KA-BAR 1216 Hard Polymer Sheath – Durable Full-Size Holder for Fixed Knife Tools

I owned an original Ka-Bar Marine Corp knife back in 1976. It was sold with a sheath and in a box with the Knife’s Blue-Print, printed on all 3 sides and both ends of the box’s lid. It was part of a 1976 limited edition commemorating the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps. These days, you can still buy a Ka-Bar 1217 box that looks much like the box that was originally released back then. The seller makes it clear that it’s a ‘newly printed’ box and it isn’t printed by Ka-Bar. I’ve since bought another Ka-Bar 1217 but it came in the standard Ka-Bar box. However, I bought that blue-print box replica on eBay (without the Knife), about a year ago. The printed details on the replica aren’t as good as the original and I could easily tell that it was a reproduction, (which was made clear by the seller). If you’ve ever seen and/or owned the original you’d be able to tell the differences. In fact, I lost my original Ka-Bar 1217 Knife, box, and all, years ago due to a ‘running span of bad decisions’ (always regretted that). OK, so much for nostalgia. When I saw this hard-shell sheath in Amazon (sold by “Blade Shop”), I thought it looked better than the more expensive Kydex sheaths that I’ve seen on line. This sheath material is glass-filled nylon plastic, and made by an injection molded process. Kydex is an acrylic & PVC material that’s thermoformed from a sheet. The glass-filled nylon sheath is characteristically more brittle and more abrasive as well. Kydex is more impact resistance and less abrasive so it won’t scuff up your knife as quickly as the GF nylon sheath would. But then, Kydex cost more than GF nylon and in this particular case, the GF nylon sheath looks better, (but that’s my own opinion). My Ka-Bar knife slipped into the sheath easily and with a slightly applied pressure, snaps into place. At that that point, the knife if secularly locked into the sheath and there was no rattling or movement. The knife was snuggly in place until needed. This allows the sheath to be confidently mounted upside down (blade up) on a web-gear strap without snapping the sheath’s handle strap around the handle (which is my personal preference). In fact, the sheath can be placed in any position on the gear you happen to be carrying, (vertically, horizontally, and any position in between). To remove the knife from the sheath, it’s a simple matter of grabbing the knife handle and then pressing your thumb against a molded part of the sheath. The knife will then snap out of the locked-in part of the sheath and then be entirely removed for use. The only thing I would’ve liked to have included with the sheath was a length of paracord. Of course, I’m sure that for such an inclusion to be practical, it would’ve meant a good, long, piece of paracord and that certainly would’ve raised the price of the sheath. I haven’t had the sheath but for a few days and can’t comment on anymore than I have already. Only time will tell how well the sheath holds up and if any scuffing may occur on the finish of the knife from repeated use. As afar as I’m concerned, this is a great product. The design, aesthetics, Fit and Price are all absolutely 5-Stars and I recommend it 100%.

First, realize that there are TWO of these sheaths produced and sold by Ka-Bar for Ka-Bar knives. If you have the full-sized 7" blade Ka-Bar, you want the "Full-Sized" sheath. It's Ka-Bar item number 1216. Initially, I was sent the smaller of the two which didn't fit my knife. Returned it and Amazon straightened the problem out, sending me the correct sheath. Now for the sheath. I like it. I have no idea how sturdy or durable it'll be yet. Hence, the "4's" I gave in those categories. I think it'll be sturdy & durable with normal use. Hard use? No idea. However, it certainly does give one a good alternative to a leather sheath. It's definitely sturdier than a leather sheath. It is constructed to lock the knife in the sheath, which is a good feature. It is also made with multiple attachment points, so it can be hung from a belt or attached to a backpack or most anything else. I really like those features. Interestingly, I did not buy this knife for a Ka-Bar knife, but for a Sheffield knife, built as a clone of the Ka-Bar. It fit perfectly. The Sheffield has a flimsy sheath, so this sheath just made that knife much more usable. I also have a 7" Ka-Bar knife and this sheath fits that knife perfectly as well. I bought a second sheath for that knife. Bottom line? A very good addition to a large Ka-Bar or similar knife.

