LL Bean and Ka-bar

[chorizotaco]

Good morning.

I recently received a black composite swing guard with the stamp "LL Bean inc / Freeport MA". Researching it I didn't find an age but I did find what seemed to be a consensus that Ka-bar made these for LL Bean. I took some pics of my old KA-BAR swing guard side by side with the LL Bean ( Ka-bar on the bottom) and they look almost identical. What age do you think the LL Bean is? They sure didn't change much on the design and manufacturing!! Thank you.

[Gunsil]

I'd say late 1940s-1950s. Definitely a KA-BAR product. The LL Bean ones are available in bone or jigged rough black scales same as the KA-BAR marked ones. Somewhere in the KCC newsletters is a sheet with the KA-BAR made LL Bean knives listed.

[jerryd6818]

Gene, did Ka-Bar make any with synthetic handles prior to the 1960s?

[Gunsil]

Yes, Union Cut Co/KA-BAR used a lot of celluloid before WW2 and in the late 1940s they used a lot of jigged black material like Chorizo has pictured. They also used slick black before and after the war, but rough black was more predominant. When the company changed to KA-BAR Inc in 1952 they still used the jigged looking rough black but I don't know how long it was in use. There are knives with celluloid still made in the 1950s by KA-BAR Inc, but I don't know when they went to delrin like others did.

[zzyzzogeton]

Gene,
I suspect that if Kabar did NOT shift to Delrin in 1961 (the first year it was commercially available), they delayed the shift only because the wanted to use up stock on hand.

Back when I was reading through old magazines down at the University of Texas library looking for info on Westerns, I didn't pay specific attention to other brands' ads but I remember that Delrin started popping up in everyone's ads about the same time.

[chorizotaco]

I'd say late 1940s-1950s. Definitely a KA-BAR product. The LL Bean ones are available in bone or jigged rough black scales same as the KA-BAR marked ones. Somewhere in the KCC newsletters is a sheet with the KA-BAR made LL Bean knives listed.

Thank you sir

[edge213]

Good morning.

I recently received a black composite swing guard with the stamp "LL Bean inc / Freeport MA". Researching it I didn't find an age but I did find what seemed to be a consensus that Ka-bar made these for LL Bean. I took some pics of my old KA-BAR swing guard side by side with the LL Bean ( Ka-bar on the bottom) and they look almost identical. What age do you think the LL Bean is? They sure didn't change much on the design and manufacturing!! Thank you.

IMG_1262.jpgIMG_1263.jpgIMG_1264.jpgIMG_1265.jpgIMG_1268.jpgIMG_1269.JPG

These are two great looking knives.

[FRJ]

Nice knives chorizotaco.
I have a KA-BAR similar to yours. The tang stamp is different which make me think yours is older.
Also, my knife has a shield.

[knife7knut]

Are you sure the stamping says Freeport MA and not Freeport ME? L.L.Bean is located in Maine;not Massachusetts. If it was a typing error please ignore.

[chorizotaco]

Are you sure the stamping says Freeport MA and not Freeport ME? L.L.Bean is located in Maine;not Massachusetts. If it was a typing error please ignore.

You're probably right, I can't see the state on the stamp so it's ME probably. Thanks!!