All About KA-BAR Knives (2024)

Written by Timothy Martinez Jr.

The mere mention of 'KA-BAR' elicits emotion fr om so many people. Whether it was the knife your grandfather brought home from the muddy trenches of World War II or the knife you depended on during the Gulf War, the KA-BAR transcends generations and backgrounds.

The specific style of combat knife referred to as a KA-BAR is steeped in such a rich history that people sometimes forget that a manufacturing company that's inextricably tied to the knife bears the same name.

This thorough article explores the origins of the iconic knife, the company's impact on the world, important collaborations, and much more.

Table of Contents

• Chapter 1: History of the KA-BAR
• Chapter 2: Key Collaborators
• Chapter 3: KA-BAR Knives Recommendations (Non-Traditional)
• Chapter 4: Variations of the KA-BAR Knife

1. History of the KA-BAR

Have you ever wondered how a company can survive for more than 100 years? The history of KA-BAR Knives is not without obstacles, but it's packed with interesting stories, a cool legend surrounding its name, and awesome knives. These are the deep cuts of the company.

The Mercurial Beginnings of the Company

The origin of KA-BAR Knives, Inc. dates back to April 29, 1897, when a group of 38 men formed a limited partnership in New England known as the Tidioute Cutlery Company to make and sell cutlery. Even though the partnership formed in 1897, nothing was actually produced until 1898, which is why that's the official founding year of KA-BAR.

The first five years of the company were rocky, with the Tidioute Cutlery Company shuttering its doors by the turn of the century. However, the assets of the company were bought by Wallace R. Brown in January 1902. Three months later, he applied to form a corporation called the Union Razor Company to once again manufacture and sell cutlery.

After operating for nearly seven years, Brown and the board of directors decided the name of the company no longer matched up with its expanding product line, so it was changed to Union Cutlery Company.

By 1911, Union Cutlery Company had grown and relocated its operations to Olean, NY. To this day, the company remains in Olean, NY, not far from where they moved in the early 1900s.

Origin of the Name

In the 1920s, the company was expanding exponentially and embellishments on the blade helped distinguish older models from the newer ones. Some of the trademark embellishments were OLCUT, KEENWELL, and KA-BAR. (Ka-Bar was trademarked in full capitalization, in case you're wondering why we have it written like that throughout the article.)

Like any good origin story, it's hard to separate truth from reality, but it's widely believed that the name came when owner Wallace Brown received a testimonial letter from a fur trapper. The letter recounted how the fur trapper had killed a wounded bear with the knife after his rifle had jammed. Because the letter was only partially legible, it was difficult to decipher the meaning. However, 'ka bar' appeared in the letter, which is a fragment of the phrase 'kill a bear.'

Since the story was so captivating, the company began marking 'KA-BAR' (pronounced Kay-Bar) on the ricasso of its line of automatic switchblade pocket knives that included the KA-BAR Grizzly, KA-BAR Baby Grizzly, and KA-BAR Model 6110 Lever Release knives, according to Mark Erickson in his book Antique American Switchblade.

World War II and the KA-BAR Knife

In 1924, Union Cutlery Company owner Wallace Brown died. A few years after his brother had seized control, Wallace Brown's son Danforth took over. As the Axis powers began wielding more dominion and control, KA-BAR would face its biggest challenge in having to contribute to the military's defensive efforts during World War II.

This is when we finally get to the iconic knife. When the United States entered the war in late 1941, soldiers were issued the same Mark 1 trench knives used in the first World War. These knives, which were usually made from bronze, featured a guard for the knuckle.

This had its advantages, but it was also severely limiting. You could only hold it a few ways and it was difficult to carry securely. To top it off, the knife was prone to breakage. That set the now dissolved Department of War on a quest to find a new multipurpose knife for combat and utility.

Enter the KA-BAR.

USMC Colonel John M. Davis and Major Howard E. America worked with Union Cutlery Company to design a knife that could fill the void left by the lack of an officially issued knife. Using the Mark 1 and other knife patterns as the basis, the two men designed a knife that had a longer and stronger blade, a small fuller in the blade to make it lighter, a pommel, a crossguard, and a stacked leather handle.

After submission, the knife was revised by the Marine Quartermaster Department to pass some of the Marine Corps and Navy tests, which included driving the knife into a piece of wood and moving the blade back and forth at extreme angles, testing edge retention by cutting a variety of materials, and making the handle withstand extreme weather conditions to see whether it would hold up.

