I had a Ka-Bar when I was 11 or 12 years old, that had been dug up from under a tree, and I cleaned it up and fixed it up and loved the thing. How does a Ka-Bar end up all rusty under a tree in Hawaii in the mid-1970s? It probably saw service in the Pacific.

I know the rubber is better in practicality, but the leather looks way cooler. And as Dave Cranterbembry always says, the most important element of survival and bushcraft is looking cool.

Have had this version for years now. Excellent value. Appreciate the time and effort you put into these vids! Take care brotha!

I have the leather version KA-Bar..My favorite hunting knife..I've used my Ka-Bar for skinning deer, chopping wood, cutting brush, and on the softer gentler way for peeling my apples and oranges. Best hunting knife I ever owned for the past 22-25 years. When I store it I always put a little bit of oil on the blade, not that it will rust but it's always good to do..Canada

I've had the OG for over 10 years. Love my USMC model. Great vid, TY.

I purchased the partially serrated version a few years ago. On my knife shelf, it sits beside my uncles Navy Mk 2 knife, issued, I think, in 1943 or 1944. The Navy version did not have the leather sheath, rather it is made of some type of plastic with a heavy canvas belt loop. Like the new version of the sheath, the old one is also ambidextrous, even the retaining strap. The stacked leather handle is in great shape. I do prefer the feel of new handle material. In both cases, I love the round handle because it feels go, no matter how you hold it. I have gotten a bit spoiled with the Parkerized finish on the old one. It has gotten worn smooth with use over the decades. Both the main edge and the swedge are razor sharp. It is now in retirement.

I love my USMC Ka-Bar, with leather sheath. I bought the plastic sheath later as it's better for carrying on the trail. The one down side I found with mine is that there were some sharp edges on the guard where it meets the handle, but a quick file down took care of that. A true classic. Keep 'em coming my friend.

I have the same orignal Ka-Bar I was issued 53 years ago when I joined the Marines the 1st thing Gunny said this is Not a can opener it's made for 1 thing and 1 thing ONLY

Like Bill Stoger said, #15 orings fit perfectly in those grooves.

Can't go wrong with the Ka-bar! FYI: there's a few "Hacks" for those who might use one. A) Seen a few from WW2 where the Upper Guard was bent towards the Tip about 45 degrees. But I don't how well it would work in the Plastic Sheath. B) Go to Harbor Freight and get a set of "O" Rings and slide one each into the Grooves on the handle. Really cuts down on "Rotational Slippage." Also Wilson Tennis Grip Wrap works well, and you can always use both. C) The back of the Spine is easily made into a 90 degree angle for striking a Ferro Rod, which should be easy to mount a Holder for it. D) For the "Budget Bushcrafter", the Leather sheath fits the Old Hickory 7" Butcher Blade like a glove. E) And the Modern Sheath can be ordered separately, if a Military Person wishes to carry the Family Legacy into Combat. Hope this helps.

I Love this style of knife and that's why I own the Cold Steel Leatherneck in Tanto. Thanks for the review.

I bought one last year and I love it.

USMC!!!! Gideon. Long time subscriber, and love your work...But as a 25 year career Marine, your continued reference to "Army" and "Soldiers"..."Soldier knife" in this video, is just a little bit misplaced. The original Ka-Bar fighting knife was officially adopted by the United States Marine Corps in 1940s, at the outset of and during WW II. The Ka-Bar "Mark 2 Combat/Fighting Utility knife" was issued to Marines who carried pistols, M-1 Carbines, the BAR, and machine gunners, as riflemen already had their bayonets. Later, it was issued to ALL Marines. Prior to the USMC adoption of this knife, the term "Ka-bar" didn't even exist in common language. I joined the Marines in the 80's, and retired in 2005, and my personal, original issue " Mark 2 Combat/Fighting Utility knife" (Ka-Bar) is over 35 years in my possession. Thousands of active and former Marines still have their original issue Ka-bars at home as, probably still employed as a utility tool or standby home/personal protection weapon...or at least stored with reverence in a place of honor. I still use mine for everything from yard work to opening the mail, and keep it under my bed at night. Though the knife has been used and adopted by other services within the US Armed Forces since its inception, the "Ka-bar" fighting knife is, without question, a time honored part of Marine Corps lore and tradition for 75'ish years. With respect to all who have served, in any service, but they all would agree that there is a reason the USMC Eagle, Globe, and Anchor is embossed on the Ka-bar sheath. Thank you, and Semper Fidelis!

