Lonewolf
Caddo Mills, Texas

Jun 12, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

New Camping Tool

Just received my new Big-Brother Knife and am I ever impressed! The size and feel of this knife will definitely be going with me on my backwoods trips. Like mine so much, think I"ll order another one so that I can have one for each side to carry.

. The Bears Aren’t So Bad These Havelina Or Out In Arizona And Wow The
Arizona

Jul 31, 2022

Pros: None

Cons: None

Bar hunter

Big knife for big jobs for like bars you’re able to stick that in a bar you’ll be able to reach something. I asked for the serrations everybody whining about serrations. If you ever killed a Havelina their skin is so thick and durable it be Veryvery tough pliable rubber with a straight edge. The serrations are a plus it rips right through the belly of the Havelina with no problem. Remember that knife will draw first blood. All my knives after hunting Havelina if I’m in the field must have serrations it makes opening them up a heck of a lot easier . The Bears aren’t so bad these Havelina out in Arizona and wow they’re pretty tough animals

Marc
CA

Jun 14, 2013

Pros: None

Cons: None

Excellent, If Not Perfect

The Big Brother is as good a utility knife as the old Ka-Bars but a superb utility/*fighting* knife. As noted elsewhere, the 1095 steel is well done, the handle comfortable, the balance perfect for chopping and slicing (and decent for point-work). Reviewers often criticize the spine serrations, calling them useless or an impediment to batoning. First, the Big Brother has enough unsharpened spine along the last third of the blade for batoning. I've seen people baton with a little Para2, so c'mon--you can baton with this KA-BAR monster! Second, the serrations improve the fighting capabilities of the knife: back-slashes are wicked, and the double edge makes it more difficult for an opponent to defend against or disarm you. Sure, if you're looking only for a Bowie-sized *utility* knife, look elsewhere, but if you're looking for a Bowie-sized utility *and* fighting knife, seriously consider the Big Brother. Utility and fighting is what this knife was designed for, and designed quite well. I more or less agree with other reviewers about the tang: it could be stouter, and I prefer a full tang over a stick tang. Still, I'm not worried. I hear there's a neat invention called an "ax" out there, but I have used my BB to chop wood. The knife and I are still alive (I always chopped at a steep angle: if the blade does snap off, I'd rather the serrations not fly back in my face). So, yeah, I can't complain too loudly about the tang. The blade doesn't need to be thicker. The knife wouldn't pierce or cut as well if it were thicker; it'd be heavier, though, unless KA-BAR created a fuller. But why reduce blade efficiency? KA-BAR informed me that the blade is differentially tempered: if that's true, then the big 1095 blade should fare well with reasonable strength tests. The leather sheath is outstanding. It's rides well, and it looks and feels great. Feels like premium leather, much better than the black leather KA-BAR uses for some of their Kraton-handled blades (Does the black dye do bad things to the leather? Does KA-BAR use different Mexican leathers?) A Kydex liner might be nice, but I have no complaints with the sheath as-is.

Croc
Seattle

Sep 08, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish

Cons: None

Awsome

Its a awsome blade!! Very well made, fells good in the hand,a great camp knife !! I carry my kabar big brother when im backpacking and around camp, its very versitile,, does all my camp chores very well!! Holds a edge nicely also,and its very resonabley priced !

Peter T
Liverpool UK

Mar 20, 2015

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Fantastic

Wade Mcmanus
Baton Rouge,La.

May 25, 2011

Pros: Weight, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

WOW !

Haven't used it yet but everyone who sees it says how COOL it is !!!!!!!!!! love that big blade. Like a Busse !

Charles M
Lone Oak, Tx

May 07, 2013

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Finish

Amazing product

I have personally put this knife through hell and back and it is still as sharp as the day I received it. The grip on it is excellent and the blade is sturdy, I would recommend this knife to anyone.

Tim Thiel
Kingsville, texas

Jul 19, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Love it!

EXCELLANT

Harvey
Alberta Boy

Feb 21, 2015

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Awesome Survival Knife

Once you've used this knife - you'll know it's value. It is the ultimate tool to get you thru! It's not too heavy - not even 3/16 thick..Slices thru wood like air.Awesome leather sheath. I have all 3 handle models. ZOMBIE - BLACK -LEATHER. The best design you could pray for.Long row of serrations on top. Just flip and saw - anything. Very sharp from the box - as ALL Kabar!!

John Greenwood
Driggs, Idaho

May 27, 2011

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

good knife for its size.

If you are thinking about this knife, you should ask whether you really want a blade that is nine and a half inches long. I mean, it is not exactly the sort of thing you would wear to a ladies' tea. It would, however, come in handy in a self-defense situation where the added reach might give you an advantage. I don't actually plan on sticking anybody with mine, although it does feel quick and purposeful in the hand. Built along the lines of a regular military kabar, the knife is longer and wider, but just as thin. It is probably not a good pry bar. The top is a row of serrations, which makes it useless for batoning or even pressing on the top for extra leverage. That said, it is very sharp and good for cutting whatever needs cutting. No knife does everything well. This one is a solid combination of two classics - the old kabar and a 19th century bowie. I like mine, even if I am not sure what I am going to do with it.

Rt
delaware

May 04, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

one hell of a knife

knife center is the only one who has the leather handle kabar in stock at this time.like i said this is one hell of a knife. you can do anything with this knife just like the smaller kabar.its light so it wont were you out when your chopping or cutting what ever.so if you dont want to wait till the end of may or june to get the leather handle kabar you better order now.kabar is already backetup with orders on this beautiful leather handle monster knife.the sheath is great look good to.

