Product type | Combat knife |
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Owner | Ka-Bar |
Introduced | 1941 |
Previous owners | Ek Commando Knife Co. |
![]() Historic logo | |
Founded | 1941Hamden, Connecticut | in
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Founder | John Ek |
Defunct | 1997 |
Fate | Parent company bankrupt; Brand later acquired by Ka-Bar |
Parent | Blackjack Knives (1993-1997) |
Ek Commando Knife Co. or Ek Knives is an American combat knife brand produced by several different companies since the original founded by John Ek in 1941. In May 2014 the Ek brand was purchased by Ka-Bar, which began selling its versions of Ek knife designs in 2015. Although not officially issued gear, Ek Knives have seen use by US forces in six major conflicts: World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, both wars in Afghanistan and the Iraq War. Ek Knives manufactures Bowie-style blades, daggers, and a Fairbairn-Sykes MkII. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Clark Gable, and General George S. Patton have been identified as Ek knife owners.[ citation needed ]
A knifemaker since 1939, in January 1941, John Ek started producing knives in quantity in Hamden, Connecticut. By 1943 he was making six different styles of knives. By August 1944, demand for his knives had grown to the point where he had three shifts working around the clock seven days a week, to produce 10 different models. [1]
All of the knives made during WWII by Ek were numbered to help the owners keep track of them if they were lost, and because he guaranteed each knife for the lifetime of the original owner. [2] By keeping the original owner's name on record, he could follow up his lifetime guarantee system. Ek had very strong feelings about restricting his knives to active-duty US servicemen. [1]
It is reported that President Franklin D. Roosevelt kept a John Ek Commando Knife on his desk in the White House until the time of his death. [3] General George S. Patton, Jr. owned a John Ek Commando Knife (as did several of his subordinates); Ek eventually named his Model No. 6 the "Patton Knife". [3] [4] Captain Clark Gable, while not necessarily expecting to see combat, purchased a number of Ek Knives while he served. [3]
In 1949 John Ek moved to Miami, Florida where he continued production of his knives. From here he provided knives to American forces during the Korean and Vietnam wars. Miami-produced knives were marked "John Ek Knives, Miami, Fla.", whereas earlier knives bore the "Hamden, Conn." identification. [1]
John Ek died on October 21, 1976, but the business was continued by his son, Gary W. Ek who had worked for his father as a knifemaker since 1971 prior to John Ek's death. Due to the growing crime rate in Miami, the Ek family decided to relocate the operation to St. Augustine until 1982, when they moved it to Richmond, Virginia. [1]
In 1982 Ek Knife President Robert Buerlein took the reins and convinced John's Son and his Mother to move the company to Richmond, VA, with the new company slogan of "Constant Improvement". New knives have been introduced, developed by Gary Ek including the Raider/MCMAP Knife, authorized by the U.S. Marine Raider Association. [5] Handles were made of finely grooved black Micarta and hand-checkered walnut handles were offered as an upgrade. Machined brass X-nut screws to fasten the handle became standard instead of the original poured lead rivets. Blades were ground out of stainless steel and were mirror polished. Ek knives produced lower cost models with a handle made entirely of green or black (and occasionally "desert camo") wrapped parachute cord and a heavy nylon-webbing sheath in a matching color. A number of variants, such as Ek bowie knives, hunting knives, throwing knives, boot knives and reproductions of other WW II patterns such as the Australian bowie and a copy of the Murphy-pattern combat knife were produced. [2] During the 1980s EK Commando knife blades were made by Hattori in Seki Japan but marked Richmond VA. But early and later ones were made in the United States. Since 1992, Chilean Marines Corps Commandos use the EK Knife as combat knife. Also, EK DAgger is part of the Marine Commandos Badge and ChMCSOC.
In 1993 Blackjack Knives bought Ek, and moved production to Blackjack's plant in Effingham, Illinois. [6] Leather scabbards were discontinued to cut costs and the nylon-webbing sheath was instead substituted on all models. As Blackjack endured internal problems, they began producing small lots of different knives marked with the Ek brand in an attempt to catch the knife-buying public's attention. [7] Blackjack went bankrupt in 1997 and sold the remaining stocks of knives to Century International Arms. Some Ek knives made by Blackjack had a label stitched on the back of the nylon sheath reading "Handmade in U.S.A." over "Ek Commando Knife Co" over "Richmond, Virginia."
In 2014 KA-BAR Knives announced that they would acquire Ek Knife brand and reintroduce Ek-branded knives to the market. Production on the new knives began in 2015, and they remain in production.
These current production knives are branded with both KA-BAR and Ek logos and are generally recognizable as Ek-style knives while sharing few design details with previous generations of the knives. Current production knives are constructed of 1095 steel, and feature black parkerized blades in a variety of styles, including the Model 4 spear point double edged knife and Model 5 clip point Bowie. All models feature glass filled nylon handles that mirror the shape of previous generations. Handles are attached with traditional x-head fasteners. A composite sheath is provided.
