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Ontario Rothco Survival Bowie Knife | Army & Air Force Military Vietnam Replica

JT Hats — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:29:39 +0000

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. It does pack a lot of useful features into one full-sized package.

Built with a grip and tough construction very similar to the Ka-Bar fighting knife, this modified Bowie knife includes a saw-toothed spine capable of chewing through metal and plexiglass. The stacked leather washer handle holds up to all kinds of weather, and hard use only makes it look better. Eventually, it may even look polished. Blade guard and pommel are built of high carbon steel but not tempered to the hardness of the parkerized 5-inch blade. Very solidly built, the rat tail tang construction does hold up to heavy hammering, and the hex-nut design of the pommel was obviously intended to smash whatever is in the way.

Although it was built for military situations, as the blood groove shows, the knife is still appropriate for camping and hunting. The saw teeth will cut wood or bone if need be, and the butt of the handle can drive tent stakes. The best feature of this high carbon steel knife is the durability. This knife is a beater -- not pretty or refined, just functional. New owners should be prepared to spend some time getting the edge right since the factory edge usually isn't.

The authentic leather sheath looks as homely as most military gear, but the snap closure keeps the knife secure, and the extra sharpening stone pocket will come in handy. Some owners may decide to replace the sharpening stone with a magnesium fire-starter. Either one fits.

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Ontario 499 Air Force Survival Knife Hunting 6150 Leather Handle Sheath New
US $47.95
Auction Ends: 19d 15m

US Air Force Survival Stainless Steel Pocket Knife
US $29.99
Auction Ends: 16d 53m

Smith & Wesson Survival Military Knife | Bowie Sawtooth Special Ops SW3G M9

JT Hats — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:07:46 +0000

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 plexiglass and sheet metal. With blade and scabbard locked, there's a handy wire cutter feature as well. A combo serrated edge parts rigging and slices seat belts with ease, and there's plenty of plain edge left for the usual work.

In general, this 12-3/4-inch-long bowie knife with nearly 8 inches of blade is the bayonet Rambo would have carried if he were a real person. Bayonet loop and notch allow mounting to the appropriate military rifles for display or actual use. Ontario Knife Company is a long term supplier of dependable knives for the U.S. military, so the M9 SW3G is the real thing. Since it hasn't been streamlined for civilian use, the 440C high carbon stainless steel is thick enough for pry bar action. Rat tail tang construction and a light but rugged polymer handle save a little weight, but not much.

The nylon scabbard in matching OD green includes a map pouch, handy for other essentials as well, and clips to the belt. While this is a little more knife than many backpackers or hunters would want to carry, the M9 is a great knife for those who travel remote tracks in vehicles.

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Smith Wesson Knives Special OPS M 9 Bayonet SW3G
US $54.99
Auction Ends: 22d 22h 13m

NEW Smith Wesson Knives Special OPS M 9 Bayonet SW3G
US $54.99 0 Bid
Auction Ends: 8h 41m

Ontario Knife Company Spec Plus SP1 | Marine Combat Knife | High Carbon Steel Fixed Blade

admin — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:42:36 +0000

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 resistant and took a high quality temper. High carbon steel was replaced by stainless for commercial reasons, not practical ones. The dark sheen of a high carbon blade was something that developed with time and use, like the look of a pair of boots that has actually been somewhere.

Today, military knives like this one come with a pre-installed dark hue, but the black anodized steel isn't the same look. It wasn't earned. That pointless nostalgia set aside, this Marine Combat Knife from Ontario Knives is still the real thing, updated and improved.

There's nothing fancy about this knife. The preferences of American soldiers designed it--this knife is the successor of the combat knife built for that market. Americans wanted something simple and stout that you could use as a lever as well as a knife, and this is the result. It hasn't been pared away to save on weight, or redesigned with "better ideas." It's still the same basic knife that hit the beaches of Iwo Jima, and it will serve just as dependably if all you do is camp out for the weekend or go hunting in the Rockies. The good designs don't go away.

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High Carbon Steel Army Machete | Ontario Knife Company 8335 SP8 Spec Plus

admin — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:38:29 +0000

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 of the plain handle most machetes have.

Ontario Knife's machete pretty much fits the bill and I liked this knife as soon as I saw it. It's a modern knife built for modern times, but follows the pattern of traditional North American backwoods blades, heavy but not overly long. If this doesn't make sense to you then you've not spent a lot of time in thickets so dense you can't even swing anything with a long blade. What you need in those conditions is something shorter and sort of heavy, like a tomahawk--or this machete.

