Ontario Knife 1001 Icepick

This seems to actually be a sharp, hardened steel icepick, unlike most others I've seen for sale. It seems well constructed. But the finish on the handle is terrible. It feels like it was just dipped in a varnish and that's it. The finish is slippery and uneven and there's actual dirt trapped underneath it. (See photo.) Sadly, it seems like the varnish material itself was nice (shellac, maybe?); they just put zero effort into the process. It's easy enough to scrape down and sand smooth, but it would have been nicer if they just hadn't finished it at all.

this was delivered in retail clamshell packing(thank you). solid as expected, seems the pick is full tang but there is some flex where it enters the handle. these handles are not as robust as their knives; i wear xl-xxl gloves and this feels small. from the images i had seen, the handle looked like it was the same size as okc/oh handles, or two scales combined. vintage screwdriver handled picks are much larger. this feels like a mid size cigar. nice dark wood though. bought it for my tool box not my bar. good enough quality for kitchen needs

Bought this for the wife so she would quit using the knives. I was afraid she was gonna stab herself or something else. I wanted made in the USA and I liked the stainless steel. I'm happy with it.

Product: Ontario Knife Company 7115 1001 Ice Pick KnifeRating: 4/5 (excellent)Long ago, in parallel with my Engineering career, I had a side business in bartending, and that meant working with ice ... LOTS of ice. When you work with lots of ice on a regular basis, you learn to appreciate the finer points (pun intended) on things like ice picks. Anyway, my last pick grew a pair of legs at my last BBQ and walked away. So, I checked everything currently listed on Amazon, and as of this moment, the Ontario seems to offer the most bang for the buck in it's price point.Likes:HCS STEEL: This is not your typical low-end kitchen utensil grade of 18/10 stainless steel, stamped out in wire form and stuffed into a die to give it a quick point ... oh no no no ... this is high carbon TOOL-GRADE steel that's been HARDENED to a much higher degree than is possible with mere stainless. Here are the relevant adjectives: harder & tougher. HARDER means that for a given strike, the shaft will transmit your mechanical force more efficiently into the point (read: less flexing and hand shock on impact), and the point will penetrate more deeply and stay nice and pointy for far longer. TOUGHER means you can use more force, and from a variety of angles, without the shaft snapping or becoming permanently bent. Those are excellent advantages that come at a small but happily paid price (for me anyway) ... stainlessness. All that really means is that you must dry this off in timely fashion before putting it away, and for bonus points periodically wipe the steel with a little vegetable oil, fat, or even lip balm (esp if you live near salt water). As long as you take care of it, it will serve you well for many years, and probably outlive you. Just for the record, the only people who actually wear out picks like these are bartenders, and people who fight zombies for a living. Regardless, on the off chance a dot of rust appears, as long as you remove it promptly (re: bartender's friend, then clean, dry & re-oil), and never put it away wet, all will be well. Let it become pitted however, and the world will know that you are lazy, careless, or both, and may the Gods smite you for it.HANDLE: This is a solid durable hardwood handle, and it's been sealed to make it stainproof and waterproof. It's firmly affixed to the pick (a combination of flattened shank superglued into the hardwood handle, then reinforced with a ferrule at the waist to prevent flexion splitting), an you can be confident it will never come off.PRICE: Excellent value.Minor Nits:* HANDLE ERGO (-1): Although the quality and durability of the hardwood is excellent, Men with average or larger size hands may find the handle a tiny bit short. Also, it lacks an ergonomic palm swell, and the polyurethane finish makes it a little slippery and leaves me wishing for a more non-slip textured finish, and perhaps even a modest thumb indent in the heel.* NO SHEATH (-0): An optional sheath would be a welcome add-on option ... preferably one that's waterproof, locks to the ferrule, and perhaps includes a belt clip or lanyard hole. Never having yet seen a decent one (hence the -0 penalty), I've always settled on the DIY half measure of drilling a snug-fitting hole into the bottom of a clean wine or champagne cork - about 2/3rds the length of the cork, and then wedge the pick into the opening after drying. That keeps the pointy end of the pick safe when not in use.A great pick at a great price. Recommended.

I purchased one of these a couple years ago. It has been dependable and very durable. I am buying a second one since the first one has been absent from the kitchen after being used on some craft projects. I Recommend putting an old used wine cork on the tip when not in use. It is extremely sharp, which is kind of the point... ; )

Exactly what I was expecting! Always great quality from this company! Would highly recommend!

Perfect! Exactly what I needed! Great quality.

I've been a long time without an ice pick. Trying to minimize, I gave my previous pick to charity shop. Almost any knife works to chomp ice. I say, it just feels right to have an ice pick in the drawer again. I let it stay wet. A small bit of rust appeared, but easily rubbed away. I recommend.