KA-BAR Ek Model 5 Bowie Fixed Blade Knife 6.875" Clip Point 1095 Cro-Van Parkerized Blade Glass Filled Nylon Handle Black

I bough this knife primarily as a collectible, though I think most people will buy this to use. My first purchase in this series was the EK 44, which I bought as a self-defense knife. I was very impressed with the feel and features of that knife, so decided to buy the EK 43 and now the EK 45 to "complete the collection." Essentially, the EK 45 is like a traditional KA-BAR (Bowie shape), but with a true full tang and nicer accents. It is primarily a fighting knife, but is built very tough and could certainly be used as a survival knife, especially with the full tang. [Note: I have copy/pasted pieces of my own review of the EK 44, as many of the features are the same as the EK 45.] Edge: of all the KA-BARs I have purchased, this is by far the sharpest one from the factory. It slices paper with extreme ease and chops deep into the corner of the box it came in with little effort. Though the tip is not as "stabby" as the EK 44 (a true dagger), the clip point is long and tapered and still has very good penetration into boxes and wood. No doubt it would be very effective in self-defense. Blade finish: the blade has a nice black finish on it (parkerized, I believe), which I prefer over the powder-coated black finish of the Becker knives (not to say those knives aren't awesome though: you should own at least one). Along the flat of the blade near the spine, it is stamped "Ek COMMANDO KNIFE Co." in stylized letters, and lower toward the crossguard, "KA-BAR, Olean, NY." On the opposite side near the crossguard "EK 45" is stamped. The black finish on the blade came perfect, without any scratches or flaws, though the sheath for my EK 44 has caused some light wear on the finish of that knife after removal many times, so I wouldn't be surprised if that happens to the 45 if I end up removing it a lot (they share the same type of sheath). Hilt: the hilt of all the KA-BAR EK model knives is the same, and I think it's excellent. It has a *real* full tang, that goes all the way through the handle and out the bottom of the pommel. The handle scales are comfortable and very grippy, and can be removed with a screwdriver to clean and oil the tang. The handle is quite long, but this makes it appropriate for even the largest hands, and accommodates a wide number of fighting grips (hammer, fencing, etc.) The balance is also toward the hilt because of this, but it make the edge of the knife extremely fast to maneuver and gives you a lot of control. I'm sure it would be a superb fighting knife, if one ever had to use it this way. Sheath: the kydex sheath is very high quality and fits the knife like a glove, so it basically won't move at all once secured. A common complaint about the sheath is that it has two plastic ramps that lock down over the crossguard to secure the knife, which can make the knife fairly difficult to remove quickly (particularly with one hand, though it gets better with practice). Apparently, people have been pretty easily able to remedy this by filing down the ramps, after which the knife comes out quite easily- though you'd be sacrificing a bit of security for ease of removal. It should be noted that this is a rare factory sheath that is made in the USA (it is stamped "KA-BAR, U.S. EK" on the front, and "Made in U.S.A., Olean, New York" on the back). I am overall very satisfied with this and all of the KA-BAR Ek knives in general. If you want an EK knife and are wondering which one to buy, I would get the EK 44 if you want a purely defensive knife, due to its dagger shape. The EK 45 is a much better-suited all-purpose knife, as the Bowie shape can be used for combat, camping, survival, and utility work. The EK 43 is somewhat of a compromise between these two- having the dagger shape of the EK 44, but only one sharpened edge so it could be more suitable for work (at the expense of being neither as good at utility or defense). However, the EK 43 has been permanently discontinued (according to KA-BAR when I contacted them), so if you can still get your hands on one, it may become quite valuable eventually. *5 out of 5 stars*

A serious fighting knife at a fantastic price. Arrived quickly and was well-packaged. Thanks!

What a fantastic knife!! Very well balanced in the hand. I have a EK Bowie from the 1990's made by Blackjack with the paracord wrap handle and it always felt a bit chunky in the hand, and I have big hands ( size 13 wedding ring ) Right out of the box this blade is shaving sharp - big bald spots on my forearms !! What I love about this EK Bowie is that with the dull finish, this knife is meant to be put on your hip and USED - not tossed in the gun safe as a safe Queen. As far as the Kydex sheath - well love 'em or hate 'em I guess. Yeah when you put the knife in it, good luck with a quick draw. But I figure some folks will want that given how sharp and mean that blade is. Me - well a wooden paint stirrer and some 120 grit paper and the problem is solved. Funny thing, watch the you tube vid's on EK's from 1941 - they were shipped with some sandpaper from the factory so you could make the wooden grip fit your hand better. All in all buy this knife for yourself !! And it's MADE IN THE USA. Good job Ka-bar !!

Awesome blade design, far better cutting geometry than the classic KABAR, unfortunately took the long handle fighting knife concept too far with the 6+ inch handle. For the price, not something I'd buy again, too heavy and unwieldy for actually using or carrying, unless you plan on playing Jim Bowie

I prefer this one over the regular ka-bars. Sharp strong and full tang. USA made and Ka-bars quality

This knife is almost like the original Ka-bar, but better in some ways. The EK5 has some higher bevels then the original leather wrapped Ka-bar. With the higher bevels it makes this knife a better cutter vs the original Ka-bar. The tang is wider as well. Leaving less metal near the hilt where the cross guard stops. This should in theory prevent the tang from snapping like the original Ka-bar. The original Ka-bar had a small tang with some big shoulders near the blade. Most Ka-bar's tangs would snap off if one tried to baton with it. I see the EK5 having less of chance of doing so due to the small shoulders, but I am not entirely sure. The grip texture is a little odd, but it takes some time getting use to. It kind of reminds me as if I picked up a tree branch when it comes to the texture. The sheath is a bit of a pain in the butt. The sheath does need some time to break in even though it's a form of plastic. When inserting the knife you need to bend a piece of plastic in order for the knife to slide past it's "lock". You must do the same thing, but in reverse to remove the knife. So much for quick deployment. I guess I could cut away the plastic lock with a dremel. The retention is already pretty good.

Worth every penny. Very good quality and incredible value.

Fluffers bitch about the sheath. This is the best sheath I have ever had on ANY knife. Simply push back on the back of sheath while pulling and it is in your hand. NEVER comes out without asking. THIS IS THE ONLY AMBIDEXTROUS sheath I have ever owned. Mount on any side of kit. Ka-Bar kicks ass Randal is in the trunk. Blade handle..... amazing!

Très bonne qualité. Reste affilée même après plusieurs utilisation

You could spend more and get less. The blade is very good quality and the handle is very secure in hammer, saver and foil grips. I found the handle a bit long at first, but I quickly got used to it. The sheath is ok. It could be stiffer, but I feel no urge to replace it. I like that it is easy to disassemble too. Overall, a happy purchase.

It's a good knife but it has some weird features. The handle is long for a knife this size, which is good for a bush craft/ work knife. The blade however is light, slender and razor sharp, which would be better suited for combat/ fighting knife. With a light blade like this I don't see how it would be good for chopping, batoning, prying.