The Ontario SP1 is the only "fighting knife" currently being issued to the military.

[Captain O]

The KaBar is no longer "tough enough" to serve in the military. The Ontario Knife has taken its place.

Opinions? Comments?

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[Unka-Boo]

"Lowest bidder"

 

[Martini_Up]

"I don't know what it's called, I only know the sound it makes when it takes a mans life"

No opinion really. I like the Ontario just fine.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Knowing nothing about the Ontario SP1 I can't really say...
But I do know that a old fashioned Kabar and others made to its specs are excellent field and "fighting Knives"...Way too many servicemen can vouch for a Karbar...makes no sense to me to mess with success.
Andy

 

[Captain O]

"Lowest bidder"

No, KaBar stopped sharpening the back of the clip point. Ontario still does. The "rat tail" (slender) tang on the knife has been breaking behind the powder-steel quillion (not good).

 

[Camelfilter]

Dunno about the SP1, but I have an Ontario Mark 3 Navy which is pretty decent.

 

[Captain O]

I thought the KaBar knives were great until they began suffering from "tang failures" regularly. Now you can buy the SP1 for $26.99 on Amazon. These have a full tang with a Kraton grip and a lanyard hole. The darned things are almost "bomb proof".

 

[GOG]

My KaBar is my do-all beater knife for many projects around this place. It gets abused regularly and after a clean up and sharpening it's ready for another round.

Maybe the newer ones don't have the same quality. Times get lean, costs get cut and quality suffers. I dunno', just a thought.

I will say this though, a new knife is almost as much fun as a new gun.

Almost.

 

[leadcounsel]

The KaBar is no longer "tough enough" to serve in the military. The Ontario Knife has taken its place.

Opinions? Comments?

What branch gets a fighting knife issued? Or even fighting knife training? I served in the modern era Army during OIF deployments, deploying several times, and nobody I know - officers or enlisted - had a fighting knife issued to him or took any knife fighting training. People bought their own and I saw Kabars, Beckers, Gerbers, and Cold Steel, maybe some others. It's possible infantry MOS received knife fighting training, but I've never heard of anything significant.

For the record, the military would do well to provide knives and knife fighting training to replace all the down-time, and many of the stupid useless and online training they have for a variety of social justice or other nonsense.

 

[Stomper]

Knife fighting.... a nasty, visceral business.

 

[User 1234]

We were issued M9 bayonets in the Air Force of all branches. We were security forces working protective escorts in Kuwait at the time so even if we had been attacked there wouldn't be much use for a bayonet. And of course we were not qualified knife fighters. I was the only one with any bayonet training only because I was prior Army.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

A neighbor's son , who I taught in high school , joined the Marines a few years ago.
After boot Camp and a tour over in Afghanistan he came home on leave and in the course of his visit I learned that he nor any of his fellow Marines were issued a Kabar or any knife for that matter....
They could however , carry a field knife , while he was asking my advice on a knife....
I gave him a "Karbar" of mine...A WWII Issued Robson made "Kabar" with a Navy MKII scabbard.
Problem solved....
Andy

 

[Captain O]

A neighbor's son, who I taught in high school, joined the Marines a few years ago.
After Boot Camp and a tour over in Afghanistan, he came home on leave and in the course of his visit I learned that he nor any of his fellow Marines were issued a Kabar or any knife for that matter....
They could, however, carry a field knife, while he was asking my advice on a knife....
I gave him a "Karbar" of mine...A WWII Issued Robson made "Kabar" with a Navy MKII scabbard.
Problem solved....
Andy

Yes, Andy, they don't make them like that anymore. (They needed them to get through "hand-to-hand" back in the day).

 

[The Heretic]

What branch gets a fighting knife issued? Or even fighting knife training? I served in the modern era Army during OIF deployments, deploying several times, and nobody I know - officers or enlisted - had a fighting knife issued to him or took any knife fighting training. People bought their own and I saw Kabars, Beckers, Gerbers, and Cold Steel, maybe some others. It's possible infantry MOS received knife fighting training, but I've never heard of anything significant.

For the record, the military would do well to provide knives and knife fighting training to replace all the down-time, and many of the stupid useless and online training they have for a variety of social justice or other nonsense.

 

[The Heretic]

Boatswains in the USCG get Kabars:

 

[Cucv]

I like my ww2 Navy Kabar.

 

[Tarawa86]

Dunno about the SP1, but I have an Ontario Mark 3 Navy which is pretty decent.

That's a great looking knife. Does it hold an edge well?

 

[Captain O]

That's a great looking knife. Does it hold an edge well?

Ontario's "civilian" line is all made of 1075 Carbon Steel heat treated to 57-59 HRC. It works extremely well and holds a great edge. I have the SP10 Marine Raider Bowie and the SP5 Survivor Bowie. Both are made of 1075 Carbon Steel and 57-59 HRC heat-treatment. Believe me, it is a combination that is "tough as nails" and holds an edge that refuses to "chip".

I like it.

 

[Cucv]

I have the OKC3 bayonet it love it as a camping outdoors knife.

 

[Basedgreaser]

This thread reminded me to pull er back out the back of my safe. Needs some care for sure. Ima get right on that.

I see newer ka bars as show knives that have decent enough performance for camping trips and what not. OK has been makin knives for a while im sure they know what they are doin. Ide grab a bayonet by them in a heartbeat if it could fit a surefire 308 muzzle device lol