Ontario Knife Company 8689 Gen Ii SP53 Survival Knife, 9.436" Saber Ground Blade, Kraton Handle, Black

A knife like this is a substitute for a hatchet that can do a few other jobs in a pinch, and it works for that. It chops as well as a normal hatchet, and can be used to strip wood, pry things, or even hammer in tent stakes if you have nothing better. If you need one multi-purpose camp tool, this is a strong contender, depending on your exact needs.The thick blade and the tip design make it very sturdy, and the bolo-style blade gives it a lot of chopping power. It's heavier than a backpacking hatchet with the same chopping power would be, but not much. It's significantly heavier than one of the ultra-light hatchets, but those can't compete in chopping power, much less versatility.The blade isn't very sharp out of the box, about hatchet-sharp, which makes sense for this tool. If you need it knife-sharp, you'll have to sharpen it, but if you can't sharpen a knife, you probably shouldn't own this one.The sheath is longer than it needs to be, but I don't understand the reviews about this knife being hard to draw. There are two straps to hold the knife in, which is one more than necessary, but it's virtually zero effort to cut the strap you don't like off. Any knife or scissors will do the job.Grips are always subjective, but I love this one. It fills the hand and gives good grip wet or dry while absorbing a bit of the shock of chopping. It's better than a wood or plastic hatchet handle, but not as good as a rubber one, like those on some Estwing hatchets.Overall, it does what a bolo knife should do at a decent price. If you need a hatchet, you can get a great one for less than this costs, but if you need a bolo knife, this one's great.

I waited a long time to finally purchase this tool. I was hesitant for a number of reasons. Shear weight was one. It’s quite hefty, as others have previously mentioned. The other is, well, I already have quite a few large knives already. But I kept reading great reviews and I just had to see for myself. So far I’ve only used it trimming back backyard foliage, but it has performed flawlessly. After a day’s work, it still was able to cut thin receipt paper without tearing. It works very well with both chopping and snap cuts. In the short time I’ve used it I’ve noticed no loosening of the handle. Although I admit to not initially liking these handles, I must admit they’ve worked well for me (I’ve had several models with this type of handle). It’s given my hands no hotspots and affords a good grip. The forward weight allows it to hit fairly hard. Watch for wayward swings and deflected blows - this blade could do serious damage if it made contact with one’s limbs. Seriously.I received this knife with even grinds and very sharp for a factory edge in such a tool. Construction was very good for a utilitarian tool of this nature. At this price (under $50), it’s hard to beat. I’m not sure if this model has been discontinued, but if it is, such a shame; get one while you can. The sheath on mine is quite functional. Look, fact of the matter is this is no beauty queen. It’s no Bark River. But as far as heavy duty abusable truck knives and garden tools go (remember, it’s quite heavy), it is a well built knife that does its job with aplomb. True, mine has no front pocket, but I can live with that. It fits my knife well and seems reasonably well made. As for the steel, not only is the blade fairly thick, but the steel itself, 5160, has always done right by me from this line from Ontario. Serious bang for the buck.Update: After heavy use, this tool continues to perform exceptionally. For general use, light to moderate chopping (it’s not an axe) where its weight is not overly burdensome, or as a truck tool, it is wonderful in terms of cost vs benefit. Can you find a better tool of this type? Sure. Plan on spending 200-400% more money. Are other much spendier knives like this the 3-6X times more cost 3-6X better at what I need it for? No way. I have complete confidence this knife wouldn’t let me down in a life-threatening survival scenario. But I’ve put it through it’s paces and I would recommend you test your survival gear the same way.

I discovered this product while viewing David Pearson's YouTube channel ("Reallybigmonkey1"). He is a very experienced woodsman who owns and has reviewed many large knives and machetes. Pearson has stated on several occasions that the Ontario Knife Company SP-53 is his all-time favorite machete. Based on my experiences with this OKC SP-53, he is probably right.The SP-53 is made in America and has a lifetime warranty. It is a well-built, extremely sturdy, full-tang, bolo-style, machete-knife. The knife weighs 1 pound, 4.5 ounces. The empty sheath weighs 6 ounces. The knife and sheath together weigh 1 pound, 10.5 ounces (26.5 ounces).The 5160 carbon steel blade is 1/4" thick, 10" long, 1-1/8" to 2-1/4" wide, and powder-coated to resist corrosion. It is saber-ground, wicked-sharp, weight-forward, and perfectly brutal. The segmented black Kraton handle features a palm swell which is quite comfortable for my XL-size hands, as well as a deep finger-guard to prevent forward slippage and a rear bolster with lanyard hole.The nylon sheath with a plastic insert has rear PALS webbing and two front blade-retention snaps. It came with two top and two bottom 1/8" metal eyelets as well as a 19" black nylon cord. This sheath is nothing special, but it holds the blade securely and that is what really matters.I tested the SP-53 while camping and it performed extremely well. No handle hot-spots, rolled edges, or chips after days of use and it remained surprisingly sharp. Using this tool with a baton to split sawn timber up to 6" diameter presented no problem whatsoever and this method is both safer and less tiring than using an ax. My OKC SP-53 now has a permanent spot in my camping kit. It combines with a Silky Gomboy folding saw and a 1095 Mora Garberg fixed blade knife to meet *all* of my wood processing needs when camping in the Shenandoah.