The steel sharpens so well.

Good review. I always wondered about the Ka-Bar knives.

I’ve had one of these with the leather scabbard for 3 years. Am finally putting it through trials on a week long camping trip in Southwest Virginia Appalachia.

I bought that exact model recently because of its originality. Great knife.

I was just looking at videos for the Becker Harpoon and noticed this one. This is the first Ka-Bar I bought in 2003. Really just to have one and it's still new in box and has the 2003 brochure in the box too. I recently got the 5011 model with the green handle that's this knife in a polymer sheath instead of the basic leather. I've always liked Ka-Bar knives and have quite a few now. Good stuff.

...#15 plumbing o rings rolls into those grooves on the handle making in real grippy! !!

Really good review. I have the same knife but black handle and sheath. I love the balance of the blade being more toward the handle. It is easy for me to sharpen.

I love it when non experienced people talk about weapons they don't understand. You can carve and peal with that Ka-Bar. The butt cap can be hammered on. It's also used to put down ward force if you know what you're doing. I prepped and ate meals for a months with my Ka-Bar. I had to do unspeakable things too. Survival is the whole point why the Ka-Bar was made. I carved out a cup and a bowl with my Ka-Bar. I wouldn't carry anything else into combat or the woods.

I own a lot of kabar constructed knives, mostly (Becker), but I also own the Turok as well as 2 Ka-bar USMC knives, leather stacked and the rubber handled, both USMC knives are brilliant, the rubber handled one goes nearly every where on 1 day out, the leather is for my collection, regardless it's a timeless peace that will not let you down, well recommended, especially with the elements here in Scotland.

As a member of a recon lrrp team this blade was made for hunting . In Honduras if you make noise on recon you ain't going to live long. No one battoned wood with it. We rucked 2 week patrols and this blade was quiet and kept cricket's chirping like nothing happened. All this blade does is rips groin to brisket. These videos on turning swords into plowshares are entertaining. If you want a camping knife buy one for that . If your ass is in the Bush and you don't want to be found this blade will assist if you don't use it as a prybar this blade takes names AATFW

Thanks for posting.

I plan on getting one of those next from their company. I just purchased the BK-2 last month and love it. The only problem was getting it out of it's sheath which is difficult and I just have to wait for it to get easier to remove. It was the first knife I purchased from them, but I have many other knives and love them too. The BK-2 seem to be a great knife and I love the material it is made from and the handle is nice and thick for my large hands. I am not crazy about the nylon webbing attached to the sheath as it just goes all over the place.

Great job on this. It's hard to find a video that really fleshes out the capabilities of this knife. Most videos just compare the different types of knifes. Don't forget that it can also scale fish and cut game.

I got similar knife (D2, 1282) and I am getting the 1216 sheath because it looks so much better than the one I got with my knife. I love the durability and utility of Ka-Bar knives.

Great video and thanks for the information and links!

I already have this knife but looked at this video to confirm how good it is. Thanks for the great review!

I got that version but in black, love it! Comes with a great plastic sheath...

Thank very much. I study many knifes from your vdo.

I have a 1211 it's about 9 years old and it's still a great knife, I should've gone with a plain straight edge instead of the serrated but it's still a really handy blade though I've never really had use for the serrated part of it.

I got the classic, the smaller classic looking one, and I bought the tanto for gits and shiggles. Always go with the classics.

The Cold Steel leatherneck is a good alternative and also fixes the handle indexing issue.

Great Review always enjoy your commentary and honest words.

I like how you strait up don't recommend many knives!

Great Review!

As usual, nice review of the Ka-bar fighting utility knife. I unfortunately bought the EK knife bowie by Ka-bar but got it half price. Hopefully I don't have the same issue with the guard, if I do I'll just tack weld it with a tig welder.

