Pros: Blade Material, Materials, Handle Material, Weight, Finish, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
Update: Earns its stars
I don't give five star ratings to knives unless they far exceed expectations and become all-around personal favorites in my collection. I gave this four stars a while back, but after a couple weeks outdoors with this knife on my belt, I am compelled to update my previous review and give it the maximum recommendation. Maximum is a good word for this knife; maximum strength, maximum power, maximum versatility, maximum comfort, maximum ease-of-use. Out in the tropical forest I was taking it easy on this knife at first, but after a couple days it was doing everything a knife can do, even so far as digging holes in hard ground and getting tied to a pole to make a spear. Unlike simple steels, the D2 withstands corrosion pretty well. Despite the damp environment, I was able to keep the blade rust free with a simple wipe-down after each use--whereas the 1095 trail knife I used to carry would have noticeably stained without regular oil or Tuff Cloth--and yet I still had a tool that worked like it was made of high-carbon steel. This model is the result of decades of tweaking and refinement, and it shows. Ka-bar has created a knife that can do just about any knife task well. Btw, the leather sheath is ok but the Kydex one is better and will last longer.
