Battle of the big bowies. SP5 vs. SP10. Opinions?

JohnnyBlades said:
Didn't see this was an ontario forum...only have the SP1 but I love it. That being said, I wouldn'the use it for heavy chopping or batoning.
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Agreed. Officially, I'm probably supposed to tell you that knives are for cutting and that it's never a good idea to strike the back of the blade. That said, we know you're going to do it, but it's always a good idea to keep in mind that certain knives do certain things. If I could make a knife design that was great for every purpose you could use a knife for, our next catalog would be one page long and I would retire a very wealthy man that same day.
 
JohnnyBlades said:
Didn't see this was an ontario forum...only have the SP1 but I love it. That being said, I wouldn'the use it for heavy chopping or batoning.
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Yeah, i know, what i use my blades for is considered abuse by most. My respsonse: One mans use is another mans abuse. They are tools. Sometimes tools break. Sometimes they are rough around the edges. The main question to keep in mind is: does this little cosmetic flaw affect it's use ? Most of the time the answer is NO, it does not.

Other things to keep in mind as you get more into blades, is sharpness. Yes, knives are supposed to & are designed to cut, but sooner or later by using them, they will need a resharpen or touch up. Learn how to do this. It is easy. Advise: everyone should know how to do this by hand. Buy my go-to sharpeners now are: a 4" x 36" belt sander, then a 1" x 30" belt sander, then my butchers steel. Fast & efficient but you do need a light touch. The 4" x 36" belt helps get the angle/profile you want (& also assists getting the burr), the 1" x 30" convex's it a little & also gets the final burr & the butchers steel removes the burr. Most of the time, on my outdoor knives, I only need to profile them once I just give them one swipe on each side, on the butchers steel, after use, before I put it away. That way, next time, it will be razor sharp.

Things I DO NOT do with my blades: use them as a screw driver, throw them (I have broken many a blade doing that, but they were all cheap junky ones), leave them outside in the weather, let others use them.

JonnyBlades: You need to start adding to your collection. Nothing better than a Made in America, HD, hard use, outdoor knife, at a working mans wages. Your next OKC blade should be an SP-53. Get one as soon as you can afford to. Everytime you use it, you will laugh & think...damn, that guy was right.
 
SP-53 is the best all round chopper and batoner, I only got SP-51s of late because they are stopped being made and I prefer the straight blade for general purpose stuff I do. But for chopping I got two SP-53 but down to one now...my sister stole the others. :D The SP-53 does every thing the SP-51 can do and chop better. I personally find the SP-51 for myself is batoning seems easier with a straight blade. I love the saber grind of both.

The SP-10 also is a great chopper and surprising a decent batoner, as it doesn't have a sharpened swedge to cut in to the baton stick. That's why I keep my SP-10 standard with the unsharpened swedge.
 
First off, I would like to apologize for being gone for so long, not that anybody noticed my absence.

A long time ago, I did a head to head comparison review of many "budget" chopping knives, called battle of the budget choppers, where I compared multiple different knives (The Sp5 and Sp10 included) to each other while trying to control variables, to see which really performed the best.

To my surprise, the Sp5 not only outperformed the Sp10 in EVERY category, but it also on average out performed the Becker Bk9. The Sp5 really is an incredible all around blade.

I think that the reason that it outperforms the Sp10 is due to weight distribution and blade/ edge geometry. I believe that the blade of the Sp10 is too heavy for the handle geometry used on both knives, and I believe that the primary grind is far, FAR to obtuse. In fact, after using other knives one after another, I really began to question the Sp10 entirely.

Here is the first video of the series. WOW this is old lol.
https://youtu.be/7VnPGuW9-v8

As a matter of fact, my Ontario Sp5 review was my first review EVER!
https://youtu.be/AZfuh40sjqA

If you have any specific questions, I would love to answer them! Let me know!
 
I really think that owning a SP10 is a joy. The knife is just the best Bowie for the Money IMO. Strong, thick and well balanced. Not a fighting knife in the pure sense of the term though. It's too heavy for that purpose, but it's a great overall utility knife. It can do everything a small knife can do and of course is capable of great cutting and chopping chores. The looks of this knife is just Beautiful. Best 70 usd I had spent so far. Great quality and price vs quality range in my opinion.
 
