KA-BAR^® Knives, Inc. is based in the city of Olean in the state of New York, USA, and is a subsidiary of Cutco Corporation. KA-BAR^® is a well-known manufacturer of high-quality military, hunting, sporting, and outdoor survival knives. They offer more than 100 quality cutlery products and accessories for them.

The company name comes from a commendatory letter from a hunter. When his gun failed while setting traps, he had to rely solely on his knife, which he successfully used to kill an attacking injured bear. In the thank-you letter, which praised the quality of the knife made by this company, he told his story. In the passage about killing the bear, only the letters "k... a b..ar" from the words "kill a bear" were legible. Honored by this thanks, the company adopted the phrase KA-BAR as its trademark.

The roots of KA-BAR^® date back to 1898 when their first knives were sold, thus having over 115 years of tradition and experience in the cutlery industry.

The most famous, renowned, and widespread knife is the USMC KA-BAR, which has become almost iconic. It was developed from World War II and was originally used by the US Marine Corps units. Gradually, the knife was also adopted by the US Army, US Navy, Coast Guard, and others. It became so well-known that the designation KABAR was used for knives of the same type that were not made in the KA-BAR^® factory. It has been used by soldiers in many conflicts around the world and today is also a favorite knife for adventurers, survival enthusiasts, and outdoor fans, and of course, collectors, in whose collections it certainly deserves its place.