You all have one, right? Right?
Here’s a decent video of the history thereof.
Admission: I don’t have a full-sized Ka-Bar, just the shorter “USAF Survival” version.
But I think I’ll be looking at one of the full-sized ones, maybe as a “suggested” birthday present from the kids. Here’s the USMC model:
Anyway, enjoy the movie.
For a while they were available in Stainless, if you live in a wetter environment.
The coolest ones show four years of pacific island use- worn, sharpened, sheaths patched with aircraft aluminum, leather sweat soaked and dark, parkerizing almost gone- they speak of heroes.
My brother has the one my dad was issued when he was sent to Vietnam, which was an odd one as it was stamped USAF instead of USMC.
I’ve got two of the USAF knives. One on my load bearing equipment and one on my aircrew survival vest
The USAF knife was sufficient for my needs during SERE training. Hanging a KBAR on my gear seemed a little too much like being poser at the time, not being a graduate of SDMCRD, Parris Island or Quantico.
With a limited budget they’ll continue to do, and honestly I find my Swiss Army knives get more use on a daily basis.
My USAF K-Bar is in my Grab & Go Bag. I figure it’ll do pretty much anything of a knife nature, and it has its own little stone to keep it in shape. Q.E.D.
Nice knifes and I’ll probably pick one up one day, just because, but the blade/tang transition has proven to be somewhat of a weak point in some tests (aka knife abuse).
Still a classic and one that belongs in the collection if not in the rotation.
They have an improved version, also, with better steel (D2), synthetic handle material (Kraton) and beefier guard and pommel – – I have one like this, but with an inch or so of serrations near the guard. I also removed the black paint from mine: https://www.kabar.com/products/1292
This newer version is sometimes referred to as a “Kar-Bar,” after knife writer Chuck Karwan, who suggested the improvements.