SP5 Survival Bowie showed up!

D

dogstar

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Jan 23, 2011
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This is my first big knife that is not a machete, and it's my second OKC knife (first was an Old Hickory). First impression is that it is an beautiful blade and I am very happy with my purchase! It comes in a nice box with a sheath and shoelace lanyard.

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I wasn't sure about that upswept clip point, but it looks a lot nicer in person! F & F overall is very nice. The edge is sharp and usable right out of the box. This knife weighs 15 oz; at the bottom end of big chopper territory. It does not feel tip heavy, though. The center of balance is right at the start of the ricasso. That big, blocky handle is heavy, which makes the knife feel more lively and less tip heavy. I am not a fan of huge ricassos or choils, but for the price I cannot complain.

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The sheath is functional, but a bit of a miss. It is longer and wider than it needs to be. Perhaps it is shared between multiple models. I wish the retention straps were removable, because they get in the way of sheathing the knife. I can do with just either strap and wouldn't mind being able to temporarily remove the other. The sheath itself weighs 6 oz, which is a drawback compared to an axe or tomahawk. The bigger the knife, the heavier the sheath, which is just dead weight. Knife + sheath weighs 21 oz, which is heaver than my Fiskars hatchet. The Fiskars will out-chop and out-split the SP5.

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Here is the SP5 with other fixed blades for comparison. The Cold Steel Barong has a 12" blade. The SP5 has a 10" blade. The Cold Steel True Flight Thrower is the equivalent of a 6.75" blade. The SP5 is my gateway into big fixed blades, and I like it a lot. I can see why people see it as a multi-purpose blade, because the size, weight, balance and blade shape make it a versatile design. I want to thank Ontario for offering a great, made in USA product.
 
The SP-5 is a nice "Light" Weight big blade. OKC left the swedge unsharpened so the people who live in "EVIL DAGGER STATES" (like me) could use them out side. I got one, found it a good lighter big blade that can do a lot above its weight class. They brought it back after it was "Sunseted" but they still had all the stuff to make the knife again in case people wanted it back. And people did!
 
One of my SP5 knife with a few mods. The first thing I did was strip the coating off. I wasn't a fan of the upswept bowie tip so I ground it to be a little bit straighter. And I reprofiled the edge to convex grind. I am a big fan of the this SP5 which has seen a lot of use.
 
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Over the years since the SP5's sunset, OKC had received a steady stream of requests to bring back this classic bowie knife design. But when we received word that an SP5 had survived a house fire with the blade and coating in nearly perfect condition, and the owner asked us to bring back the bowie, we knew what we had to do. Rising from the ashes by demand, it's the return of an American legend. The quarter inch thick, 10 inch blade will be your most faithful and fearsome companion.
 

The Ontario Knife Company Releases the New SP5 Bowie Knife​

OutdoorHub 10.30.13
The Ontario Knife Company Releases the New SP5 Bowie Knife

Few knife designs are as quintessentially American as the classic Bowie Knife. With nearly 125 years of producing high quality knives in upstate New York, The Ontario Knife Company has a long tradition of crafting a wide variety of Bowies. One such design was a key component of OKC’s top selling SPEC PLUS line, the SP5 Bowie Knife. The knife was introduced more than 20 years ago, but as product lines ebb and flow, it was eventually removed from the line – much to the lament of many loyal fans. However, thanks to a lengthy list of customer requests and a remarkable customer testimonial, the OKC SP5 Bowie
Knife returns.

After receiving a steady stream of requests for the return of the OKC SP5 Bowie Knife, the company caught wind of one customer’s terrible house fire. As the story goes, the house structure and belongings were completely destroyed and as the gentleman was picking through the charred remains of his home, he stumbled upon something remarkable; his trusty OKC SP5 Bowie knife, with the blade and powder coat in near mint condition. The man requested the return of the SP5 to OKC’s product line and OKC could not refuse. Tempered in fire and like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the OKC SPEC PLUS 5 Bowie had proven its mettle, fought its way back from history, and returned to the forefront of OKC’s product line.

