idea that the Camillus was so much more popular than the KaBar. Now of course the original Camillus is out of business, having been moved to red China. I looked over the (new production) Case version, it looked ratty and not nearly as sturdy as either the KaBar or the Camillus... IMO. Granted, to be fair- I didn't buy one and test it... Thanks for this blog/article, interesting and informative hope you'll keep em coming! 🗡

This video is like a public service message. I was issued the Camillus in 71 . A very good knife and the first thing we (Army) did was remove most of the top guard and replace the sheath with a heavier water buffalo leather sheath. Traded that knife for an Australian military knife and found another Camillus at a gun show in the early 80s' . I have a few Kabars, but the Camillus is still used as a favorite knife for hunting in AK and New Mexico . Thanks for your history lesson and thoughts.

That's a beautiful collection

The camilus is the real deal! Definitely worth more than the kbar! Because it’s a collection item!

Great video Tobias!!

Thanks for the tour 👌

Thanks for the insight, I agree.

I wish that eBay would monitor the way people label their knives for sale.

You didn't recognize Western Cutlery, they made MK ll knives as well. Check it out... 😎

Enjoyed the room tour, and knife history. Thanks Tobias 👍

Wow, what a collection you have.

Oh, you're not crazy, well not too much really, just like the rest of us knife nuts. My Mk2 has been stored dry since it came home with me in 1975. I store it in the original box, not in the sheath either, been dry except when I take it to wear. Only ever lubed it and the stacked leather with LSA or Hoppe's oil.

My Mark II is marked on the finger guard USN Camillus

This knife is the one that got me into this hobby. In my opinion this is the most beautiful fixed blade. I know its not the best out there but i dont care. I have the Idf version of the ka bar since i was 9 years old, its been used so it looks alot like your camilus and i love it because of that. I also have a modern ka bar and it also great but it looks brand new since i will never have the chance to actualy use it in my urban way of life with knife laws and such.

Loved this video I never had a Mark 2 so when SMKW put the KaBar USSF Mark 2 fighting knives on sale for Memorial Day I picked two up one for myself and one for my son for Christmas

Incredible history on these knives. Thank you for the research you do Tobias. From a collectors standpoint, are those lesser producing company’s knives, especially during those war years, more sought after? Or valuable? Like the Imperials or Colonials. Very interesting watch.

Wait Camillus also made the famous KaBar knife? Lol. Oh you're not to heavy Tobias, just a bit to short for your weight. The Mark II combat knife is a very recognizable design. Indeed widely known as the KaBar fighting knife. Well what did we know before internet? we allways thought about that knife as the KaBar knife, we were so unknowing. Later on in life you get to know more and more about the knife and you understand that the design has to do nothing with Kabar, other then they made them too. Still everybody who wanted a good knife in my youth, wanted a KaBar, because the name stood for good quality. A bit simular perhaps is the name Kaiser Wilhelm knife which is actually the Mercator knife. Thank you for the video and the rant.

Have a really nice Buck knife made by Schrade 😂

i collect bayonet and knives and KNOW that most of us collectors, amateurs, beggining collectors, and enthusiasts all have adopted kabar as a generic term so dont let it bother you. even vets call them kabars. i have a usn mk2 in a scabbard marked usn that i really like alot and i am a marine please dont tell anyone lets keep it a secret. although i do own some ww2 usmc ka-bars.

Everyone does this it’s the same thing as everyone calling a circular saw a “Skil saw” because it was a favorite brand or a reciprocating saw a “Sabre saw” because it was most common or a favorite.

The majority of the military contract Mark 2 Combat knives from WW2 to the mid 1970's were made by Camillus. kabar made no mark 2 knives for the military after 1945

OTHER CO;S made the MKII during WW2 utica, robeson ,pal, camillus, kabar ,and i think conetta.

What years did you Serve Sir? Your Camillus is in about the same Cond. as mine. my sheath finally went to hell though had to buy a new one about 15 years ago. we dipped ours in used motor oil in Honduras cause of the heat and humidity it did help some. Thanks for the Great vids on Military knives.

