Customer Reviews

Ka-Bar 2-1276-5 Short Heavy Bowie Knife

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If I had to pick a survival knife based on price, value, and what it's capable of doing, I gladly choose my Ka-Bar Heavy Bowie. This is an excellent knife for the money!

I don't find it all that heavy, although, some folks might. (just personal preference). This knife is very (VERY) sharp right out of the box, very well-balanced, and a very tough Kraton handle, which is molded to your hand.

I have used mine for splitting firewood, chopping, and just about anything else. With a very thick 1/4" blade, it splits most campfire wood fairly easily! It even makes fairly easy work with "wet" wood. I bring this knife on EVERY hike, and it's my main survival blade.

Comes with a REALLY nice sheath! Which is tough as nails, too!

I wouldn't feel too put out if this is all I had for shelter building, even preparing small gauge firewood. It's single bevel profile and 1/4" thickness make for an excellent tool for batoning and splitting. I know it sounds heavy, but that single taper makes it lighter than I would have expected. It's got a handy, well balanced, quick-witted feel to it. I've cut trees down with mine, just swinging it. It's really too substantial for kitchen craft- not that it won't cut what needs cutting (it comes sharp)- and as a hunting/dressing knife it's overkill. Think of this as a single-stop survival knife compromise that leans on the side of hatchet/prybar. The sheath is plenty secure. It uses a pair of snaps to hold the handle in place that can be rotated in either direction so you can release the knife however you prefer. This is a good knife for someone with big hands.

It came sharp, the sheath is quite good. Very stiff, as expected. Big / heavy too, but has stood for about a year and it's still going strong.
For $30, I think I got quite a decent deal. For $45? I'd probably spend a few extra bucks and get the USMC Kabar for something a wee bit smaller, but no complaints.

Great (but heavy) camp knife. It's larger size and rubber handle helps when buttoning wood. If you can afford the extra weight, it's a great knife. It's too large for fine work, so you may have to carry a smaller knife along with this one. Must be kept oiled to avoid rust - which is normal for survival knives.

I love this knife. It's fairly big for a short knife, slightly heavier than most AND it looks menacing! If you're going out in the woods or any type of desolate terrain, you won't feel alone if you're carrying this with you. It's a Ka-Bar so you can't go wrong with one of these!

That's my basic criterion for judging knives. Is it worth the money to me? Definitely. The steel takes a very fine, durable edge. Out of the box I stropped it with white paste, and it was comfortably and cleanly shaving my arm. I haven't put the knife through too much abuse except batoning red oak for smokewood. The blade is fine. The finish on the blade is rubbing off, but that's to be expected. If you like high carbon steel, this is a good value.

The dungeons-n-dragons sheath is pretty much craptastic, but it serves its purpose.