[DeraldR]

Looking to purchase a fixed blade knife or two. just for general purpose, not a speciality knife. Trying to keep costs around 100 +/- each..

Looking at Glock FM78 (without serrations), or a ka-bar USMC straight edge. The Ka-Bar is easier to source, the Glock seems to be out of production, but still avail if I go to a european vendor on Ebay.

Your opinions ?

 

[OdinIII]

I can only comment as the recent recipient of an FM81. I like the feel and heft more than expected. I have not used it yet.

 

[fastbolt]

Spring Steel @ 55 vs CroVan @ 56-58

The KA-BAR can be had with stacked leather or Kraton G handle handles.

What type of buttcap is more practical and helpful for your intended use?

The KA-BAR has a longer history of field use.

Take your pick.

As a knife enthusiast and user I never bought an earlier Glock knife as I thought they were overpriced at $30 back then. I still have my first Ka-bar 1209, with wooden handle scales, and it was heavily used and abused in my younger backwoods wandering days. I can't see either the current KA-BAR or Glock knives being any less durable or handy. Suit yourself.

 

[fastbolt]

I should mention that the "rust" in the fuller groove is actually redwood tree "bark dust" left over from my last Jeeping trip with my dad (deceased), when I was throwing it into trees. I decided to leave the blade uncleaned/oiled since that time (70's).

The peening on the spine of the blade and the pommel are from repeated hammer blows, when I used to use the Kabar for splitting wood and kindling. I've since straightened the tweaked top guard (since taking those pics).

I have a second one of this long-discontinued 1209 kabar, which I'd loaned to a friend for use on his rural property for several years. When I got it back it was in much worse condition than mine (he's HARD on gear and equipment), but I restored the blade's edge to clean, hair-popping sharpness. The rest is merely cosmetic, showing it was a hard-used tool.

For trivia .... Once I asked kabar about the origin of the 1209 model, after it had been discontinued in the mid 70's. I got a letter from someone in their collector's dept, telling me that it had first been designed for UDT use (hence, the African hardwood versus using stacked leather washers). After he'd received my forwarded "testimonial" letter of the backwoods abuse to which I'd subjected mine, and my request to see if any more were available at the company, he sent me one he said he'd known had been in the new/old stock of a vendor he knew, at no charge, thanking me for being a kabar customer. It came with a factory oversight, meaning the blade hadn't had the last step of sharpening after it had been parkerized. Interesting, from a collector's standpoint, I'd thought. That was the second one I mentioned earlier, which I'd loaned NIB to my friend, thinking he'd put it (in the box) in his collection, being a discontinued model. I got it back sans the original box, in "tried my best to destroy it" condition. :animlol:

 

[bdcochran]

1. I recently purchased what purports to be a Glock 78 from the vendor in Poland. I compared it to my known Glock 78 knife. In appearance, it is the same. Whether it is a genuine Glock knife, I do not know.
2. If I were considering a Glock vs. K-bar and I wanted to be sure that a Glock knife were truly made by Glock, I would get the current model. Be absolutely aware that frauds happen on Amazon and eBay. You need to review the seller as well before diving into those websites for a purchase. There are plenty of legitimate vendors outside of those two sites who specialize in knives.
3. I have several k-bars and Glocks, unused.
4. Your basic decision is whether you want serrations on a blade or not.
5. Ka-Bar has a number of variations on the original WW2 knife. You have to decide.
6. Another option is a combat knife from Ontario Knife which has been around forever.
7. If the choice were between a genuine Glock 78 and a Ka-bar, I would take the Glock, based upon my intended application and knife handling skills.
8. If the choice were between a genuine Glock 78, a Ka-bar like the original and the Ontario TFI, I would take the Ontario TFI. I had the choice. I gave the Ontario TFI to my 40 something son about 10 years ago to carry in his car. He has absolutely no knife skills.
9. Whatever you buy, do not complain that the knife you bought was delivered dull. It would display ignorance. The two knives you are considering are issued that way because they are designed to penetrate and your responsibility is to twist the knife in your target, not to filet the target like sushi.

 

[Bren]

Looking to purchase a fixed blade knife or two. just for general purpose, not a speciality knife. Trying to keep costs around 100 +/- each..

Looking at Glock FM78 (without serrations), or a ka-bar USMC straight edge. The Ka-Bar is easier to source, the Glock seems to be out of production, but still avail if I go to a european vendor on Ebay.

Your opinions ?