I am going to stick my neck out on this guess. The name Ka-bar is marked large shows up more easily on the balde marked ones and I believe many real Ka-bar made sheaths in WWII had Ka-bar on the sheath at one time. So, I think between those 2 things that type of knife became generically known as a Ka-bar knife. Camillus does not roll off of the tongue. Also, I have not read anything that said which company's knives the USMC got the most of and at what time. Could it be that the USMC at some point got a large number of real Ka-bar made Knives. Also, when a Marine was in the States and went to a PX what knives did he see selling there. Where they real Ka-bar made knives or other makes? Some knife companies pursued commercial sales more than others did. When you go on eBay you occasional see a real WWII Ka-bar Mark II with a real era sheath with Ka-bar right at the top of the throat of the sheath on the front and the Globe and Anchor and below that USMC. So, the Ka-bar knife company had their name right out there in the open and got brand recognition. Somewhat like when someone asked you in a restaurant if you want a coke, they mean some generic cola.

Tobias, have you tried Hornady One Shot on knives? I hear it was respected in The Sandbox. I live in the Pacific NorthWET and rust is an enemy, but I don’t like oil attracting dust on metal I carry daily. BTW another experiment: I’m loading the stacked leather on a small “barn find” Estwing hatchet with Ballistol.

I'm ex-Army, and have carried a Camlilus made, "Kabar", (MK2) for decades. It really IS a good hog sticker. I learned something today. I no longer have to put up with ex-Marine's smug remarks, that an Army guy carries a "Marine knife". I'm carrying the ORIGINAL MK2 Fighting/Utility knife, made for the US ARMY!

Mr. Tobias I enjoy all your videos, And their very educational when it comes to knives. I would appreciate it if you would send me one of your stickers With your white Kitty cat On them.

i got a camillus...i like it nice & sharp dark brown

I think OKCs version of this (the 498) still carries a NATO stock number and is likely the only current actual version of the Mark 2 combat knife. OKC seems to have inherited or made in conjunction with a few Camillus blades. Camillus also used to make all the Carbon V blanks for Cold Steel and that steel evolved into 1095 CV, which Kabar now uses. The current Kabar clone of the Mark 2 has several cost cutting issues, such as a powder steel pommel which can easily break when using it as a striking tool. RIP Camillus, the current company that carries the name is not amd will not ever be Camillus.

My Ka-Bar is stamped " USN" and "Ka-Bar Olean N Y".

Now throw PAL and Robeson into the mix.

🤣🤣🤣🤣 No the Army never did tell me that carrying all that weight from my 95 pound ruck was bad for my health.

I will admit I myself am guilty of calling the mk 2 a kabar kinda generically. Plus most of the time it's jarheads to whom I am Speaking. It conjures up a certain image. Of course if I see one like at a gun and knife show I call it a mk2 . I guess it depends on the audience at the time. Good info and I really enjoyed the stats and the collection of swiss army knives is awesome and the hobo knives. Love those things. I use one at work on my lunch box everyday. Keep several in the vehicles for emergencies and such.

Maybe you can tell me how too remove tarnish on my blade, I cut A hot roast with mY KNIFE AND WOULD LIKE TOO CLEAN IT UP

Nice KaBar. 😄

Good video,... but I don't care what knife enthusiasts think. I call my Kershaw my Kershaw. I call my Case xx my Case double x or just my double x. I call my K-Bar my K-Bar. I don't have to say it is a Trench knife, they know what it is before they see it when I say K-Bar. And I am a Viet Nam Vet. I've had my K-Bar since 1991.

Nice kabar video

Tuf Glide, KPL and others all make dry protectants for blades and I wouldn't oil any blade with the technology that they have today with substances to put on blades.

Saying you have a Ka-bar, is like saying you drive a Chevy. Or you call all lipless crankbaits, a Rattle Trap. Or all cokes, a Coke.

I SEE YOU STILL HAVE YOU EAR PLUGS AND CASE AS DO I 1971TO1975 SGT USMC GOD BLESS BROTHER AND I WAS IN CRASH FIRE AND RESCUE 7051 AND CARED A 5 IN CAMILLUS WITH A NAVY GRAY PUMMEL THAT I HAVE TILL THIS DAY 72 73 CAUGHT THE END .I ALL SO HAVE LIKE KNIVES AND GLAD I FOUND YOUR SITE

the music is too loud.

Sorry sir. I left because the music made it hard to hear you.

Hate to pee in your Wheaties... While complaining about people using the wrong name, you in fact are doing the same thing. Your knife is not a mark 2 mkii... mark 2 was a WWII designation. Your knife is post 62 as recognized by the 7 rivet sheath, US on the blade, the straight guard, and the black sheath.