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KA-BAR Releases First Brand New, Made in USA Folder in Fifty Years

March 4, 2024

Big news from KA-BAR: the company, in conjunction with its State & Union shop arm, has released its first new, Made in the USA folding knife design in 50 years. It’s called the F01 and, fittingly, is an intriguing blend of old and new.

Item one in the “New” column is the blade. The shape here, which KA-BAR simply calls a drop point, in today’s parlance qualifies as a “modified drop point” or even a “modified wharncliffe” – according to our lights, at least. Word games to one side, it is a funky and fresh profile to see from KA-BAR, and at 3.25 inches it’s pure EDC all the way.

KA-BAR had some limited edition variations out on the table in Texas

Opening is done with an unusual, oblong thumb stud, anodized one of several bright colors to match the rest of the accent hardware pieces. It’s hard to tell if these can be swapped to the opposite side but, if they can, it would mean that the F01 is fully accessible to lefties as well as righties. The blade steel is S35VN – certainly not the newest stuff on the block, but, as we’ve said before, still a steel that performs admirably, doing pretty much anything you could reasonably ask of it.

The handles, available in three color schemes, are made from G-10 in each one, embellished with a Morse code-like, Dots-n-dashes texturing. There’s a backspacer-cum-lanyard attachment point as well as, mid-way up the spine, the disengagement point for the aforementioned back lock. A deep carry, loop over wire clip, reversible to either side, concludes the feature list for this one; KA-BAR has the F01’s weight listed at 3.2 oz.

The F01 made its debut at Blade Show Texas and, happily, it is available now. Does the ’01’ in its name mean that more fresh US-made KA-BAR knives are on the way?

Knife in Featured Image: KA-BAR F01

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