Ontario Knife Company developed many bayonets and survival knives for the U.S. Armed Forces, including the often-copied M-9 bayonet which also became a favorite survival tool for civilian outdoorsmen. Ontario Knife Company’s military knives frequently use an all-purpose design suitable for camp and field purposes and aren’t always restricted to military users. One of their more popular products is a brand of kitchen cutlery you probably wouldn’t associate with OKC at all.
Even Ontario Knife Company isn’t certain of all the details of the company’s beginnings, in Naples, New York, in 1889. Three founders — William B. Ensworth, Charles Albert Brace and William Maudsley — were certainly involved but others may have participated. The first production efforts took place in a waterwheel-powered mill, and the company’s first knives rolled out to buyers on peddler’s pushcarts. An old sawmill at Cadiz became the company’s second home in 1902 when Ontario Knife Company first incorporated. Empire State Cutlery Company bought out the first owners of OKC in 1904, shifting the assets of both firms to a new location in Franklinville, New York, in 1905. James A. Chrestensen worked his way to the company presidency in 1923 and began the “Old Hickory” line of kitchen cutlery. Servotronics acquired ownership of Ontario Knife Company in 1967 and added Queen Cutlery to its holdings in 1969. Servotronics divides product types between the two divisions, leaving folding knives to Queen Cutlery and assigning most fixed blade production to OKC.
The M7, M9, M1942 Machete, MK3 MOD 0 Diver’s Knife, and the USMC OKC-3S Bayonet are all well known examples of OKC’s earlier military knives. OKC also built the USAF Survival Knife worn by pilots and the Aircrew Survival Egress Knife issued to Army flight crews. The ASEK gives crash survivors the necessary tools for cutting, smashing and sawing their way out of downed aircraft and makes a sensible item for ground travelers as well. The ASEK includes handy holes for lashing the knife to a spear shaft, and an insulated handle in case you cut into an electrified wire. A less intimidating version of the OKC survival knife was recently developed especially for civilian outdoorsmen. The military-grade Ranger Bush Afghan Knife covers a full list of survival, hunting and camping needs. If you’re still looking for a rugged set of kitchen prep knives in razor sharp high carbon steel, you’ll find 1095 high carbon blades in all of OKC’s “Old Hickory” kitchen knives.
This Ontario Knife Company design issued to pilots during the Vietnam War and now offered by Rothco would make a dependable survival knife for anyone. Designed to aid pilots in escaping wreckage as well as surviving jungle and combat, the Army & Air Force Issue Survival Knife isn't fancy. ...
Smith & Wesson's updated version of the Ontario Knife Company M9 Bayonet, the SW3G Special Ops M-9 includes the essential features that survival knives in a technological age should have. Similar to the knives issued to military helicopter pilots in Vietnam, the M9's saw-toothed spine can cut through ...
With the older versions of the classic Marine Corps combat knife, a patina quickly took away the luster of the steel, leaving it dark with stains from oils and even a little rust here and there. That wasn't the mark of poor steel--the old carbon alloys were very corrosion ...
If I were to take a machete into the North American wilderness, I think I'd like one that was shorter and heavier than the jungle variety. Maybe something that would fit into a belt sheath, so I could use my hands for other things; something with a secure grip instead ...
Looking at this knife I thought, hmm, that's familiar--and of course it would be, because it's an old design, the "nothing fancy" kind of knife that used to be common, dependable and reasonably priced. The reason I remember it, though, is that my grandmother had one just like it -- ...
Machetes were originally designed to be farm and trail tools--that's an application few of us will need these days unless we cut sugar cane for a living or wander about in Tarzan quality jungles. This machete is the standard Army issue, which says a lot about it (the Army buys ...
Ontario Knife has gained a reputation for making top-notch military and tactical knives. Their RAT-3 knife meets all of our requirements for a good survival knife.
The blade is appropriate for those who want a slightly shorter blade. It measures 3.9 inches, about 1.5 inches shorter than its cousin, ...
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