What the Ek?

M

MikePotts

Joined
Jul 16, 2013
Messages
73
I bought this on Ebay a couple of months ago and when it arrived I was so disappointed in the miserable edge, that it was not the full dagger it appeared to be in the sellers picture,
the non-removable scale rivets, and the fit of said scales that I put it away and have only now got around to looking at it again.


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So Eksperts what do I have?
 
If you compare your Ek from the 'Bay to an original John Ek knife from WW-TWICE, you'll probably notice the new one has better fit and finish, in comparison. Poured lead rivets, and whatever hardwood JE had on hand, were the order of the day. Your knife isn't a reproduction, but rather a tribute. And if you ever had to use it for its intended purpose, I doubt whoever is on the receiving end will be too concerned about whether it was fully double-edged, or whether the scales fit perfectly.
 
Thanks for your considered reply. I think this may turn into a 'project' to turn it into what I'd hoped it was ;)
 
I like the EK in the OP just fine but then I like most EK knives.

Here one of my more well used ones:

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It's from the Blackjack / Ek era, which in turn, is toward the end of Blackjack's second run. They were rather :(, back then.
 
I don’t know how Ek’s fit and finish is. Also I’m not sure what date the OP’s EK is from. It looks like it might not be from the newest ones judging by the rivet type. I know alot of older military knives like the old Ontario ASEK knives didn’t come with great fit a d finish. I am not sure what the standards were at Ek.

T tltt says it is from an era when Blackjack was making these for Ek and that rough finishing was standard at that time. On the other hand I have seen pictures of some with the type of screws BladeScout BladeScout has on his Ek which looked quite nice. If I understand correctly those screws are from the latest Ek knives becore the company closed down and before Kabar revived it. (Apparently the creator of Ek knives hated the Kabar) Bladescout I see some damage to the handle by the middle screwon yours? Did you do that yourself?

Still I think Ek knives are awesome! I love the look of them and regret never owning an Ek style knife. I think if one wants an Ek with superior fit and finish we might have missed the boat. The Spartan Ek and the Kabar/Jarosz Ek were the nicest ones. That said the regular Kabar Eks are very nice too. None of those are the real deal though.
 
Lapedog said:
Bladescout I see some damage to the handle by the middle screwon yours? Did you do that yourself?
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Nope.
Both sides of the handle are chipped and the blade sharpened/scratched.
Somebody used the snot out of the dagger, before I got my hands on it.
EK daggers are simple but they'll no doubt do, what they were intended for just fine.
 
BladeScout said:
Nope.
Both sides of the handle are chipped and the blade sharpened/scratched.
Somebody used the snot out of the dagger, before I got my hands on it.
EK daggers are simple but they'll no doubt do, what they were intended for just fine.
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That’s what I figured. I always assumed Athey are probably like alot of military knives from their era from a time before fit and finish was really a concern. Lots of knives from this era seem roughly finished, particularly military knives. Even emersons production knives first appeared around the tail end of this era. That is why I always considered their rough fit and finish to be a sort of artefact from that time.

Back then perfectly aligned scales wasn’t a concern. To think that these days people freak out over uneven grind lines.
 
Lapedog said:
That’s what I figured. I always assumed Athey are probably like alot of military knives from their era from a time before fit and finish was really a concern. Lots of knives from this era seem roughly finished, particularly military knives. Even emersons production knives first appeared around the tail end of this era. That is why I always considered their rough fit and finish to be a sort of artefact from that time.

Back then perfectly aligned scales wasn’t a concern. To think that these days people freak out over uneven grind lines.
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Well, original EK knives were used during WWII en masse.
Thats back when nations fought for their survival and times were desperate - there were no hipsters with man buns and no call for crude killing implements to have superior fit and finish.
People being anal about their hobby knives instead of regarding them as mere tools only came in vogue later, when people got too much time and money on their hands.
 
BladeScout said:
Well, original EK knives were used during WWII en masse.
Thats back when nations fought for their survival and times were desperate - there were no hipsters with man buns and no call for crude killing implements to have superior fit and finish.
People being anal about their hobby knives instead of regarding them as mere tools only came in vogue later, when people got too much time and money on their hands.
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What, using my EK to cut fresh ginger for my Moscow Mules or lemon peels for my Old Fashioneds isn’t cool? :eek::D

Good point though. 75-80 years ago, I highly doubt soldiers in trenches compared blade radius, argued about their preferred steels and bitched about poor fit and finish of scales. I love old knives as long as they are real and era specific though. Being “rustic” can be a good thing IMO.

I wouldn’t pay what the OP did for his though, but to each their own. It wasn’t $1000, so inexpensive mistake only (potentially)...
 
Alright, I'm glad I clicked on this thread. I'll admit that I didn't know that about the original Ek knives and their quality at the time of their coming into existence. But now that you mention it, it makes a lot of sense that fit and finish quality would take a back seat to functional quality and mass quantity.
 
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