Review: MSM KA-BAR knife

This is an exciting piece, the first collaboration between gear-maker, patch creator and all around barrel of fun MilSpecMonkey and world famous knife makers extraordinaire KA-BAR . The moment I saw it come up, I jumped on the chance to get one, via a fun bunch of people, TacticalShit, and was delighted when it arrived.

This is the KA-BAR / MSM 001 knife.

The first thing I noted was that, not unlike the KA-BAR Zombie Killer line of knives, is the weight. This is a dense, broad blade, weighing in at XXXXX which is surprising given its size, at 9cm (3.5") blade-length, 21cm (8.5") overall and 8cm (2") broad. This is a solid piece of SK5 steel.

Thicker than pretty much every knife in my collection, even the "Famine" tanto, it features some really nice design points. The large crenelated thumb ramp, which gives excellent grip, both in a forwards grasp, and also against the knife edge of the hand, in a reverse grip.

This is a hefty blade made for hard use, and one of the occasions where I wouldn't cringe in using a knife as a pry-bar. SK5 steel is reported to come with a Rockwell hardness of between 52-54, which is nice for a high-carbon steel knife, without getting into the brittle side of things.

Essentially this means this blade can take a beating but still stay sharp. I like the sounds of that. The blade is powder coated with a black bead, for rust-prevention and glare-reduction, much like the Zombie Killer knives

Also included is a polymer sheath, Short Malice clips, mounting hardware along with a Torx tool, and webbing loop for a PALS/MOLLE mounting, although I haven't worked out what to do with this yet.

This view shows off both the thumb ramp and the width of the blade, as well as the second set of crenelations midway along the spine of the blade, beside the false-edge, which MSM suggests would be easy to sharpen after-market, but that they didn't, to avoid local legal issues for users.

I liked the mounting options, the sheath has holes and options for mounting left or right handed, horizontally, vertically, blade-up or blade down, and even diagonally. The thumb-ramp is accessible immediately on the draw, and the foreguard is significantly curved and projects nicely to catch the hand into a good grip on the draw. Twin lanyard holes in the butt-end, which is also textured for gripping on a reverse grip, offer more customization options. Thew paracord wrap adds a great body and a good grip.

With its robust design, keen edge, and well thought out functional production, this is an excellent piece, especially considering the price, and people behind it. If you need a small, rough-use knife, this is an excellent piece.