Short Kabar USA Straight w/Shth
September 1, 2010 | Posted by admin 
- Trusted KA-BAR Brand Name
- The Only Knife a Solider Needs
- Razor Sharp Carbon Steel Blade
- Great for Hunting, Hiking, or Camping
- Tons of Other Brand Name Knives Available
Product Description
The KABAR USA Short Knife is a more compact version of the traditional KA-BAR marked with KA-BAR U.S.A. The Short Knife’s 5 1/4 inch blade is constructed from 1095 Carbon steel with a Leather wrapped handle. The butt cap & guard are constructed from a 1095 Powdered Carbon Steel. The KABAR USA measures 9 1/4 inch overall and includes leather sheath. This item is available in a variety of styles: A) KABAR USA Short Plain Edge Knife, B) KABAR USA Short Serrated Edge Kn… More >>
Short Kabar USA Straight w/Shth
Categories: Any Brand, Ka Bar | 
Tags: KABAR, Short, Straight, w/Shth | 
5 Comments »
This knife is exactly what it claims to be:- a scaled down Ka-Bar, with all the Ka-Bar build quality I expected. I love Ka-Bars, and if I were Hobbit-sized this would be the perfect knife. But I’m not.
Buying online, without seeing one in real life, I did not realize quite how scaled-down it is. My mistake, not Ka-Bar’s. Perhaps they could show the knife next to some familiar object in the photos, an envelope, for example. An envelope would be a great choice, because this knife is now my desk letter-opener. I have no other use for a knife with such a small handle.
If you want a working knife, I can highly recommend the full-sized Ka-Bar. If are looking for a present for a less-than-five-feet tall friend with small hands, buy them this. They will LOVE it.
Rating: 3 / 5
I bought this knife for my Son’s birthday present. The size if perfect for young hunters/campers or just those with small hands. This thing is built like a tank, and is razor sharp out of the box. Now Daddy’s getting a larger model for himself.
Rating: 5 / 5
I ordered this product expecting to get the regular Kabar with a 5.25″ blade instead of the 7″ which I find a bit long. Instead the whole knife is 75% the size of the orginal, so the blade width and handle are also smaller. The handle in particular feels much narrower and ends up at only 4″ long. Someone else discribed this knife as being for hobbits. Personally, I think it would also be good for people with small hands but certainly not for someone with XXL hands, like me, or most men for that matter.
So in short, the only thing this knife and the standard USMC Kabar share is the same style. They are two completely differnt products. So while I liked standard USMC Kabar but was looking for a shorter blade this knife just did not seem to work for me. Maybe ok for the wife or kids but not someone with man size hands.
Feeling frusterated I went to the reviews of this knife here on Amazon and my complaint seems to be pretty standard. However, I came across a review by Saint Richard where he suggested taking the finger guard at the base of the handle off the top dull side of the blade so that your thumb can rest on the backside of the blade. Since I am not into knife fighting the guard on the top dull side of the blade never made sense to me anyways, so off it went.
This simple modification made a world of differnce. The handle is still a bit small but with somewhere to put my thumb it is now usable. I actually find myself using this modified knife for yard work and surprised myself the other day when I found myself looking for it to take on a hike. The smaller weight and size make it a good knife for hiking.
Thank you Saint Richard and Amazon.
Pro’s
- great steel, which you need to protect from rust
- blade length, which is better in my opinion for day to day tasks
- weight, lighter
- accessory’s – the kydex sheath is a great option at a reasonable price
Con’s
- needs to be modified, per above, for mans hands and probably should be anyways for ease of use. The mod is easy with a hacksaw and file.
- Cost just about the same cost as a the standard blade – I am cheap and feel I am getting more with the standard blade but understand that workmanship and materials are closely matched between the two and therefore the cost should be comparable. So this con may just be in my head.
Overall 4 out of 5 starts becasue with the modification I find myself using it a lot without the modificaiton maybe two stars.
Karbar if you are reviewing why not make a 5.5″ Kabar with the blade shortened and no top dull side finger guard. Yes I understand it may not be as balanced for fighting but it would make a near prefect utility knife in my opinion.
Rating: 4 / 5
The KA-BAR USMC, short, is a great downsized reproduction of it’s big brother, the “Full Size Fighting Knife”. For me personally, this version is more practical around the camp and at home as well. It’s the same build quality and materials…the handle (at 4 inches) could be longer, but in my hand, no problem….I’ve handled the full-size…it is large….think breadknife large.
Rating: 5 / 5
Ka Bar is always a solid knife, not the best knife but for the price it might be. If you are looking at this knife you already know that Ka Bar is a good name and has proven itself through time. My only complaint is that the handle on this short bladed version of the regular Ka Bar is just a little too small. (but that also means lighter weight for hiking)
I carry this knife and a bigger fixed blade (chris reeve knife) when I backpack. I primarily use the Chris Reeve but this smaller fixed blade is great for smaller stuff. My hands are usually a mens large in terms of glove size so if you are XL this might be too small.
Rating: 4 / 5