Yep, it does sound like you cut through the temper. The core of the Ka-bar is supposed to be softer, so the bounce back. I'd buy that theory, no doubt about it. I have one that is only used as a thrower- it's previous owner let the handle degredate tot he point it solid enough for nomral use, but blade is good after thousands of throws. I do know that a real Ka-bar will survive things that will kill a Camillus clone.

None of mine are shorties, though. It might be something odd to them, or to your lot. I know every manufacturer has funny lots every so often. I remember when Gerber had more funny lots than good ones. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'm not sure what you mean by convexing. I sharpen them like I was taught to sharpen, and it works fine, but that term wasn't one applied. I might be doing it and not be aware.

Pick up a shorty - don'y buy - and take a good look at the geometry. I should have known better. They just had to crowd the wide blood groove of the original knife onto the down-sized blade. Messed it up, because they could not bring the primary bevel up high enough without going to thinner steel.

Okay, since you asked, here's my two dinar (Iraqi currency, 1,450 dinar to the dollar, so mine's worth even less???)

The RTAK and RAT 7 are very desirable survival tools. In fact, the RAT 7 is the preferred accouterment of most GIs currently in theater, if they can get their hands on them. D2 appears to be the most requested blade. They use these knives for things such as punching holes in car door and hoods, chopping foliage, cutting razor wire, etc. They are taking these knives over the traditional K-Bar combat knife, so you do the math...

As for me, I've always liked Carbon V from Cold Steel, not to mention their blade construction is, IMHO, superior in many ways. I have two SRKs here with me, and I can tell you that the Cold Steel SRKs sell out quicker at the local PX than do all the rest of the knives combined (RAT 7s are not stocked at the PX, more's the pity) <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I am a little surprised that no one else on this thread even makes mention of Carbon V or Cold Steel. At $50 a piece, these SRKs are quite nice little gems, and come sharpened enough to take the hair off my arm. That may not be much for braggin' rights these days, but my K-Bars surely did not come out of the package like that!!!

Consider this, for a few hundred years, menfolk in the New world traveled around with what amounts to a butcher knife as their primary, if not their only blade. Imagine packing a knife around like "Old Hickory", which can be had for about $8 at several discount department stores. Buy a decent sharpening stone, and your about 95% or more equipped to same caliber as some techno survivalist who has his $200+ blade. If it worked for 5 generations before, it didn't suddenly just become obsolete, and them old mountain men relied on their blades a heckuva lot more than any of us will. If you are gonna go chopping trees and such, better bring an axe or a saw and use the right tool for the job. In a survival situation, I'd rather know how to make a primitive edged weapon and carry that $8 hickory handled carbon steel butcher knife than to have a $200 stainless wonder that I am afraid to touch a bone with for fear I might chip the blade. Being able to make the most use of a basic, common tool beats not knowing the right way to use that expensive and pretty little "precious". Grandad used the sharpened edge of a shovel to do most of his garden trimming with. Once in a while he'd put the stone to the edge again and then go about taking care of business. If it cuts, who cares? I'm not gonna find another knife that does better than my SRKs for their size, no matter how much moolah I spend, or how exotic the metal gets. There are probably a whole lot of knives that were way less than the $50 I spent that can do just about as good for what I need that I'd never know the difference. I have yet to come across any blade I can't put an edge to with a cheap $4 stone.

Ben: You are absolutely corect that we have become overly enamored with fancy knives, and I am one the worst culprits. I love my steel. However, in the interest of coming clean, I offer the one knife that I use every day:

[img][IMG]http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/344/p72900013bz.th.jpg[/IMG][/img]

It cam to me from my grandfather. He was born in 1898, and my grandmother said that he had had it as long as she could remember. He used only a very fine steel on it, which I also have, so it has not been too terribly worn down.

Bingo!!!

Just the sort of thing I was talking about.

Except for the Leatherman and the two SRKs, any other knife I own was given to me or was inexpensive. I won't buy expensive knives; the Leatherman is what it is, and the SRKS are also daily tools, and they were the most frugal purchases I could make for what I needed. I can't use a cheap Leatherman substitute for daily use cuz I've had too many knockoffs break in my hand while I am trying to crimp something. The SRKs are actually less expensive than the K-Bar equivalent, and in my mind more ergonomic and durable. Otherwise, I have little more use for an expensive knife over a less expensive equivalent.

Your grandad's blade sure has some history. I wonder what it looked like new?

Ben, I don't know how old it is -- at least 85 years old. I figure it probably looked about like current 'Old Hickory' products do now, except with a little better surface finiish. The steel is better than we can get now, because evenn with us using only a very fine buther's steel on it, I don't see how it could have survived.

Here is the Chef's knife he used for at least 50 years, and which I also use every day:
[img]http://[IMG]http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/4182/p72900071zr.th.jpg[/IMG][/img]

But, on the other end of the spectrum is this:
image]http://[/image]
which was made for me in 1972 by Bo Randall himself at the behest of my uncle, who caught me drawing knife desings. It is 6" x 1/4" ofhis temper of A2. Yes, the false edge is not false; it cuts betteron the back than most hatchets. It cuts better on the front better than anything else I have ever held. Yes, it is insured. But I can't repalce it.

See, there's some character. Now I can appreciate the custom knife, too, just like I do that nickel plated Ivar Johnson 357 that Grandad had for years and said was mine when I got older (oh yeah, I forgot, Grandma gave it to the police to destroy after he died, doggone it).

There are collector's items, and things that we just have to have no matter what the cost. I reckon I'm just as guilty as the next person for dropping coin on something I coulda got by spending a whole lot less on, just cuz I wanted to have it. Heck, I am about to dump a pile on a new Dodge pickup, just so I can say I have one, when that old beat up 77 Burb just got a new engine and does everything I needed a utility rig for.

Pride will make good men broke everytime.

Benjammin,

Cold Steel with Carbon V is good! I have the Master Hunter in Carbon V. I plan to buy an SRK when Cold Steel comes to a Phoenix gun show in December. An even better knife for even less money is the KJ Eriksson Mora knife. I like the #510. It is carbon steel, easy to sharpen, and works better on wood than anything else I have tried. Costs $9.00.

Ragnar's Ragweed Forge

Ben: We may bore the hell out of everybody else, but you & me got this thread while you got screen time, so what the hell.

I know what you mean. I'm driving a '92 Range Rover I bought new for a ridiculous amount of money, but it does not seem so ridiculous now, 14 years later come September. It has done more for me than I could possibly have expected. Keep the 'burb running, if it's a good 'un.

Re: Carbon V: Some say it is just 1095. I don't think so. I am fond of SRKs myself; i've had two, which I have given away to folks in circumstance which demanded them more than mine - they are over there with you. Good blades. Too thick for civilization, but that's the point, right?

PM me your APO parcel data, please, with any peculiar restrictions your CO/unit has.

RJ

Yep, gotta love them $9.00 deals! <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

My folding K-Bar cost me about the same. Good knife, used it to dress a deer out last fall.

If I needed anymore knives, I would likely buy one of them Moras. Heck, I may go ahead and get one when I get home anyways. I was eyeballing them pretty hard on SMKW before I left to come here.

In contrast, I will happily spend $1,300 on a new Browning A-bolt stainless with Leupold Vari-X II scope on top without even shopping around, and I don't consider that a collector's item, but a utility purchase. Something to be said about finding the right combination that works for you, and then sticking to it I guess.

Next time I kill one of them fat pig deer, I need to bring one of those fancy cheese knives so I don't have to stop every couple minutes and strip the tallow off the blade, geez!!!