Trying to identify a looks like Ka-Bar knife.

POCEH KOCEB

POCEH KOCEB

Joined
Nov 21, 2013
Messages
3,416
Greetings all ! I was trying to contact Mr KenHash since I've bothered him before about some information related to Japan made knives with great success, but maybe because of my membership status,
I can't see option for messaging so I'll ask any of you guys for help identifying the looks-like-Ka-Bar knife from the picture and particularly if its made in Japan, ordered by company called Kiffe.

The knife belongs to a European (Bulgarian) Blade Forum member and I'm helping with the research. So far we got to the point that we know some of the Ka-Bar knives of this time were ordered in Japan by numerous US companies,
including Guttman, Kiffe, Valor, Compass Industries. We were able to sort of pinpoint to the Kiffe Company but not sure it is a knife manufactured in Japan.

I will greatly appreciate if anyone can provide more info on the subject and links to some Ka-Bar database would be very much appreciate it too, I had such links from previous questions here but they got lost with the years...
Please ask questions if you need to, I'll be happy to answer if I can.
TIA.

Pictures, hope they will show easy for identifying details:

opt1632950643t.jpg
klz1632951091j.jpg


rgh1632951171h.jpg
arx1632951131u.jpg


bwy1632951231r.jpg
arx1632951271o.jpg
 
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Hi just saw this post.
Yes KIffe is one of the importer brands of Ka-Bar copies made by Tak Fukuta's factory in Seki. You have uncovered the other brands. In addition there were a few that entered the US market with nothing more than "Japan" on the ricasso.
Kiffe specialized in military issued knice copies and had the Bolo knife, M4 Bayonet, Marine Recon Bowie etc.

This is the best research into KIffe I have found. The only error in it I see is that the author speculates the manufacturer as Howa, strictly a firearms manufacturer.


Ken
 
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