Hey, everyone.
David C. Andersen here coming at you from the KnifeCenter, and today we’re looking
at the top ten best outdoor and tactical fixed blades and pocket knives that you can get
from KA-BAR Knives.
They’re a storied American manufacturer, and you can get all of them right now in 2019.
Let’s check ‘em out.
So first up is THE KA-BAR.
This knife is archetype: the 1217 USMC Fighter, which is perhaps the most famous fighting
knife in history.
Although many different companies originally built this knife, it’s so heavily associated
with KA-BAR that all of them are often referred to as the KA-BAR knife.
Officially, this knife is called the Mark 2 Fighting Knife.
It was adopted in World War II, and has been popular ever since, because it’s a knife
that can handle both combat as well as the day to day utility needs of our nation’s
service members.
It’s sort of an offshoot of popular hunting knife patterns of the day, and this modern
day version features a seven inch blade of 1095 Cro-Van carbon steel with a black coating.
The plain edge is the classic iteration, but you can also get it partially serrated if
you prefer.
The knife has a saber grind with flat bevels, and an upswept clip point with a broad swedge.
This feature here is not a blood groove, contrary to popular opinion.
It’s called a fuller, and it’s designed to take a little bit of weight out of the
blade.
On the reverse side of the recaso is marked the initials USMC, although there are other
brand designations that are available.
You can also get it blank if you want, if you’re uncomfortable using a knife with
a military designation that you haven’t served under.
The handle itself is made from stacked leather washers, although grippy kraton is also an
option these days, and it has a nice oval cross section that fills the hand and indexes
very easily.
You can see that the blade is offset from the handle just a little bit, and this keeps
the point more in line with the handle for thrusting, and we have a stamped cross guard
that protects both sides of your hand from slippage.
In classic fashion, the knife comes with a nice sturdy leather sheath with a snap closure.
Still issued to troops to this day, THE KA-BAR, the USMC Fighter, is a classic, and honestly,
any knife collection worth its salt needs to have one of these in it.
Reintroduced not too long ago, the KA-BAR USN Mark 1 carries a similar vibe to the USMC
fighter, but in a smaller, more utilitarian shape.
The blade itself is just over five inches, and it uses that same great 1095 Cro-Van.
In fact, they use it all over their lineup, and they do a great job getting the most out
of this classic steel.
It has some added elements versus standard 1095 that mostly help with grain refinement.
Overall, performance should be pretty much the same to the end user.
The clip point on this blade features a straight profile, rather than being scooped out like
the USMC blade, and we get a full flat grind, too, which makes it a great slicer.
The handle itself feels great.
It swells in just the right place.
It’s available with classic stacked leather, but I have the kraton version here, which
is a better option when you come to wet environments.
Likewise too, the sheath is better for those wet environments, because it’s made out
of kydex, as opposed to the leather sheath that comes with the stacked leather version
of this knife.
The Cross guard of this knife is scaled down a little bit compared to the USMC, especially
on the back side.
It’s easy to choke up for finer grips, as it doesn’t get in the way so much.
If the classic KA-BAR is a little bit bigger than you might want, or if you’re looking
for something that’s more suited to outdoors work, whether it be survival or hunting, the
USN Mark 1 is a great choice.
So those aren’t the only famous fighting knives in the KA-BAR roster.
Not too long ago, they’ve also acquired the Ek Commando Knife Company, and with it
their aggressive blades that have been in service since 1941 with special forces all
the way through to the modern battlefield.
This Ek Presentation Knife is based on the Model 4 dagger.
It’s not as famous as something like the Fairbairn-Sykes dagger, but it’s just as
effective.
It features a mirror polished double edge blade that uses 440C stainless steel, and
it’s a full tang design, and the handles are walnut, held on with traditional X-head
fasteners.
There is a more workhorse utilitarian version of this knife available that has synthetic
handles as well as 1095 steel, but the wood is actually more traditional.
Most old Eks actually came with wood handles so that the end user could shape it to fit
their hands perfectly.
In fact, a lot of those old knives actually came with a piece of sandpaper included for
just that purpose.
The hardware and the traditional S guard on this Presentation Knife is copper coated.
It gives it a really nice vintage-y vibe.
The tang of the knife also extends beyond the end of the handles.
This can be used as a short pry bar for something like opening ammunition crates, and it protects
the scales when using the end as a thumper, and it can even be used as an additional point
for an offensive strike.
Like the previous knives, this knife is made in America, and it has a great amount of history
behind it, but it’s just as effective today.
So, from military knives, it’s a pretty short jump to the tactical arena, and KA-BAR
also has a number of knives that support law enforcement and operators out there, and that
brings us to the TDI Fixed Blade Knife.