World War 2 in the United States was a time of steel shortages as it was a scarce strategic material. The U.S. Government War Production Board tested and approved the designs of John Ek's knives and authorized continued availability of the nickel-chrome-moly steel which he used. Subsequently, he was admitted to the Army Ordnance Association. [4]
Ek found the nickel-chrome-moly steel to be strong, yet stain and rust resistant. In later years Ek would use Swedish Sandvik stainless steel, upon request. In April or May 1939 John Ek designed the first John Ek Commando Knife which he named the Model No. 1 and that was the only model that he planned to make. The Model No. 1 had a single-edged blade of spearpoint design, with a sharpened false edge extending approximately three inches along the back edge of the blade. [4]
Ek later developed a double-edged version of this named the Model No. 2. He added crossguards to these versions, designating them Models No. 6 and No. 7, respectively (today these are referred to as the No. 3 and No. 4). [2] [4]
Several aspects of Ek's design made the knives distinct and rugged. The knife was made with a full-width, full-length tang (the extension of the blade which runs through the grips) construction. Not only did the tang run the entire length of the grips, but the tang was the full width of the grips. Most knives of the day (even ones made today) had narrow "rat-tail" tangs, many running only one-third the length of the grip. Ek believed his full tang design made the knife inherently stronger. [4]
Ek's knives featured an extended butt, a direct extension of the blade and the blade tang itself protruding beyond the end of the handle slabs anywhere from nearly 1/2 " to 1". This allowed the butt end of the knife to be used as a pry bar for opening ammunition crates or, according to Ek's 1944 manual, Your Silent Partner, for "an upstroke to lay your opponent out." Another use of this extension was to protect both the hand and the wooden grips when the butt was used as a hammer. The extended butt of the Ek Commando Knife may have inspired the design of the "skullcrusher" pommel on the First Special Service Force V-42 stiletto, which appeared in 1943. [5]
Ek preferred wood grips to leather, as the leather was prone to rot under tropical conditions. He found the rock maple grips he chose to be more comfortable and to provide a better grip, especially when the hand was wet with perspiration, than the brass/alloy grips of the British Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife. The wood grips allowed the owner to custom fit the grip, by sanding, to the exact contour of his hand. For a number of years, Ek included a piece of sandpaper with each knife for this purpose. [2]
Ek preferred his knives without crossguards for ease of concealment and for quick withdrawal as there was no crossguard to snag on clothing or a soldier's equipment. The grips on Ek's knives had eight scalloped groves:four on each of two grips. This gave the user such a good grip that John Ek found that a crossguard was not necessary to prevent the hand from sliding onto the blade. When questioned about this by the War Production Board, Ek greased his hand and plunged one of his knives into the wooden floor with such force that no one was able to pull it out. [4]
The "Poured-Lead" Rivets which were used to affix the two wooden grips to the blade tang were unique to Ek Knives. Most knives at the time used standard cutlery rivets or pins, or they were simply driven onto the rat-tail tang. The Poured-Lead Rivets had the advantage that, if the grips ever became loose, they could be tightened in the field without any tools. All the owner needed to do was take a heavy object, such as a rock, and pound the lead rivets to tighten them. Another advantage of the Poured-Lead Rivets was the extra weight which made the knife balance far better than most, as it added weight to the hilt. This caused it to fall into the hand, rather than fall out of the hand. [4]
EK Commando Knife used by Chilean Marines Commandos (Chilean Marine Corps Special Operations Command)[ citation needed ]
A knife is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools. Originally made of wood, bone, and stone, over the centuries, in step with improvements in both metallurgy and manufacturing, knife blades have been made from copper, bronze, iron, steel, ceramic, and titanium. Most modern knives have either fixed or folding blades; blade patterns and styles vary by maker and country of origin.
The Swiss Army knife is a pocketknife, generally multi-tooled, now manufactured by Victorinox. The term "Swiss Army knife" was coined by American soldiers after World War II after they had trouble pronouncing the German word "Offiziersmesser", meaning "officer’s knife".
A Bowie knife is a pattern of fixed-blade fighting knife created by Rezin Bowie in the early 19th century for his brother James Bowie, who had become famous for his use of a large knife at a duel known as the Sandbar Fight.
The Sami knife is a large knife traditionally used by the Sami people.
Buck Knives is an American knife manufacturer founded in Mountain Home, Idaho and now located in Post Falls, Idaho. The company has a long history through five generations of the Buck family from 1902 to the present day. Buck Knives primarily manufactures sport and field knives and is credited with inventing the "folding hunting knife" and popularizing it to such a degree that the term "buck knife" has become synonymous with folding lockback knives, including those made by other manufacturers.
A trench knife is a combat knife designed to kill or incapacitate an enemy at close quarters, such as in a trench or other confined area. It was developed as a close combat weapon for soldiers attacking enemy trenches during the First World War. An example of a World War I trench knife is the German Army's Nahkampfmesser.
