What is the differnce between the 6526 and 8697 Bushcraft Woodsman?

Roguer, I hope you get an answer to this soon, because I was about to get on the "Ask Toooj" thread and ask the very same question! In fact, I just did. So maybe we will get an answer there.
 
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One is the utility knife, not the big Woodsman. They make a utility ,paring, and a choppa!
Edit: looks like I was wrong, they are the same knife, different sheath, sorry!
 
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I was looking around every where, one thing said 1095 steel but I know OKC said it was 5160 all along. And I find Laminated Wood handle and the other one says walnut handles seems the difference. If its just the sheath with out the extra thingies I can live with that. I just want the knife.
 
Roguer said:
I was looking around every where, one thing said 1095 steel but I know OKC said it was 5160 all along. And I find Laminated Wood handle and the other one says walnut handles seems the difference. If its just the sheath with out the extra thingies I can live with that. I just want the knife.
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Midwayusa has all Ontario knives at crazy prices, sp53 for 45 bucks, rd7tanto and rd6 for 55 bucks
 
The woodsman doesn’t have real walnut handles, they weigh half as much but they’re easier to cut thru, and can always be replaces by micarta or stock handles
 
Well got mine today!

Think the difference is with the 8697 is just a black sheath (I think I like the standard big OKC sheath better) and no extra thingies like the fire steel is why it is cheaper than the 6526 model that has the extra whistle and bells and string! For me I don't care I just wanted the knife! :D I got a spare RTAC II sheath I picked up for a spare for my bigger blades if need be.

Knife looks good with the FULL TANG! If they made one Woodsman with a saber grind I'd be all over it! As Yanose said the full tang adds a big difference in feel, but like the RD's the handle going to need a sand paper Terror-apy session. Knowing the feel of my SP-51, seeing the flat FFG of the Woodsman, has confirmed to me that the SP-50 is not for me. But the Full Tang woodsman and the choil on it, with its FFG probably will be more camp friendly than the SP-50 would be, is my conjecture.

One job the Woodsman may see soon is big carcass cutting. Its already bare steel and the FFGs are a bit more slicy capable.

Editicus Already:
OK the thing that makes this knife more useful than its SP counter part is the Choil. It makes it more of a multi-use tool, can't say how bushy capable it is, but its the choil that will make the Woodsman a versitile camp knife. Some people might want the longer cutting edge of almost no choil. But I think this is what gives the Woodsman more capabilities of being a much more versitile tool it looks like. Like I said on the RD9, its choil lets it do woodsy and Bushy things ok enough for me that is, for its FFG blade to be very useful. The Woodsman I haven't tried it out yet, but like 5160 blades I have I have no worry about the blade breaking. (ESPECIALLY WITH THE WARRANTY!)
 
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OntarioKnifeCompany said:
Wherever you're looking, 8697 should hopefully be lower in price. We stripped away some of the extras that were driving up cost (no firestarter, no lanyard) and went with a basic but good quality sheath to bring the price down. If you were really into the full package, I'd go with 6526. If you were just interested in the knife itself and don't need the firestarter and lanyard or you want to make your own sheath, 8697 is probably your best bet.
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There is the answer! :D

I say this is a win win offering from OKC! I just wanted the knife!
 
Roguer said:
Well got mine today!

Think the difference is with the 8697 is just a black sheath (I think I like the standard big OKC sheath better) and no extra thingies like the fire steel is why it is cheaper than the 6526 model that has the extra whistle and bells and string! For me I don't care I just wanted the knife! :D I got a spare RTAC II sheath I picked up for a spare for my bigger blades if need be.

Knife looks good with the FULL TANG! If they made one Woodsman with a saber grind I'd be all over it! As Yanose said the full tang adds a big difference in feel, but like the RD's the handle going to need a sand paper Terror-apy session. Knowing the feel of my SP-51, seeing the flat FFG of the Woodsman, has confirmed to me that the SP-50 is not for me. But the Full Tang woodsman and the choil on it, with its FFG probably will be more camp friendly than the SP-50 would be, is my conjecture.

One job the Woodsman may see soon is big carcass cutting. Its already bare steel and the FFGs are a bit more slicy capable.

