Ontario's SP series, past and present...

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SP-51 (from the Gen2 series)

This seems to be a discontinued model, although only listed as "out of stock" on the OKC website.


OVERALL LENGTH 14.5 in (36.9 cm)
HARDNESS 53-55 HRC
EDGE TYPE Plain
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN United States of America
HANDLE COLOR Black
BLADE GRIND Flat Bevel (Saber Grind)
BLADE FINISH Powder Coat
BLADE COLOR Black
BLADE THICKNESS 0.250 in (0.635 cm)
BLADE MATERIAL 5160 Carbon Steel
BLADE LENGTH 9.5 in (24.1 cm)
HANDLE MATERIAL Kraton®
SHEATH MATERIAL Nylon
SHEATH COLOR Black
SHEATH TYPE MOLLE Compatible
 
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SP-50 Spearpoint Bowie (from the Gen2 series)

Similar to the SP-51, but less overall weight on the SP-50 by having a full flat grind, rather than the saber grind found on the SP-51.

As of this posting, still being offered by OKC.

OVERALL LENGTH
14.5 in (36.9 cm)
LOCK TYPE Fixed
HARDNESS 53-55 HRC
EDGE TYPE Plain
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN United States of America
HANDLE COLOR Black
BLADE GRIND Full Flat Taper
BLADE FINISH Powder Coat
BLADE COLOR Black
BLADE THICKNESS 0.250 in (0.635 cm)
BLADE MATERIAL 5160 Carbon Steel
BLADE LENGTH 9.5 in (24.2 cm)
HANDLE MATERIAL Kraton®
SHEATH MATERIAL Nylon
SHEATH COLOR Black
SHEATH TYPE MOLLE Compatible
 
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There are still plenty of Ontario SP series knives left that have not yet been covered, (some examples of this are the SP-20, SP-24, SP-4, and most of the Gen2 series)... There is lots of SP information out there just waiting for us to find it and share on this one continuous thread.

Please feel free to add some of them in.

Let's try to make sure that none get left out :)
 
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Wait, nothing new added to the list this morning!?... Well, we really shouldn't have that. So, here is one more for the list, (in hopes it will entice others to participate by adding more models in)...

Yes, this one is another discontinued SP knife, (so many are), one that I only wish were still available from OKC.

SP32 STEALTH PATROL KNIFE

MADE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
1095 High Carbon Steel
Black epoxy finish
57-58 RC blade hardness
4-1/2" blade length
9-3/4" overall length
1/4" blade thickness
Handle: Kraton
Leather/Cordura Combination sheath

Now, I have no idea if all these specifications I find online are totally accurate... But, if this knife was truly made and offered with a 1/4" thick blade... WOW! That is one tough cookie in this style of knife! :)
I would gladly accept a pristine condition specimen of this model as a gift... And, of course, thank you in advance for being so kind! :)

It's hard to believe the SP line was so immense, and that it has dwindled to just a few available models :(
Obviously, it's all about the numbers. If a model keeps the guys and gals busy on the OKC production line in Franklinville NY, the model stays in production... Otherwise, it's chopping block time, and another DoDo Bird situation occurs.

In this photo I found online, one can see where this particular knife has it's kraton handle marked near the guard area with, (what I believe to be), a number 2. In any case, this small branding is done at the factory if the product is to be sold as a blemished/2nd quality.
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Btw, folks, I tried digging up info on a model that I believe was called the SP-33 (or maybe it was the SPS-33). In any case, I just didn't find enough solid info about it. It seems to have been a "fighter" type knife that had blade lines very similar to that of the SP-6 Fighting knife, but with a shorter blade and metal pommel. It looks like it would have been the perfect knife for those that really like the SP-6, but that wish the SP-6 were shorter.

Paul Tsujimoto, (Toooj), from OKC, had mentioned that he was the person behind the lines of the SP-6. He mentioned that he borrowed the SP-6 lines from the famous Randall fighting knives. The SP-33/SPS-33 seems to borrow from Randall's blade designs as well... maybe even more so than with the SP-6.
I wouldn't doubt that Toooj probably had something to do with this knife as well :)

In my opinion, this would be a great choice for OKC to bring back from extinction, (in carbon steel, since I believe this knife may have been available in stainless & carbon). Also, I don't believe it's thickness was quite there, so bringing it back as a 1/4" thick blade... A winner would instantly be born! Icing on the cake would be it coming in as a Gen 2 model, having the 5160 steel and higher quality manufacturing process behind it.
Oh my gosh, that unsharpened top swedge is beautifully wicked, (and perfectly legal in most US jurisdictions)... Hey, I'm just sayin' :)

Here is a picture of the knife I speak of, (an SPS-33 Stealth Ranger?)...

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SP-24 USN-1 Survival
  • 5 inch blade includes gut hook, back swedge, serration and sawback
  • Made in the USA
  • Overall Length: 9.625"
  • Kraton handle
  • Black powder coat blade finish
 
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SP4 Navy

Discontinued

Kraton polymer handle
1095 epoxy powder coated carbon steel blade combination leather/cordura sheath
Made in the USA.