The knife was eventually adopted under the design name 1219C2.

A KA-BAR Under Other Names Is Still a KA-BAR

It's a little known fact, but Union Cutlery Company (which would eventually become KA-BAR Knives, Inc.) wasn't the first company to produce the new knives — it wasn't even the largest supplier of the knives. Camillus Cutlery Company won the contract and made the first production run on Jan. 27, 1943.

Eventually the U.S. Navy adopted the knife after failures on the Mark 1 and renamed it the U.S. Navy Mark 2. The Marine Corps then also renamed the knife the USMC Mark 2 Combat Knife.

USMC Mark 2 Combat Knife

As more knives were needed, manufacturers like Robeson, PAL, and Union Cutlery Company joined Camillus in making the Mark 2 when the war escalated. Even though a number of manufacturers produced the Combat/Utility Knife, the 'KA-BAR' name etched on the knives made from Union Cutlery Company became what soldiers referred to as the knife pattern. That meant nearly every combat knife used by Marines, Army, Navy, Coast Guard, and the Underwater Demolition Team was referred to as a KA-BAR, regardless of whether it was manufactured by Union Cutlery Company.

From Union Cutlery Company to KA-BAR Cutlery, Inc.

In the end, millions of 'KA-BAR' knives were produced by various manufacturers, but only one company held the KA-BAR trademark: Union Cutlery Company. Due to the role the knife played in World War II and the popularity of the name, Dan Brown and the directors of the company decided to officially change the name to KA-BAR Cutlery, Inc. in 1952.

Not only was this a smart move to capitalize on the tender feelings toward the name but it also helped the company corner the market on producing the KA-BAR knife.

However, KA-BAR Cutlery, Inc. would soon face bumps in the road ahead.

The Rocky Road

Owner Dan Wallace died in 1960, which caused the company to change hands a number of times before finally being sold to Cole National Corporation in 1966. This new company had experience in the retail sector, so it began trying to make KA-BAR into a stronger brand. Part of that process involved focusing on folding knives and some of its past knives.

Here's more from Tomar's KA-BAR Knives: 'In addition, in 1975, as a part of its efforts to revive the company, KA-BAR also established and supported a special Collectors' Division. Its purpose was to produce significant and commemorative knives, to recreate famous antique KA-BAR knives and actively support the development and enjoyment of knife collecting in general.'

Unsurprisingly, the first knife reintroduced by the Collectors Club was the USMC Fighting/Utility Knife for the 200 year anniversary of the United States Marine Corps. (To be clear, the beloved knife was still used unofficially in wars prior to the reintroduction, including the Korean War and Vietnam War.)

The commemorative knife was so popular that the company decided to bring the knife back to its regular production line.

Despite this smart decision to bring the USMC Fighting/Utility Knife back to life, Cole National Corporation went bankrupt in 1982 and the KA-BAR line was bought by American Consumer Products and eventually Alcas Corporation in 1996.

A Return to Glory

After this long and arduous journey, we're finally reaching the modern era of KA-BAR Knives, Inc. Alcas Corporation not only had its headquarters in Olean, NY, where KA-BAR Knives first started out but it had even manufactured a few knives for KA-BAR before the purchase.

By the end of 1997, the production of KA-BAR knives had drastically increased with five additional manufacturing representative firms spread across the United States. Since then, KA-BAR Knives, Inc. has done everything right in terms of marketing and product lines to return the brand to its former glory.

While the KA-BAR knife is still the company's most famous knife, the diversification of its products has led to some popular knives and respected collaborations with custom knife makers. More on that in the next section.

2. Key Collaborators

One important line of products KA-BAR introduced in 2011 is the KBD Master Series to differentiate the traditional KA-BAR line from those designed by outside designers. (However, collaborations were going on long before the introduction of this series.) Let's take a look at some of the relationships between KA-BAR and renowned knife makers.

Bob Dozier

As many of the knife greats do, Bob Dozier started making knives when he was a young boy. He plied his trade by making knives for local hunters in Louisiana while taking inspiration from successful knife makers like Al Buck, Bill Moran, and others. He worked a few places making knives, but he eventually went back to producing a few custom knives each year. His custom knives remain some of the most respected and coveted hunting knives around.

