Favorite SP knife?

So since last December, the SP5 pictured in post 31 has gone on half a dozen RV style camping trips where it baton'd a fair bit of wood. It did a good deal of landscaping by de-limbing and cutting back trees and branches. It cut up about 80 pounds of cardboard (I just re-did my kitchen so all the cabinets came boxed). It cut up two carpets for disposal. And all with no maintenance.... by Friday night, the edge was super dull. When I first got it last year, I spent a fair bit of time working on the edge grinds (which were not consistent) and getting it functionally sharp. About 20 minutes on a diamond stone Friday night and then about 5 more watching the game last night and ... BAM. shaving sharp. Man, I am really happy with that blade. That 1095 takes a great edge, and the profile and weight make it easy to use for extended periods of time.
Actually, it bit me pretty good last night, which was my fault for deciding to put the finishing touches on it after a few beers.
 
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I would have to say that my SP6 is my favorite of the Ontario SP knives I own. It's the one that is closest to being totally perfect in fit and finish. Some are close, but my SP6 was exquisitely done. And, it does have very sexy lines to it :)
I believe the SP6 blade is basically Ontario's Marine Corps OKC 3S bayonet/fighting knife, but in SP handle form, and sans edge serations (and I prefer it having no serations).
My recently purchased SP5 is a very close second in overall quality of execution, so it gets a close second place under the SP6.
My two SP10's get third place, and not because of their fit & finish, (they don't even come close to the execution of my SP6 or SP5). But, they get third place simply for the cool factor they have :) Honorable mention goes out to my Spax, (although not a knife, per se), for being well executed in fit & finish, and for being so unique.
I actually do like all my Ontario SP knives, and don't regret purchasing any of them :)
 
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The grinds on My sp10’s were pretty close to perfect. I did once get one that was badly ground, but returned it for a different reason. I never got the sp5, even when I had the chance to get one for $35. I just realized that my reasons for not doing so were pretty dumb. My favorite was always the sp10. Every time I use the sp-10 I find myself wasting a lot of time stabbing wood, just because it has that pointy tip and I have never been able to bend it, even a little bit, unlike my rtak2.
 
still my SP51 is my favorite one for them heavy woodingly tasks when wilderhooding about. The SP-53 is the best chopper I keep at the old farm stead and car or more permanent base/camp/holo blind.
General carry still the RD-7 but the TANTO goes along more and more because of its middling whopping ability.
 
I love my sp53. Wish i had a
Sp52 to compare it (and just to have!) i have been checking out thesp50, it looks like a great blade too. I love 5160, i wish more knives were made from it!
 
My receiving an SP43 today, and it just tied my SP6 as my favorite SP series knife. My being a collector of these knives, I look for that close to perfection in execution of fit & finish thing... This latest acquisition has enough of that to equal my SP6.

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SP-51 best all rounder for choppering jobs and straight edge good for easy for "challenged" sharpeners like me only problem no thumpin and whumpin hilt.. But the SP-53 is the stay in the car and farm house chopper.
SP-53 best all round chopper only problem no thumpin and whumpin hilt.
SP-10 best all round banger and not a wall hanger.
SP-8 is great for the non-weapon tool look some freaks call the cops for.
RD7 perfect all round knife.
NS 7 proved its worth to go to the game pack.
Falcon same thing.
RD9 is fine for big and little things, harder to do littler things but it can be done.
I got many more like the RD TANTO my little brother made his main woods blade and such but I need some sleep right now.
 
I’ll have to agree with roguer on this one—except my most used large okc blade is my 10 year old rd9. The reason I use the sp-10 and rd-9 more is that I have duplicates—I have only one sp51 and if I broke it I would probably send Ontario and tooj a daily msg. until they kicked me off the forum.
 
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Roguer said:
SP-51 best all rounder for choppering jobs and straight edge good for easy for "challenged" sharpeners like me only problem no thumpin and whumpin hilt.. But the SP-53 is the stay in the car and farm house chopper.
SP-53 best all round chopper only problem no thumpin and whumpin hilt.
SP-10 best all round banger and not a wall hanger.
SP-8 is great for the non-weapon tool look some freaks call the cops for.
RD7 perfect all round knife.
NS 7 proved its worth to go to the game pack.
Falcon same thing.
RD9 is fine for big and little things, harder to do littler things but it can be done.
I got many more like the RD TANTO my little brother made his main woods blade and such but I need some sleep right now.
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Have you tried the ns9 yet? I just noticed it was still available at knifeworks(I think) but for a significantly higher price than the sp53.
 
I like the sp10, sp51, sp50, rd9, sp53, bushcraft woodsman in 5160, the Cerberus, and the rtak2. I would like to see Ontario improve on some of these designs (eg making the rtak2 longer and giving it a high Sabre ground) but after using and abusing them for at least a year each without significant problems I gotta sat I like em all.
 
currently own: SP8, woodsman, RAT7, SP8, SP10, SP5. And I believe that will be it.

wish: restore the SP4X, SP5X line, if not fully, at least with some selective highly prised models mentioned above. In the meantime: affordable price + acceptable quality.

I know it will be a challenge for a little company like OKC. But with the splendid legacy, tech know-how, surely something big could be played by some smart hands of course.

PS. if OKC is listening, please check your Website Sales Contact Inbox, my latest purchase of SP5 came with a SP53 sheath. I would like a replacement. I live in Shanghai.
 
Mr. Bramley02- I have posted this information in response to your post on Ask Ontario as well as here. In 2016 Ontario redesigned all their sheaths and at that time it was decided to design a sheath to be used for both the SP-5 and the SP-53. So the SP-5 and SP-53 have shared a sheath for the last seven years.
 
the Black Spot said:
Sp45 and 42 are my favorites
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I have dozens of big carbon steel blades, the 45 is really sweet. I let my brother in law cherry pick my collection and he took that one. I was lucky enough to find another on the forum for myself.
I have both blades that Rouger references and he's dead on with his sp-5/rd-9 take. As much as I like the SP handle, the RD handle is surprisingly great in it's own way too.
My sp-20 marine raider is fun. I use it to destroy sturdy things that need to be smaller to fit in the trash, to open mulch bags, cut sod, abusive stuff like that. I'm never going to run out of steel to grind back as I re-sharpen that beast.
I found a backup stock 5160 sp-53 which I'm happy about. The only knife I have 2 of so I dub thee the champ. The other one of course has a thinned convexed edge, a bigger flat choil, and a 1.5" acute angle edge ground into the bottom of the recurve for finer work on this hatchet beating monster. OKC makes great big American carbon steel choppers and I hope they continue to make them available without fancy steel, expensive handles and sheathes, and labor intensive grinds for a long time to come.
 
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