Ka-Bar Kraton Handled Straight Edge Mark 1 Knife , BLACK, 9 3/16-Inch

Being a huge Ka-Bar/Becker fan , I just had to give this one a try . First impressions found it decently sharp out of the box , nicely packaged . Not a huge fan of the scabard type sheath ( but is still solidly built with 3 retention points ) No fear of losing this one with the given sheath !The size and feel / balance are excellent and the Kraton handle is quite "grippy" and don't suspect it will be an issue if wet either . The 5" blade is nicely designed and will lend itself nicely to many tasks , whether hiking , fishing , camping , etc... The blade is of nice thickness and is full stick tang construction and the end cap would be great for light hammering tasks ( e.g. Tent pegs ...) A hefty little knife and not too heavy for carrying whether on a belt or pack . Would certainly feel right at home carving , cleaning fish & game , light chopping , carving , food prep or any camp / yard chores you can give it ! This paired with a larger Ka-Bar / Becker would certainly take care of any field chores ...My only gripe is the sheath ( but have since replaced it with a custom leather sheath from Savage Sheaths )and is certainly my new fave "All-Around" knife . If your looking for a medium size knife ( Made in USA too ) ...Look no further as this knife is superb in all aspects . Thanks Ka-Bar and Amazon !!!

Wow! So I was a big fan of my original WWI MK1 KA-BAR, and now after owning this knife they picked up right where they left off. I find this knife the perfect size for REAL WORLD function. I am in the Military and this is the highest quality and so far best knife to date. Though I would still recommend this for just regular use for camping or well just anything that you would need a knife for.The weight is perfect. great balance. If you use it a lot you will find out cause there will be no fatigue in you hand orwrist.The knife edge is great from the start. Holds an amazing edge. Also the black powder coat really holds up well! Also very easy to sharpen!The tang is larger than the original and I believe a little stronger.The new handle material is similar to that of a boot soul. Little rubbery but in a great way. I know I can grip it well. Great improvement! The handle is a little thicker too, which feels better. I have size large hands. My wife likes it too and well there small hands and still fit great.The case doesn't come off cheap, which is nice. I love the 3 locking system. Now camping or on the go I can put it to my rucksack and know I WILL NOT LOSE IT! multiple tie downs, and even 2 different spots for webbing, nice feature!All in all I believe I just found the last knife I will buy. I dare to have anybody show me a better one. yes sometimes on amazon there only about $45-$55. After owning the new MK1, if I ever loose it I would pay 3 times that to get it again. I think its that great of a knife!!!

Very fine camp knife. Light, Easy to care for and good for defence in a pinch. I suggest a nice quiet Ka bar leather sheath in place of the stock sheath.

This is just a review of my initial impressions regarding this knife. At first touch, WOW!! I've had the similar K-Bar knife the "Short Marine Fighting Knife", for quite some time now and just loved the way that thing performed. Not too big and not too small, just right for an all around outdoors knife. My only gripe to that knife was the thinness of the handle, never really felt hand filling to me. When using it hard it would start to hurt your hand, kind of like a hand cramp because you were squeezing it soo hard to make sure you had a solid grip on the thin handle. Well maybe I had two gripes with the knife (for my uses, outdoors not fighting) was the hollow ground blade, always like full flat ground. Yea these are just nitpicks because like I said earlier it's still an awesome knife.Now this knife solves all my previously mentioned gripes making this knife in my mind, perfect! Same kraton handle only thicker with a better palm swell, losing the cutout rings for a more light pebble type finish and a full flat ground blade. I have a size large hands and this thing fits like a glove in my hand, the purchase is perfect on the kraton handle and long enough where the pommel is not in the way or obscured. The other difference is there is only a blade side hilt, no double hilt on this knife. This is a plus as now you can use your thumb on the spine of the blade for better control of push cuts, I believe this also adds to the "Fighting" ability of this knife in the Filipino type grip (Kali).Lastly we have the GRN (kydex) sheath which retains the knife very well and utilizes a snap type of retention on the knife. You can't just rip the knife out of the sheath you actually have to use your thumb to push away and pull to release the knife. Sounds more complicated than it actually is, it's really easy and makes for great knife retention in any orientation. The sheath has a couple of straps for the handle one crossover and another higher on the handle. It secures by a belt loop which a D-ring is also attached, but there are holes all over the edges that will fit paracord allowing for all kinds of options. I'll finally add that the sheath is slim and narrow not cumbersome at all, large drainhole is nice.I highly recommend this knife for any outdoorsman!