Best Knife in the World KA-BAR Fighting Knife Review

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Last Updated on November 2, 2025 by Paul Clayton

Best Knife in the World KA-BAR Fighting Knife Review

Key Takeaways 

• • Historic and Iconic Status:
    • The KA-BAR has been a famous name in knives since 1942, initially popularized by the US Marine Corps and later used by the Navy and Army.
    • Its unique name reportedly originated from a letter sent by a fur trapper who used the knife to kill a bear (“K A B A R” were the only legible letters).
  • Design and Materials:
    • The full-sized version is about 11.875 inches long with a 7-inch blade.
    • The blade is made of 1095 Cro-Van steel (an alloy of Chromium and Vanadium), known for high quality, durability, and excellent edge retention.
    • It features a 2.5-inch fuller (often called a “Blood Groove”) on the spine to make it feel lighter without compromising strength, a design tailored for soldiers.
    • The handle is oval, tapered for a full grip, and available in either pure leather or Kraton (better for humid/saltwater regions).
    • It has a full-tang design for maximum strength and balance.
  • Versatility and Functionality:
    • Although called a “fighting knife,” it is well-suited for camping tasks and general survival (e.g., cutting branches and for self-defense).
    • The thick, strong blade can perform tasks like opening ammo cans, batoning firewood, and cutting wires.
    • It performs well in cutting wood (though an axe/saw is ideal), dressing meat, and de-heading fish.
  • Handling and Comfort:
    • Features such as the Kraton material, notches, and cooling channels enhance grip and comfort.
    • It has a balance point between the blade and handle, making it easier to maneuver.
  • Sheath Options:
    • Comes with either a high-quality leather sheath (with the stacked leather handle version) or a plastic sheath (with the Kraton handle version).
  • Market and Reception:
    • The knife is considered a survival knife, designed primarily for self-defense, rather than specialized combat.
    • It is a popular and meaningful gift, especially for military personnel.
    • Customer reviews are overwhelmingly positive, with 90% of buyers giving it five stars. The few negative reviews mostly focus on the leather sheath’s quality.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What material is the blade of the KA-BAR Full-sized Fighting Knife made from, and what is its hardness rating?

• • A: The blade is manufactured from 1095 Cro-Van steel (also known as Sharon steel), which is an alloy of Chromium and Vanadium. Its Rockwell C hardness rating is 56-58.

Q: What are the two main handle material options, and what are their respective advantages?

• • A: The handle is available in either pure leather or Kraton. The leather handle weathers over time to provide an excellent grip, while the Kraton handle is better suited for use in humid and saltwater regions.

Q: Is this knife primarily intended for tactical combat or survival/utility use?

• • A: The article states that it is primarily a survival knife, designed mainly for self-defense. While it is powerful enough for utility tasks like batoning firewood, it is not explicitly designed for specialized combat situations.

Q: What is the purpose of the fuller (or “Blood Groove”) on the spine of the blade?

• • A: The fuller is included to make the knife feel lighter than its actual weight without compromising strength. It is also popularly believed to help drain blood, allow fresh air in, and reduce suction when pulling the blade out of a target.

Q: What are the dimensions of the full-sized knife?

• • A: The full-sized knife is approximately $11.875$ inches long overall, with a $7$ inch long blade. It weighs about $11.2$ ounces.

KA-BAR Full-sized Fighting Knife is a fighting knife that is, while at the same time, capable of serving your other needs. Ka-Bar has been a famous name in the history of knives and has been quite a name in the field since 1942! Though initially popular only among the US Marine Corps, it later came to be used by the Navy and the Army too!

KA-BAR Full-sized Fighting Knife Review

The history behind its name is also very interesting. It is said that a fur trapper had sent a letter to the owner of Union Cutlery stating that he had used a fighting knife to kill a bear when his rifle got jammed. In his letter, the letters ‘k’,’a’,‘b’, ’a’ and ‘r’ were only legible. It was from there that the knife got its name!
Though it is called a fighting knife, it is highly suitable for all your camping tasks. Be it cutting dead branches off a tree or surviving an attack by a wild beast, it can serve you a hell of a lot of purposes.

