KA-BAR Grows Ek Collaboration Line with First Folding Knife

Here’s a little catchup from the pre-Christmas rush: KA-BAR’s ongoing collaboration with Ek Knives recently bore its latest fruit. It’s the Ek Folder and it is, as the name elegantly implies, it’s a folding knife entry in the series – the first, in fact.

The Ek Folder interests for several reasons, not least of which in that it’s a sizable visual departure from the usual Ek Knives style. If you aren’t familiar, John Ek is a custom maker, most famous for his Model 1 Commando Knife, a close cousin to the KA-BAR USMC and a blade made by, and for, soldiers during World War II. The Ek Model 1 embodied, and helped to codify, the utilitarian, hard use military aesthetic that is still a jumping off point for many modern projects like Ken Onion’s Homefront or a slew of TOPS Knives fixed blades.

But the Ek Folder departs in large degree from that classic style, with a design that leans more into trendy modern folder tropes. The large, 4-inch blade almost has an Eastern flair to it, with a long, linear, slender drop point such as you might see on a Kwaiken-like. It is still obviously a rugged, intuitive user blade shape, and should share a hard use/tactical job description with its fixed blade family members, although on a smaller scale; and you could certainly EDC this one if you aren’t bothered by a bigger knife. In either role, the flipper blade (complete with ceramic bearing pivot) should hold an edge for a goodly time and laugh at rust, thanks to its black coated S35VN recipe.

Ergonomically the Ek Folder couldn’t be any simpler, with a pair of rod-straight FRN scales forming a completely neutral profile. The scales have a narrow ridged texture to them, and the knife is held together with the signature Ek cross-style hardware. And while this is a big knife, it should carry pretty damn well, considering it weighs 3.2 oz. and comes with a deep carry loop over pocket clip – which is reversible, by the way.

The Ek Folder debuted just before Christmas 2023 and is available now.

Knife in Featured Image: KA-BAR Ek Folder

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