birdsbeaks
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2007
- Messages
- 1,843
This is in defense of the SPL Pack Knife from the now defunct Ontario Knife Company (1889 - 2023) in Magnacut steel. One of the last designs introduced and produced before the company folded, the knife was intended to be a general purpose tool that could easily be lashed to a pack for hiking, hunting, or other outdoor ventures. Another variation offered nearly identical specifications for the knife and sheath but featured a squared-off tip and was branded as the SPL Dive Knife. Perhaps you all are familiar.
This knife got a lot of criticism from a variety of sources - some nitpicky, some less so. The issues I've heard folks complain about most are:
1. People could not figure out how to attach it to their belt. (This will be revealed to be "pilot error" rather than a flaw in the design of the sheath itself.)
2. People complained that the hardness (one example was tested to 61 HRC on YouTube - and I believe they're all probably around there) was too low for Magnacut.
3. People have argued that OKC used too high of a temperature during tempering which would result in reduced corrosion resistance - comparable to 8cr13mov (I've also heard A2 thrown around) they claim.
4. People complain that the fit and finish is rough, with an edge that's too thick behind the edge, and that the imprecisely fit handle scales have sharp edges that cause hot spots in use and an overall impression of a lack of adequate QC - this most often gets brought up when it is pointed out that the lanyard hole in the scales does not match up perfectly with the lanyard hole in the tang.
5. People complain that the sheath design (beyond the average person seemingly not being able to figure out how to attach it to anything...) could have easily been modified to be ambidextrous and wasn't - as evidenced by the apparently superfluous sheath retention slot on the knife's mark side.
If I may, this is how I see it:
1. I believe that the SPL Dive Knife variant was likely designed first - with a sheath design that could, with NOT included straps (an obvious oversight on OKC's part), be lashed over a wetsuit to a diver's arms or legs. The fact that the sheath was not modified for the Pack Knife variant may have been an error in judgment on OKC's part but I can fathom that, given the name "Pack Knife," they figured it would be clear to folks that it was intended to be attached to pack webbing rather than a belt. Get it? "Pack Knife" not "Belt Knife." I think OKC and the public combined their ignorance to create this ridiculous debacle, but there it is.
2. I understand the argument that "I paid for Magnacut and I should reap the full set of benefits for that awesome decision!! Anything less than optimal is just not OK for my money!" But is 61 HRC objectively too low for an outdoors fixed blade? I doubt it. What HRC is the old Marine KaBar at? What about the Becker BK2? I'm guessing they've done a lot of successful cutting and other stuff over the years...
3. This is really the biggie - and the point that led me to compose and post this diatribe. I inhabit, year round, the unbelievably hot and humid South Florida climate. I don't know about 3.5% saltwater solutions being blown around for hours at a time, but I do know that any steel capable of rusting will rust here - and fast. Lab findings are great but I live in the real world and take what I experience firsthand with more gravity than I'd give to what some academic tells me their experiments revealed. I just do. Call me names if you want - I'll be hurt, but I'll also get over it.
A few months back, I took a picture of the SPL Pack Knife submerged in Biscayne Bay - a perfectly splendid little section of the Atlantic Ocean. Very salty - the "real stuff." It wasn't just for kicks - I wanted to see if the claims that this Magnacut would develop corrosion were true. To that end, after retrieving the knife from the bay, I made sure not to wipe it off - I just let it sit in the sheath with all that saltwater. Then, to add insult to injury, I've left it outside in the backyard since. Lots of rain, some hail, 100°F+ temps and average humidity of 70%. No corrosion. Like none at all. (Ok, a little bit inside the engraving of the name and steel type but I don't think that counts - that's not even really Magnacut anymore, more just whatever elements combine when the laser hits it.) If that had been a stamp instead of a laser etch, there would be absolutely no corrosion at all. I invite the 3.5% saltwater spray types to explain this phenomenon. The pictures attached below are of the knife in Biscayne Bay a few months ago and the knife this morning, still outside. See for yourself - no rust.
4. I can't argue this. The fit and finish are rough. The blade is obnoxiously thick behind the edge. The scales do not line up well with the tang. Neither does the lanyard hole. Could any of this not be fixed with simple hand tools in less than an hour? None of it. Again, I get that folks might be disappointed in fit and finish niggles, but to put things in context - at the time this knife was released, I believe it was the absolute cheapest production knife that a person could buy in Magnacut steel.
5. I can't argue this point either. While I like the sheath and find it works well for the purposes for which (I believe) it was designed, OKC could have easily modified it to offer more versatility to more users. The vestigial retention slot on the mark side feels lazy at best, and at worst a slap in the face to southpaws - a group to which I, fortunately, do not belong. Weirdos. Ever seen them try to write something? Freaky!
