Some initial impressions of the Ka-Bar EK 44

Ethan Becker

Ethan Becker

Moderator
Joined
Sep 1, 1999
Messages
3,564
As some of you know KA-Bar bought the intellectual property rights to the John Ek Commando Knives...

As a teenager with my little face up against the glass of knife possibilities I had a real infatuation for John Ek's creations...... Simple, straightforward and they were as the Spartan guys would put it blades with intent.... They screamed intent..... I really wanted one.... I handled some at gun shows and did not have the cash...... Time passed and Blackjack bought the rights and the EK knives of that era were not comfy and the execution of the knives was,in my opinion, pretty crummy...... Usable, mind, but not something I wanted to take home and add to the family....Of course I did take one home and it was always at the bottom of the pile and was strictly a curiosity piece.......

I met the Moose and Momma Moose for coffee yesterday and he had a new KA-BAR EK 44....... Wow, just wow, I could not keep my grubby little mitts off of it....... The changes are pretty subtle but what a difference...... It balances well, and the grip is really, really nice.... Comfy and grippy and just what you want in a dag....... I never carry a dagger, well almost never, and very rarely in the last few years but, I have a few and some of them I cherish......I have a weakness for boot knives too that I cannot figure out but, there is an appeal to the martial instinct that cannot be denied here...... My Virginia era EK was NOT cherished but the new EK will be..... Ya gotta hold this one to understand what I am talking about..... Hell, it even cuts which is pretty amazing for a dag........ I think that it is pretty safe to say that the KA-bar / EK era is going to be the golden age of EK ...... The sheath is really good, the fit and finish are quite good and the package is spectacular ...... Check it out....

Ethan
 
Oh, thanks a lot for that, Uncle E :rolleyes:. As if I don't already have a little thing for fighting knives (that I NEVER want to use fighting) now comes this.....to press the "martial instinct" button (more like mash down and hold the button). It is sometimes an intellectual conundrum being a knife nut.
 
As if I didn't want one bad enough already, you had to tell me this.
Aaaaarrrgggghhhhh.
 
I am not a own or carry a knife for fighting guy, but I have always had the same reaction to the original EK knives as well as really any well executed boot knife or dagger. I cant seem to help it, despite the fact that I never want to have to use a knife for that intent. The new KA-BAR ones look soooooo good.
 
This puppy ain't no boot dagger...

You gotta handle this rapier grip to appreciate it....



Moose
 
Every pic (and Ethan's comments) makes me want one more and more.
 
Last edited:
i had no idea this was coming out. Definitely going to be near the top of my want list. I have always liked Ek's knives.
 
I always wanted some of the original Ek knives, but have never had enough spending cash available when one was available. Like Ethan, for some reason the Blackjack era Eks were not so overwhelmingly desirable to me. I have several other blackjack knives, but none of their Eks. I like daggers, boot knives, pig stickers, swords, oh hell, sharp and pointy usually gets my attention. :D I really like the looks of this one.

If I spend my dedicated BK21 pecan picking-up money on an Ek44, I just KNOW that Kabar will pop the BK21 out of the oven on me.
 
Then go ahead and buy the EK so the 21 one will be released for everyone eles. It's time to take one for the team :D
 
That is one good looking blade Moose! If it impressed Ethan that much then I know I'd love it. Just another blade to put on the list of must-haves.
 
thanks for mentioning it. I knew kabar had bought ek. They seem to have moved fast on production. any other models available?
 
My first impression was meh, but hearing uncle rave about it peaked my curiosity.
Moose posted a fine comparison picture to a well known and beloved blade. All I can say is
SEXY
MUST HAVE ONE. To replace the SOG in the back up (wife's). Get out bag.
 
When you said commando knife, my mind immediately went to the Fairbairn-Sykes fighting knife and Commando Comics which had the knife as their logo. Many an hour of youth spent reading those war stories in those comics. Not sure if they made it to the US or just stayed in Commonwealth countries.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Fairburnsykes_colour4.jpg

This bloke looks like a certain Beckerhead with that hat on. Haha
https://londonhistorians.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/cdo1911b.jpg
 
You know, I carry a pistol with me everywhere I go and have a BK knife of some sort either under my seat or under my shirt. If I'm really worried something crazy might go down, I wear a backup .380. It probably weighs about what this dagger does. That said, knives like this one really do have a place after spending a few years studying Systema. It's easy to understand how in some places, you're better off carrying a knife if you are trained to use it and I have to say that after experiencing Systema the way I did, a very sharp knife in close quarters is something we all would need to be very worried about.

Survivormind
 
BeeKayNutCase said:
Yeah, but does it baton?




:D
Click to expand...

Umm....yeah....it does. And chops.

This isn't some flimsy pointy knife for just stickin'.....though that is it's primary function....stabbin' shit.

At .154 thicknes.....this ol' gurl will pry shit.

Tellin' ya'll other than NOT using a thumb on the back for bushcrafting, it CAN be used as a knife. Cut stuff.

But it will stab the helloutta something.......:D

Baton....yup. Just get ready for wood chips to feed the fire.

Moose
 
It chops surprisingly well in fact. :thumbup:


P1030076.jpg
 
Moosez45 said:
Umm....yeah....it does. And chops.

This isn't some flimsy pointy knife for just stickin'.....though that is it's primary function....stabbin' shit.

At .154 thicknes.....this ol' gurl will pry shit.

Tellin' ya'll other than NOT using a thumb on the back for bushcrafting, it CAN be used as a knife. Cut stuff.

But it will stab the helloutta something.......:D

Baton....yup. Just get ready for wood chips to feed the fire.

Moose
Click to expand...

Haha yeah I was being a bit of a smart arse there :D Truth be told I'm super pissed that I'll never be able to hold one let alone own one here in Aus. Stupid anti-dagger laws. Can't have, get or own anything with a double sided blade. Sucks. Cos this 44 looks the don mega. It would be interesting to use as a tribute to the WWII commandos and solely use only the 44 for a weekends roughing it to see how well it handles survival type tasks. I personally reckon it may well handle them better than expected.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top