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Here is the Model 2 John Ek Commando knife (WW2 dated) that I picked up - theater made scabbard - (I am looking for an M6 scabbard - which I think would be more appropriate, made by the same leather maker that made the original Ek scabbards.)
The rivets are poured lead, so that you can hammer them tight, should anything ever loosen them I guess.
Look at that lovely one piece tang/blade - the history and style of these knives really appeals to me.
A fierce patriot who failed the draft because of a physical handicap, Ek did what he could for the war effort by building "American made" fighting knives, he also supposedly made a point of hiring the physically impaired, including a blind person who used his fingers to test for imperfections in the blades.
These were knives I paid little attention to until...
...I actually held one.
"...It is reported that President Franklin D. Roosevelt kept a John Ek Commando Knife on his desk in the White House until the time of his death. General George S. Patton, Jr. owned a John Ek Commando Knife (as did several of his subordinates); Ek eventually named his Model No. 6 the "Patton Knife". Captain Clark Gable, while not necessarily expecting to see combat, purchased a number of Ek Knives while he served..."
Just great Knives.
Ek was serial numbering these knives way ahead of the competition.
All of the knives made during WWII by Ek were numbered to help the owners keep track of them if they were lost, and because he guaranteed each knife for the lifetime of the original owner.
By keeping the original owner's name on record, he could follow up his lifetime guarantee system. Ek had very strong feelings about restricting his knives to active-duty US servicemen.
The serial on mine is Dagger type "2" - "O" = 15th letter of alphabet, so 15,000 +15 - serial # = knife # 15,015
If you are interested in reading more on John Ek Commando Knives, this is a nice piece:
Here are some in auction:
The rivets are poured lead, so that you can hammer them tight, should anything ever loosen them I guess.
Look at that lovely one piece tang/blade - the history and style of these knives really appeals to me.
A fierce patriot who failed the draft because of a physical handicap, Ek did what he could for the war effort by building "American made" fighting knives, he also supposedly made a point of hiring the physically impaired, including a blind person who used his fingers to test for imperfections in the blades.
These were knives I paid little attention to until...
...I actually held one.
"...It is reported that President Franklin D. Roosevelt kept a John Ek Commando Knife on his desk in the White House until the time of his death. General George S. Patton, Jr. owned a John Ek Commando Knife (as did several of his subordinates); Ek eventually named his Model No. 6 the "Patton Knife". Captain Clark Gable, while not necessarily expecting to see combat, purchased a number of Ek Knives while he served..."
Just great Knives.
Ek was serial numbering these knives way ahead of the competition.
All of the knives made during WWII by Ek were numbered to help the owners keep track of them if they were lost, and because he guaranteed each knife for the lifetime of the original owner.
By keeping the original owner's name on record, he could follow up his lifetime guarantee system. Ek had very strong feelings about restricting his knives to active-duty US servicemen.
The serial on mine is Dagger type "2" - "O" = 15th letter of alphabet, so 15,000 +15 - serial # = knife # 15,015
If you are interested in reading more on John Ek Commando Knives, this is a nice piece:
Here are some in auction:
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