A lot of guys were issued the Cammilus and Kabars when I was in the Army 71-78 . Remember well my Sgt telling me "Time to fix that knife " He took a hacksaw and removed the top guard . We all did this and it makes the knife far better . A hell of a great knife for general camp use and processing large game . Thanks for the review .

Thanks for another great review. I did not know that Ka-Bar bought Ek Knives. Thanks for that information. Ek is actually a name (pronounced like 'heck' without the h), and this company was named after it's founder (John Ek). It's actually the Swedish word for Oak, if you're wondering what kind of name it is. My impression of most of the Ek Knives designs is that they are *really* combat knives, with features specifically designed for damaging another person's body (stiletto-like, double-edged) ... and not for practical uses that don't involve gross bodily harm.

The guard on the EK knife is designed to be removed. If you loosen up the scales you can move them up higher to hold the guard in place so it doesn't rattle anymore. That's something you can't do on the 1211 if the guard comes loose.

Great vid man🔥🔥🔥

I had to have a KA-BAR and in fact selected this 1211 model. I consider it a decent fighting blade, but I prefer the SOG Tech Bowie blade & handle shape. The KA-BAR often goes in the hydration pack while mountain biking.

like the "hammer/knock out thing" on the bottom!

My first knife is a ka-bar usmc 1218 with leather handle and sheath ☺

Yep....an excellent version of this Marine combat tested blade. I like it a lot and that sheath as well. If you ever have a chance to obtain an original WWII eagle head bayonet snap it up. Mine was presented to me by my father-in-law who was a Marine Officer who fought in the Pacific (including Iwo Jima) and in Korea. That was the real deal and most used of all blades by the USMC in hand to hand combat. Mine was made by the American Fork and Hoe company (the largest producer) and is a large solid tang deadly work of art, crafted in American steel.

Thank you 👍. A tip I saw to improve the handle (Maybe it was you. Can’t recall.) and it works great! Go to any hardware store and buy 5 black rubber / silicone O-rings. Slide / roll onto handle. One O-ring per groove in handle (Can’t recall the size of rubber O-ring I bought.) They fit very nicely into each groove and greatly enhance the grip. When they are on the grip they look like it came from Ka-Bar that way. Very cool hack ...

As you showed it's a utility fighting knife and the upgraded version looks great. Personally I own the BK 16 which is fine for me. But thanks for your review.

Thanks for the review. Looking forward to your Review on the Turok! I got a BK16 set up with AZ Welke Kydex and Micarta handle on the back of one of your older reviews. It's my new favourite blade. Good mix of demo, opinion and facts. These reviews do help me make buying choices. Thanks!

I had one of these about 2 years ago. It was a gift from a "friend" on Christmas one year. He asked for it back a year ago for some reason and I was like whatever. Then he tried then to sell it to me the next week. By this point I was very pissed. I knew he had gotten into drugs so I said no. Not sure what happened to it after that. I found a good deal on Amazon today and I can't wait to have my Ka-Bar back in my gun cabinet. :)

Ka-bar's success in WWII is largely due to a genius marketing strategy. Ka-bar made sure that supply crates for ammo, weapons rations etc shipped with a knife that could be used for marines to open the crate.

I love this knife! It's not my go to bushcraft or survival knife by any means I use it general purpose tasks. It also goes with me hunting and fishing. I primarily use it for cleaning large game and killing snapping turtles.

great upload cheers

I prefer the Ka-Bar D2. With the shortened handguard, you can get finer control over the blade than with the 1211. Also, the slightly larger dog head pommel allows you to add a tie down or a lanyard. I also replaced plastic sheath with a nylon sheath because mt knife rattled around too much in the original plastic sheath.

1st. time I watched ,very good information and professional presentation . Thx.

Right on

I have to leather handle version. I am planning to get the rubber handle version. I think these are great knives and they are totally underrated. I know there definitely better blades out there, but the price will reflect it. I think this knife is above the rest when it comes to quality and price. And now, with the better sheath, there is very little competition to it. I also feel this knife is well suited for urban SHTF use. And also the weight for the size of blade is light enough to carry as an EDC if needed.

