Buck119 vs. Ontario499 Pilot Survival Knife

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animate33

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Aug 27, 2010
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I'm new to knives. And I have a question. If you had to chose between the Buck119 or the Ontario499 Pilot Survival Knife. Which one would you chose. The environment would be Boreal Forest, Western Ontario, Canada in the fall.
 
I have one of each. I prefer the Ontario, but with a couple of mods. I removed the top guard and dulled the clip. The edge also should be re profiled, but the same goes for the Buck.
While either knife would work alright, neither would be my first choice for an inexpensive woods knife. I would carry a mora all around or scout.
 
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The Ontario Pilots knife, I've looked at in stores, I even sharpened one for a friend and after a close look I wouldn't buy one . The 119 while not my first choice for shape, the edge profile and size is quite good for a woods/hunting knife . Especially, with some of the high end steels and different handles Buck mfg. for this model would make it a good choice . Some of these limited editions sold for $150 and that wasn't just shine . It's a decent thought out knife . DM
 
I've got both. Been using the 119 for over 20 years with good service. Still use it today, while my Ontario sits in the closet.
 
i bought several ontario knives and it wasn't long befor ethey were traded off an d replaced with bucks,i find they chip way too easy for my liking,Buck 119 is a versatile knife !
 
I have both. Haven't used the Buck Yet. The Ontario, I ended giving a full convex grind. It's one UGLY sucker now. But It cuts much much better. I also just picked up a SOG Seal Pup, which I see compared to the 119 and pilot survival knife quite often. As much as I dislike SOG as a company I've wanted a Seal Pup for years. Maybe I'll post a comparison thread when the Pup arrives and I pretty up the Ontario.
 
I would rather have the 119 than the Ontario, but if I needed a camping knife and was going to do a lot of chopping, I would prefer one of the military fighting knives such as a Ka-Bar or Camillus. They are bigger and chop better, but the Buck is better at cutting.

Peter
 
Peter, have you looked at the 124 ? ac1, if you like a convex grind look at some of the early 119's with 440C blades as they are convex grind too . DM
 
David Martin said:
Peter, have you looked at the 124 ? ac1, if you like a convex grind look at some of the early 119's with 440C blades as they are convex grind too . DM
Click to expand...

:D As a matter of fact David, I looked at it just the other day. I would agree...that would be a GOOD chopper and blow away the fighting knife. I wish I had one back in the days when I did a lot of camping and such.

I had a 119 and a Camillus military knife that I used a lot. The Camillus was MUCH better for chopping. My 119 is from around 1970.

Peter
 
"...If you had to chose between the Buck119 or the Ontario499 Pilot Survival Knife. Which one would you chose.."
- animate33

no contest!
this is the buck forums afterall :-)
but to be entirely fair, they each have their pros and cons.
it's a matter of which better suits the individual's personal preference.
for instance, if you dread having rust, guess a buck would do better.
having a long blade is almost entirely a plus situation;
though a short hefty blade could take on every task provided it's owner is a brute.
i'll have to admit though, that a buck 119 just won't be able to saw off no offending branch or downed airplane skin as it sadly lacks this novel survival SERE feature.
 
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