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KA-BAR Puts a New Spin on the Classic Folding Hunter

March 22, 2016

KA-BAR just announced a new addition to their line of folding knives. Called the KA-BAR Folding Hunter, the knife revives a long-discontinued design from the company’s archives. The KA-BAR Folding Hunter updates the classic formula of folding hunting designs with features found on modern folders, while still evoking the look of those iconic designs.

The company says it reached back into their archives for inspiration. The knife is based on their long-discontinued model 1189, a hefty brass and wood folder that closely followed the iconic Buck 110. The Folding Hunter shares the same silhouette as the 1189, but has been updated in significant ways. It may look like a traditional lock back, but it has thoroughly modern features: thumb studs that allow for one handed deployment, textured black G10 handle scales and jimping on the blade that offer reliable grip, a coated blade for corrosion resistance, and a reversible tip-down pocket clip.

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The new KA-BAR may be different from the 1189 of the past, but it’s still similar enough to the Buck 110 to warrant a comparison. The two knives share the same locking mechanism, blade shape, handle design, and size. Both are backlocks, both have clip-point blades just under 4″ long, and both have bolstered construction. The name alone begs the comparison: in KA-BAR’s catalog the knife is listed as the “Folding Hunter;” in Buck’s, it’s the “110 Folding Hunter.” But the knives are different in notable ways. Aside from all the modern features unique to the KA-BAR, it also uses 420 steel vs. Buck’s 420HC and is manufactured in China vs. the USA-made Buck.

KA-BAR is not alone in offering their own spin on the Folding Hunter design. Schrade’s LB7, Kershaw’s Wildcat Ridge, and the Bear & Son Folding Hunter can also be considered ‘me-toos’ of the original.

Knife featured in image: KA-BAR Folding Hunter

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