John Ek knives, go as far back as 1941. These were no nonsense knives. Strong, tough and razor sharp!
Ek was best known for his Commando knives. They were made from materials, like Venadium, and Poly-Chromium, that was rationed during the war.
(Note: this was considered strategic material during World War II, by the U.S. Government Productions Board Testing Dept.)
The government allowed him to make the knives because of his motto, "Made in America, by Americans, for Americans."
The only way you could get one of his knives during the war, was to show your military ID card to a dealer. The dealer would then have to turn in the ID numbers for every knife he sold.
If the dealer had no ID numbers, he could never get another knife from John Ek again.
Note: The handles were fixed by pouring melted lead or brass into the holes. If the handles loosened, you could just tap the rivets with a rock and tighten them up.
http://www.usmilitaryknives.com/amewn_11.htm 
