This Iconic American-Made Knife Just Got a Major Blade Steel Upgrade

Ka-Bar Becker Campanion, meet MagnaCut. Pretty sure you two will get along.

By Steve Mazzucchi

Published November 8, 2024

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Updated November 8, 2024

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When the form and function of a product already seems just about perfect, how can you possibly improve upon it?

As you most likely know, MagnaCut is hotter than Hansel right now. It’s been showing up in more and more high-end knives lately thanks to its almost irresistible combination of toughness, corrosion resistance and edge retention.

That’s the question knife designer Ethan Becker and Ka-Bar must have asked themselves about the Campanion (aka the BK2), already the most popular knife in the brand’s Becker Knife & Tool lineup.

One compelling answer is to introduce higher-quality materials, which is exactly what they did.

Sparing no expense in upgrading the blade steel, they turned to the likeliest of suspects these days. So hey, say hello to the new Becker MagnaCut Campanion.

ka-bar becker magnacut campanion full view — Ka-Bar spared no expense here, as the Campanion’s full-tang nature means 10.5 inches of MagnaCut steel.

Steel the one

As you most likely know if you read GP’s knife coverage regularly, MagnaCut is hotter than Hansel right now.

It’s been showing up in more and more high-end knives lately thanks to its almost irresistible combination of toughness, corrosion resistance and edge retention.

For their part, Becker and Ka-Bar first flirted with the material in the spring with a limited release, the Becker MagnaCut Drop Point, aka the BK76 (which you can actually still get).

ka-bar becker magnacut campanion knife — As with the standard Campanion, the handle is made of good ol’ Ultramid.

Now things are getting serious, as the Campanion is perhaps the second-most recognizable Ka-Bar knife after the USMC Knife, which is such a marquee item the brand currently offers more than a dozen different editions.

With this new treatment of the Campanion, MagnaCut replaces 1095 Cro-Van, a Ka-Bar staple valued for its own wear resistance and toughness. Beyond that material swap, this Campanion carries forward most of the qualities that have won over backcountry enthusiasts and other fixed blade lovers for years.

Measuring a formidable 5.25 inches, with a width of 1.63 inches, the drop-point blade full-tangs its way into a meaty, ergonomic handle made of durable, high-performance Ultramid. The overall length of the knife is 10.5 inches and the weight is a hefty pound.

ka-bar becker magnacut campanion sheath — The included belt sheath is the only element that is not made in the USA.

Also carried over from the standard edition is a sturdy Kydex belt sheath, the one part of this knife that’s not made in the USA (it’s manufactured in Taiwan).

As the dimensions of this new knife are exactly the same, the only real difference with the sheath is that it’s more of a charcoal gray hue (vs. the original’s black) and the BK & Ka-Bar co-logo is a lighter shade that’s much more visible.

Guess they are (rightfully) pretty proud of this one.