* 6" Blade... 11 1/8" Overall

* 3/16" Blade Thickness
 
The SP-51 I think is the best all round chopper for chopping. It can baton as good as a SP-53, its straight edge makes it easier to maintain. Note I said Best All Round chopper, the SP-53 is the best chopper due to its recurse. The SP-8 a different critter is also good at it for choppers for heavy use and also is chilsely! These 3 make great short heavy machetes. The SP-53 still can do knifey things better due to its blade has more different areas to work it. The ones I said are about chopping heavy tasks, not light green thingies.

To me knives like the SP-10, Woodsman, SP-5 are great knives that can also chop pretty well that make pretty good multi-tools as well.
 
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It's a Fairly old discontinued model - ranger spc23
I believe the patrol and ranger were produced the same time.
In fact, not only did they share the exact same handle,
But were about the same length too.
The first ones were wire brushed satin finished.
And then the stealth models were black coated blades.
There was some part serration in the stealth ranger, btw.

Thanks for your participation... Participation being what may help sort all of these out :)

The pic I found online, stated the model as being an SPS-33, but I also ran into the SP-23 designation for the same/similar knives (some with serations, black coated blades, and carbon steel construction). The pic I put up was for a stainless version/model.

Here is a photo I found online showing an OKC box with the SPS-33 model designation...

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Another online source showed that same designation stamped into the ricasso of the blade...

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Here's an old post...
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/huge-blowout.130385/

Amongst the listed from the above :-

"ON-SPS33 SPEC PLUS - STEALTH RANGER
ON-SPS32 SPEC PLUS - STEALTH PATROL
ON-SPS31 SPEC PLUS - STEALTH NAVY MARK 1
ON-SPS30 SPEC PLUS - STEALTH PARACHUTIST
ON-SPC23 SPEC PLUS - RANGER
ON-SPC22 SPEC PLUS - PATROL
ON-SPC21 SPEC PLUS - NAVY MARK 1
ON-SPC20 SPEC PLUS - PARACHUTIST"

One can probably deduce that the earlier made Spc2x models were bright carbon knives
And the later designated Spc3x models with the same name
featured the black "stealth" coated carbon blades.
Imho, it would truly be an amazing find
should any of the knives in question be actually 440A stainless ;-)
 
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My having been looking hard into the original SP series line, (the first generation SP series), it seems that OKC started the entire series with their SP-1 Combat. Then, they simply went on consecutively with different models from there, (until eventually ending in the mid to late 30 number range). As for the Gen2 SP series, it seems they began in the 40'ish number range and consecutively went on in the same fashion as the Gen1 line.
The last Gen1 model I have run into, has been the SP-36 Sniper Spax, (itself being a variation on their earlier SP-16 Spax).
Of course these are my conclusions based on what I have gathered thus far, (read as guesses), and that is subject to change with further info ;)
 
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SP-45
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Specifications
Overall Length 13.25"
Blade Length 8.25"
Blade Thickness 0.188"
Blade Material 5160 Tool Steel
Blade Rockwell 55-57 HRC
Handle Material Kraton
Guard Kraton
Weight 10.10 oz.
Sheath Black Nylon
Sheath Weight 4.50 oz.
Country of Manufacture United States
 
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To update on what seems to be the market status of the SP-36 Sniper Spax... As of today, (June 21, 2018), it seems that the SP-36 has just about dried up on the most common online vendor sites. The vendor I purchased mine from, now has it listed as sold out and discontinued. My advice to anyone considering buying one, is to act fast if one is found at a decent price, (a price you feel comfortable paying), because I think they just about made it onto the SP DoDo Bird list.
If you'd like to have this item for it's uniqueness as a tool, or just simply as a collectable, this may be the last opportunity to get one at a truly bargain bin price. Remember, these were not being made for Ontario's civilian sales, but instead for a specific US military use. They probably only made like one of these for every thousand or so standard SP-16 Spax' manufactured, (just my off-hand guess). Their limited niche use will likely keep them in the discontinued catagory, (unlike the SP-5 Survival Bowie that Ontario put back into their line after it had been discontinued for some years).

If you decide you want one, you may try using one of the vendors that support this site. But, if they don't have any, you can try googling for someone that does. As a friendly warning, be careful if you run across the name "HR Knives LLC", (which their website shows having the SP-36 in stock
). HR Knives is definitely a scam site, (but, very convincingly legit looking). I fell for their scam business with some previous merchandise, (my fault for not being careful), and now I'm out some funds, no product, and had to cancel/redue my debit card. They will send you the initial email verifying the order, and will soon take the funds from your account, but you will not receive your merchandise or hear from them again. Don't take my word for it, the BBB reviews and ratings will be a tell all on this fraudulent company's method of operation. The BBB rating for HR Knives is a solid F. Also, do not bother calling them, they know that your order will likely be done online, and calling them will only get you a "this number is no longer in service" message. Just trying to help save folks from being taken by this fraudulent business :)
Being taken was only one slap in the face, the other is that they even claim to be a disabled veteran run business... What a slap that is to anyone that respects the service of our men & women in the armed forces, ugh!
Anyhow, I'm wishing all of you that may be interested in buying one, (or more), the best of luck in your search... Happy hunting! :)

I found one but paid a small premium over the sale price at KC. Thanks for the advice, I was just in time to snag the last one in stock. If I had missed out on this I would’ve been really upset.
 
