Customer Reviews

Ka-Bar Bowie Black Finish

5 star:		(38)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This knife offering from Kabar is incredible. It is a huge knife and the quality of Kabar comes into every ounce. The knife is relatively light for its size and incredibly durable. I have split wood with it and its just an absolute workhorse. More so than the weight of this knife the limiting factor is the size, which for a survival tool is great but probably not a first choice for a fighting knife unless you want to scare the hell out of your opponent. It does come with a half leather(the back portion that would be close to your body and the belt loop/retention straps) and half nylon(which is backed by something which makes it rigid) sheath that has a plastic loop on the tip of the sheath to tie it to the leg or whatever the bottom of this knife will be contacting in your carry system.

I can't say enough about this knife for the money theres no reason not to get this knife and at least try it out. I doubt you will be dissapointed in this superb survival knife.

Awesome value!

Pros:
Excellent weight
Balanced feel, heavier tip which is good for a survival knife
Very nice edge to it right out of the box
Handle is very comfortable, more-so than I expected
Sheath is durable and functional

Cons:
...

Overall:
I took this knife on a 3 day backpacking trip into West Virginia in November and it performed excellently! I processed a LOT of wood with this knife and I have zero complaints! The only "failure" was when I went through some wood with more ease then expected and hit a rock with full force resulting in the blade receiving very small chips(surprised it wasn't worse). I really beat up on this knife and put it through "my test" and I absolutely love it!

This knife is AWESOME. No complaints.
5/5 EASY

I bought this knife a year or so ago and have processed a bunch of wood with it. (Processed = Split wood length-wise by whacking a knife through it with another piece of wood) The blade has cut and handled the beating like a champ. The rubber handle split along the top really badly, really quickly with just a few misplaced blows.

If you decide to beat on it, don't hit the rubberized handle. It *is* a beast, though. Work it carefully and it'll do its thing.

I just wish they made one with an exposed tang running full length. (RTAK II maybe? Never used one... looks like it might?)

P.S. If you've read this far, check out Nutnfancy on the You Tube. (No, I'm not affiliated)

My top 10 reasons for the BHB being the best large bushcraft knife on the market for the money:

(1.) A thick spine for strength. 1/4 inch is nothing to sneer at.
(2.) A full length (and width) flat (V) grind creating a wedge that splits rather than cuts wood when chopping or batoning.
(3.) A wide (47mm / 1.85in.) blade that gives plenty of real estate for that grind to reduce that spine to a surprisingly narrow edge.
(4.) A long blade (good for leverage while chopping and spanning large wood when batoning).
(5.) A heavy blade - but lighter than many of it's contemporaries due to its grind.
(6.) Well balanced for chopping or finer bushcraft chores. Slightly blade-heavy when holding it by the grip with the balance point placed on the Choil/Tang. This allows one to easily balance up the knife for finer jobs by simply choking one's grip up to the Choil.
(7.) No guard. A guard for a knife of this size and meant for this type of abuse would only be something to break or create a point of failure for the rest of the knife if struck. The grip creates a natural guard for the hand by flaring wide.
(8.) Good grip/pommel. Kraton is not the most durable material but lends an excellent grip and counterweight for the blade. The hooked and flared pommel is also perfect for retaining one's grip when chopping.
(9.) A full Tang and rounded tang-to-blade transitions under the grip to prevent damage to the Kraton and or one's hand if the knife were to be struck by a baton or struck against something else.
(10.) Nearly identical steel (1085 Vs. 1095) and heat treatment to it's more expensive cousin the Becker BK9.

Hope this info helps. I spent a lot of time researching these facts in blade forums and or email conversations with Ka-Bar.

P.S. A lot folks seem to complain about the sheath and I will admit that it's maybe not all that it could be (though appropriate for the price). I was able to make it perfectly passable for the outdoors however by simply oiling down all of the leather with Huberd's Shoe Oil and water sealing the Cordura with Nikwax TX. So maybe a total of $10 in materials and it's effectively bulletproof to the elements.

Others have spoken about how sharp it is out of the box, how balanced it feels, and how impressive it is overall... and I agree. What I'd like to add is that I find it to be the best value in the big bowie style knife category. For this amount of money you will be hard pressed to find a knife of equal quality. While the sheath is so-so, the knife itself makes the purchase worth it. It may not weigh as much as some of the famous (I won't name them) chopping type big knives, but it's close and the metal is extraordinarily strong. This knife will not sit in a closet; it's going to baton wood immediately. Great job, Ka-Bar!

I purchased this knife for my passion of Ka-Bars, and I fell in love with Amazon more than the knife itself. Great, fast delievery for a rock bottom price. As for the blade itself, "awesome" sums it up. It holds an edge very well and and fits in the hand like a glove. I highly recomend the purchase of this knife through Amazon.

I first discovered this knife watching a "destruction test" on youtube.
Now that I have it in hand, I'm pretty sure it can withstand just about anything. Shaving sharp - right out of the box- literally!, great balance & geometry.
I have large hands and it fits perfectly. (those with smaller hands may find it a little difficult to control under extreme use.)
The only reason I gave it 5 stars is because they didn't have 6- GREAT PRODUCT-GREAT PRICE- thanks AMAZON and BLADE SHOP!

This is a great knife. It is big but very balanced and easy to hold and use with one hand.

I bought this knife looking for a good chopper and to baton with, and I definitely picked the right blade for the job. I have built two fires and enough wood to feed it for a couple of hours, and the knife was still sharp. The handle is perfect for this POU (philosophy of use). The curved end helps with chopping, by letting you holding the knife lower on the handle and assisting with the swing. I would like to see a better sheath though, maybe a kydex retention sheath, leather isnt ideal for the woods, and the snaps seem a bit clumsy. Ka-bar is a great product and very affordable, and you get alot of knife for you money. I definitely recommend this knife.

I bought this knife based on a favorable Nutnfancy review and the attractive price. I've since used it extensively, from everything to basic cutting needs to batoning through firewood, and last weekend trimming up a tree that I had to cut down. The knife is strangely well balanced, I say strange because it doesn't look it, but when you hold it in your hand it feels really good. I will say that the black finish comes off in a hurry during serious, hardcore use, but that's going to be true of almost any finish. The weight is excellent, heavy enough for hacking and chopping, and light enough for backpacking. It really is just right for outdoor tasks. It's especially good at batoning through logs and trimming kindling due to the thick spine which results in an effective wedge as it goes through the wood.

The sheath however, sucks. That's why I took a star away. Even after modifying it I found the sheath was still useless. No joke. Not only that but I think it was engineered by a monkey and assembled by an ape, becuase it looks like junk too. If you've got another sheath that will work, or you just use the sheath to secure the knife inside of a pack or something (which is what I wound up doing), you'll have a great knife.