Well, that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about a knife that is discontinued from a company that is out of business - and yet, I felt compelled to set the record straight - at least in terms of how I see it. To sum up my opinion, it's a decent knife, in a great steel, at what was a decent price that suffered from some missed opportunities by the manufacturer, the sometimes blinding stupidity of the public, and some technical issues that could probably have been ironed out had the company survived. But they didn't. And here we are.
Thanks for listening.
This knife got a lot of criticism from a variety of sources - some nitpicky, some less so. The issues I've heard folks complain about most are:
1. People could not figure out how to attach it to their belt. (This will be revealed to be "pilot error" rather than a flaw in the design of the sheath itself.)
2. People complained that the hardness (one example was tested to 61 HRC on YouTube - and I believe they're all probably around there) was too low for Magnacut.
3. People have argued that OKC used too high of a temperature during tempering which would result in reduced corrosion resistance - comparable to 8cr13mov (I've also heard A2 thrown around) they claim.
4. People complain that the fit and finish is rough, with an edge that's too thick behind the edge, and that the imprecisely fit handle scales have sharp edges that cause hot spots in use and an overall impression of a lack of adequate QC - this most often gets brought up when it is pointed out that the lanyard hole in the scales does not match up perfectly with the lanyard hole in the tang.
5. People complain that the sheath design (beyond the average person seemingly not being able to figure out how to attach it to anything...) could have easily been modified to be ambidextrous and wasn't - as evidenced by the apparently superfluous sheath retention slot on the knife's mark side.
If I may, this is how I see it:
1. I believe that the SPL Dive Knife variant was likely designed first - with a sheath design that could, with NOT included straps (an obvious oversight on OKC's part), be lashed over a wetsuit to a diver's arms or legs. The fact that the sheath was not modified for the Pack Knife variant may have been an error in judgment on OKC's part but I can fathom that, given the name "Pack Knife," they figured it would be clear to folks that it was intended to be attached to pack webbing rather than a belt. Get it? "Pack Knife" not "Belt Knife." I think OKC and the public combined their ignorance to create this ridiculous debacle, but there it is.
2. I understand the argument that "I paid for Magnacut and I should reap the full set of benefits for that awesome decision!! Anything less than optimal is just not OK for my money!" But is 61 HRC objectively too low for an outdoors fixed blade? I doubt it. What HRC is the old Marine KaBar at? What about the Becker BK2? I'm guessing they've done a lot of successful cutting and other stuff over the years...
3. This is really the biggie - and the point that led me to compose and post this diatribe. I inhabit, year round, the unbelievably hot and humid South Florida climate. I don't know about 3.5% saltwater solutions being blown around for hours at a time, but I do know that any steel capable of rusting will rust here - and fast. Lab findings are great but I live in the real world and take what I experience firsthand with more gravity than I'd give to what some academic tells me their experiments revealed. I just do. Call me names if you want - I'll be hurt, but I'll also get over it.
A few months back, I took a picture of the SPL Pack Knife submerged in Biscayne Bay - a perfectly splendid little section of the Atlantic Ocean. Very salty - the "real stuff." It wasn't just for kicks - I wanted to see if the claims that this Magnacut would develop corrosion were true. To that end, after retrieving the knife from the bay, I made sure not to wipe it off - I just let it sit in the sheath with all that saltwater. Then, to add insult to injury, I've left it outside in the backyard since. Lots of rain, some hail, 100°F+ temps and average humidity of 70%. No corrosion. Like none at all. (Ok, a little bit inside the engraving of the name and steel type but I don't think that counts - that's not even really Magnacut anymore, more just whatever elements combine when the laser hits it.) If that had been a stamp instead of a laser etch, there would be absolutely no corrosion at all. I invite the 3.5% saltwater spray types to explain this phenomenon. The pictures attached below are of the knife in Biscayne Bay a few months ago and the knife this morning, still outside. See for yourself - no rust.
4. I can't argue this. The fit and finish are rough. The blade is obnoxiously thick behind the edge. The scales do not line up well with the tang. Neither does the lanyard hole. Could any of this not be fixed with simple hand tools in less than an hour? None of it. Again, I get that folks might be disappointed in fit and finish niggles, but to put things in context - at the time this knife was released, I believe it was the absolute cheapest production knife that a person could buy in Magnacut steel.
5. I can't argue this point either. While I like the sheath and find it works well for the purposes for which (I believe) it was designed, OKC could have easily modified it to offer more versatility to more users. The vestigial retention slot on the mark side feels lazy at best, and at worst a slap in the face to southpaws - a group to which I, fortunately, do not belong. Weirdos. Ever seen them try to write something? Freaky!
Well, that's probably more than you ever wanted to know about a knife that is discontinued from a company that is out of business - and yet, I felt compelled to set the record straight - at least in terms of how I see it. To sum up my opinion, it's a decent knife, in a great steel, at what was a decent price that suffered from some missed opportunities by the manufacturer, the sometimes blinding stupidity of the public, and some technical issues that could probably have been ironed out had the company survived. But they didn't. And here we are.
Thanks for listening.