This knife was designed by John Benner, founder of the Tactical Defense Institute, TDI, and
it was designed as a last option knife in close quarters situations.
Despite its tactical nature, it’s not a bad utility shape, either.
In fact, we think this would make a great box cutter.
We get a few different zytel handle color options.
I’ve got the coyote brown here, and these knives are made in Taiwan, so we see AUS-8
stainless rather than 1095, but it still gets a black coating for low visibility.
The blade is hollow ground, and it can be had with a plain edge or partial serrations,
or even a full serrated option.
The knife clicks nicely into the sheath, and on the back we see KA-BAR’s popular TDI
belt clip.
This makes it easy to clip on and off of your belt, but it’s not likely to slip off thanks
to a built in retention tab.
This model has been around for quite a while because it’s built well and dead simple
to use effectively.
It’s a natural extension of your grip, and all you have to do is point where you want
it to go.
Although primarily known for their fixed blades, KA-BAR has a number of good folder designs,
too.
The first one I’ll show you is designed by Bob Dozier, who’s only one of the world
class designers that KA-BAR works with, and this knife has become a classic; the Dozier
Folding Hunter.
These knives are capable and affordable.
A lot of them hit right around the $20 mark.
They’re made in Taiwan as well, so we get that same great AUS-8 steel and a hollow-ground
spearpoint shape right at about three inches in length, although a two and a quarter inch
length models are also available.
The knife opens with a single thumb stud, so it is right-hand biased, but the pocket
clip itself is reversible to either side.
A lock back helps keep the construction simple, and it secures the blade open very well.
The handles themselves are zytel, which helps keep the weight down, and we’ve got several
different colors to choose from, too.
I especially love this red-handled version that was released in 2019.
We’ve got a diamond texture on the sides that helps keep the handles from getting too
slippery, and the shape is very accomodating to multiple different hand sizes.
We’ve got no finger grooves, just a comfy elliptical shape, and the Dozier folding hunter
is the perfect size for budget-friendly EDC.
It’s one of the best cheap pocket knives out there, but the way it’s built, it certainly
doesn’t feel cheap.
This next folder costs a little bit more, but it’s still affordable, right around
$40, and this is the Jesse Jarosz 7505 Folding Knife.
Another import, this knife comes with a three and a half inch blade of AUS-8, and it’s
available as a drop point or a tanto.
It features hollow grinds and a stonewashed finish, perfect for minimizing the appearance
of scratches as you use the knife.
What impresses me most about the Jarosz folding knife is the action.
It does use nylon washers, but deploys very nicely with the dual thumb studs.
They’re positioned at just the right point for good leverage.
The handles are glass filled nylon, and they’re contoured exceptionally well.
It holds very neatly in the hand.
Because of the natural way you grip these handles, it angles the point of the blade
down slightly.
This makes it very intuitive to place that point right where you want it, whether you’re
opening boxes or you need to use it in a more defensive scenario.
This is a liner locking knife, and the liners are nice and thick, too.
It makes this a very confident option if you need to do heavier work with your folder.
The pocket clip is two-position, tip up or tip down on the right side only.
No options for lefties in terms of the clip, but since the liner lock is right-hand biased
anyway, I can’t really fault them for that.
Another nice little integration we see with this design is, rather than a simple lanyard
hole, the backspacer actually incorporates a space for a small post, and that can be
used to attach any cordage or accessories that you might want.
It keeps that lanyard option there for those who want it without cluttering up the handle
with another hole.
This design from Jarosz is a great affordable folding knife, but it isn’t the only knife
of his to make our list.
In addition to their military knives, KA-BAR also works with a number of designers, including
Jarosz, on heavy-duty fixed blades for outdoor uses, and this is the Globetrotter Fixed Blade.
We’re back to the USA with this one, and back to their tried and true 1095CV.
This knife makes a great companion blade or even a minimalist option for hikers or hunters.
The blade is three and a half inches long with a well-proportioned drop point.
It has a flat grind and a swedge, and a smooth black coating.
Now, despite being nearly 5/32” thick, the Globetrotter is still plenty nimble.
It’s a great size for easy control with enough durability to really take a beating
when the chips are down, and the streamlined Ultramid handles, like the Dozier Folder we
saw earlier, works well for a wide range of hand sizes.
The shape itself is very comfortable in just about any position imaginable.
The included polyester sheath comes in a nice brown color.
It’s a nice subtle look that has all the advantages of synthetic materials, but it
doesn’t look too tactical, if that sort of thing is a turn off for you.
Even so, in addition to the standard belt loop, it is also Molle compatible if you do
need to attach it to your tactical gear.
