KA-BAR KB1256 SHORT BLACK STRAIGHT W/LEATHER SHEATH

Wow! What an amazing knife! Order came quickly and in good condition. Upon opening the knife was sharp and the sheath was fine. Compared to the same size serrated KABar I had owned in the past, this was actually sharpened. The old one came pretty darn dull! I really like the non serrated version as it cuts well and makes a handy yard work and fishing tool. I was even able to fillet some 9 inch 1 lb bluegill just fine (especially for not using a fillet knife)! That sold me on the knife as to be able to do that which takes some finesse and knowing I could stake my life on it during a defense situation or wilderness survival experience, gives me peace of mind. I will be toning the knife (when my sharpener kit comes), but out of box the blade should handle what one needs of it. The handle is on the smaller side, so be aware if you have bear paws. Great for those on the smaller side, looking at teens and women. As for the sheath, I’ve seen some complaints about it being leather vs kydex. I think that many don’t know that they should condition leather products with some oil, prior to use. However due to owning boat shoes and ll bean boots, I’m used to needing to condition them and then break in the leather. After putting oil on the blade and sheath, it drew much easier than without. One can even add a drop to the clasp and it will open easier. I personally like the leather of kydex for edc use as it’s more comfortable, but could see advantages of kydex for long term use in austere conditions. All things considered this is an excellent knife and a 56 dollars well spent. Way better than the same size serrated kabar I bought on amazon for 80 bucks. Having this as a bigger blade will serve well with my awesome bench made osbourne 530v edc folding knife (which I also highly recommend for an top of the line pocket knife). If I order another KABar I would not hesitate to purchase through this same supplier. If you’re in the market for a classic time and combat tested blade (shorter version) for a reasonable price, look no further.

I was a little surprised by just how small the blade was. I purposefully ordered the short version as I am spending more time in the woods and didn’t need a machete but wanted a quality blade. I did a ton of research and despite much of that pointing to the Gerber, Schrade, and KB Becker, I just really wanted this. It’s just a really cool knife and a smaller version of the classic. But quite a bit smaller or i was thinking the original was just that much bigger. Anyway, I’ll get used to it and it’s a practical size either way. It’s sharp, sneaky sharp. I’ve got a SOG fielder and the classic Buck 110. Those are both great for what I need them to do. I’d say as an all around knife this one is exactly what I wanted. Thick, sturdy, sharp and quality built by a solid company. Leather sheath is fine, good quality but a little underwhelming. Kinda wish I would have gotten the Kydex but I’m not in combat or anything and for what I need this for it will do the job. In the end this thing is solid, sharp and really a beautiful knife.

Very well sized knife, feels extremely tough. Handle could be a little bit longer and thicker, but it's good enough to feel a knife well gripped at hand. Blade came a little bit dull from factory, but with a little time and patience, and a 1000 grain stone, it leveled up it's sharpness to a fearful standard. It's size it's intermediate between a big knife, and a pocket one, I feel this knife is a more efective defensive tool than bigger or smaller sized knifes. Very happy with this piece of art! Love the leather protective shell, it's a very nice quality detail that's shows the value of the piece.

It's a fantastic knife. When I read low-star reviews that ding the knife for being small, I shake my head. The dimensions are literally in the product details, and "short" is in the description. Yes, it's not a full-size knife. If you're used to the full-size Ka-Bar, it's going to feel weird when you first get it. You will be confused. You will wonder if you made the right choice. Trust me, you did. While the full-size Ka-Bar is amazing, this little guy makes some excellent compromises to give you a lighter, more easy-to-carry knife, and a knife you have on you is better than a bigger knife you didn't take along. It makes a great camping knife, it's easy to sharpen, it's very durable, and despite the smaller-than-full-size grip, you get a really good grip on it. It's very versatile. I'm not trained in knife defense, but I can imagine this being really effective if you need it to be there as well. The hand guard is a good size so that you're protected from slicing yourself if you're using it for stabbing instead of slicing. I bought several and it's now my go-to utility knife.

Great knife. Even up giving this one to my son. I prefer the full size. But my full size got stolen.

Bought this model with leather handle years ago from local shop(clearance sale), have looked at it for years before purchased, but always passed due to handle size and edge angle complaints. Finally used it one day and edge angle complaints were valid,so I reprofiled the edge back with a convex edge a bit a few degrees steeper then primary grind almost making it scandi like with NO bad edge durability for normal use and don't expect any trouble as there is a lot of material behind the edge still and yes I have chopped with it to see if edge would hold up. BAM what a knife it became with edge altercation,it is now among my favorite "companion" size blade for me, have 3 leather handle and 3 rubber handle versions, with the leather sheath of course(simple but works great) cannot stand kabars "kydex" type plastic sheath, some do like them. Slices and carves wood so much better, feather sticks are effortless now and still strong enough for tough use. Have one on me now as it is one of my larger edc fixed blades. I have a large collection of upper to semi custom blades and yet this one is on my side often for property, camping, hiking, working needs. Kabar/Becker 1095crovan is among my favorite for basic HC steel.