Absolutely, worth the spend.. have to different design KaBars, I have the original and the mad dog, both fit well there is more retention on the original. However it functions very well with both. Adds a lot more versatility to how I can carry.

I use this with my K-Bar when hunting. I still have the leather but like the solid sheath for some applications. This is durable and not junk. Glad I bought it.

Very happy with this item. My Ka bar knife fits perfectly

I've got a really old K-Bar dating back to 1971, blade length, 7 an 1/4" long measured from the blade side of the hilt. My father gave it to me when I was 10 years old for an all purpose knife. It came with a leather sheath which is now showing it's age and use, so I need a replacement. I don't have much experience with Kydex but a friend turned me onto it and now I have something that will last as long as this knife is going to last. I find that the blade is a bit thinner than most K-Bars by comparison so to make a fit snug I put some mole skin strips (self adhesive) say 1/4" wide by 1 1/2" long down into the the sheath. Two close to the outer edges on the outside (away from your hip and leg when wearing it) and one in the middle of the inside with all of the strips coming just a little bit up and over the small shelf at the entry. Hopefully that makes sense. No more rattle noise whats so ever in any motion I make with my body. The best part and the part I was worried about the most, is the locking in when fully seated, with the raised centered plastic knob section for lack of proper term (closest to the hip and leg) contact is made and the fit is just enough to hold the old K-Bar in place without the strap. It's hold and release is easy to work with mild exertion on my part. Speaking of the strap it wasn't fitting around the handle until I stretched it just a little after repeated attempts to seat the snap and that makes for a really nice fit now as it has stretched to it's max and just fits superb now with a thumb push to release and to snap back in place. So I'm a very happy camper once again. Don't pay for fast shipping for this item as I received mine in just four days, thank you Amazon prime value!

Tut was es soll full size ka-bar passt sehr gut rein. Allerdings für 25 euro erwarte ich schon sehr gute qualität zwar nichts personalisiertes aber schon hochfertige serienprodukt. Geschätzte Material einsatz 2 euro. Billigeste hart plastik. +1 stern für die schnelle lieferung +1 stern für funktionalität -2 Stern für die qualität/kosten -1 für die Artikel Beschreibung

I have an Ontario Knife Company 948 Knife and it is basically the same design of the Kabar that this sheath is designed for, but it too suffers the same problem whereas it comes with a terrible (albeit leather) sheath from the factory. I took a gamble buying this as I couldn't find any reviewers that tried something similar but I was pleased to see that it fit perfectly! I attached some pictures (even the handle guard fit the exact way into the sheath and clips in perfectly!). I was so thrilled that I ended up buying a second one of these to use on a different knife I own. I re-purposed an old Scuba Diving knife for camping (the Cresci Orca), but the problem was that it came with a rubber sheath meant for undersea diving and strapping the your leg over a wet-suit. The knife itself actually is wonderful for other outdoor purposes, but I needed another sheath that was meant to bring backpacking. I did have to make a few slight modifications though, since the Orca is about the same length as the Kabar I thought it would fit perfecly, but the Orca is a little bit thicker (not wider, but the thickness is a bit more). It fit into the sheath but it was a tight fit, so I took a heat gun and gently heated up the sheath with the Orca inside so that it would form better to the Orca, and that worked perfectly! I also had to cut off both top parts of the retainer clips on this sheath so that the Orca would fit in either way (it has a rather large handle guard buy only on one side). I attached some pictures, hopefully someone else will find this info useful as I was searching myself before I tried this and I couldn't fin anything online. All in all, this is an excellent sheath and I like how it has a lot of mounting points for lashing, very customizable! I ended up adding some paracord to mine, but there are also plenty of mounting points for webbing as well if you want to go that route.

Excellent quality. Fits the standard Ka-Bar USMC 7" Knife like a glove. I ordered additional quantities after seeing the quality and fitting of the first sheath that was received by me.

Lo único que me parece malo sobre la funda es que me cuesta un poco desenvainar el cuchillo con la hoja hacia abajo, pero puede ser mi culpa y no de la funda. Indispensable para aquellos que quieran una funda más resistente, duradera y segura que las de piel.

Shipped on time, Perfect fit for Kabar D2, snaps securely in place, very sturdy, great replacement for original leather sheath.