I was wondering if anyone has any photos or reviews of the all 8980 stainless military scout knife. I have yet to see one personally, and they seem to be a bit different than the Camillus 1760 in the one Youtube review I have seen. Any information is welcome, thanks!
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Ontario 8980 military scout questions
- Thread starter Bartleby
- Start date
The Ontario version seems to be a little different, based on the slightly shorter Queen version made only in 1986. The tools on the Queen I own are quite different from the Camillus I have. I am interested in the Ontario version though, if you have photos or info on it, thanks.
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8980 is a discontinued product. Once the stock is gone, it's gone.
Thanks! In that case the Q 1986 marked version is identical, closely modeled on the 1984 Mil-k-818D spec drawings. I believe this accounts for the differences between the Queen made version and the Camillus version, which already had long been in production.
Thanks! I had checked the web site, and it has not been in stock for some time.
Keep an eye out on the auction sites. I"ve often wondered why so many distributors selling the Ontario 8980 used a picture of a Camillus. I generally don't collect the MIL-K-818's that weren't part of a Government contracts and haven't added the Ontario version of this knife as of yet.
To the Ontario guys here: Are the Ontario 8980's main blade dated? Do you know when Ontario started making the 8980?
To the Ontario guys here: Are the Ontario 8980's main blade dated? Do you know when Ontario started making the 8980?
It would be nice to have more details on the production of the 8980. I have found a few photos of the reverse side of the main blade, which is date stamped. I have been keeping my eyes open for an Ontario, which caused me to notice the Queen version that I mentioned. The seller thought it was a knock-off since it was not marked Camillus, so I got it at a pretty low price. Also the finish is not the best, which could be why the Government only issued it in 1986. It would be interesting to find out more about Ontario's version, as it was in all likelihood the last of the Mil-k-818s.
As far as I know Colonial still markets it's example of the MIL-K-818 with the proper NSN referenced to it. I understand that their knife M-724 is the current replacement for the MC-1 aircrew knife. As far as utility knives go, it appears that our servicemen prefer multitools these days.
OBTW, did you know that there are two variants on the 1986 Queen? The difference is how the blade is stamped, I got my eyes out for the one I don't have yet.
OBTW, did you know that there are two variants on the 1986 Queen? The difference is how the blade is stamped, I got my eyes out for the one I don't have yet.
Thanks! I use a Colonial 2205 as my EDC, and have been very pleased with it as a user. The rounded edges make it seem to carry better than the other Mil-k-818 type knives currently around. The brushed finish doesn't seem to mind being bashed by keys all day long. I also like that the tools all worked right out of the box, unlike the cap lifter on that '86 Queen. My Queen has the tang stamp Q 1986 without the inverted "Q". Also my Queen version was shipped out nearly unpolished, the tangs were basically unfinished after stamping. It is hard to judge which party Queen or the Government terminated manufacture after just one year. Was the Queen version you do own also pretty roughly finished? I have been checking into the Ontario 8980 mostly to see what this version was like when fully finished.
From what I've seen most of the 818's reflect a quick finishing job. My Q1986 also has a less than polished tang on the main blade while the rest of the blade is polished brighter. Another one year wonder as far as military contracts go is the Schrade 1982. It was made at Camillus and no surprise other than the stamping it looks like a typical Camillus from that time.
I have read somewhere that the 1982 Schrade was produced in response to the Government contracts being split between manufacturers to stimulate some competition. Of course it made sense for Schrade to sub-contract with Camillus rather than tool up to produce the knife in-house. Part of the reason that I am interested in the Queen/Ontario version is that the changes made to the design required investing in new tooling back in '86, which would not pay off for such a short run (even though the design changes probably made production more efficient). As you point out, it would be interesting to know the year when the Ontario version started production.
Now that I have an Ontario 8980, I took a closer look and compared it to the Queen Q1986 and the Marbles 278. Sure enough they are all nearly identical, the caplifter not working correctly on any of them! The Marbles 278 is a very close copy of the Ontario version, including this design flaw.
From what I can surmise, the Queen version from 1986 made changes to the Mil-k-818 to increase tool strength, as well as increasing the distance between the tools by adding thicker liners, and mechanical crinking the can opener and awl more severely. For reasons unknown, the Queen contract was not renewed. Based on the example I have, fit and finish was very sub par, and the cap lifter did not function (in the specs, there are test criterion from all the tools but the caplifter).
The Camillus version was discontinued with the factory closing in 2007. The Ontario version does not appear until late 2009 (at least I can't turn up any earlier). The F&F on this version are better, and all of the implements are made of thicker material, but the hook on the caplifter is still too thick as it comes from the box to pop that top! The Ontario version does not seem to have been widely popular, reviews point out nail breaker springs and sharp corners. There were (and are) Camillus knives still in the pipeline for less money than Ontario was asking. Production seems to have ended in 2015, although some were sold as factory seconds by Ontario until 2016.
The Marbles 278 version is a very direct copy of the Queen/Ontario camp knife, including the poorly redesigned caplifter.
It is interesting that Colonial chose on their 2205 Military Scout knife to use tools that seem based on the Bear & Son series of Scout knives, rather than going for a direct copy of any previous Mil-k-818 version. This was a wise move, given the design flaw that was continued by Marbles in their version. I did contact Colonial about the change to the shorter screwdriver blade, and I was told that the shorter blades were used on a different version of a scout knife that had been made previously. I can only speculate at this point that perhaps this is a result of collaboration between the two companies in the knife's production. It is rather odd that Bear and Son discontinued all versions of 4 and 5 blade scout type knives at nearly the same time as Colonial introduced the 2205
From what I can surmise, the Queen version from 1986 made changes to the Mil-k-818 to increase tool strength, as well as increasing the distance between the tools by adding thicker liners, and mechanical crinking the can opener and awl more severely. For reasons unknown, the Queen contract was not renewed. Based on the example I have, fit and finish was very sub par, and the cap lifter did not function (in the specs, there are test criterion from all the tools but the caplifter).
The Camillus version was discontinued with the factory closing in 2007. The Ontario version does not appear until late 2009 (at least I can't turn up any earlier). The F&F on this version are better, and all of the implements are made of thicker material, but the hook on the caplifter is still too thick as it comes from the box to pop that top! The Ontario version does not seem to have been widely popular, reviews point out nail breaker springs and sharp corners. There were (and are) Camillus knives still in the pipeline for less money than Ontario was asking. Production seems to have ended in 2015, although some were sold as factory seconds by Ontario until 2016.
The Marbles 278 version is a very direct copy of the Queen/Ontario camp knife, including the poorly redesigned caplifter.
It is interesting that Colonial chose on their 2205 Military Scout knife to use tools that seem based on the Bear & Son series of Scout knives, rather than going for a direct copy of any previous Mil-k-818 version. This was a wise move, given the design flaw that was continued by Marbles in their version. I did contact Colonial about the change to the shorter screwdriver blade, and I was told that the shorter blades were used on a different version of a scout knife that had been made previously. I can only speculate at this point that perhaps this is a result of collaboration between the two companies in the knife's production. It is rather odd that Bear and Son discontinued all versions of 4 and 5 blade scout type knives at nearly the same time as Colonial introduced the 2205