This the Mark 98-R, the first new folder of 2022 from KA-BAR. A sequel to 2018’s Mark 98, the 98-R shares the same materials as its predecessor, but brings a major change-up to the blade, resulting in a very different kind of budget EDC.
Cast your mind back, if you can, to the misty reaches of 2018 – in June of that year, KA-BAR released the original Mark 98. This unassuming knife made history as KA-BAR’s first modern flipper. It was followed quite quickly by the Jesse Jarosz-designed flipper models, but those knives hit a higher price point, and the State & Union OSF folder from last year hits an even higher one; thus the 98 has remained the only budget KA-BAR flipper knife, until now.
KA-BAR has a long history with straight razors. As a knife company working in the early 20th century, before EDC enthusiast culture was a thing, straight razors were an important part of the company’s catalog. The 98-R is a nod to that heritage, reinvisioning the grooming tool as a large, locking EDC blade. Compared to the 3.5-inch spear point on the original Mark 98, the 98-R’s blade is even longer at 3.9 inches; the extra length is supplemented by a huge forward finger choil, giving users a lot of fine control. The blade steel is 5Cr15MoV, an indisputably budget-oriented recipe whose standout trait is its stain resistance – an aspect further bolstered here by the black blade coating.
That was the same steel we saw on the original Mark 98, and the 98-R’s handle design and materials also more or less match its predecessor’s. Brown/black G-10 scales are laid over full stainless liners, with a lock leaf implemented on the off-side liner. The pocket clip isn’t reversible to the other side, but can be reconfigured for tip-up or -down carry on the off-side. The Mark 98-R weighs 4.8 oz. and is available now.
Knife in Featured Image: KA-BAR Mark 98-R
In the last five years, the knife making scene has absolutely exploded, with dozens upon dozens of new names, new talents, and new knives. One shop that gained a...
Hawk Knives delivered deeply sad news to the knife world yesterday: Grant Hawk, one of the most innovative, boundary-pushing knife makers of the 20th century, passed away earlier this...
The big SHOT Show news from Buck is that the venerable company is getting in on the Axis-like crossbar lock action this year, with their incoming Range series of...
LionSteel can always be counted on to bring something special to the big show, and in 2025 they’re really turning heads. A new fixed blade is on the way...
It’s always a good day when we can write about a new Al Mar knife release. Debuting at SHOT Show this week is a new for 2025 rendition of...
The products reveals just keep on coming. Last week, just ahead of SHOT, Spyderco let the first 2025 Product Reveal drop. The headliner is a new Sal Glesser design...
Here’s a pretty wild reveal from CRKT, following a week after the massive drop of their main new for 2025 line. This is the Provoke X, with which we...
SHOT DAY 3: Buck Brings Crossbar Lock to 2025 Lineup with the Range Series
SHOT Day 2: LionSteel Goes for Broke with New Take-Apart Fixed Blade
SHOT Day 2: Al Mar Revives the SERE Operator with TOPS as Partner
©knifenews.com 2022
0 comments