As I mentioned earlier, the Globetrotter works well on its own, but especially if you pair
it with a larger tool, such as a saw or an axe, or maybe even the Jarosz Choppa from
this same series of knives, and you’ve got a set of tools that’s going to get you through
all sorts of things.
So, there’s one more famous designer we’re going to talk about today, and that is Ethan
Becker, and his American-Made Becker Knife and Tool designs are among KA-BAR’s most
popular models.
The first one that we’re going to talk about is the BK-16.
This is one of the best affordable outdoor fixed blades under $100 that’s out there.
The drop-point 1095CV blade is four and three eighths of an inch long, 5/32” thick with
a full flat grind, and because of the versatility of the drop point shape, it can handle a broad
range of uses.
Everything from hunting and skinning, survival, bushcraft, camping and hiking, you name it.
The BK-16 is one of the mid-sized designs in the Becker lineup, and it features bolt-on
synthetic scales, which is a feature that Becker Knives helped popularize.
The contours and swells of the knife fit my hand incredibly well, and included with each
knife are a set of black and a set of tan handles, although micarta is even available
as an upgrade sold separately.
The knife comes with a survival/tactical style sheath made from cordura.
It is Molle compatible, as well as having a velcro belt loop.
It also includes dual retention straps for the handle, and an expandable velcro pouch
on the front for extra things like fire starters, sharpeners, emergency gear, et cetera.
Because of the bolt-on nature of these handle scales, there’s a big subculture of folks
out there who like to modify Becker blades.
It’s very easy to remove the scales and make your own of some fancy materials.
The black powder coating can even be stripped from the steel, and the blades can be modified,
the sky’s the limit.
But even straight out of the box, this is a high performing and affordable American-made
design that may be the only fixed blade you’ll ever need.
But if you want something bigger, Becker is there to answer the call with the BK-9 Combat
Bowie.
Becker-Heads call this knife the King, because it can do just about anything.
It’s not the biggest in the lineup any more, but it’s a great multi-purpose knife.
It works well as a chopper, an impromptu machete, tactical and breaching roles, even some hunting.
It would make a great pig sticker, and you can always choke up and secure the handle
to your arm with a lanyard and do some big game skinning in a pinch.
The 1095CV blade is 3//16” thick, and nine inches long.
It hits hard, and even has enough length to easily split wood using a baton.
But it’s still balanced enough to execute some finer carving needs like notching or
making feather sticks.
The BK-9 uses the full-sized Becker handles, as opposed to the mid-sized on the 16, and
these are some of the most comfortable big knife handles ever created.
They’re bolt-on, of course, and they come in black, although other colors are also available,
as well as that micarta upgrade option.
The synthetic handles even have some space inside that can be used to store some emergency
gear if you were so inclined.
Just make sure you have a way to get in to those handles if you need to.
Or, if you want more room, you can turn to that nylon sheath.
It’s got the same great pocket on the front for extra gear, and it even has a small sheath
insert that’ll fit a Becker BK-13 Remora.
It makes a great way to have an extra little edge on you if you need it.
Also just like the BK-16 sheath, we get a snap retention strap, although only one in
this case, as well as velcro belt loop and Molle compatible backing.
Whether you’re just getting in to big knives, or you have a ton of experience under your
belt, the BK-9 is a solid choice.
Last up is another big guy, the KA-BAR Kukri Machete from their series of Heavy Cutting
Tools.
Now, there are plenty of choppers in the KA-BAR lineup, and a few Kukris as well.
The Becker BK-21 is my personal favorite, but this list couldn’t be all Beckers, and
I couldn’t leave out this series either, because they’re economical and very capable.
We’re ending the list with another Taiwan blade using 1085 carbon steel, which is a
little bit tougher than their 1095CV.
The weight-forward Kukri shape has a history of combat use, being both an agrarian tool,
and a weapon in Nepal and India, but it’s great for general field use as well.
You could use it to chop down vines or small branches, clear a camp site, it can even be
used as a draw knife, because there’s plenty of meat on the blade to grab on to.
The handles are synthetic and they offer a lot of grip.
They actually even emulate the look of stacked leather, but we have a broad birds beak at
the back that’s going to help with retention when you’re swinging this big blade.
Now, if the Kukri shape isn’t your thing, there are other blade shapes in this series
as well.
This includes a more conventional short cutlass machete and the broad Warthog fixed blades
that can be had as well.
So that’s it for our top ten KA-BAR list.
What do you all think?
Did we leave anything out?
Be sure to let us know your favorite KA-BAR knife in the comments, and to get your hands
on any of these knives, use the links in the description to head over to KnifeCenter.com.
And be sure to sign up for our KnifeRewards program while you’re there, too.
You might as well earn some free money for buying a knife that you were gonna buy anyway.
I’m David C. Andersen from the KnifeCenter, signing off.
See you next time.