At the turn of the 21st century, Dozier approached KA-BAR with a large sidelock folding prototype 30 years after making his first knife. He worked with the KA-BAR team to develop what became the Dozier Thorn.

Since then, he's developed more than 17 different products for KA-BAR, including the award-winning Dozier Folding Hunter, Bull Dozier, and the Dozier Mini Folder. Each knife bears a 'Dozier Design' logo.

Bull Dozier

Steve Johnson

For more than two decades, Steve Johnson has been building knives and other outdoor tools. All of this started from a desire to make a tool as functional and efficient as possible. The desired outcome always dictated the direction of the tool.

His background in industrial engineering and love of the outdoors led Johnson to create knives for himself and his friends, before expanding out with Johnson Adventure Blades. He eventually teamed up with KA-BAR to work on a handful of knives for the Master Series.

A few of his collaborations include the Johnson Adventure Baconmaker, Johnson Adventure Potbelly, and Adventure Piggyback Folder. All of his collaborations with KA-BAR feature the Johnson Adventure Blades logo.

Johnson Adventure Potbelly

Ethan Becker

Ethan Becker is an interesting man. Becker founded Becker Knife and Tool in the early 1980s to design, manufacture, and sell knives targeted at the avid outdoorsman. He worked diligently to produce a large amount of knives, but eventually partnered with Camillus Cutlery Company until it shuttered its doors in 2007. KA-BAR filled the void and now produces Becker's five best-selling models.

In KA-BAR's modern era, Becker gave the company even more legitimacy with knives like the Becker Companion, Becker Necker, and Becker Tac Tool.

Becker Necker

John Benner (and Rick Hinderer)

John Benner is the president and chief instructor at the Tactical Defense Institute. Benner is a Vietnam War vet who spent 25 years with a regional SWAT team and years as a police lieutenant. Rick Hinderer is a long-time knifemaker with real-world experience as a firefighter and EMT who makes acclaimed knives at Hinderer Knives.

Benner and Hinderer teamed up to create a few knives together (and Benner made a few independently). Two of the TDI/Hinderer designs are the Hell Fire and Hinderance. A few of the Benner-only designs include the TDI Law Enforcement, TDI Last Ditch, and TDI Sidelock Folder.

Hinderer "Hell Fire"

Mike Snody

Formerly a Quality Control Inspector in the petroleum industry, Mike Snody began making knives in 1998. He's known for using exotic materials like petrified dinosaur bone and the tooth of a hippopotamus. He's collaborated with a number of manufacturers such as Benchmade and Spyderco.

His work with KA-BAR is made to mimic the same styling and specifications as his handmade pieces. These collaborations include the Snody Boss, Snody Big Boss, and Snody Snake Charmer.

Snody Boss

Bonus: John Ek

In 2014, Ek Knives (Ek Commando Knife Co. to be exact) was bought by KA-BAR, which began selling some of its knives in 2015. Although this is still early in the process, it's clear that the partnership will eventually be extremely fruitful.

John Ek started making knives in 1939 and made quite a reputation for himself over the years. President Franklin D. Roosevelt reportedly kept one of Ek's knives on his desk at the White House. Ek died in 1976 and his son Gary Ek took over.

Ek Knives went through a ton of changes, but it was eventually acquired by KA-BAR. With the purchase, KA-BAR hopes to expand its quality and nostalgic military knives that the two brands have been known for.

Ek Commando Model 4

3. KA-BAR Knives Recommendations (Non-Traditional)

Most people's knowledge of KA-BAR Knives, Inc. does not extend past its most iconic knife, but the brand has some robust offerings that can stand up against any manufacturer. Since you may not be familiar with some of the other knives it produces, we've assembled this list of KA-BAR Knives that are not the Combat/Utility Knife but merit a look.

TDI Law Enforcement

The TDI Law Enforcement is one of the collaborations between John Benner of the Tactical Defense Institute and KA-BAR. Designed to be a 'last option' knife, the TDI Law Enforcement features a unique curve in the knife that's optimized to protect an officer from someone reaching for his or her gun. The knife, which is worn on the pant belt, can quickly be drawn like a pistol to immobilize an intruder.

The black powder-coated AUS8 stainless steel blade is only 2.31 inches and fits snugly into the glass-filled nylon sheath. This is definitely one of KA-BAR's most popular models.

