KA1245-BRK Black Tanto

I’ve bought this knife 4 times now. It’s the best knife. It comes with the higher grade sheath you have to buy separately for other Kabar models so it’s a good value too. My favorite kabar.

This is my third knife I got so far, and my first real fixed blade. Part of the reason I bought this particular knife is that it is made by KA-BAR, a company synonymous with its battle-tested, and proven, combat/utility knives. I've researched on other knives that are just as good or better as KA-BAR's but none had the ideal mix of quality and affordability that KA-BAR offers. There were knives with exceptional quality but are just way out of budget even when marked down at retail prices, then there are those that are just simply cheap through and through. I do not claim to be an expert on knives nor its components, this review is primarily from what I've experienced with this knife.General Impressions: When I took it out of the black box, the size of the knife is imposing to say the least. I already have one of those Chinese knock-off survival knives that I got from a friend; that paled in comparison to the KA-BAR tanto. Holding it gingerly at first; having this "high" that is rather indescribable. I figured this is from the fact that, in my hands, is a knife made by skilled men and women who makes knives to those who are fighting for our freedom everyday. As I inspect the knife in its entirety it looks like it is built like a tank, no "soft spots", no loose ends. It looks and feels well-made as I expected from this company.The blade: Out of the box, it is very sharp. Not straight razor sharp but it will cut paper as clean as scissors. While the serrated edges have round points, it cuts just as well. I chose the American-style tanto blade primarily because it looks really cool to look at (I'm a sucker for futuristic-styled blades); yet it is still practical enough for camping and (heaven forbid) fighting off bears and what not.The grip: The grip on this knife is made of some sort of rubber-like polymer. It feels perfect holding it in my hand, almost like a custom-built knife. Even when moisture accumulates on the surface, there's no worry that the knife would slip. Also, the cutouts on the sides of the knife are a nice touch; providing some interesting gripping styles.The balance: Based on my experience with this knife, the balance (or rather weight distribution) is biased much more on the handle side, but it does not detract from it's overall handling. In fact, it is not tiring at all when swinging this knife in any direction. And the design almost lends itself for reverse grip use, it felt natural and not cumbersome at all.The sheath: Nothing much here, although I've read previous reviews about the issues of this sheath wearing way at the surface of the knife due to a partially exposed button rivet. It looks like KA-BAR corrected it and made it so the buttons are slightly recessed, preventing it from scratching the knife's surface. Other than that, it's just your typical plastic sheath with holes for MOLLE type vests and a belt loop. It comes with a locking system and two straps (kind of overkill to have two, but ok I guess) to keep the knife in place, however.For a knife that is made here in USA with quality steel (specifically in New York of all places), $60 retail is an amazing bargain. Again, there are better knives than this but cost a lot more and there are those that are cheap but have too many bells and whistles (like that survival knife I mentioned earlier), this knife is right in the middle. Simple, durable and affordable.

Impressive knife. Very well made with perfect alignment and build. I've owned the standard version of this knife almost all my life and I wanted to see what the tanto blade model was like and I'm actually more impressed with this version. The balance feels better with the tanto but that is likely only personal preference. Blades are about as personal as you can get so blade design is subjective. I happen to like it. It was a nice touch by Ka-Bar to bevel the spine of the knife so if you desire to add a second edge they've facilitated that for you. Or you can keep the blunt spine edge and use the knife to baton small wood branches. I love the leather handles on the older models of this knife but I have to say the newer synthetic grip is impressive even in wet conditions. I may eventually end up getting a custom sheath, maybe not... but I feel a few words are needed here. The sheath it comes with is well designed with multiple straps/buttons. But you need to know how to use the sheath and why it's designed the way it is. It's designed so your blade will not fall out of your sheath if your knife - or you - fall or somehow the knife gets turned upside down (I believe it's jump qualified for you paranutters who like to jump out of planes in mid flight) while in the sheath. More importantly if - God forbid - someone attempted to grab your knife out of your sheath it won't easily be removed because of the locking design. Nota Bene, you do NOT need to press the little plastic ridges on the sheath which secure the knife in order to remove your knife, as some have whined. Simply grab your knife by the handle as you normally would. This will create the space needed at the handle to remove the knife from the sheath. This is not a poor design. It's a brilliant design if you have the patience to learn why it's made the way it is, it's a safety feature that doesn't slow down your knife draw if - if - you take the time to learn this simple function instead of crying that it's a poor design when really it's user error - a person who doesn't understand what they're holding in their hand or how to properly use it. I have not noticed any dulling of the blade as a result of using the glass reinforced sheath but I suppose if you purposefully rub the sharp edge of your kife against the inside of the sheath as you insert or remove the knife it's possible but again, I haven't experienced this. For this price point this knife is tough to beat.