Those are both fairly sad excuses for knives. I do not buy or use hidden tang knives. If I wanted a Ka Bar product about that size and shape it would be their new Ek reproductions, not the USMC knife which is more about the image than the knife.

However, I consider that and both of your suggestions a little oversized. I lean more toward something like an Ontario RAT or Blackbird.

 

[GlockPride]

Gerber LMF II.

 

[DonGlock26]

View: https://youtu.be/kc5TNRnVhtw

View: https://youtu.be/Tak1o2a5X6w

 

[fastbolt]

Bear in mind that a 6"-7" fixed blade is a large knife for normal chores.

I have an 8" Randall Model 1 - All Purpose Fighting Knife, the 6" Kabar 1209's, an 11" Ontario, an old Buck General, an early Schrade Deerslayer (5.6") & others ... and a bunch of smaller 3"-5" blades .

The shorter fixed blades, meaning 5" and under, are lot handier and more practical for a variety of regular camping/backwoods chores.

I wish I'd kept my early 70's vintage Camillus Cutlery version of the USAF pattern survival knife. Much handier, overall.

Another thing to consider is the utility of the blade's tip. For example, the KA-BAR Marine has an up-swept tip, but the next generation EK Bowie has a more straightforward point. The angle of the tip can matter depending how much you plan to use the point for fine work and control.

Now that plain old high carbon alloys are making a comeback in customer demand, there are a lot of options among makers, and lots of slab-scaled, full width tang offerings with practical blade lengths are in vogue.

Lots of customer interest in newer "high-end super steels", but consider the cost and the hardness/heat treat against how you plan to use them. (One of the tried and true high carbon alloys might be a more practical choice. )

https://eseeknives.com/news/we-broke-our-s35v

I've often liked old style wood, bone/antler and leather, but newer polymers and resins certainly have their uses. Even leather has outlasted the expectations of many users, although it can become grungy. "Secure and sure" in the hand, no matter the conditions, can be a very appealing feature when you consider that your hand slipping and getting a nasty cut might be pretty inopportune when all you have is a basic FAK.

One last thought ... Carrying a hatchet along with your field knife can not only help spare the knife from unnecessary damage, but a hatchet tends to perform hatchet-type chores better.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

Those are both fairly sad excuses for knives. I do not buy or use hidden tang knives. If I wanted a Ka Bar product about that size and shape it would be their new Ek reproductions, not the USMC knife which is more about the image than the knife.

However, I consider that and both of your suggestions a little oversized. I lean more toward something like an Ontario RAT or Blackbird.

Agreed, really like mine.

 

[Excrementalist]

Glock..................................................................................KNIFE????

 

[agtman]

Ah, well ... Marines carry Ka-Bars ...

Fanboyz carry Glocks? :headscratch:

:animlol:

:rofl:

 

[wally1]

https://www.ebay.com/c/24030640583

 

[Kentguy]

I have never owned a Glock Knife, however, I have owned 2 ka-Bar knives. The latest one is the #1217 - https://www.kabar.com/products/product.jsp?item=1217 Although this web sight has them for $113.45, I'm sure can find them for under $100.

I have used these for every purpose you can think of - camping/backpacking, clearing brush and a half a dozen other things, they are indestructible. You can't go wrong with a Ka-Bar knife, especially this model.

 

[ChuteTheMall]

The classic Kabar can be used to slice tomatoes, or the Glock knife can be used to make ketchup from them.

 

[JamesKKIE]

I can’t compare these two brands but I can certainly say that Ka-Bar USMC worth the money. And I also haven’t used it as a combat knife, the USMC serves me well in cutting branches and bulding shelters in the wilderness, for me it I, like most review website say, the best survival knife - 12 Best Survival Knives [Buyer's Guide] (Jan. 2021) 1095 Cro Van isn’t as sharp as AUS-8 but it’s sharp enough for buschrafting and slicing things... As far as fixed blade knives go, the Ka-Bar might be the most iconic knife of all time. Now, compared to modern knife designs, in all honesty, the original Ka-Bar comes up short.....WAY SHORT. The tang runs all the way through the handle, but it’s not a true full-tang (as far as I’m concerned), as the entire tang is something like a centimeter thick. However, I guess the knife was originally designed as a “combat knife.”

 

[bdcochran]

Agreed, really like mine.

View attachment 851652

I have original EK knives. As I well know, purists insist on the original. However, the current production by a different company, Ontario, is acceptable. For the value, I would obtain the Ontario TFI. It appears that it is now unavailable like the Ontario Mark3 (Seal's knife). I have one that is arriving any day. I don't need another, just putting it aside.