Most knives on the market need a tang stamp before you can name the maker. An Ek Commando, on the other hand, has never needed one. Those chamfered scales and oversized X-head fasteners have marked John Ek’s fighting knives since 1941, with service records stretching from WWII all the way through Iraq.
KA-BAR has stewarded the Ek name for years, and now its small-batch State & Union shop has built the most modern take on the design to date. Meet the State & Union EK103.
Running the Folder Playbook in Reverse
The knife industry loves turning beloved fixed blades into folders, but State & Union decided to go in the opposite direction. The blade pules the wide spear point profile and oversized fuller from its own 6420 OSF folder and combines them to a single full-tang slab of steel.
That blade gets bolted into the classic Ek handle shape, with scales molded from Ultramid (BASF’s engineering-grade nylon prized for rigidity, impact strength, and chemical resistance). It’s an old silhouette we love, but this time around built with modern-day materials that John Ek just never had access to.
Thicker Than Your Survival Knife
The 3.5-inch blade is ground from 0.2-inch-thick CPM S45VN, a premium American powder steel, and hardened to 60-62 HRC.
For perspective, ESEE’s benchmark hard-use ESEE-4 runs 0.188-inch stock on a blade that measures in at a full inch longer, while still keeping the same 8-ounce weight. A hollow grind and a generous 1.71 inches of blade width are what keep all that steel cutting more like a purpose-built knife rather than a cold chisel.
Stamped in Olean
Like everything wearing the State & Union badge, the EK103 is built in KA-BAR’s small-batch shop in Olean, New York, with a tang stamp reading “EK COMMANDO KNIFE CO. / OLEAN, N.Y.” The 8.2-inch package rides in a USA-made, multi-eyelet pancake sheath that can be rigged for belt, pack, or plate carrier duty.
Spec Sheet
Brand: State & Union (KA-BAR)
Model: EK103
Overall Length: 8.2″
Blade Length: 3.5″
Blade Thickness: 0.2″
Blade Steel: CPM S45VN
Blade Shape: Spear Point
Grind: Hollow
Rockwell Hardness: 60-62 HRC
Handle Material: Ultramid
Weight: 8 oz
Sheath: USA-made molded pancake style
Manufacturing Origin: USA (Olean, NY)
MSRP: $250
Pricing & Availability
The State & Union EK103 is in stock now and priced at $250, though you won’t find it at your local dealer. This one is sold exclusively through KA-BAR’s website, so head over there to grab one.
Recap
State & Union EK103
KA-BAR’s small-batch Olean shop pairs the legendary Ek Commando handle with a stout 3.5-inch S45VN spear point to create a $250, USA-made hard-use fixed blade.
