Rothco brand USAF survival knives: knockoffs or is Rothco an authentic GI supplier?

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Tallahassee

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First, I'm new to the forum and learning a great deal. Thanks everyone, and here's a question from a newbie about Rothco:
I've been shopping online for a new replacement of an original GI USAF pilot survival knife, by Ontario, that I had from the 1980's. Leather handle, 1095 steel, leather sheath with stone. (I see it called the 'ASEK' knife now although I don't remember hearing it called that back in the '80's.) I realize there are a lot of fakes and knockoffs of this model knife out there, and I only want the authentic GI real deal.
I know Ontario is a longtime supplier of this knife to the DoD, past and present. But is the Rothco company also an official supplier?

My question is that on Amazon I see two versions, both sold by Rothco. One is $19 and the Rothco description makes clear that it's just a cheapo knockoff. The other Rothco version is $40 + shipping, which is about right for the Ontario version, and has what appears to me to be a 100% correct photo of the actual GI USAF pilot survival knife. The photo looks identical to my '80s' original and same as Ontario's current version. There are a lot of positive reviews, but most of them mention Ontario by name, not Rothco. Confusing. I know Rothco sells knockoffs, but I'm also told they are a large scale buyer/reseller of DoD contractor overstocks, seconds etc.

So:
1. Is Rothco a legitimate official supplier to the US Military (DoD) of this knife? The Amazon ad implies that.
2. Or is Rothco a legitimate reseller, buying up Ontario overstock or Ontario seconds and reselling them under the Rothco store name?
3. Or is the Amazon Rothco ad just a scam (with a stolen stock photo and reviews cut and pasted from some real Ontario listing) and the Rothco product is just another Asian knockoff? If so that's a pretty brazen violation of Amazon's policy on fakes and counterfeits, and I wonder why Ontario allows the listing to continue.

I don't see an Ontario subforum here so I'm posting this as General Discussion. Thanks in advance for all replies. For myself I'm going to buy another Ontario, but I'd really like to know whether Rothco as a brand is ever legit or just another knockoff maker.
 
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I can't say for sure, but I doubt ROTHCO has ever been an actual supplier to the U.S. Military.

I've tried before to confirm if they have, and never find a definitive answer.

If you look at how the advertise themselves,

"ROTHCO is America's foremost wholesale supplier of military and outdoor products. Since 1953, ROTHCO has provided military clothing and outdoor retailers with top quality merchandise and the finest service available anywhere. For nearly 50 years, they have primarily serviced independently-owned Army/Navy surplus stores across America, but in recent years, ROTHCO has expanded their customer and product range to include new lines of sportswear and outdoor equipment."

Notice is says "ROTHCO is America's foremost wholesale supplier of military and outdoor products", not "to, that makes me think they are not, but kinda want people to think they are.

But, with so many suppliers the military uses, I won't say they never have???
 
I emailed Rothco through the Amazon site and have not received a reply.

I see Plasmio asked the same question awhile back and did not get any replies at the time.

Has anyone here on the forum bought one of these USAF's from Rothco? If so was it a real Ontario, or a replica?
 
Tallahassee said:
I emailed Rothco through the Amazon site and have not received a reply.

I see Plasmio asked the same question awhile back and did not get any replies at the time.

Has anyone here on the forum bought one of these USAF's from Rothco? If so was it a real Ontario, or a replica?
Click to expand...
I just recieved a pair of combat boots and ghe insole has a big fat golden “made in china” stamp on it. I seriously doubt these dudes are legit.
 
Tallahassee said:
First, I'm new to the forum and learning a great deal. Thanks everyone, and here's a question from a newbie about Rothco:
I've been shopping online for a new replacement of an original GI USAF pilot survival knife, by Ontario, that I had from the 1980's. Leather handle, 1095 steel, leather sheath with stone. (I see it called the 'ASEK' knife now although I don't remember hearing it called that back in the '80's.) I realize there are a lot of fakes and knockoffs of this model knife out there, and I only want the authentic GI real deal.
I know Ontario is a longtime supplier of this knife to the DoD, past and present. But is the Rothco company also an official supplier?

My question is that on Amazon I see two versions, both sold by Rothco. One is $19 and the Rothco description makes clear that it's just a cheapo knockoff. The other Rothco version is $40 + shipping, which is about right for the Ontario version, and has what appears to me to be a 100% correct photo of the actual GI USAF pilot survival knife. The photo looks identical to my '80s' original and same as Ontario's current version. There are a lot of positive reviews, but most of them mention Ontario by name, not Rothco. Confusing. I know Rothco sells knockoffs, but I'm also told they are a large scale buyer/reseller of DoD contractor overstocks, seconds etc.

So:
1. Is Rothco a legitimate official supplier to the US Military (DoD) of this knife? The Amazon ad implies that.
2. Or is Rothco a legitimate reseller, buying up Ontario overstock or Ontario seconds and reselling them under the Rothco store name?
3. Or is the Amazon Rothco ad just a scam (with a stolen stock photo and reviews cut and pasted from some real Ontario listing) and the Rothco product is just another Asian knockoff? If so that's a pretty brazen violation of Amazon's policy on fakes and counterfeits, and I wonder why Ontario allows the listing to continue.

I don't see an Ontario subforum here so I'm posting this as General Discussion. Thanks in advance for all replies. For myself I'm going to buy another Ontario, but I'd really like to know whether Rothco as a brand is ever legit or just another knockoff maker.
Click to expand...
From this post, and your following posts, it seems like you are either trying to save a buck, or justify the lesser expensive model...

I will try to teach you a lesson I learned the hard way (read: expensive way)... Peace of mind is invaluable.

If you are looking at spending almost $20, but will always have a nagging thought about its origin and lineage, doesn't another $20 to make those doubts go away sound reasonable?

You can either enjoy your knife by spending a little more, or you can buy the inexpensive model, and question it every time you pick it up... I do not know about you, but that is not how I like to use and enjoy my knives.
 
Rothco are cloners and make some really low quality junk in my experience and the reviews also reflect this. fake/paid reviews are plentiful though. I'd suggest to avoid the company.
 
Looks like you got your answer , OP. ^^

But since you already know that this Rothco sells clones , why would you even consider this brand ?
 
Yeah I think rothco just makes cheap versions of real military,camping, and surplus stuff.I know they make a cheap version of the military folding shovel,im sue its not as good as the real ones....
 
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