You have by far the best edged presentations on KZfaq. Appreciate your work. On Ka-Bar, I use the 1213 and can really see no definitive difference between the 1211 except for the sheath. Ka-Bar makes three or four products that are very similar, and it is a good marketing strategy. Keep up the great comparos.

I love mine! lol Great video man!

got both - I like this one better its with me everyday

That looks really nice, I am sure you know of the OKC sp1, I absolutely love that blade, the handle is unbelievable to me. I have the same hand size as you. I redid the blade edge an its a fantastic knife now.

I'm a fan of the model 1317 (dog's head) with the larger sized pummel and lanyard hole. It is a leather stacked handle, but a bit of tweaking makes the leather handle rather excellent, if I may say so myself. I really do like the 1211, though, and this review was well done.

Just paused the video and bought this knife, have wanted one ...$128 black w/leather sheath ...impatiently waiting...my first 🙂

Best to use the knife as a knife and have an axe or hatchet as well as a smaller utility knife. But yeah, nice knife and good test to show how it holds up. It's going on the front plate carrier for me under the admin pouch. Cheers.

I had to cut a thin steel door for a test. It opened up that door like a can. It's still sharp.

I have had my K-Bar for over 10 years now and I love it I smash it off everything. And i Carry it everyday , The Pomel on it I hit it all the time break stuff glass rocks use it as a hammer put nails in with it still going strong I should do a review with my cable are you sure you were a really can do with one because I put them to the test

Got one!

Great review. I personally have the dogs head, big brother and the d2 extreme. Great knives for the purpose. Heavy use like batoning is not reccomended as you will bend the tang but other then that they are excellent. Keep em coming.

nice stuff

An old favorite that I carried for years in combat zones. I'm really happy to see the sheath upgrade, but wish they had left the pommel strap off. It slows down deployment and even if you leave it unsnapped can hang the knife up in the draw, which burns precious time under duress. Having also trained for years in knife CQC, I've come to the conclusion that anything I have to manipulate to get into the fight, fixed or folder, is a straight utility knife. I also wish they had strengthened the tang. If you projectile it the percussion can bend it at the hilt. Now someone's going to say "why would you throw your knife away..." I always carry two. Projectiles distract while you close distance. Still, may have to pick one up just for old time's sake. Only one I have is the leather wrapped, but it's engraved as a gift so no field use for it.

I have the 1209, a viet nam era knife, bought it for $16 new in 1968 in Richmond Virginia. You can find them in good condition for between $250-300 now. So I think I’ll keep mine. I was 13 when I got it.

I got the 1211 because i didn't wanna seem like a wanna be marine, but i did want the military proven ,u.s. made reliability, the kraton handle is amazing as well

For some reasons that polymer (or probably GFN) sheath reminds me of Cold Steel's Secure-Ex sheath…

Pumped for your thoughts on the Turok. Just picked one up on impulse, haven't had the chance to put it to work. Sharpened it, took a great edge and the edge was superbly ground. Not always the case with outdoors blades.

"if you are considering the 1211 you are probably looking at these other 2 ka-bars as well" nope never seen them before 😂

I think if the bk7 came with a similar sheath system it would be a great combat utility offering. I'm like you I hate nylon sheaths. I understand their purpose to keep price point down but man do they suck. Great review.

My Ka-bar isn't even a Ka-bar anymore. It (most likely) started as a short, somewhere lossed it's handle, true edge and false edge. Now paracord, a convex grind about a cm wide (which starts at the indent, showing how worn the blade is) make for a surprisingly good blade. I treat it like crap, a quick hone usually fixes it, at most a couple hours with a stone. I though it was original, soldier purchased utility knife when they had the trench knives (that could open a can of whoopass but not a can of beans) cause of KA-BAR OLEAN NY / *USA* marking .... but I think the shorts have always had that. Probably my favorite blade, I think the M7 bayonett would probably baton and fight better; but I don't really baton or fight, that's what axes and guns are for. But as far as skinning, prying, food-prep, driving flathead screws, cleaning a pipe or opening a can I go for the "toothpick" KA-BAR every time.

