Ka-Bar Knives

The Ka-Bar is the most famous knife in Marine Corps history.  Beginning its service life as hunting knife, legend has it the name came from a letter received by the Union Cutlery Company from a fur trapper.  In barely legible scrawl, the fur trapper thanked the company and wrote that he had been forced to kill a wounded bear with his knife, which he indicated by writing "k a bar."  The company then changed the name of their hunting knife to Ka-Bar.

The Ka-Bar was chosen from a hunter's catalog in 1942 as a replacement for knives then in Marine Corps service.  It had been decided these were unsuitable for the demands of duty in the Pacific.  Although Marines carried a variety of knives during the Second World War, the Ka-Bar was destined to become the most widely used and the most popular.  As a result, it was retained in service after the war.

The Ka-Bar enjoys a simple, tough design that has made it synonymous with the Marines who use it.  The knife is still in service today.  Modern Marine Ka-Bars are now manufactured with a tool steel blade and a synthetic handle.  The Ka-Bar has gone on to inspire imitators, even within other branches of the US military.  The M-9 Bayonet of the US Army, which is that service's the basic knife, is based on the Ka-Bar.

While knives like the Ka-bar design has been made by a variety of manufacturers over the years, the Ka-Bar company is still in business and making a variety of hunting, tactical, and commemorative knives today.  A Ka-bar type knife will cost between $65-90, depending on the manufacturer.

Ka-Bar knives, a truly American knife.  Made In The USA.