For years I’ve been a lover of KA-BARs and the model 1271 Fighter is my #1 favorite knife in my Krav Maga knife training. The only downside of this knife is the rubberized Kraton handle and it absorbs fluids such as water, sweat and blood after years of rigorous use. I’ve been skeptical of the quality of Eickhorn KM series but very curious of the totally “maintenance-free” polyamide knife handle. So I made a bet by purchasing one. With this price I could buy 2 or 3 KA-BARs but it sure is worth an investment! Many complain how dull the blade is but mine came decently sharp right out of the box, and what I like the most about this knife is its construction. It’s just like the Japanese Samurai sword that the handle is tightly secured to the blade tang by a metal screw so the knife can be easily disassembled for maintenance. The tang is much wider than KA-BAR’s, thus ideal for batonning and the butt end of the tang sticks out of the pommel and works as a glass breaker. This is a very robust combat knife of the Bundeswehr and adapts in any climate and environment. I’ve also decided to procure Recondo III as an emergency knife. It’s the German KA-BAR! and just as the U.S. military has been replacing Colt M-4s with Heckler & Koch 416s, they might want to consider replacing their KA-BARs with this one.
