KA-BAR USMC Fighting/Utility knife

[Charged]

For general purpose outdoor use, I employee KA-BAR's legendary USMC fighting/utility knife with the combination 7" blade of serration and smooth configuration...see attachment below.

I am however, considering it for use as a dive-knife as well.

KA-BAR recomends using soap & water after exposing this knife to salt-water. The blade is composed of powder-coated 1095 cro-van steel. The handle, highly compressed leather washers which I added a water-proofing liquid manufactured for Red Wing shoes.

Since WWII, this knife has had a background in aquatic applications via military and civilian use alike. Thus, I cannot see this product as not being tolerable to these conditions. Overkill for recreational diving? Perhaps, but is subjective to the individual and is therefore irrelivant for justified opinions and I really dont feel like purchasing another knife. However, in comparison to modern knives marketed specifically for diving, how does it compare? Do you have any testimonies in regards to this particular knife with dive applications?

Concerns I have:
Swelling of the leather handle: The compression of the leather washers is at such a high psi that the handle seems more wood-like than leather. So water-retention may not occur at all?

Rust: Im fully aware that any form of metal will rust, including dive specific knives. However, the rate of corrosion is my concern, not with fresh, but with salt water. The matte black powder-coat finish should prevent liquid contact to the entire knives metallic composition, with the exception of the exposed cutting surface...and this is where Im concerned. I predict a quick scoring with emory cloth would remove any flash rust that may occur.

Quoting KA-BAR's company website in regards to its historical use in aquatic enviroments:

"...the KA-BAR was adopted by not only the Marines, but also the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Underwater Demolition Teams. Years after World War II, many KA-BARS were unofficially reactivated in the Korean, Vietnam, Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom conflicts."

Thank you
Charged

 

[Noboundaries]

A KA-BAR is WAY more knife than you need for recreational diving.

My wife and I bought $50 sheathed dive knives and never use them. We each have a mini-BCD attached knife with about a 2.5" serated blade; plus we carry EMT shears. In reality, you can dive with any stainless, folding pocket knife with a serated edge as long as you keep it clean afterwards. Go to Big 5 Sporting Goods and pick one up for peanuts. Occasionally they'll have a packet of 6 on sale for $12-$15.

 

[Charged]

Even though I already own and use the KA-BAR for general outdoor use and could strap this thing to my BC and go at it...you find it more practical to just purchase and use a dive knife, or a random knife from a department store for that matter?

You dont ever predict a need for something of this magnitude? Fishing line, Kelp, etc?

Another concern is, the legalities and permitability to carry a USMC issue fighting knife onto an airplane and into a foreign country and transit threw customs and deal with local authorties deady-weapon statutes, etc.

Yeah, maybe I should just purchase a normal dive knife.

 

[sibermike7]

Personally I would never dive with a Ka-Bar because they are too expensive to risk in this fashion. The sheath is usually also leather as well as the handle. I don't think that the sheath is designed to keep the knife in place in underwater conditions. It is just a little snap catch. Let me know where you will be diving so we can follow you around to retrieve a good camp knife!

This knives are designed to get wet, true, but not to stay submerged. Topside, I wear a "waterproof" Gore-tex rain coat, but wouldn't use it as a drysuit!

The leather handle on a good Ka-Bar (a lot of imitations out there) is full tang, meaning the metal runs all the way through the handle. This would allow water to wick up the handle underneath the leather. It is possible that salt and water would stay there drastically shortening the life of the knife. Why waste a good knife like that? But, ultimately, it is your money, your knife, etc. You want to blow it buying a new Ka-bar, go for it!

On the positive side, it would practically guarantee admittance in the dork divers club, especially if you used duct tape to attach it to your leg.

 

[uncleavi]

I like a medium sized titanium knife that is blunt tiped and serrated.
I never even care if I rinse it and it is ready to go

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

Great fighting knife. Well balanced with just enough weight, nearly 3/4lb, to make them easy to wield, but still have force behind them. And the high carbon steel blade can hold an edge that you can shave with. . . And therein lies the problem. That steel is a rust magnet (far, far worse than a knife designed for saltwater) and that knife is better suited as a tool for land based needs. Personally, since I dive in a lot of marine parks where they don't even allow a knife, I just bring EMT shears. So far they've been able to get me and a couple of other divers out of entanglements just fine.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I am a real K-Bar fan and think everyone has to have one. And in the 60's and 70's when you could buy them surplus for next to nothing, I think they saw a lot of use as dive knives - along with web belts converted to weight belts (a really bad, but inexpensive idea).

An M3 fighting knife or any of the related M4, M6, M8 bayonets made a better surplus choice as the fiberglass and parkerized metal M8A1 sheath was much easier to rinse and was more rot reistant.

All of them, reproduction or origibal in great condition, are all worth too much to use for general dive knife use.

You can however still find many examples of the really large K-bar inspired stainless steel with plastic sheath dive kives of the 60's and 70's on e-bay.

 

[ZzzKing]

Good things about it:

1. No one would dare try to cut your double hose reg when you're carrying a knife like that.
2. You should also be able to shed a pound off your weight belt.
3. You'll have a ready splint in the event of a broken leg.
4. No WAY you'd be in the dork club. It's too manly for that.

 

[Nemrod]

The modern adaptation of the knife as a tool instead of a weapon and as well that most divers today are twice a year pretty fishy vacation divers has acted to de-evolve the dive knife into a useless little sissy finger nail clipper.

Watch ebay for a USD Sea Hawk or similar. Also, do a search on ebay for the Tekna knife, a medium size double edge all stainless stiletto that is highly regarded and quite lethal if used as a weapon.

L to R, Tekna, Scuba Pro, Sea hawk, Vulcan:

A modern reproduction of the Vulcan divers fighting knife may also be available--maybe.

N

 

[sambolino44]

I brought up using a Ka-Bar in another thread and got a lot of negative responses; one guy mentioned that it will break. I don't know what he was doing with it to break it, but...

If you don't want to buy another knife, then you probably even more don't want to ruin your Ka-Bar. I think it's entirely possible that salt water could infiltrate the handle and corrode the tang.

I have been using a 19 cent steak knife from the thrift store that I ground the blade off to length, and it fits into a mini-maglite sheath (I had an extra one from the mini-maglite that I ruined by trying to use underwater!). That one worked great, until my wife broke it in a pumpkin-carving contest. Oh, well; another 19 cent trip to the thrift store.

I have more recently been thinking about getting a bigger knife, but have not made up my mind yet.