The Ontario Knife Company’s new SPEC PLUS 5 Bowie is a fighting knife, a hunter’s companion, and an all-purpose wilderness survival tool. The OKC SP5 features a sturdy, full-tang construction designed for serious cutting and chopping power. Its 10-inch blade is constructed from 1095 Carbon Steel with a 57-59 HRC. The .250-inch blade thickness ensures the OKC SP5 will handle all of your cutting, chopping, splitting and prying operations necessary for routine camp chores or to survive in a freezing wilderness or sweltering
jungle trek.

The hefty Bowie is reluctant to reflect light and resists the effects of the elements thanks to a tough black powder coat finish. The handle is constructed from Kraton for a sure grip regardless of wetness, bloodiness, or silt. An essential component of both bug-out-bags and fixed blade collections, the OKC SP5 is also a reliable companion at the cabin, RV, campground, or backcountry and it will help you to get your fires started faster, shelters constructed quicker, and traps built easier.

Founded in 1889, The Ontario Knife Company is a U.S. owned and operated organization that continually stays on the forefront of knife designs and cutting-edge technology. Ontario’s military supply roots go deep into its history, as the company has been supplying quality cutlery to the U.S. Military since WWI. Today, the company consistently develops new knife designs that allow military personnel to have the products they need in order to get their jobs done both on and off of the battlefield. Ontario Knife is also especially proud of being selected as the sole provider of the United States Marine Corps OKC3S Multi-purpose Bayonet System. In addition to being a major supplier to the U.S. Armed Forces, Ontario Knife teams with a nationwide network of distributors/dealers to market its products to many diverse consumer and niche markets including the tactical/military, hunting, outdoors and cutlery industries. Worldwide sales activity encompasses more than 28 countries, and continues to grow.
 
The SP-5 Bowie is now 1075, more durability especially for a big blade, at the cost of a little more sharpening I've told the difference between 1075 and 1095. Still a great knife.
 
Gentlemen- In 2016 Ontario redesigned all their sheaths and one sheath was designed which would fit both the SP-5 and the SP-53 so these two knives have shared a sheath for the last seven years.
 
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so, this sheath seems about the right length of SP5. But it is still a SP53 sheath. Due to camera angle, the SP5 just looks longer and sheath looks shortened a bit.
 
I also did what Brent F did and ordered one while I could find them this summer. My small knife arsenal was missing a big survival knife for chopping and splitting, and I wanted one that wasn’t too cumbersome. I think I would have ordered it far earlier, but I didn’t really know about the model until they were out of stock most places. I got one of the last two in stock at the last retailer that still had them and considered myself lucky. Well, the knife showed up yesterday and I opened up the box to check it out. First impression: the handle feels great and the knife seems well balanced for doing big jobs while not being too blade heavy (or simply too heavy in general).

However, I have a couple of issues with my specimen. First off, it has a very unevenly ground swedge. The right side of the blade and the left side have very different angles and the bevel to make the swedge is substantially larger on the right side. The lack of symmetry is a bummer, but probably not an impediment to use. Perhaps the bigger issue is how horrible the edge is on mine, especially out near the tip. Not only is the knife dull along its length, but they didn’t even finish grinding in the tip. The tip itself is rolled flat, and the last inch of blade near the tip probably can’t even cut a stick of butter. It has some bevels on either side of the knife, but they don’t meet. I can still see the flat stock in between.

For clarity’s sake, here’s a sketch. At the top is a regular edge bevel, and at the bottom is an incompletely ground edge which I have near the tip on my SP-5.

hO0xBG0.jpg


I’m so put off by the edge that I’m considering making a return. I have owned close to 150 knives over the years (not all at once, but rotating in/out) and this is by far the worst edge I have ever seen on a knife.

I noticed in the box that mine has a manufacturing date of July 2023. I’m starting to wonder if mine was made the day that the employees found out the company was dissolving and selling assets and I just got the ultimate “5pm on a Friday afternoon” knife.

I know Ontario has not had the best fit and finish over the years, but I didn’t think it was this big of a struggle.

