Ka-Bar Combat Kukri Review
Black coated 1095 Cro-Van carbon steel blade with flat grind
·Black Kraton G® handle
·Black coated carbon steel guard and end cap
·13-3/8" overall
·Heavy duty polyester sheath with multiple carry options
·Made in USA
Ka-Bar® Combat Kukri·Black Kraton G® handle
·Black coated carbon steel guard and end cap
·13-3/8" overall
·Heavy duty polyester sheath with multiple carry options
·Made in USA
This is an awesome knife everything I expected and more. Very well made and sharp, as can be expected from Ka-Bar. Its a great mix between the Ka-Bar Kukri and the traditional Ka-Bar fighting knife. The sheath is also great it may look a little cheap at first glance but its well made and durable. I love this knife!
ReplyDeleteEvery Ka-Bar I have ever seen when new was amazingly sharp. You could easily shave with them. But this one did not come as sharp as all the other Ka-Bars I've come in contact with. Dont missinterpret me, it was sharp, just not quite as sharp as I've come to expect from a Ka-Bar. Of course that doesn't mean you can't sharpen it yourself or that the quality of the knife is comprimised. Also, there was an uneven spot on the blade. Oddly it was sharp in the lower spot which means whoever sharpened this knife had to know it was there.
ReplyDeleteI love this knife. Very useful. Nice quality. Comfortable to hold and it has a great feel to it. I say buy it.
ReplyDeleteIts a KaBar. Nothing fancy. Put it on your pack. Chop s*** with it. Nuf Said.
ReplyDeleteYou will want to put a better edge on it but it chops fire wood out of the box.
The sheath is nice, double snap closure plus compartment for backup fixed blade and sharpening stone.
The knife is a bit light in the ass but it works. This is not a presentation quality KaBar.
If its made in the USA its KaBar! The 1249 and other foreigners just don't cut it, no pun intended...
Weight 0.80 lb. Steel 1095 Cro-Van
ReplyDeleteFixed Blade
Measurements Blade length 8-1/2"; Overall length 13-3/8" Grind Flat
Edge Angles 20 Degrees
Handle Material Kraton G®
Shape Kukri HRC 56-58
Stamp USA Butt Cap/Guard Powdered Metal
Made in USA
Blade Thickness 0.165
The kukri is as expected, but I'm disappointed that Ka-Bar couldn't offer a nicer sheath, such as kydex for a piece of metal less than half the weight, but twice the price as the original kukri. The combat kukri is suitable for the outdoorsman looking for an all purpose knife to cut small limbs, shave kenneling, and maybe even baton some larger limbs for whatever purposes(haven't tried yet, but will edit review in the future).
ReplyDeleteLike I said, Ka-Bar is making a lot of money off this one, when I received my original Ka-Bar kukri years back, I was surprised with the weight and quality for around $50. The sheath didn't matter, it wasn't supposed to be a self defense/ combat tool. The combat kukri, however, seeing as how it is such a small piece of metal, could've been sold with a kydex sheath and most likely would've had higher sale rates than it does now. This would've made Ka-Bar as much, if not more money on the product with just a little bit more emphasis on the "Combat" aspect.
This is a good self defense tool, and not too bulky to conceal, however the sheath is lacking in any aspect of "combat". Overall I give the combat kukri a 4 because I'm not satisfied with the bang for my buck regarding the sheath. I'm not too sure about the weight of it, I know it's supposed to be light, but I hope it stands up to it's use as a tool. Marketing anything as "combat" is a good way to make a quick sale, but to keep customers for the long run, you need to back up your marketing slogans, Ka-Bar you know this. I'm satisfied with the actual blade itself and will continue to buy from Ka-Bar as long as they keep up the good quality work on blades. I'll add more to my review in the future regarding wear & tear and specific tasks that the combat kukri is good for in the good old outdoors.
EDIT*EDIT*EDIT*
As I said before, I will be posting specific tasks that the kukri can hold up to and how well it takes on the wear and tear. It isn't much, but the combat kukri works wonderfully for use as an icepick to break the ice on my dogs waterbuckets. In fact, it's the best tool I've used so far. The slight curve of the blade makes chopping the ice away on the inner edges of the buckets very easy. I have taken very good care of my blade, and kept it slightly oiled after getting wet. No rust so far!