Frank
San Joaquin, CA

May 05, 2015

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Great Knife

Joe, you're a real xxxxxx! There is always someone who has to give their opinion and try to act like they know what they are talking about. He must be a real loner. This is a well made knife with. Good weight! If you're a weakling then don't get this knife.

Kh
va

Jul 28, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials

Cons: None

Great knife- Not flimsey or weak at all

OK, another reviewer states this is a weak product- Not True! This is very well engineered and built. OMG- it will do anything- but be certain you want a knife this large!

Jared
South Carolina

Jun 26, 2015

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

very nice for the price

I don't do many reviews but when I do the product has to deserve it and in this case it is. I've had this knife for several months now and done everything from bushwacking to wood splitting and have yet to find any reason not to like this blade. Honestly I don't get why people are so bothered by the serrations as they are not really in the way of anything battoning included. Long story short anybody who disses this knife most likely hasn't given it a chance

Jim
SC

Aug 04, 2015

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

A Great Buy.....

Bought it for my 72 hour bug-out bag. I did not want to carry a axe or axe head along with a camp knife and etc.. I found this to be a good compromise for this use. I would have liked it to have a kydex sheath and be molly attached.

Dun R
southern Colorado, small town.

Dec 02, 2015

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

I have used various KaBars over 50 years (along with another brand or two). What was mentioned about the stick tang and possible breakage, from my reading, this tang has been an issue for decades.How often does it happen? I dunno.. but once at the WRONG TIME could be disasterous. USMC kabar is a "thin" 1/8th" while my CS bowies run @ fair 5/16th". Ive used both in the field and In My Experience the better blade steel is the Not Kabar "other brand". Takes and holds finer edge tho I understand that both blades are 1095 or equivalent. The USMC was designed to be a fighting knife that is also useful in the field. This Humongous was designed, I think, to be a Knifeboy's wet dream. I love the sawback tho I don't yet know how well it acts in actual use on wood, small branches, vines, and such. Personally we shall see how it does... it could be The Knife, that bladed Grail thingy we all seek, some of us for decades ;) I didnt care for the sheath, it seems kinda frail and I don't like plastic! THAT ULTIMATELY matters not to me cuz I design/make my own sheath for knives I carry. Other than that, this one is "good to go", IMO.

Kyle
Buffalo, NY

May 17, 2018

Pros: Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Could've used a stronger tang

The so called "big brother" knife made by KA-BAR comes with a very good overall construction quality as always, but I just don't like the visual and design proportion of the Knife since it has a big-a** blade but still uses a rat tail tang to support it, I understand this is because of the fact that the big brother is a upgraded version of the original 1217 fighting utility knife, but I still suggest KA-BAR to use a wider or even thicker tang on this knife, I use my big brother for chopping firewood although It held up just fine but I still prefer a more sturdy tang, so on the whole: the "big brother" is a great all-around camping/wood processing knife but not mainly designed for fighting purposes like the good ol'1217 does, I do believe the "big brother" is primarily for utility uses but if you still wanna use it to go toe to toe with your foe, it's still alright since the blade isn't that heavy like the Becker series knives, somehow this knife is little bit lighter than the Beckers and the leather sheath it came with is very well-made, KA-BAR still did a fantastic job.

K9
Norway

Oct 13, 2011

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials

Cons: Finish

Happy camper

Very nice. Use it in the forrest. If it keeps up whit time, its a good value buy.

Mike
Canada

Jun 29, 2020

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Finish

Good with a few caveats

A nice knife (in part designed with Doug Marcaida) but it has some drawbacks, the back serrations I assume are for rope, as they are not much good at notching or cutting wood so I am unsure as to their purpose. Blade comes with a reasonable edge out of the box, and has good fit and finish and a nice leather sheath much like standard kabars. The blade is thin and has a rat tang so batoning and the like not recommended, but functions as a camp knife admirably. My only issue was with some QC problems, I bought one 4 years ago and it was great, got another last week and the sheath was way too tight at the top, had bad staining and the spacer below the guard had some rough sharp edges. That took some shine of the purchase, but still a worthwhile chore knife.

Jeff
Peoria , Az

Apr 30, 2022

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Materials, Handle Material

Cons: Blade Sharpness

Kabar Big Brother knife

Knife is beautiful. Nice fit & finish. Knife needed sharpening upon arrival. Sharpened straight edge & serrations w/ Spyderco knife sharpener system. Can do surgery with it now! )

Crufflers
CA - California

May 26, 2022

Pros: None

Cons: None

I sent it back after one look

Someone said "Like a BUSSE"??? Not even in the same galaxy. A BUSSE could chop this thing in little pieces. Thin, painted blade with anemic guard with gaps. People who never had a quality knife may be impressed with this, but I really doubt it. The positive reviews are puzzling to me. Don't compare it to a BUSSE, compare it to a OKC and the PKC is a real knife. This is all marketing flash and bad fit and finish. Fragile design is not ready for prime time. Suspect it will easily snap at the guard where the blade meet the handle.

Joe Crews
Dodge City

Jul 28, 2011

Pros: None

Cons: None

Maybe The Dumbest Design I've Ever Seen

The blade is big, wide, and heavy. It's attached to the pommel by a skinny little tang. The laws of physics being what they are, if you try to chop a good sized log with this monstrosity, the odds of the blade snapping off are better than good. A cool conversation piece and that's about it.