EK Commando knife Company

H

handyman720

Joined
Jan 19, 2008
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was surfing on ebay and found this item for sale. its the DP5 model. never heard of the company, but after ready up on the history,,,,wheres this company been!!!! anyone else aware of this icon of knifes???
 
Always have been an EK fan and have had a dozen over the years. Most have been gifted away but still have these....

ekduet.jpg
 
"Best Rangers" have lead the way with crossed Ek's for years!
-http://www.militarytimes.com/blogs/notebook/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/trophy.JPG
 
Eks have always kind of intrigued me, but the edge geometry on their daggers always kind of put me off. They had a couple models that I was interested in, but I think they went under. Yes? no?

It's so hard to tell with a lot of companies, because they go out of business, and then come up somewhere else under a different company's license.
 
The brand has had different owners over the years, starting with Mr. Ek (long deceased). The knives have been made in the U.S. or Japan at various times. Quality of fit and finish has varied from excellent to rough. "Ek" is, IIRC, too short to search even for those who can use search, but there have been lengthy threads.
 
EK commando knives were what the Fairbairn-Sykes should have been and IMO are better quality than the various incarnations of the Applegate-Fairbairns, which are brilliant knives in their own right. I believe that they did go under for a time - traded as EK under a couple of different owners but are now back in business in their own right and better than ever. However the commando knives are designed specifically for "threat neutralisation" and are less useful in the utility role.
 
Absintheur said:
EK has not gone out of business nor have they been sold.
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Several times in fact. After the BlackJack era things got really confusing (to me). To muddy the waters some EK were sanctioned and some weren't, and were disputed. Delving into Eks is a tough game nowadays. Old school hand made Eks, Richland Eks, Effingham Eks, post-BlackJack Eks, etc etc. Quit trying to figure it out long ago.
 
antonio_luiz said:
EK commando knives were what the Fairbairn-Sykes should have been and IMO are better quality than the various incarnations of the Applegate-Fairbairns, which are brilliant knives in their own right--- However the commando knives are designed specifically for "threat neutralisation" and are less useful in the utility role.
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I agree with the comparison. For that particular style with its intended role, I prefer a handle that won't roll in my hand. They're both stickers-only.
 
All I know is that Ek knives of some sort are still made in Richmond, Va, and they are scary sharp, even if they might not look like it.
 
zenheretic said:
Several times in fact. After the BlackJack era things got really confusing (to me). To muddy the waters some EK were sanctioned and some weren't, and were disputed. Delving into Eks is a tough game nowadays. Old school hand made Eks, Richland Eks, Effingham Eks, post-BlackJack Eks, etc etc. Quit trying to figure it out long ago.
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Very true I have many EK's but almost all are Richmond or pre-richmond. I dont collect the Illinois ones and like Zen said, it gets confusing and annoying.

However the Richmond, Miami and Hamden ones are a joy to own. I have a dedicated user a Richmond DP5 and its held up nicely so far. There are alot of commemorative EK's out there as well. Lots of directions to go if your that interested.
 
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They weren't sold to another knife company. The company did move several times, from 1944 to mid 1949 the company was located in Hamden, Connecticut. In 1949 they moved to Miami, Florida and in 1976 they moved to St. Augustine Florida and stayed there till 1982. In 1982 the moved to Richmond Virgina and transfer ownership to Robert A. Buerlein. 1993 Blackjack Knives, Ltd. of Effingham, Illinois became involved with manufacture of "production" knives (for two years), while Ek Commando Knife Co. in Richmond continued primarily with custom commando knife-making and sales. The company was not sold to Blackjack, just production knives were sub-contracted to be made by them. After 2 years production of the non-custom knives by Blackjack production of all knives moved back to Richmond Virgina where it remains today.
 
Absintheur said:
They weren't sold to another knife company. The company did move several times, from 1944 to mid 1949 the company was located in Hamden, Connecticut. In 1949 they moved to Miami, Florida and in 1976 they moved to St. Augustine Florida and stayed there till 1982. In 1982 the moved to Richmond Virgina and transfer ownership to Robert A. Buerlein. 1993 Blackjack Knives, Ltd. of Effingham, Illinois became involved with manufacture of "production" knives (for two years), while Ek Commando Knife Co. in Richmond continued primarily with custom commando knife-making and sales. The company was not sold to Blackjack, just production knives were sub-contracted to be made by them. After 2 years production of the non-custom knives by Blackjack production of all knives moved back to Richmond Virgina where it remains today.
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Very little in life is simple. You repeat the present story told by the present (joint) owners. It is not what was said in 1993 when we were told the brand had been sold to Blackjack Knives and the knives would once again be made in the U.S.A. instead of Japan. It is not the story told by Mr. Ek's son. It is not the story told by the CEO of Blackjack. And it has one obvious glitch. Blackjack made knives sold under the Ek brand from 1993-1997. So much for two years. It also ignores the legal fight between Buerllein and the other businessman who contended that he bought the brand out of the Blackjack bankruptcy. They settled. "He who controls the present controls the past." But they don't control the past. They only try to do so.
 
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As a side comment, Absintheur's is a DP-6 and not a DP-5 (factory ground double-edged blade).
I should know, I have one, too...

The knife on ebay is indeed a DP5.

Regards,
Mike
 
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Mine is the Desert Storm issue and yes, it is double edged, as is the much smaller boot knife that was issued at the same time.

ds2.jpg
 
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