I found one but paid a small premium over the sale price at KC. Thanks for the advice, I was just in time to snag the last one in stock. If I had missed out on this I would’ve been really upset.

I'm glad you were able to get one, even if you did pay a little bit more than what it was a couple weeks ago. It will likely soon be out of stock from all dealers, and that will cause secondary market prices to quickly rise. Then, the price you paid will seem ridiculously low. Congrats on scarfing one up! :)

I too am glad to have been able to get one... Of course mine is living a very pampered life ;)
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I'm glad you were able to get one, even if you did pay a little bit more than what it was a couple weeks ago. It will likely soon be out of stock from all dealers, and that will cause secondary market prices to quickly rise. Then, the price you paid will seem ridiculously low. Congrats on scarfing one up! :)

I too am glad to have been able to get one... Of course mine is living a very pampered life ;)
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I paid about what I believe they were charging for the sheath alone. But since I only have one, the dilemma is whether to treat it like yours, or to throw it in the back of the truck and use it. I intended to get 3, but he who hesitates gets lost. Oh, and thanks again for the heads up!
 
The following info can be found on a few other threads on this forum, but I want to add it here for it's relevance to our discussion on Ontario Knife Company SP series knives and tools.
Two to three years ago, OKC made the switch on the majority of their SP series knives from 1095 carbon steel to 1075 carbon steel. We are talking the original SP series, not the Gen2, which are made with the 5160 carbon steel. The following is a post put up by Paul Tsujimoto, (Toooj), recently on this forum. It gives a short bit of insight into why the decision to make this switch was made. This is not being put up by me to debate the pros and cons of their decision, but only to share the info again so that folks that had not read this before, can now be informed about it...

From Paul Tsujimoto...

We do a lot of metallurgical testing and review concerning the type of steel and properties and how it relates to quality issues. We have come to the conclusion that 1075 is a better steel for the vast majority of our knives. 1075 still has sufficient carbon to produce a nicely hardened blade, it has good edge retention and it also has a lot more toughness to hold up to the impact that working knives (machetes) see on a continued basis. That is the reason for the change. Our Military contract knives still will use 1095 but any knife/tool that is not under specification has been changed to 1075. I think you will find a lot less chipping and breakage with the 1075 steel. Dan Maragni and I could bore you with Metallurgical mumbo-Jumbo but ultimately we like not having to deal with broken blades under warranty and we think you will also.
Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Paul Tsujimoto
V.P. of Engineering
Ontario Knife Comapany

There have been questions on how to tell if an OKC knife has any tell tale signs of it being a definite 1095 or 1075 carbon steel blade, and the answer from Toooj was a no. In appearance, the blades did not change in markings because of the switch. Some have asked if the company markings on the ricasso being laser engraved, rather than stamped in, was done with the change to 1075... And it seems that it is not a tell tale sign, (meaning, the laser engraving is found on both grades of steel).
In some cases there may be a way of knowing the steel that was used, (that is if one is the original purchaser of the knife/tool and has the original box and it's manufacturing date on it).
As an example of this, if you purchased an Ontario SP-5 recently, and the box label is marked with, let's say, Oct 2017... That would put it in the absolute range of being a 1075 steel made knife. That date would obviously be way after the OKC switch to 1075 was made, and the SP-5 was/is one of the models affeced by that change. Again, OKC did not mark the knives differently for it being 1095 or 1075.

The SP Gen2 series seems to be remaining in the 5160 carbon steel catagory, and will likely remain so, since one of the biggest strong points of the Gen2 SP series is the use of the 5160 steel. That, of course, is subject to change, since none of this is written in stone ;)
 
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I paid about what I believe they were charging for the sheath alone. But since I only have one, the dilemma is whether to treat it like yours, or to throw it in the back of the truck and use it. I intended to get 3, but he who hesitates gets lost. Oh, and thanks again for the heads up!
No problem, buddy, I'm glad my heads up helped you out :)
I did a quick google on them this morning, and the drying up of the SP-36 Sniper Spax on vendor sites is happening extremely quickly. Actually, the only ones that I found online today, were on the secondary market auction sites. The standard SP-16 Spax can pretty much be found all over the place, (not a rare bird), but the SP-36 Sniper Spax has almost become an OKC DoDo bird. I doubt that Toooj can, (or would want to), discuss the total numbers produced of this model, (and how they compare to that of the SP-16 Spax), but I would be willing to bet the numbers are extremely low on the SP-36.
 
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