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Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness
Cons: Handle Material
Recommended by an Expert
I overlooked these KaBar Zombie Knives many times, as I think of anything with a bio-hazard green handle as a novelty knife. But, I was reading Northwoods Guide/Survival Instructor, Len McDougall’s excellent book, The Edgemaster’s Handbook, 2018, Skyhorse Publishing, NY, NY, and there was a favorable review in the back of the book on KaBar Zombie Knives. Len knows knives. He uses his knives for such hard use tasks as, chopping frozen deer femurs at -40 degrees, Fahrenheit, to feed his wolves/sled dogs. So, if he speaks highly of them, I thought I should take a second look. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> I like big camp knives, so, once I got past these bio-hazard green scales, I found there’s a pretty nice camp knife underneath. I might just leave the flo green scales on, just to make it harder to misplace. Handle is comfortable enough, but they could have left off the peak/ridge protruding from middle of handle, and it would have been a better/more practical grip (scroll down to: “happycamper’s” review below for more on that). >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Not in the specs above, but, War Sword is 3/16“ thick at spine. Fulcrum is right at guard/quillon, making balance light/fast. This is a knife. It doesn’t have the weight of a sword. I’ve been pleasantly surprise with SK5 tool steel on CRKT’s, Clever Girl, and Rakkasan (available at KnifeCenter.com). I found it disappointing in a large, > $100 Chinese made camp knife, that I did not purchase at Knife Center (chipped/rolled @ 55-57 HRC, in hardwood). So, I took it out back and batoned some white oak with it. It performed flawlessly. In fact, I would consider it up there with my best batoning camp knives (OKC’s SPII 51, and Browning Crowell/Barker Competition Knife, both discontinued). I could detect no rolling/chipping after batoning many logs. Good Steel/heat treat/tempering. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Blade Show should have a category: “Best Knife Sheath.” It might inspire more knife manufacturers to innovate, and make a great sheath like this one. War Sword’s sheath is not perfect. The liner is not fitted, and it can rattle a bit. The small companion knife’s sheath is not placed in the best position, or, retained optimally; but KaBar gets 6 Stars in my book for trying. This is a, “survival system” sheath, with its small Acheron Skeleton companion, survival knife (I like it). The award winning part of this sheath is a draw string pouch on the front, that will actually hold all your survival essentials, and is big enough that it would probably hold your lunch, too. Bravo Kabar! I hope you come back and visit this concept in future knives. Congratulations on receiving my award. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> For the price, this is a pretty good camp knife. I can’t tell you much about killing imaginary dead people with it. I work with a bunch of zombies. They’re basically nice folks. Can’t we all just get along? If, I could just get them to quit picking my brain. Ok. I’m leaving. You don’t have to throw rotten tomatoes. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> P.S. Don’t tell Len McDougall that I was batoning wood with it. He may come down here and club me with a frozen deer femur ; )