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I was torn between these two and while I LOVE the style and design of the SP10, I went with the SP5. I spend a ton of time in the woods camping and backpacking and honestly... I never chop or baton. My largest knife was a KA-BAR 1219. That said, I am a "knife guy" and I was itching to get a larger blade. For me, however, versatility rather than pure chopping or batton'ing was my priority. I went with the SP5 and am very happy with it. It is still way too heavy for my style of backpacking but for messing around in the woods and camping... It's a great, large blade.

Here it is fresh from helping me get a fire going in the back yard.

 
I hate this thread, I was perfectly happy with my SP10, Now I went and ordered an SP5. Damm. Merry Christmas to me.
 
Since reading this thread and participating in it I picked up some more ontarios and I have to say the bushcraft machete is an excellent blade. I enjoy using it as much as the sp10 or 53. I have used the 10 a decent amount. The 53 has just started getting some use, and the 5 needs some more use.
The sp5 looks to be an awesome blade but I need more use with it. I could see me liking it and the machete more than the 10. We'll see...
 
Well one reason people may like the SP-5 over the SP-10 is that the carry profile and sheath are more slimmer and trimmer than the SP-10. That's why I like the SP-51 for the same profile for belt carry. My SP-10 is my back up beater knife I use when I forget a bigger one to put in my car.
 
Roguer said:
Well one reason people may like the SP-5 over the SP-10 is that the carry profile and sheath are more slimmer and trimmer than the SP-10. That's why I like the SP-51 for the same profile for belt carry. My SP-10 is my back up beater knife I use when I forget a bigger one to put in my car.
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You can tell a lot about a person by which knife they pick up first when we have a table out at shows. If they pick up the SP-5, they're probably a little more practical about what they do in the field. If they pick up the SP-10, they're probably in it more for the fun aspects of it. If they pick up the kerambit, be very polite to them.
 
Another vote for the sp10, superb working Bowie, wish I had brought it about 8 years ago would have saved me a lot of time and money searching for a fantastic knife in this category . Still having fun, Faron.
 
I have an Ontario SP10. I destroyed an entire wood pallet with it (pretty sure my neighbors thought I was insane). The SP10 will literally do anything you need from a survival knife (survival knife, not bushcraft knife). Mine is the newer 1075 version, which is far tougher than the older 1095 version, but will not hold an edge as long. I'll take toughness over edge retention all day long. I don't want to highjack the thread. But, I really think the comparison should be between the OKC SP10, and the OKC SP53. The OKC SP53 is superior to the SP5 in every way, IMHO. There's a reason the SP5 costs $45, yet the SP53 is $70+.

On another note, since Ontario Knife Company is being sold to a parent company on 7/27/23, now would be a good time to buy all the Spec Plus knives you've wanted, but couldn't justify. I have no idea what the sale will do. But, I know I'd like to have an SP53, and a 2nd SP10, before the designs are changed. It's possible the knew parent company could make these knives better. It's also possible they could discontinue them. I think I'll buy now, because I know what I'm getting.
 
SP-10 is the better all rounder to do mostly every thingy one would wanted to do dudes. SP-5 is like an SP-10 light, able to do about the same things but needs more human energy behind it for some. And the light part wasn't a slur, it actually is lighter slimmer and trimmer that makes it an easier to better carry to use tool.

I got my last SP-10 this week, its become my winter carry blade because the metal gaurd helps keep a cold frozen hand from slipping up the blade when splitting wood for a fire. With my RD-9s do the same thing as my SP-5 but the blades are tougher so the SP-5 gets loaned to relatives going on a walk based get lost in the woods adventure, where carry weight is an issue. So far its come back every time and glad they had it, because they always forget the axe. I do how ever HEAVILY REMIND them to bring a SAW with SPARE SAW BLADES. So I have to give the SP-5 its due, from some one don't got the bushy finesse and likes the "Brute Force" blades to get things done.
 
MolokaiRider said:
Spare 53, 10, and 5 on the way.

I get nervous when companies get acquired, and there is a possibility these great blades may disappear.
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I hear ya', and feel the same way. I thought about getting another 53, and will probably do so within the next few weeks, God willing.

My little 53 is still hangin' in there. However, I certainly wouldn't mind having a duplicate... (*especially if Ontario is going the way of the dinosaur)



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*I'm thinking that I'm also gonna' score a couple of "Old Hickory" duplicates, while I still can.
 
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