Ontario Knife Company

[soul blade]

Anyone herd of the Ontario Knife Company???
And what sort of quality are there knifes

thanks for any help

 

[Cosmic Superchunk]

Yes. Ontario knife company is well known for their Spec-Plus line of U.S. military fixed blades. Their fixed blades are pretty much in par with Ka-bar's and Camillus' military fixed blades. They're not bad for the money. They also produce a line of Bagwell Bowie knives and produced the short-lived Blackie Collins designed T.A.L.K. folders.


Here's a pic of one of the Bagwell Bowies from Ontario:

Here's a pic of one of the RTAK knives from Ontario:

 

[sgtmike88]

Ontario is also the sister company to some other famous names, like Queen, Schatt & Morgan, and Robeson Knives.

The company seems to be fairly progressive and, as stated before, they're making some great mil-spec and spec-plus military and survival blades.

I have several Ontario knives (SP-5 and two machetes) and several Robeson & Queen knives. All perform very well and were great values for the dollar or pound.

Mike

 

[will22]

They are decent knives to beat on

 

[glockman99]

I have a couple Ontario knives...A Frontiersman Bowie, and an 8 inch Spec-Plus Tanto. They certainly aren't Randalls, but they ARE a good value "for the money", as "users".

 

[Tightwad]

Ontario Knives are simple honest hardworking cutlery
for everyday at a very reasonable price. Cheap actually
for what you get. pretty, nah. Useful? You bet.

I like them so well they are the knives I buy for the farm
and issue to the hands who love the sharp edge they take
for field work. If the ding one up a little file work and you're
back in business.

The "Old Hickory" kitchen knives are the only knife my wife
will use inspite of the fact I've offered $400 stainless knives
many times. She too likes the edge they take.

So if you need and everyday knife that you can actually use
and not break the bank ........Ontario is right out front .
The only thing the lack is pretty face......heck, I like my
women with an average face and a heart of gold......so it
is with Ontario cutlery.

 

[Crayola]

I would disagree with El Cid about Ontario being on par with Ka-Bar and Camillus. A search on the forums likely would reveal that Ontario has quality control problems (uneven grind lines, and similar problems.) Camillus and Ka-Bar are much more consistent in QC.

I would take a Camillus Marine/Combat over the Ontario one any day.

Other things you have to think about are heat treat. I have no experience in comparing Ontario/Ka-Bar/Camillus. However, it is my suspicion (take this with a grain of salt) that Camillus' heat treat on their Marine/Combat knvies is better. Keep in mind that I am talking about the Spec Plus versus the Marine/Combat knife that Ka-Bar and Camillus make.

What Ontario does offer, as said, is great value. If you need a knife to dig, poke, hack, chop and th elike, and you only have $40, the Spec Plus line is great! Also, Ontario offers unique things like the Bagwell bowies, and the new collab stuff with Jeff Randall. Ka-Bar and Camillus offer way different stuff too. You can only compare parts of these companies, really. Camillus makes tons of knvies for other folks, they make high end production stuff (CQB-1 and CQB-2, Talonite blades, etc.), traditional slip joints, high tech modern folders, etc. They use "cheap" steel and they use TALONITE!!! Ka-Bar is using D-2 and offering more higher end stuff too.

I see Ontario as being the good cheap guys. Their Jeff Randall collab stuff can be thought of as an attempt to compete with the good mid range stuff offered by Camillus and Ka-Bar. I think the Ontario RTAK is going to sell FAST! But for inexpensive stuff, I'd rather go with a Camillus C/U 7. but that i sjust me. If Ontario floats your boat, GREAT!

 

[Keith Montgomery]

I have most certainly heard of and have owned some Ontario Knife Company knives. In my opinion they produce a high quality product.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

soul assassin :

[Ontario]

And what sort of quality are there knifes

I have used a number of models from the Spec Plus line as well as the traditional machetes they offer. In the small sample of blades that I have used (half a dozen plus a few from friends), I have seen failures from blades being too brittle and tangs being too soft. The frequency of problems was the highest I have seen.

I have used a blade (Marine Raider bowie), that had no major problems (minor issues : loose guard, sheath fell apart), but have read reports of tip and other failures on that same model that I would suspect are heat treat problems. I would agree with the above that there are other companies that are a clear step above that are still affordable, Becker from Camillus for example.

-Cliff