Ontario or KA-BAR?

Ontario. I'm a big fan of the Spec Plus line, as well as the classic pilot survival knife and the Utilitac folders. I finally bit the bullet and bought an SP8.

It's not that I don't like Ka-Bar - I just bought a D2 Extreme after being on the fence for a long time - but it's hard to argue with the value Ontario offers, especially for user knives.
 
Inazone said:
Ontario. I'm a big fan of the Spec Plus line, as well as the classic pilot survival knife and the Utilitac folders. I finally bit the bullet and bought an SP8.

It's not that I don't like Ka-Bar - I just bought a D2 Extreme after being on the fence for a long time - but it's hard to argue with the value Ontario offers, especially for user knives.
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I have nothing but good to say about Ka-Bar & Ontario knives. I've had more experience with the Spec Plus line. I have beat the daylights out of them and they keep and hold an edge. :)
 
If forced to choose, I'll take Ka-Bar. Way better attention to detail there. They also produce the BKT line.
 
Ontario knives are under rated The ranger series are excellent! Its a toss up for me. They are cheap enough buy both!
 
Both companies make a very good knife, but I own a lot more Ontario knives than I do Ka-bar.
 
I have a Ontario RAT2 if the rest of their line is similar quality, then they would be hard to beat. And the value is off the charts
 
Both are great. I have TONS of knives made by both companies and they are ALL solid knives.

Like several of the previous posters have said, the Spec Plus line is awesome! I have a few of them and they can not be beat for the price. I have had the SP marine combat knife for 24 years. It is still quite usable. I stripped the coating off so now I have to keep it oiled, and it has been sharpened so much it is starting to change the blade shape, but it is still kicking along just fine. For the first 5 years of my married life it was the only knife I owned. It was everything from a kitchen knife, to a can opener, to a utility knife, to a tent stake. The Utilitac is one of the best values going as far as folders. The ranger line is great too. Nothing but good things to say about Ontario. The Ontario TAK is one of my absolute favorite knives.

KaBar makes great stuff too. Their Marine Combat knife is an American Icon. It is unfuckwithable. I believe no knife collection is complete without one. Plus, they make the Beckers now and I can find no fault with any of them, except for the fact that their sheaths suck. Big time. Nothing bad to say about KaBar either, except for wanting better sheaths for the Beckers.



[A note to all the Becker fanboys - don't get your panties in a wad. The sheaths really do suck. Glass filled nylon that dulls the blade - c'mon mang!!! The tweeners have an ok sheath if you buy the BK15. If you get the BK16 or BK17, you actually get the sheath that was made for the BK15! Don't believe me? Remove the black plastic insert the knife slides into. Look at the back of it. What does it say? BK15? Yep. So, if you buy the 16 or 17, you've got an extra inch and a half of sheath flopping around like a donkey's pecker than serves no function except being a cheaper to produce cop out.]
 
I have a BK-15.

The ka-bar usn MK-1 is a better all around choice than any of the tweeners from becker.

Both are better deals than anything ontario puts out in the $50-70 range though.
 
Better than the TAK?

I thought it was an excellent deal in that price range. I think the Rat 4 is in that range too. And the Ontario Afghans....
 
I will concede that compared to the Spec Plus line, just about every Ka-Bar I've laid eyes on looks a lot more refined. That's even more true comparing an Ontario pilot knife to a Ka-Bar USMC. However, aside from cosmetic qualities, I don't see Ka-Bar adding any functionality for the extra money when compared to Ontario models that feature the same materials.

If I have one complaint about Ontario, it's that they discontinued the SP19 TaskForce, my favorite from the SP series. Bastards!
 
I carry a RAT 1 or 2 daily. I also have a Utilitac, an Ontario machete and a Blackbird SK5. All made by Ontario and all good.

I also have a Becker BK-2, BK-7, BK-9, BK-10, and BK-16. I also have a USMC and a Warthog. All made by K-bar and all good.

If I had to pick one company over the other I would go with K-Bar because of the Becker line but I would miss my Ontarios.
 
AntDog said:
Better than the TAK?

I thought it was an excellent deal in that price range. I think the Rat 4 is in that range too. And the Ontario Afghans....
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After owning a RAT 5 with a poor heat treat, I'm sticking with my opinion. Never had a ka-bar lemon.
 
Boats said:
After owning a RAT 5 with a poor heat treat, I'm sticking with my opinion. Never had a ka-bar lemon.
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Good enough sir. Sorry to hear about that. Did you send it back to give them another shot? They should make it right.
 
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