KA-BAR Hunting Knives & Tools

KA-BAR Hunting Knives

KA-BAR has been producing hunting knives for over a century. Their high quality standards and practical designs have made them a well-known name among outdoor adventurers.

The company that would later become KA-BAR was first founded in 1897 in Pennsylvania. KA-BAR received its big break during the Second World War, when the United States Marine Corps adopted one of their knives as its standard-issue combat utility blade. Today, KA-BAR knives are widely used by military, law enforcement and civilian clients alike. They produce a wide range of designs, including lightweight folders, tactical knives and hunting knives.

Although more famous for their combat knives, hunting knives have always been a part of the KA-BAR lineup. The company produces a wide range of hunting and outdoor blades in many different styles, ranging from KA-BAR pocket hunting knives to KA-BAR Bowie knives. Most of KA-BAR’s hunting knives are fixed blades, available in a range of classic shapes from the clip point Marine Hunter to the more specialised Game Hook. The company produces both traditional leather-handled knives and more tactically-oriented designs, many of which are still made in the United States. They have also built hunting knives in collaboration with various custom knifemakers, including Jesse Jarosz and Mike Snody.

As well as their range of standard hunting knives, KA-BAR manufactures some more specialised outdoor and survival tools. Machetes like their Cutlass Machete aren’t as precise as their standard hunting and outdoor knives, but their immense chopping power makes them indispensable for tasks like clearing brush. KA-BAR has also produced machete-style blades based on the Nepalese kukri knife and the Malaysian parang. At the other end of the sizing scale, KA-BAR’s range also includes the slim and compact Snody Snake Charmer neck knife and the skeleton-handled Johnson Adventure Piggyback.

While KA-BAR has always been well-known for its hunting knives, their tactical knives remain their most famous product. KA-BAR still produces the same fighting knife used by the US Marines in World War Two, which is available in both plain and serrated edge versions and can come with either a leather-wrapped handle or plain black Kraton G polymer. KA-BAR also makes a wide range of less storied tactical knives in a variety of designs including daggers, tanto knives and boot knives.