Technical Specifications

The knife is about 11.875 inches long, 7 inches long on the blade, and 11.2 ounces. A shorter version is available with a blade length of 5.25 inches. However, the handle here is too small. So, unless you have a very small palm, do not go for this one! It is made from high-quality materials for both blades and the handle, and is imported. Excellent craftsmanship takes the knife to a higher level.

Let us discuss the features of the knife one by one:

Blade

The first thing that comes to our mind when we think of a knife is its blade. The blade here is black-coated and flat-ground. It is manufactured from 1095 Cro-Van steel, ensuring high quality and durability. Being an alloy of Chromium and Vanadium, it has both edge-retentive and resistive properties. It is also known as Sharon steel by the knife manufacturers.

The Rockwell C hardness rating of this alloy is 56-58. The blade is slightly offset from the handle. It is just below 1.25 inches in width. The smaller version of the blade is without this offset.

The blade slowly narrows down at the edge and finally ends in a point. Sharpening the knife is a bit more difficult than a regular 1095 steel blade. However, it is worth the extra effort that you put in since it proves to be a great performer in the wild!

The spine side of the blade features an inbuilt 2.5-inch fuller, making it feel lighter than its actual weight without compromising its strength. This fuller is called a Blood Groove by many, since it is believed that the fuller helps drain blood, allows fresh air in, and reduces suction so the knife blade can be pulled out of the body of the creature you have attacked.

This has been designed specifically for soldiers who need to remain mobile during their operations. The blade is thick and strong enough to open ammo cans, baton firewood, and cut wires.

Initially, it came with the blade sharpened, but this became a problem for many because it was against the norms, and they stopped the practice.

The blade’s edge is straight, allowing it to slice more effectively and making it suitable for self-defense.

Pommel

There is a gold-plated bass guard along with a pommel. The pommel here is made of steel and can withstand some pounding. A slightly curved cross-guard at the blade end of the handle provides some protection against danger.

Handle

It is oval and 1 by 1.25 inches. It is tapered at both ends to provide a full grip. It is made of pure leather or Kraton, depending on the version you choose. The leather one will weather over time, but combined with the oil from your hand, it will offer an excellent grip.

The Kraton, on the other hand, is helpful in humid and saltwater regions. So you may select one based on your location or the intended use. It will thus be a better performer than even a factory knife- ‘Old is Gold’!

Comfort Level

One of the most important things people look at when choosing a knife is its level of comfort —how comfortable you are holding or gripping it. The Kraton that is present makes the grip comfortable. Be it resisting or staying in your hand, Kraton will prove helpful.

It has notches that enhance the grip. Moreover, there are cooling channels that are helpful during fieldwork. There is a balance point between the blade and its handle, which makes the knife easier to handle.

Sheath

It is encased in a leather sheath, provided you are buying the version which comes in stacked leather. On this sheath, the region’s service logo will be included. On the other hand, if you choose a Kraton handle, the knife will be covered with a plastic sheath. Both sheaths are functional and enhance the knife’s appearance.

The leather is of a very high quality and involves excellent stitching. You can even wash it when dirty. Similarly, if you go for the plastic version, you will get a high-quality sheath.

Full tang

When fully open, the knife has a full tang. The pin of the flat pommel extends through the tang.

Its Cutting Abilities

It can perform high-quality cutting right out of the box. Thanks to the knife’s extraordinary manufacturing process, it can cut like no other.
We put it to several tests and observed its cutting power in all of them.

Wood

We first began with wood. A survival is expected to cut wood, and it will provide great proof of both its strength and sharpness. After all, you would need your knife to cut the wood for your shelter or to light the fire!

It performed fairly well at it. Though it felt as if we were using a secondary option rather than the most suitable one —namely, the axe or saw in this case.

Dressing Meat

When you are in the wild and looking forward to hunting beasts for your meals for the sake of survival, dressing meat would become a necessity. No matter whether you have hunted the animal with the help of this knife, it will be of great help when you sit down to dress the meat before your dinner.

De-heading Fish

You are in the wild, so you will not get the de-heading machine at your disposal. So, better use this knife for the task. You will find it worth the hype.

So is the knife survival or tactical?

A question people often ask about this knife is whether it is a survival or a tactical knife. The answer is that it is for survival, since it has been designed primarily for self-defense. If you are looking for something that will help you in special combat situations, then you are wrong.

