Knife engraving
May 1996: The KA-BAR product line and assets are sold to Alcas Corporation of Olean, New York.
KNIFE ENGRAVING SERIES
Marine Corps for issue to fighting personnel.ġ942: The Marine Corps accepts a reworked design of the submitted knife and begins using it as their standard issue fighting/utility knife.ġ945 - 1974: The Making of Our Most Famous Knife - The USMC KA-BAR.ġ952: Due to the role of the KA-BAR branded USMC knife in the War, the directors of the company decide to change the corporate name to KA-BAR Cutlery, Inc.ġ960's: KA-BAR is sold by the Brown family and subsequently goes through a series of ownership changes ultimately being sold in 1966 to Cole National Corporation in Cleveland, Ohio.ġ975 - Today: KA-BAR Thrives with Collectible Knives and Improved Distribution. Brown purchases the assets of the Tidioute Cutlery Company, and applies to the Governor of Pennsylvania to form a corporation, the Union Razor Company (later changed to Union Cutlery Company in 1909), for the purpose of manufacturing and selling cutlery.ĭecember 1911: A new Union Cutlery Company is registered in Olean, New York, creating two Union Cutlery Company incorporations: the original in Tidioute, Pennsylvania and the new one in Olean, New York. Once the Olean facility is operating successfully, the Tidioute, Pennsylvania plant is closed down.ġ920 - 1944: The Birth of KA-BAR as a Brand.ġ920's: During this period, trademarks like OLCUT, KEENWELL, and KA-BAR are adopted and embellished on the knives.Ĭ 1942: Soon after the start of World War II, the Union Cutlery Company submits a KA-BAR branded knife to the U.S. The formation is now widely considered to be the beginnings of KA-BAR Knives, Inc.ġ898: First sales of cutlery marks the beginning of KA-BAR as it is today.ġ900 - 1919: Union Cutlery Company is Formed.ġ902: Mr. cutlery industry begins in New England when a group of cutlers from England's Sheffield Cutlery Industry ban together.Īpril 29, 1897: In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, a group of 38 men form a Limited Partnership, known as Tidioute Cutlery Company, to manufacture and sell cutlery. It is also a favorite of adventurers, survivalists, outdoor sportsmen and, of course, knife collectors who know that this knife deserves a place in their collection.įor the complete Story of KA-BAR, go to - ġ800 - 1899: The Cutlery Industry Takes Root in America.Ĭ1800: The U.S. Today, the original USMC Fighting and Utility Knife remains the first choice for many men and women of service who carry it as their personal knife option. Years after World War II, many KA-BAR knives were unofficially reactivated in the Korean, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and Iraqi Freedom conflicts. The USMC KA-BAR was adopted by not only the Marines, but also the Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Underwater Demolition Teams. Working with the Marine Quartermaster Department the original design was revised and production began of an improved fighting and utility knife for the Marines.Īs the War escalated, the USMC KA-BAR knives became so well recognized for their quality and so abundant in number that "Kabar" became the name by which many referred to this knife pattern, regardless of whether the knife was manufactured at the actual KA-BAR facility. On December 9, 1942, after the start of World War II, KA-BAR submitted a knife to the United States Marine Corps in hopes that it would become general issue to that branch of the military.
on its line of automatic switchblade pocket knives, including the KA-BAR Grizzly, KA-BAR Baby Grizzly, and KA-BAR Model 6110 Lever Release knives.Įrickson, Mark, Antique American Switchblades, Chapter 22: KA-BAR, a trademark of UnionĬutlery Co., Olean, NY, Krause Publications, ISBN 0-87349-753-8 (2004) Beginning in 1923, the KA-BAR trademark was used as a ricasso stamp by Union Cutlery Co. In 1923, the company adopted the name KA-BAR from the "bear story" as their trademark. of Olean, New York, began using the name on its knives and in its advertising in 1923 after receiving a testimonial letter from a fur trapper, who used the knife to kill a wounded bear that attacked him after his rifle jammed.Īccording to company records, the letter was only partially legible, with "ka bar" readable as fragments of the phrase "kill a bear". The owner of the KA-BAR trademark, the Union Cutlery Co.