Becker BK2 Companion

Ethan Becker designs knives that excel in the outdoors and conquer tasks with ease, and his Becker Companion is no exception. This knife boasts a 5.5-inch 1095 cro-van steel blade with a versatile drop point and a 20-degree angle. The handle made from Grivory is designed to withstand even the harshest elements.

Despite its tactical look and feel, the Companion is a powerful hunting and camping knife that can do everything from splitting kindling to skinning game. The balance on this fixed blade is unmatched.

MULE Folder

KA-BAR is best known for its fixed blades, but boy can the company put out an awesome folder. The MULE is a heavy duty folder with a 3.875-inch AUS8A stainless steel blade with a strong clip point. It locks into place using a durable lockback, which is designed to hold up in extreme conditions.

This version features a partially serrated edge and a groovy Zytel handle that melts into the hand. The MULE is a real workhorse with a ton of positive reviews to back it up.

Dozier Folding Hunter

Yet another folder from KA-BAR that's worth more than a glance is the Dozier Folding Hunter. Designed by the inimitable Bob Dozier, the surprisingly affordable knife is an excellent all-around folder for tasks around the house and outdoor chores.

Although the hunting community typically conforms to the unwritten rule that hunting knives should be fixed blades, the award-winning Dozier Folding Hunter proves that there's always an exception to the rule.

Kukri Machete

Finally, we have one of our best-selling KA-BAR products here at Knife Depot: the Kukri Machete. Whether you're battling through the jungle or hanging around a campsite, the large kukri machete is versatile enough to do pretty much any outdoor task you can think of. The curved blade, modeled after the kukri weapon of Nepal, is 11.5 inches and made out of 1085 carbon steel.

A protruding pommel in the Kraton G handle helps prevent the tool from flying out of your hand when swinging it about. The kukri machete comes with a form-fitting Cordura and leather sheath for the belt.

4. Variations of the KA-BAR Knife

For a knife that's so influential and pervasive, it's not surprising just how many variations of the Fighting/Utility Knife KA-Bar has produced. To honor the legendary knife, we're showing you five great variations, along with a list of all the variations currently available.

USMC Fighting/Utility Knife

We're starting off with the most famous variation of the knife: the USMC Fighting/Utility Knife. This is the regular full-sized model with a 7-inch straight edge blade made of 1095 Cro-Van steel. A pronounced crossguard separates the blade from the stacked leather handle. It bears a USMC stamp.

From this famous fixed blade, we get some of the following iterations.

Black KA-BAR Tanto

According to the company, the Black Tanto iteration of the KA-BAR has an asian influence with the tanto blade shape, which is ideal for penetration. Unlike the original, which has a 7-inch blade, the partially serrated blade on this model is a whopping 8 inches long.

Another change on this version is the black Kraton G handle. It doesn't have the same feel as the stacked leather, but it has a similar look and arguably better durability.

Big Brother

Simply named Big Brother, this is a completely new take on the classic KA-BAR. At first glance, it has all the trademarks of the original KA-BAR — stacked leather handle, crossguard, and clip point — but its sheer size makes this a completely new beast. The exceptionally large blade is more than 9 inches long and includes top-edge serrations. It uses the same materials as the original, but it's been redesigned to withstand heavy-duty tasks like chopping wood.

It's such a colossal knife that it can't be legally shipped to California or Massachusetts.

Short Black KA-BAR

From a monster version of the KA-BAR, we move to a diminutive version of the KA-BAR. The blade, with its clip point and epoxy powder-coated high carbon 1095 steel, is only 5.25 inches long. In fact, the total length is only 9.25 inches. To be clear, the knife is still a fairly large fixed blade, but it pales in comparison to the Big Brother.

The Short Black KA-BAR has a black Kraton G handle and a stamp that reads 'USA.' This iteration also comes with a black nylon sheath instead of the typical leather one.

KA-BAR Vietnam Commemorative, US Army

If you're a collector, the KA-BAR knife is a dream come true. We sort of randomly picked the Vietnam US Army commemorative version, but the reality is that it comes in all sorts of commemorative iterations — from Pearl Harbor to 9/11. These all have the specifications of the original, except the blade features a stamp commemorating the war or event.

Here's a partial list of some of the other versions of the KA-BAR you'll find.