If I return it, then I’m sure I won’t be able to find a replacement anymore. If I keep it, then I have a lot of work to do. And I’m not a knife maker or knife modder, so I don’t have the setup to fix it quickly.

What input might you all have?
 
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CoolBreeze135 said:
I also did what Brent F did and ordered one while I could find them this summer. My small knife arsenal was missing a big survival knife for chopping and splitting, and I wanted one that wasn’t too cumbersome. I think I would have ordered it far earlier, but I didn’t really know about the model until they were out of stock most places. I got one of the last two in stock at the last retailer that still had them and considered myself lucky. Well, the knife showed up yesterday and I opened up the box to check it out. First impression: the handle feels great and the knife seems well balanced for doing big jobs while not being too blade heavy (or simply too heavy in general).

However, I have a couple of issues with my specimen. First off, it has a very unevenly ground swedge. The right side of the blade and the left side have very different angles and the bevel to make the swedge is substantially larger on the right side. The lack of symmetry is a bummer, but probably not an impediment to use. Perhaps the bigger issue is how horrible the edge is on mine, especially out near the tip. Not only is the knife dull along its length, but they didn’t even finish grinding in the tip. The tip itself is rolled flat, and the last inch of blade near the tip probably can’t even cut a stick of butter. It has some bevels on either side of the knife, but they don’t meet. I can still see the flat stock in between.

For clarity’s sake, here’s a sketch. At the top is a regular edge bevel, and at the bottom is an incompletely ground edge which I have near the top on my SP-5.

hO0xBG0.jpg


I’m so put off by the edge that I’m considering making a return. I have owned close to 150 knives over the years (not all at once, but rotating in/out) and this is by far the worst edge I have ever seen on a knife.

I noticed in the box that mine has a manufacturing date of July 2023. I’m starting to wonder if mine was made the day that the employees found out the company was dissolving and selling assets and I just got the ultimate “5pm on a Friday afternoon” knife.

I know Ontario has not had the best fit and finish over the years, but I didn’t think it was this big of a struggle.

If I return it, then I’m sure I won’t be able to find a replacement anymore. If I keep it, then I have a lot of work to do. And I’m not a knife maker or knife modder, so I don’t have the setup to fix it quickly.

What input might you all have?
Click to expand...
How much do you like/want the knife?
It could be a good project if you are looking for one. You can learn a lot by fixing it up. Otherwise I'd send it back. It is too bad.
 
dogstar said:
How much do you like/want the knife?
It could be a good project if you are looking for one. You can learn a lot by fixing it up. Otherwise I'd send it back. It is too bad.
Click to expand...

Good questions. I saw your post yesterday afternoon and gave it some thought. I decided I really wanted to give the knife a go. It’s lighter and has better balance than some of the other big survival/choppers I tried a few years back (BK-4, Junglas, Skrama, etc…). I really want to find out how it stacks up and if it’s a better fit for me.

I spent some time working on it and now it is serviceable. I think it’ll do just fine. I didn’t think to take a picture of the before, but here is a picture of the edge near the tip now. The bevels actually meet to form an apex now.


qRIgy4u.jpg

mk3L0xo.jpg


One of these days, I may have a go at fixing the uneven swedge, but it is not affecting use so I’ll leave it alone for now.
 
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CoolBreeze135 said:
Good questions. I saw your post yesterday afternoon and gave it some thought. I decided I really wanted to give the knife a go. It’s lighter and has better balance than some of the other big survival/choppers I tried a few years back (BK-4, Junglas, Skrama, etc…). I really want to find out how it stacks up and if it’s a better fit for me.

I spent some time working on it and now it is serviceable. I think it’ll do just fine. I didn’t think to take a picture of the before, but here is a picture of the edge near the top now. The bevels actually meet to form an apex now.


qRIgy4u.jpg

mk3L0xo.jpg


One of these days, I may have a go at fixing the uneven swedge, but it is not affecting use so I’ll leave it alone for now.
Click to expand...
Nice job! I'm glad you worked it out 👍
 
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