Ontario sp-1: outstanding knife for an unbelievable price

In the town of Franklinville (county of Ontario) New York, there’s a knife maker who’s heritage spans almost every post-Civil War American conflict. Forging blades since 1889, over the years they have supplied the U.S. military with products such as the M7 bayonet, the USAF Survival Knife, the Navy MK3 MOD 0 diving/survival knife, the M9 bayonet, and most recently the USMC OKC-3S Bayonet. They’re also under Military contract to produce the Aircrew Survival Egress Knife (ASEK), a survival knife system chosen by the United States Army to be included in its Air Warrior Equipment System. The knife was tested and approved by PM Soldier and the United States Army Soldier Systems Center to meet the demanding criteria mandated by the US Army. It includes a plexiglas breaker, hammer, saw teeth, serrations, spear holes, a lanyard hole and an insulated guard. The system includes an anodized aluminum strap cutter with replaceable blades, a screwdriver and a honing rod. The sheath is attachable to MOLLE strapping. They also have an impressive lineup of other infamous designs including the Bowie and the Kukri - all made from fine American steel right here in our great country - but the knife of my focus today is the SP-1 Combat Knife. Yes, it is essentially a full tang Ka-Bar and in that sense resembles the brand name knife I reviewed a few days back, but it differs subteley in providing a slightly more comfort-oriented handguard and a landyard hole that could be used to either strap it to a pole to fabricate a spear, or attach it firmly to your wrist to prevent being disarmed if for example you were to grapple a bear. Interestingly, the knife is named for just that. In 1923 Union Cutlery (also of New York and subsequently renamed after the knife) received a crumpled note from a trapper who had used their knife to kill an attacking bear. The note was almost illegible by the time it reached the company but the letters K(ill)-A-B(e)AR were still discernable and thusly became the moniker we know so well today. Ontario Knife Company is a premium manufacturer of this format who has consistently produced the military spec quality our uniformed services, outdoorsmen, survivalists, hunters and collectors have come to respect over the generations. The SP-1 uses 57-59 HRC (Hardness Rockwell Scale) - aka AUS-8 - which falls perfectly between the every-day carry and premium knife categories for steel temperance therefore providing an easily sharpened, robust, corrosion resistant blade that’ll keep you safe in home and field. This is one you’ll pass down to your heirs with pride and confidence. For $55 what more could we wish for in a utilitarian legacy knife? http://ontarioknife.com/fixed-blades/spec-plusr-series/sp-1-combat-knife.html
​AW