Second Edit***
I have continued to use this tool, as I call it, for various campsite functions. It has served me well. I used to rely on a regular fixed blade knife with a blade length between 4-7 inches give or take, but with this lightweight but useful blade, I can chop through many small branches without having to baton through them. This comes in handy when trying to quickly start a fire. I have had no problem clearing minor amounts of brush as well. The original Ka-Bar Kukri, however, works better for that obviously since it is a longer blade. The combat Kukri is a nice blade to carry in the woods, it can shave, cut, chop, and even be thrown(although I don't recommend it unless you know what you're doing). I do enjoy carrying this piece around, but my initial review stands, it needs a kydex sheath. I would love nothing more than a nice snap in sheath to go with this blade with a tactical harness to boot. That's all for now, but I'll keep updating my reviews as long as I am using this blade. Happy hiking!
Ka-Bar does it again with another amazing knife!!! Razor sharp and heavy duty with an ambidextrous tactical sheath with a M.O.L.L.E. attachment strap on the back and two lashing holes perfect for 550 paracord on the bottom.The sheath also has a double pocket on the outside that has a compartment for some small gear like a firestarter or a knife sharpener and then has a built in plastic housing for a second small knife blade.This combat kukri and tactical sheath is a must have!! I also have the big brother to this knife Ka-Bars Kukri Machete which is one bad ass blade but despite the smaller size I favor this new Combat Kukri because it's Made In The U.S.A.
ReplyDeleteFresh out of the box cut through bamboo shoots as thick as my arm at the bicep. This knife is just that, a badass knife. You can totally use it to chop branches and small trees and I even used the back of the blade to bent a Gil Hibson Rambo knife. Be careful I barely tapped my thumb and sliced deep into it. However I did chop a paperback book and cut clean through 188 pages, it was able to cut through 460 pages without too much effort. Really great buy and more than worth the money.
ReplyDeleteA kukri is really a multi-purpose tool. The tip should be very sharp, about 25º. You slice up your tomatoes with this part of the knife. The center should be more like a cleaver, sharpened according to whether you are going to cut vegetables or bone with it. I sharpen mine like a Chinese vegetable chopper. The portion of the blade between the curve and the handle should be extremely sharp. It is used for fine work such as whittling or slicing thinly. About 20º. This knife comes with the entire blade sharpened at 20º, so you will have a bit of work if you want to sharpen it like a kukri. On the other hand, the blade is really too short to be used practically like a traditional kukri or survival knife, so sharpening the entire knife at 20º may be a reasonable thing to do. The back of the blade has the wide wedge that on traditional kukris is used like a hammer. This blade is really too light for that, but I suppose you could drive tacks with it. I have not tried digging holes with it and I am not about to. I suppose it would work if you really don't mind spending all evening restoring your blade's edges.
ReplyDeleteAs a camp kitchen knife, it performs quite well. It chops spaghetti squash and slices tomatoes with relative ease. It is hardy and should last you many years. And it is even short enough to fit in your camp cook box. I think its light weight makes it more suitable as a Chinese vegetable cleaver than something with which you are going to chop through bones. The blade is too wide for lifting a hot Dutch oven lid, but most Dutch oven cooks have a lid lifter for that anyway. The different blade weight threw my aim off considerably, but you get used to it.
As a survival knife, the Combat Kukri may not, at first, seem as useful as a full size kukri. As an older (and somewhat feeble) person, however, I appreciate the light weight when carrying it around. While it might not clear a trail as quickly as a machete, its shorter length does make it easier to use in dense foliage such as blackberries, salal, and temperate rain forest.
I know very little about knife fighting. My motto is, if you feed 'em, you don't have to fight 'em. If Ka-Bar says it is a good personal defense weapon I have to assume that this would only be true in the hands of someone who is competent at it. That said, you could probably make a pretty decent spear with it by tying the handle to a pole. Just don't ask me how realistic it is to call this a "combat" kukri, 'cuz I have no idea.
Now let me be clear on this: I do not like painted blades. However, the paint does seem extremely durable and after using it for a couple weeks I see no damage to it.
The sheath is adequate -- it has a plastic lined sleeve which has been blamed for dulling blades in other Ka-Bar knives. I have not noticed this to be a problem. It has a second double pocket suitable for storing a whet stone and a plastic lined sheath for a small blade such as a neck knife. Cute, but not that useful. If I want a neck knife I will wear it on my, um, neck? Total length of knife allowed in this second sheath is about six inches. The sheath may be worn either right or left handed. The lower end has riveted holes for tying a leather thong or shoelace around your leg. The sheath also has Velcro straps on the back that are snapped closed when worn on a belt, but which can be used for attaching the sheath to a pack or saddle.
I give it 4 stars. Almost perfect, but could stand a slightly heavier blade for chopping and pounding.