The 8335 SP8 Spec Plus even has a saw blade back that could actually cut through a fair sized branch, something a decorative knife with a dozen jagged teeth won't do. You'd have to be careful, because the dangerous side would be aimed toward you, but this knife design hasn't set aside the finger guard so you wouldn't be risking much by trying.

Black anodized carbon steel adds to the plus side of this survival knife's features. The best survival tools aren't the "do everything" knives with LED lights and a packet of Band-Aids lashed to the sheath; the best are the simple ones that work. Put your first aid kit in the pack where it should be. This knife is a tool.

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NEW ONTARIO 8335 SP8 SURVIVAL MACHETE KNIFE USA MINT IN BOX WITH SHEATH SALE
US $51.99
Auction Ends: 12d 20h 4m

ONTARIO SP8 SP 8 MACHETE SURVIVAL KNIFE WITH SHEATH
US $67.49
Auction Ends: 20d 14h 36m

Ontario Knife Company Old Hickory Paring Knife | 1095 Carbon Steel

admin — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:11:23 +0000

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 -- I can't swear it was from Ontario Knife Company but I do remember the pattern on the blade, which you won't see on some cheap import.

My grandmother rode a covered wagon west to Kansas, and even when I knew her she was the sort to buy something once and keep it forever. That knife is probably still floating around in somebody's kitchen drawer, now that she's been gone a few decades.

Though it doesn't have the streamlined look of modern offerings, this knife has some very good features. The blade is carbon steel, the alloy that has fallen out of fashion except for knives we use all the time, like kitchen knives. When you need something reliably sharp, and an edge you can easily hone, carbon steel is still the best. The blade is properly ground, not just a blank of steel with a crudely sharpened edge -- it will actually cut tomatoes, not mash them.

The brass riveted wood handle is naturally non-slip and naturally anti-bacterial. I wouldn't run it through a dishwasher, but cleaning it by hand is easy. This knife makes just as much good sense today as it did when my grandmother's wagon headed west from Joplin, Missouri.

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Old Hickory All Purpose 6 Paring Knife JWH644100
US $4.99
Auction Ends: 6d 17h 14m

Old Hickory 4 Paring Knife Made in the USA NEW
US $7.99
Auction Ends: 19d 21h 1m

Ontario Knife Company Military Machete | Full Tang High Carbon Steel

admin — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 23:52:22 +0000

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 from the low bidder). The only improvement over the traditional design is the black oxide coating, which actually does make good military sense. The polymer handle undoubtedly is shatterproof and long lasting, but if you expect to actually use this machete rather than hang it on the wall, I would warn you that plastic is much less hand-friendly than wood. Plastic makes blisters faster than natural materials.

This isn't a cheap machete built of steel that dents or bends when you chop something with it--it's a solid and quality tool. For most of us it simply isn't something we need. In spite of that, I have a machete myself (a cheaper one by a different manufacturer) and I've spent many hours learning to use it and seeking excuses to carry it with me in the woods. I like old things, and traditional tools, and the best way to learn about them is to use them.

The first thing I learned about machetes is that they are designed to cut succulents, not woody plants. If you hit something like an oak branch with a machete it will painfully resound all the way to your shoulder blade and the machete will try to jump out of your stunned hand, causing the ephemeral spirits of the African porters around you to laugh and laugh. In spite of that, I did use mine to cut trails on my property in the Ozarks, learning to hit with the right part of the blade and not to expect miracles. It isn't the right tool for the American woods, but there's a mystique about this knife that I still enjoy.

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NEW ONTARIO 8335 SP8 SURVIVAL MACHETE KNIFE USA MINT IN BOX WITH SHEATH SALE
US $51.99
Auction Ends: 12d 20h 4m

ONTARIO US MILITARY 18 MACHETE KNIFE SHEATH BLACK USA
US $29.99 0 Bid
Auction Ends: 1d 3h 10m

Ontario Knife Company RAT-3 Survival and Bushcraft Knife

admin — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:48:41 +0000

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, the RAT-5.

The blade is full-tang for extra-strength and durability and features a non-serrated edge for resharpening ease. It's made of high-carbon powder-coated D2 steel that should allow for edge-retention as well as resharpening ease.

The handle features a micarta grip that will not wear down and should be appropriate for any weather conditions. It has an undersized finger guard that can come in handy when using the extra-fine blade point, as well as a comfortable choil for extra control.

Included is a sheath in tan or green.

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ONTARIO RAT 3 FIXED BLADE KNIFE CAMPING SURVIVAL OD 2
US $54.00 10 Bids
Auction Ends: 1d 4h 9m

NEW Ontario RAT 3 RAT 3 8630 Knife Tek Lok Sheath 1095 Steel Made in USA
US $71.79
Auction Ends: 15d 21h 51m