Reddit reviews KA-BAR #1213 Black Straight Edge Knife / Hard Sheath

The bottom one is a Ka-bar and can be bought here. Im not sure about the bottom one but it is a kukiri blade shape.

I'm not Military, but when my father was in the Marine Corps in the 70s he was issued a KaBar Big Brother.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004NN7NAA/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1504240595&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=kabar+big+brother&dpPl=1&dpID=31E-qMF2BsL&ref=plSrch

A lot of guys these days receive the Gerber 06 Auto

http://www.bladehq.com/item--Gerber-06-Automatic-Knife--1471

This is pretty much just the fixed blade version of the 06, but some guys get the Gerber LMF

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0009JVOCA/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504240771&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=gerber+lmf&dpPl=1&dpID=31Yjv1xqlVL&ref=plSrch


And the most common military issue fixed blade is the classic Kabar Fighting Knife.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001AIAIP8/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504240839&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=kabar&dpPl=1&dpID=31wN6v6RMlL&ref=plSrch

> any specific knife recommendations

I'm sure you'd get better than my (recommendations) from a specific sub but we've been using Cutco at home with great success so far. We've got a basic set for home, spent altogether about $40-60 per blade, and couldn't be happier so far. In the restaurant (sushi) the chef pics his own stuff and I see him with no name knives he gets somewhere from Korea that he has sharpened about every 3-4 days and it works for him, I'm sure it wouldn't be exactly what you'd want for home unless you want to be flashy.

At home we also have and use constantly some random stuff including all kinds of J.A.Henckels knives with various success, I think the worst one was either Spanish or Chinese made. I like a $5 random blade at some point acquired from Target or Walmart better than one of those.

Again, the main point is to find something that serves your purpose without emptying your wallet. Cutco more or less did it for us at home and now and then we'd use some very very weird and random stuff we picked up here and there, nothing really fancy, and whenever we have people who prep food us and don't bring their own tools, they are ok with our even shittiest serrated plastic handle crap, which is kind of weird.

Personal favorite though, sometimes for shits and giggles, I'll cut a salad with a Ka-Bar (like this one: https://www.amazon.com/KA-BAR-1213-Black-Straight-Sheath/dp/B001AIAIP8/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1497043965&sr=1-2&keywords=ka-bar).

Big Left, top to bottom:

Gerber Gator Jr.
Harbor Freight $8 survival knife
KA-BAR #1213 Black Straight Edge
Ka-Bar Short Kraton-G Handle

Big Right, top to bottom:

Schrade SCHKM1 Large Full Tang Fixed Blade Kukri
Schrade SCHKM1SM Small Full Tang Fixed Blade Kukri
Schrade SCHF9N

Small stuff, top row, left to right:

Bessey D-BKWH Quick-Change Folding Utility Knife - Wood Grain Handle
Some cheap Husky multitool I got at Home Depot two-for-five-bucks back in '10 or '11
CRKT Eraser

Small stuff, bottom row, left to right:;

SOG Aegis Mini
Kershaw Thistle
Spyderco Resilience

-----

The Harbor Freight was an impulse thing. Same with the cheap-o Home Depot multitools.

The rest is pretty budget-conscious stuff. No matter what, though, even though they're not considered top-of-the-line or whatever, nobody will ever convince me that Schrade doesn't make some pretty damn good knives.

I've had my eye on this. KA-BAR is known for making good, solid knives that can take a beating. Not sure how it would hold up as a pry-bar though. The handle is kraton, which is a polymer. I'm not sure if it's non-conductive...but I think most polymers are.

How about this?

http://www.amazon.com/KA-BAR-1213-Fighting-Utility-Sheath/dp/B001AIAIP8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1374328331&sr=8-4&keywords=ka-bar+usmc

You might want to try,

If the blade of your knife is marked with a four-digit code, you may be able to find it on the list here. If you can't find a product code, we may be able to help you identify your knife using photos. Please shoot both sides of the blade, note any unique markings, measurements, etc, and send it to [email protected]. Please allow a couple weeks for a response... sometimes these things are really tough to pinpoint.

It's a copy of the classic 'kabar' WWII Navy MkII knife, with a modern synthetic handle and coated blade.

You can get one from an original maker, kabar, for about $65 or so, if you prefer.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AIAIP8/ref=twister_B07RFT43H8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1


I don't have this knife but I've have a handful of Cold Steel knives and I've been happy with every one of them. Good quality for the price.

My go-to combo is the Ka-Bar Cutlass machete and the Ka-Bar small sheath knife.

There's not much else you need to do on your own in the forest that these two things won't do. They hold an edge and if you keep them reasonably clean, they'll last your lifetime. Best of all, they're slim and easy to pack.

I'd add this handheld job if you think you will need to get at larger pieces of wood.

Of course, if you're not concerned about weight and portability, get a fuckin' axe.

Pretty sleek and badass looking. And on sale at Midway USA for $30 cheaper than BladeHQ and Amazon right now. I've never bought from there, but just noticed the price.

I see the Tech's big brother, the SB1T-L Super SOG Bowie, on multiple "best bowie" lists, so it seems people value what they do in the bowie department. That one's a 7.5" in Aus-8 and the handle is brown leather instead of textured black Kraton. On SOG's site (though you can get better prices) it goes for $75 more than the Tech, so if that's indicative of their own in-house estimation of quality, there's maybe one suggestion on higher quality options you're after.

Staying upmarket, and to put it back in the all-black and sleek tactical-looking department, if a bit less bowie, there's the Fallkniven A1 in black. People rave about their knives.

And if you like the sleek all-black look of that Fallkniven but would rather go budget than spendy on your black badass tacticals, there's the Cold Steel SRK in SK-5 going for a song on Amazon. $35! You could just get that one for dessert. It was so cheap I just got one for fun, just to have it since I'd always liked its shape. Looks like something a Navy SEAL would fight with in the dark. It's comparably manageable in size to the Tech and the design has a long track record. The handle is the same material and pattern as the Tech, no back guard, ricasso half the size, blade width of 5mm instead of 6.1mm, weight a nice 8.2oz instead of 11.2oz, length 10.75" instead of 11". So, just an option for something cool lower down in the budget if you like 'em black and badass.

Here's another sleek black tactical with a bowie blade but otherwise not looking very bowie, looking more spy fighty, the Spyderco Street Bowie, a lot cheaper on Amazon of course.

There's the black version of the classic Ka-Bar Marines fighting knife.

It's this one (link provided for example only).