Here are a few reasons why people consider buying this knife over the other commonly found models:

A great gift: It is especially meaningful if you are considering gifting someone in the army. Whether it is their birthday, the anniversary of their joining, or a farewell, the Ka-Bar Full-Size Knife is a great option.
It comes from Ka-Bar, an iconic name in the world of knives since 1898. And it is one of the brand’s prime models, designed to meet all your requirements.

It has the USMC fame —it was given to the United States Marine Corps during the Second World War and gradually became popular worldwide. So, owning a knife with such a strong reputation as your personal knife is indeed great!

Heredity: It can be inherited from one generation to the next and can be used across generations within a family. Its qualities are timeless!

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Pros:

• It is made of quality materials. The 1095CroVan high carbon steel and the pure quality leather truly make it a product to look for.
• It is designed so you can use it as a weapon —a ‘fighting knife’ in the true sense of the term.
• It is a product from the historic Ka-Bar and can become the pride of an ex-army man or a navy person.
• It is versatile and can be used for other purposes, like making meal arrangements, rather than just as a weapon.
• It is ergonomic to use, thanks to the leather handle.
• It is durable and resistant to poor weather conditions.
• It offers a decent look and can be a good collectible for your showcase.
• The sheath it comes in is also made of high-quality materials and is weather-resistant.
• It provides good value for money.

Cons:

• The lacquered handle is somewhat unsuitable, as leather handles are typically not lacquered.

A few tips for using the knife:

Keep it out of reach of children, not only because they may end up injuring themselves, but also because they do not know anything about knife care. They might end up damaging it badly. Always keep it in its sheath.

This will prevent it from weathering.

Customer Reviews

The knife has performed extremely well on review sites. The customers have been overwhelmed by the performance and have given it high ratings. You will be surprised to know that 90% of them have given it five stars.

About 10% of the buyers gave it 4 stars. 3 and 2 stars were given by even fewer people. One star was given by almost no one.

Among the very few people who rated it with fewer stars, the reason was the sheath. Many people opined that the leather sheath, manufactured in the US rather than Mexico, was not up to standard.

Negative reviews of the knife, blaming its sharpness, quality, or features, are rare. As evident from customer reviews and feedback, the knife is equipped with all the jaw-dropping features you would expect from a product of this type.

As you can see, the KA-BAR Full-sized Fighting Knife is a great knife in its price range, combining features you expect from a product of its type. From its smart design and high-quality materials to its versatile functionality and durable construction, it is the knife to look for!

The KA-BAR full-sized fighting knife is a renowned combat knife used by the United States Marine Corps and other military forces. It has a 7-inch-long, straight-edge blade made of high-carbon steel, which is durable and sharp. The knife’s full-tang design provides strength and balance, while the leather handle offers a comfortable, secure grip.

The knife comes with a leather sheath that can be attached to a belt or a backpack for easy carrying. The KA-BAR knife has been in production since the 1940s and has been used in various conflicts and missions around the world. It is a reliable and effective tool for combat, survival, and outdoor activities.

Final Thoughts

The KA-BAR Full-sized Fighting Knife is a high-quality, iconic tool that has stood the test of time, dating back to its use by the US Marine Corps in WWII.

Its construction features durable 1095 Cro-Van steel and a robust full-tang design, suitable for heavy-duty use.

While recognized as a fighting/combat knife, its versatility makes it an excellent choice for general survival, outdoor activities, and utility tasks.

It offers high value for money and is praised for its performance, durability, and ergonomic design, making it a highly-rated and recommended product.

Based on current online listings for new models of the KA-BAR Full-sized Fighting Knife (such as the USMC, Army, and Black versions), the price generally falls into the following range:

• New KA-BAR Full-sized Fighting Knife: Approximately $99.95 to $147.38 USD, depending on the specific model (e.g., USMC, Army, straight edge, serrated, Kraton or leather handle) and the retailer.

The pricing for new models often appears around:

• Retail/Manufacturer’s Suggested Price (MSRP): $133.97 – $147.38 USD.
• Common Sale/Our Price: $99.95 – $109.95 USD.

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Note on Collectibles: Pre-owned, vintage, or original WWII-era KA-BAR knives (especially those with historical markings) are sold as collectibles and can command significantly higher prices, sometimes reaching $200 to over $400 USD.

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