Ontario Spec Plus Alpha Survival

For those who don’t know, Ontario Knife Co. has gone out of business. They have been known to provide excellent value knives for their price point. This knife is no exception. This knife is strong. It has a thick spine and full tang that is covered by a kraton handle. The handle is a bit squared off but not uncomfortable. Its handle can easily accommodate people with small or large hands. The edge does have a very thick grind to it but with the help of a grinder or worksharp it can become razor sharp. The 1075 steel takes a nice edge and is easy to sharpen. It can rust but the blade has a nice coating on it to protect and prevent glare. The blade is shorter but thicker than a ka-bar. The clip point blade allows for a very balanced tool. It can be used for utility, hunting, fishing, camping, etc. The only problem with the product is the sheath. It is mediocre but functional. The front snap will rub the coating off the blade but putting a thin sheet of plastic from any type of packaging can prevent that. I was lucky enough to have an old ka-bar bk 16 sheath laying around and it fit absolutely perfectly. Now that Ontario is out of business it will be impossible to find an American made knife at this price point. I bought two of these knives because I know every other American made knife like this is $100 and up. Many people like having custom sheaths made for their knives and for the price of the knife. The sheath doesn’t bother me. You can buy a 7 inch ka bar sheath and trim the bottom a bit. The bottom can be sewed back with an awl and boom. You have a nice sheath for an extra $10

As a collector and outdoorsman who uses knives all the time, I can say that imo Ontario is my favorite knife manufacturer. I now own 5 of their knives (all different models), so I knew this knife would be top quality when I ordered it and now that I have it in my hands, I can verify that it is indeed top quality. I'm impressed with every one of my Ontario made knives and they are Made in USA. The sheath on this knife is very basic but I like it and it is very well constructed. The knife itself is of the 1074/1075 carbon steel with a skeleton tang and the grip is some type of rubber molded onto the tang. I like the way the grip feels in the hand, it makes it very easy to choke up on the knife and put your thumb on the back of the blade for controlled cuts. I think it will be very good at all of the camping, hiking, outdoor jobs that I will be using it for. It's fairly light, not heavy at all and it's tough as a tank. I've heard people complain that knives from Ontario don't come sharp but they come with a cardboard sleeve on the blade and their is a waxy protective substance on the edge that comes right off with a few swipes through a v sharpener and then shaving sharp. This has been my experience with all of mine. It's tough, It's light, It's made in USA and it's a very good deal at under $30.

So probably like you I read the Amazon reviews and watched a few video reviews before purchase. I can't call it a 5 star for some of the same points that others have made but, they still gave it a 5 star??? However, at the price point here on Amazon it was worth the risk.Here is what I keyed in on:1.) SHARPNESS: So it would seem from reading the others reviews it is hit or miss and IMO that maybe just a QC issue in the factory. Mine personally came extremely dull. I'm talking full barehanded grip drawn through hand without so much as a nick dull. With an HC steel at a hardness of around 57-59 you will need to have some patience or skill at getting it sharp. That maybe a problem for some folks. I have extensive experience sharping knives (really I do) and it was a bit of a challenge to get it shaving sharp. I used DMT stones starting with Extra Coarse and going all the way through to Extra Extra Fine about an hour to get it safe to use. I also was able to sharpen a friends with less effort using my old WORK SHARP 10 passes with Coarse Grit, 10 with Medium Grit, and 10 with Fine Grit will get you a shaver.2.)GRIP/Handel: It's a Synthetic Rubber which I think works just fine to prevent slipping. It does have a pretty good hot spot with a forward grip so extended use could be a problem for some folks. For you knife fighters this grip feels great in the reverse grip position. I'm not going to be doing a lot (not at all) of knife fighting so that's not a plus for me but could be for you. As you may have already read it is true the lanyard hole does only run through the rubber and not the tang. That's a safety issue for me with any type of survival knife. Keep an eye on that area.3.)BLADE COATING: I'm not a big fan of traction coatings but it looks nice on this knife. It seems to be holding up, but that is under light use.4.)SHEATH: Mine came with a black nylon sheath that while not pretty or high speed it does the job and probably keeps the cost low as well. Most folks these days like to make their own anyways. I do not "think" it will hold up under heavy use. External forces such as weather/environment will be different for all of us. Only time will tell.BLUFF: It's not a wall hanger and at its current price (under$30) your more likely to leave this in your truck/boat/plane than your $400 fixed blade and have it when you need a good edged tool.