State & Union’s new EK103 takes one of the most recognisable military-knife handles of the 20th century, shrinks the overall package and gives it a modern S45VN blade.
The result is an 8.2-inch fixed blade that looks much larger than its measurements suggest. Its blade is only 3.5 inches long, but a broad 1.71-inch profile, deep fuller and 0.2-inch thickness give it the proportions of a much heavier field knife.
This is not a direct reproduction of an old Ek Commando. It combines the classic handle shape with a blade influenced by State & Union’s 6420 OSF Folder, then builds the whole thing in Olean, New York.
The Handle Goes Back To 1941
John Ek founded the Ek Commando Knife Company in 1941. His knives became known for their straight-sided handles, chamfered scales and three large fasteners, a design that was simple to identify even before the blade came into view.
The EK103 carries that visual language forward with full-tang construction and black-and-grey Ultramid scales. Ultramid is a high-performance polyamide chosen here for strength, dimensional stability and resistance to chemicals and deformation.
The three fasteners remain part of the design rather than being replaced with hidden hardware. A lanyard hole sits at the end of the handle, while the pronounced guard helps separate the grip from the blade.
State & Union is KA-BAR’s small-batch premium workshop, and the EK103 is made in the same Olean, New York operation. The blade and sheath are both listed as US-made.
The Blade Is Short, Wide And Very Thick
The spear-point blade uses CPM S45VN stainless steel with a published hardness of 60 to 62 HRC. State & Union gives it a hollow grind and a 20-degree edge angle.
S45VN was developed as a balanced premium knife steel rather than an extreme specialist alloy. It is designed to combine useful edge retention with toughness and corrosion resistance, which makes sense for a compact fixed blade intended for repeated outdoor and utility work.
The EK103’s proportions are unusual. A 3.5-inch blade is compact, but the 0.2-inch thickness and 1.71-inch width create far more visual mass than most knives in that length class. The oversized fuller removes some material from the blade while preserving the broad profile.
Overall weight is eight ounces. That is heavier than a typical folding EDC knife, but relatively restrained for a full-tang fixed blade with this much steel.
For comparison, the TacticalGeek VX2 uses a similarly premium powder steel in a folding format. The EK103 gives up pocket-friendly folding convenience for a simpler, rigid construction.
The Sheath Keeps The Rest Of The Package Simple
Every EK103 ships with a low-profile moulded sheath. It uses multiple eyelets and elongated slots around the perimeter, leaving room for different mounting arrangements rather than forcing one carry position.
There is no coating over the blade’s grey stonewashed finish, and the overall colour scheme stays deliberately subdued. The only prominent markings are the State & Union branding on one side and the Ek Commando Knife Co. stamp on the other.
The EK103 launched at $250 and is sold exclusively through KA-BAR. At the time of writing, the official listing is marked out of stock, so availability may return in batches rather than as a continuously stocked production model.
That scarcity fits the State & Union approach. This is less about modernising every part of the Ek formula and more about deciding which parts should not change.
The handle still looks like an Ek Commando. The blade, materials and dimensions belong firmly in 2026.
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Images courtesy of KA-BAR / State & Union
