Private company
Ek Commando Knife Co.
Logo: Ek Knife, Non-free logo, via Wikipedia3
American combat knife brand produced by several different companies
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.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
Overview
- HeadquartersRichmond1
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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.2
Products and brands
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.
From Wikipedia’s article on Ek Commando Knife Co., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4
Links
- WikipediaEk Commando Knife Co.
- More imagesWikimedia Commons
- WikidataQ5350182
Sources
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
- 1
- 2WikipediaEk Commando Knife Co. on Wikipedia
- 3Wikimedia CommonsEk Commando Knife Co. logo by Ek Knife, Non-free logo
- 4