In cooking, a chef's knife, also known as a cook's knife, is a cutting tool used in food preparation. The chef's knife was originally designed primarily to slice and disjoint large cuts of beef. Today it is the primary general utility knife for most Western cooks.
WÜSTHOF is a knife-maker based in Solingen, Germany. Family owned for seven generations, the company's main products are mid-priced to high-end kitchen knives for domestic and professional use. WÜSTHOF is one of the leading manufacturers of chef's knives.
The SOG Knife was designed for, and issued to, covert Studies and Observations Group personnel during the Vietnam War. It was unmarked and supposedly untraceable to country of origin or manufacture in order to maintain plausible deniability of covert operators in the event of their death or capture.
Survival knives are knives intended for survival purposes in a wilderness environment, often in an emergency when the user has lost most of their main equipment. Most military aviation units issue some kind of survival knife to their pilots in case their aircraft are shot down behind enemy lines and the crew needs tools to facilitate their survival, escape, and rescue. Survival knives can be used for trapping, skinning, wood cutting, wood carving, and other uses. Hunters, hikers, and outdoor sport enthusiasts use survival knives. Some survival knives are heavy-bladed and thick. Other survival knives are lightweight or fold in order to save weight and bulk as part of a larger survival kit. Their functions often include serving as a hunting knife. Features, such as hollow handles, that could be used as storage space for matches or similar small items, began gaining popularity in the 1980s. Custom or semi-custom makers such as Americans Gil Hibben, Jimmy Lile, Bo Randall, and Chris Reeve are often credited with inventing those features.
The Gerber Mark II is a fighting knife manufactured by Gerber Legendary Blades from 1966 to 2000, with an additional limited run of 1500 in 2002, and full production resuming as of July 2008. It was designed by retired United States Army Captain, Clarence A. “Bud” Holzmann, who based the pattern on a Roman Mainz Gladius.
The Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife is a double-edged fighting knife resembling a dagger or poignard with a foil grip. It was developed by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes in Shanghai based on ideas that the two men had while serving on the Shanghai Municipal Police in China before World War II.
The V-42 stiletto was a fighting knife issued during World War II to the First Special Service Force, a joint American/Canadian commando unit.
The United States Marine Raider stiletto was issued to the Marine Raiders and 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion during World War II.
The Mark I trench knife is an American trench knife designed by officers of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) for use in World War I. It has a 6.75 in (17.1 cm) double-edged dagger blade useful for both thrusting and slashing strokes, unlike previous U.S. trench knives such as the M1917 and M1918. The handle is made of cast bronze and uses a conical steel nut to hold the blade in place. The Mark I's blade was blued with a black oxide finish, the bronze handle was chemically blackened, with cast spikes on the bow of each knuckle. The spikes were intended to prevent an opponent from grabbing the knife hand, as well as to provide a more concentrated striking surface when employed in hand-to-hand combat.
The M3 trench knife or M3 fighting knife was an American military combat knife first issued in March 1943. The M3 was originally designated for issue to soldiers, not otherwise equipped with a bayonet. However, it was particularly designed for use by forces in need of a close combat knife, such as Airborne Units and Army Rangers, so these units received priority for the M3 at the start of production. As more M3 knives became available in 1943 and 1944, the knife was issued to other soldiers such as Army Air Corps crewmen and soldiers not otherwise equipped with a bayonet, including soldiers issued the M1 carbine or a submachine gun such as the M3 submachine gun "grease gun".
Ka-Bar is the contemporary popular name for the combat knife first adopted by the United States Marine Corps in November 1942 as the 1219C2 combat knife, and subsequently adopted by the United States Navy as the U.S. Navy utility knife, Mark 2. Ka-Bar is the name of a related knife manufacturing company, Ka-Bar Knives., Inc., of Olean, New York, a subsidiary of the Cutco Corporation.
The Glock knife is a military field knife product line designed and produced by Glock Ges.m.b.H., located in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria. It can also be used as a bayonet, by engaging a socket in the pommel into a bayonet adapter that can be fitted to the Steyr AUG rifle.
The Applegate–Fairbairn fighting knife is a combat knife designed by Colonel Rex Applegate and William E. Fairbairn as a version of the Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife. The blade has a similar double-edged dagger profile, but is wider and more durable. It features a different handle, made most commonly of Lexan plastic with adjustable lead weights which can change the knife's balance-point. Later models and some custom variants included weights made from pure Teflon, tungsten, stainless steel and aluminum. The blade profile was also changed from a V-grind to a convex, or "appleseed" profile. While this changed the effectiveness of the blade in puncturing, cutting and slicing, it does not lend itself to being sharpened in the field by an inexperienced user. In addition to these modifications, the tang was also strengthened. The current production model made by Böker in Solingen, Germany, uses a fiberglass reinforced delrin handle which solves the issues with earlier models where the handle would crack if exposed to heat.
A fighting knife has a blade designed to most effectively inflict injury in close-quarters physical confrontations. The combat knife and the trench knife are examples of military fighting knives.
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