KA-BAR #10: Counting Down the Top Knife Brands
TOP KNIFE BRANDS THAT ‘STICK‘ IN THE MINDS OF KNIFE PEOPLE
Brought to you by BladeHQ
| Rank | Brand Name | % Able to Recall | % Top of Mind | Awareness Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 98.3% | 68.6% | 243.2 | |
| 2 | 94.3% | 63.0% | 229 | |
| 3 | 94.9% | 47.6% | 215.8 | |
| 4 | 62.9% | 22.7% | 124.5 | |
| 5 | 58.9% | 31.1% | 120.8 | |
| 6 | 57.1% | 19.0% | 110.4 | |
| 7 | 52.6% | 16.3% | 100.4 | |
| 8 | 48.0% | 14.3% | 90.6 | |
| 9 | 46.9% | 18.3% | 90.4 | |
| 10 | KA-BAR | 42.3% | 13.5% | 79.9 |
| 11 | SOG | 40.0% | 7.1% | 72.6 |
| 12 | Victorinox | 34.9% | 11.5% | 65.1 |
| 13 | ESEE | 33.7% | 5.1% | 60.8 |
| 14 | Chris Reeve Knives | 31.4% | 12.7% | 59.3 |
| 15 | Emerson | 28.0% | 22.4% | 55.4 |
| 16 | Ontario | 28.6% | 6.0% | 51.8 |
| 17 | Opinel | 23.4% | 7.3% | 42.5 |
| 18 | Microtech | 24.0% | 2.4% | 42.5 |
| 19 | Leatherman | 22.3% | 7.7% | 40.5 |
| 20 | Case | 18.3% | 0.0% | 32.0 |
| 21 | Morakniv | 17.7% | 3.2% | 31.8 |
| 22 | Schrade | 16.0% | 10.7% | 30.3 |
| 23 | Kizer | 13.7% | 4.2% | 24.5 |
| 24 | LionSteel | 12.6% | 4.5% | 22.5 |
| 25 | Pro-Tech | 11.4% | 5.0% | 20.5 |
ABOUT KA-BAR Want a KA-BAR? Get it now at BladeHQ
The clip-point fighting/utility knives issued to Marines starting in WWII came to be known as ‘KA-BAR’ knives. The unusual and memorable name comes from a fur trapper in the 1900s, who wrote in a letter to the Union Cutlery Co. that he used one of their knives to kill a bear when his rifle jammed. The letter was only partially legible, and “kill a bear” became “k a bar”. Union Cutlery began using KA-BAR as a branding stamp on their knives, and after WWII, they changed their name entirely. Today, KA-BAR is owned by the Cutco Corperation, and they manufacture a full line of folding and fixed-blade knives, including the popular Becker survival knives.
ABOUT THE SURVEY
We surveyed involved production knife enthusiasts and asked them to list as many production knife brands as they could remember to gauge brand awareness. 74 out of 175 respondents were able to recall KA-BAR and of the 74, 10 did so within their first 3 responses. The average survey respondent was able to recall 12 knife brands and in total 167 brands were recalled.
Research indicates that there is a relationship between brand recall and market share, because in most buying situations a brand must be prominent in the mind of a buyer in order for them to consider purchasing it.
The survey, which was also the basis for our Infographic, did not measure brand esteem or brand identity and has nothing to do with what knife people think about the brands. Instead, it provides an indication of how widely the brand is known and if it has a strong place in the minds of involved production knife enthusiasts.
Visit KnifeNews tomorrow to find out which brand is #9 on our list of the Top Knife Brands that Stick in the Minds of Knife People.
August 14, 2015 #11 SOG
August 13, 2015 #12 Victorinox
August 12, 2015 #13 ESEE
August 11, 2015 #14 Chris Reeve Knives
August 10, 2015 #15 Emerson
August 9, 2015 #16 Ontario
August 8, 2015 #17 Opinel
August 7, 2015 #18 Microtech
August 6, 2015 #19 Leatherman
August 5, 2015 #20 Case
August 4, 2015 #21 Morakniv
August 3, 2015, #22 Schrade
August 2, 2015 #23 Kizer
August 1, 2015 #24 LionSteel
July 31, 2015 #25 Pro-Tech
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