Tag Archives: Ka-Bar

Weapons

Harpoon or Flatout?

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The Becker BK 18 Becker Harpoon vs the Kronos Knives Flat Out. Similar quality in the blade steel. Similar pricing currently. The BK 18 is about an inch larger. But I hated – HATED – the coating. So I had to remove the scales, use a stripper, and then scrape the coating all off the blade. The plastic scales were atrocious, so 35 bucks for micarta replacements. After all that… I’m happy with the knife, and it feels good in the hand.

The Kronos came out of the box in a condition that I like, and it feels good in the hand too. Both blades have a good belly, and a sharp tip. But both also needed just a bit of stone work to have a hair shaving edge. Being smaller doesn’t hamper this knife at all. It has that “Just Right” feeling in the hand, no matter how you grip it. The BK 18 came with a standard KaBar type scabbard, made of nylon and injection molded plastic. It works just fine, but only allows tip down carry with a belt through the loop, low like a cowboy. If you like you could fashion other methods, but I’ve not done that yet. The Kronos comes with a Kydex sheath that is way too tight and drawing the knife is far too difficult, and there is no thumbshelf or such to help push out from that deathgrip. But it does come with the BladeTech attachment that allows you to carry it however you like. Being slightly smaller, it carries very well horizontally.

Both knives are winners, but I do like the Becker’s sheath better, simply because it doesn’t fight me. But the Kronos is just begging for a leather sheath. Maybe in a saddle brown, with a distressed finish.

Weapons

Ka-Bar Mark 98

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What the Mark 98 is, and what it’s supposed to be, might be two different things. Let’s find out.

Let’s first talk about what the Mark 98 is. It’s a beefy liner-lock folder that looks ruggedly handsome. With the battleship gray coating over all the metal, and the G-10 scales, and the pronounced fuller reminiscent of their standard Ka-bar fighting knife, the Mark 98 looks fantastic. It has a 3.5″ spear point blade and unfolds out into an overall length of just over 8 inches. The knife has some heft to it, and it’s handle is thick, making it feel suitable for hard use.

The blade material is 5Cr15, which is a Chinese version of 5Cr15MoV… which is kind of a nothing special type of Stainless Steel. I like it better than AUS-8, personally. It takes an edge well, easy to resharpen, and holds it pretty well for actual real world use that doesn’t involve slicing cardboard strips. So I’m expecting the blade steel to be just fine.

I was pleased with just how smoothly the blade flips open, and that the blade was almost perfectly centered right out of the box. If there is anything concerning about the design, it’s that the liner lock is just a hair thinner than I really like. But it seems to work well. The blade locks up tightly, with no play at all. The detent holding the blade closed is a bit weak, so it doesn’t resist the flip open, so you don’t get that distinct snap on the open without a bit of wrist flick action. But when you do, is opens smooth as a puma.

The knife feels good in the hand. The scales are contoured well, and shaped well. You could really lean on this knife doing some serious cutting tasks, and it wont be uncomfortable through the job. Can I say again just how good looking this knife is? The flipper is a little of spoiler for the lines, but it’s functional and not obtrusive.

The best thing about the knife, is the price. BladeHQ has it right now for less than $20. The question though, is if this Chinese made Ka-Bar is worth the money. The answer to that, is up to you and what you want to do with the knife. So to put this to the test, I have this knife to my Son that broke a previous knife I gave him that featured D2 steel. He’s rough on knives. So he’s going to carry it and use it every day for a month or so, and we’ll check back on it and see how it’s held up. Because if it survives his use – it’s a sold knife and worth the money.

To Be Continued!
Update: After several months of hard use by my son who works in Maintenance for a large facility… The knife has held up just fine. The finish has proven strong, and the blade has held its edge very well. The knife has shown far more value than its cost. Overall, thumbs up.

Gear, Weapons

Ka-Bar: Classic Military. The Aragorn Knife.

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This knife is The Classic Military Knife, and to me, just as Iconic as the Willis Jeep, Leather Bomber Jackets, Thompson SMG’s, and Sherman Tanks.  It screams History, Heritage, and Tradition.
I’m not going to go into the History aspect of it… I don’t need to.  Its been spoken about for generations.   This one is stamped “US ARMY”, as all the best ones are… Just sayin…
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Weapons

Fixed Bladed EDC.

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One of the things I always have with me, is a small fixed bladed knife. Sure, I always have one or two folders with me as well… But I like having a small fixed blade on me.   Here’s the three I usually rotate though, depending on what the day has planned.

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Left to Right:
Benchmade’s Adamas Push Dagger.
Benchmade’s SOCP Dagger.
Ka-Bar’s Becker Necker.
Reason for these three is the light weight, small profile.  I never wear them around the neck, but they do well in a Boot or on the Belt.  Or other places one might hide a little knife.  The SOCP though, sometimes I’ll clip it to the front of the shirt like a pen.   Just easy that way, and quite fast to use.

The Necker has a nice usable shape.   I use it quite often for regular cutting tasks.  Cooking Prep and such.  It is one of my favorite all time knives.  I like the bottle opener too. Quite handy.   This one has a lot of utility while the others are strictly defensive tools.

The Adamas is an interesting bit of kit.  The chisel grind makes it not so useful for normal cutting tasks… but the double edge blade is wicked sharp.  For it’s purpose, it is scary effective.

The SOCP is the cool guy blade.  The point is like a needle.  The blade… not so sharp.  It’s not supposed to be.  This one is all about the deep puncture, with little other utility.   This is a rip cord type tool.  You pull it when there is no other option.    I know a lot of guys like to modify their SOCPs… but I’ve not done so yet.  I may in the future though.  Were I to do so… I think I’d strip the coating off it, bevel some edges, and acid etch the steel to give it some more character.    Of all the three, this is the one that comes with me most often.