Editicus Already:
OK the thing that makes this knife more useful than its SP counter part is the Choil. It makes it more of a multi-use tool, can't say how bushy capable it is, but its the choil that will make the Woodsman a versitile camp knife. Some people might want the longer cutting edge of almost no choil. But I think this is what gives the Woodsman more capabilities of being a much more versitile tool it looks like. Like I said on the RD9, its choil lets it do woodsy and Bushy things ok enough for me that is, for its FFG blade to be very useful. The Woodsman I haven't tried it out yet, but like 5160 blades I have I have no worry about the blade breaking. (ESPECIALLY WITH THE WARRANTY!)
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Is the sp51 still your all time favorite? I’m probably going to sell mine, as my plans to mod it are on hold indefinitely. Plus I broke down and bought a basic busse 13” in infi, which is like the sp53 +3, x 10. Hitting really hardwood with it sounds like unsuppressed 9mm full metal jacket, which is good conditioning for my neighbors.
 
Yep beats FFG hands down for wood stuff and such for heavy wood work. Not the fluffy bushy stuff people do, but real heavy hard wood hacking and chopping batoning. SP-53 is still the king of thwacking and whacking and chopping, but I personally like the SP-51 for batoning.

The Woodsman is more multi-purpose though just like the RD9, I have to give those two that as much. Tis the choil both of them have that lets them do that. I showed the Woodsman to my little brother and he said "A Kitchen Knife?". The FFG blades that they are are a way more slicy and such, so with the choils they have, the choils make them way more multi-purpose in doing other tasks than the SP-51. If they made a Saber Grind Woodsman I'd be all over it!

The RD9 blade seems a bit "narrower" and more wedgie when it comes to batoning and would seem a slightly better performer.
 
Tennis tape or what ever athletic tape over handle makes the Woodsman even more grippy trustworthy! Me I got it to USE, not look-ti-cool. Besides after doing some work with it I take the tape off so the moister don't cause any rust and to make it look look-ti-cool again. It may look like a "Butchers" knife or "Kitchen Knife", it can be a perfect butcher's knife, which it probably will do because its slicy and TOUGH with no coating to worry about. Its 90 degree corners all over it makes it throws sparks all from fire making steels. Its pointy end seems more efficient than the clip point on my RD-9 I compared it to. Its fill tang lets me do thumping and whumping but I think I may have to take an angle off scale where I keep its hook of the handle but expose more tang near the lanyard hole for bashing things, or I'll have to wait to see if OKC sells replacement handles if I damage mine to bad. But that's just me. :D

As again the Choil makes this large knife that can chop and do bushy things do other knifey things smaller blades can do, some not as good due to size but it can do them. So it makes it a decent all round tool even if its not as good as a "Dedicated" knife for such specific tasks. Having some thing that can do some thing is better than nothing that can't do any thing.
 
Roguer said:
Tennis tape or what ever athletic tape over handle makes the Woodsman even more grippy trustworthy! Me I got it to USE, not look-ti-cool. Besides after doing some work with it I take the tape off so the moister don't cause any rust and to make it look look-ti-cool again. It may look like a "Butchers" knife or "Kitchen Knife", it can be a perfect butcher's knife, which it probably will do because its slicy and TOUGH with no coating to worry about. Its 90 degree corners all over it makes it throws sparks all from fire making steels. Its pointy end seems more efficient than the clip point on my RD-9 I compared it to. Its fill tang lets me do thumping and whumping but I think I may have to take an angle off scale where I keep its hook of the handle but expose more tang near the lanyard hole for bashing things, or I'll have to wait to see if OKC sells replacement handles if I damage mine to bad. But that's just me. :D

As again the Choil makes this large knife that can chop and do bushy things do other knifey things smaller blades can do, some not as good due to size but it can do them. So it makes it a decent all round tool even if its not as good as a "Dedicated" knife for such specific tasks. Having some thing that can do some thing is better than nothing that can't do any thing.
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I know that I’ve had my woodsman’s handle replaced free of charge after banging on it with a baton, but if it happened again I’d just make some micarta grips for it. (No hex shaped holes to worry about!)I’ve never had to worry about mine rusting at all. I’ve used it for carpentry duty as well, no problems at all except dings on the spine and an easy resharpening.
 
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