I just use a spare BUCK M9 bayonet scabbard with my KA BAR 1211. Works like a dream.

I allways been a fan of kill a bear aka KA BAR knifes. The original is my favorite. I baught a cold steel leatherneck because it looks just like the K bar but a lot stronger. I keep it beside my ruger 357 357mag. Great combo I think for the outdoorsman. 🙏 👪 🇺🇸 🔫 🔪☺

Just a mention, the older 1211 has a partial serrated edge. I got mine maybe 5 years ago or so, and it's a partially serrated KA-BAR stamped with 1211. I know KA-BAR can be odd with their designations (the 1282 and 1283, if I recall, are identical D2 steel models, but the number corresponds to the sheath type). There are also sub-models, too, I think the 1245 tanto being one of them where multiple revisions were made to both the knife and sheath. In short, it's probably better to say the Krayton-G version of the classic 7 inch straight edge with Kydex sheath. I still love my classic remaster of the WWII model, the 1217 (leather grip and sheath, and a 7" straight edge blade). Best part is, as long as the blade isn't too long, most of the KA-BAR knives work in the sheath you like most. So you can go classic stacked leather grip in a Kydex sheath, or a Krayton-G grip in a leather sheath. Whatever makes you happy.

I don't care for the knife, but that sheath is absolutely AWESOME!!!

Yes

Great review! Have you tried out the Case version? The curved tip is also sharpened in their version.

the cold steel leatherneck is a good option as well

You should do a back to back with the Cold Steel Leatherneck SF

Big fan love the channel, any chance of getting a review on the all new 1266 modified tanto

So I got a new one yesterday, thought I got a clone so I went to the website, and Ka-Bar says it will give the 1211 a single stamp from now on, which I think makes it a bit more durable. I like my new 1211.

Nice knife 👍🏻😃

In my opinion the Kabar short fighting utility knife is the best take if you are going for something a little bit lighter and a little more compact

marines made also saltwater diving action stuff,still with the leather version!and its pretty durable leather & lovely almost,sticky grip,cause of the leather,my opinion!

Been waiting on this one awhile!!! Thanks man!!

Kohburger inspired me to buy one

Gideon thank you for saying that the John ek is "a big no, no" I was going to buy that for a woods knife/ back up blade. now that I know the guard looses up I will not be buying it. i have the 1211 and it is as awesome as you say it is.

Good review and a great knife. This looks like the KA-BAR I own and the color is foliage green.? If I am right about the color, I believe this would be the KA-BAR 1249. I think the 1211 is the exact same knife but has a black handle. Thanks for sharing.

Great video from 6 years ago👍🏻. Have you ever checked out the Cold Steel Leatherneck? Its heavier duty and in my opinion a big improvement over the classic Ka-bar, better sheath and better price point to boot. Thanks for the great videos

These blades are different from top of blade to bottom, near the bottom kbar actually keeps the steel softer, as to have it bend not break, so it would be just as robust as many other survival knives, but yes it is not great for finer details bushcraft, but it can be done,

Like to see a review of the Ontario SP1 - and a comparison maybe... I suspect the thicker blade might make the SP1 a better choice for a survival knife. Kabar is using a modified 1095 though. It sounds similar to what Cold Steel used to call "Carbon V" actually (1095 with added chromium & vanadium). Thoughts?

Just for reference. The crossguard is not to catch a blade. That only applies to fencing and these are not swords. It's to protect you from slicing open your own fingers when stabbing. When your hands are bloody and wet and stabbing,; its common for your hands to want to slide forward into the blade. Any fighting knife needs some sort of crossguard to prevent this . Otherwise you have to angle the pommel into your palm and switch the grip. Hard to do with a kbar

I don't mind the 1211 version but the only two issues I have is the handle is small for my hand and the sheath in Canada for EDC is a really bad idea I got detained for it looking like a handgun holster but other than that it's a great knife I give 5 outta 5

Looks identical to my D2 Extreme.