Table top review: Ontario SP-51--NOW with test

T

TwinStick

Joined
Jan 21, 2011
Messages
4,082
So, the package arrived with the SP-51 & SP-53 in 3 days. The very first thing i noticed was the SOLID feel of it.
Blade: Made in America. Sheath: probably not.


Steel: 5160 Carbon steel with black epoxy coating.
57-58 RC hardness.
Thickness: a full 1/4".
Blade length: Sabre ground, 8 & 7/8".
Overall length: 14 & 5/8"
Kraton comfort grip handle.
Balistic nylon sheath with kydex insert.

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Sheath is excellent for the price. It has two retention straps for the handle. They both are adjustable, which i really like because it gives you more options for lanyard or modifications of handle in the future. The knife WILL NOT come out of sheath no matter how hard i shook it while upside down !!! :thumbup::thumbup:

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It also has an accessory pocket. Large enough for a SAK or LeatherMan of some sort. The sides of pocket are NOT elastic, so it only gets so big. There IS an elastic band around the top of pocket to help keep stuff in. There is NO velcro to help keep it closed. Just the buckle but it IS adjustable.

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The sheath has MOLLE attatchment on back. There are 5 cross straps that it goes through for security to your pack or gear.

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OOTBox this knife sliced paper. It would not shave hair. After about 30 min, it now shaves paper & hair. This knife is what i would consider heavy. It is the first thing you notice when hefting it. I LOVE that in a knife. It screams HEAVY DUTY. The handle is VERY comfortable. I have small hands & it is a bit big for me. Mods in the future probably. The forward finger guard works well but i also think it will get modded &/or removed in the future. I like choils & the finger guard hinders the use of it for me. I honestly have to say that I friggin LOVE this knife. I will be putting it through some batoning at some point in the future & have no doubts i could give it everything i got with no worries what-so-ever.

Out of 1-10, i would rate this knife a 9+. The ONLY reason i can't give it a 10 is because the tang is not full width, yet at 1/4" thick, i have no worries of breakage. This knife will have a custom sheath in the future. I will do any mods first though, to ensure a proper/perfect fit in the custom sheath.

My Spec-Plus collection: SP-2, SP-8, SP-10, SP17, SP-47, SP-51, SP-53, SP Kukri
 
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I love mine too, but found the sheath a little lacking. I have an older one, and the insert doesn't really hold it very well, but you can heat-form it further for better retention. Looks like they changed a few things with the one you got, but with mine, the strap that holds the handle is also a little too short, and only has velcro to hold it closed, I would have liked a snap like yours has. So, I just got this after a fellow member posted it up:

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It's from Chestnut Ridge.
 
I have seen those. They look nice. I am VERY picky when getting kydex or leather. That one just wouldn't do it for me. I do plan to make a D-ring & drop leg set up for the stock sheath first & see how that works out.
 
OK, had some time & made up my favorite mod for any stock sheath- a drop leg swivel set-up. I used 3/16" zinc coated rod. measured the width of sheath & the arc that would connect the straight part. Cut rod to length & bent the 90* parts in the vise & the others over a steel pipe. Used belt keepers to attach to belt. I know it is not perfect or pretty but it sure does work good. Lets me bend & squat & work & get into & out of or onto & off of vehicles, stv's or whatever. It now moves with me instead of against me.

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I will say I have the SP53 and beat the life out of that knife over and over again.
It is very tough and holds a good edge. Great knife for the price.
 
So, here we go. This was just a quick test. Certainly nothing definitive but it does give me a good idea on how it will perform for me.

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On the table ready for use. KaBar #1248 Black Cutlass Machete for comparison.

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Batoning a piece of fiewood.

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Cross grain batoning. Not even an issue. No trouble at all.

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Feather sticks. I am not good at them, but it will make them. Certainly not as good as Mora Bushcraft Forest. It also excels at being used as a draw knife.

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Making fire bow drill divots were no problem either.

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Even though it was only one piece of firewood & it was pine, it still shaved hair when done.

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It also shaved paper. Yes, before i touched it up before storage with the butchers steel.

I would rate this knife at 9.75 out of 10, because it needs to be thinned at the edge. LOVE the SP series knives.
 
Great review. I gave the one I had to my son. Maybe Mrs. Santa will bring another this year.
 
Thanks. For pure woodsy stuff i think the SP-53 would be my choice. If there were ANY food prep involved, the SP-51 would be my choice.
 
Does anybody feel it is too thick and heavy?

I love the BK9 and consider it the standard but I do not like the BK2 because I feel it is too thick for a short knife.

Is the thickness of this knife over whelming?
Is it too heavy to work with. I know the BK2 is too heavy to work with, It takes too much energy for the amount of work you get out of it.
Does this knife produce enough work for the amount of energy you put into it?
Is it too heavy to carry?
 
No, it is not too heavy to carry. Drop leg swivel set ups are your friend for carrying a heavy blade. Leg muscles are strong. It seems to me that the 1/4" thickness seems to be an issue for you, so i would not recommend it to you. I LOVE it. Yes, you do tire quicker with a heavy/er blade. Thats just the nature of it. But i think you would be wishing you had it, should you ever break a thin/er blade. I like bombproof things, that are over built, that is just my nature. Yes, i have a BK-9, in fact, i have 2 of them. I have not broke it yet but i think i have come pretty close to doing so on several occasions while batoning through heavily twisted & knotted wood. THAT is where i would have NO issues with a 1/4" thick blade. I am pushing 50 years old. I am not what i used to be. Vehicle camping is mostly what i do. If you want a knife that you can baton through any wood without fear, i suspect this one would certainly fit the bill. I do find myself grabbing my BK-9 more often for reg cutting jobs. Not every knife is for everyone.

Thick blades: You either LOVE them or you don't.
 
TwinStick said:
No, it is not too heavy to carry. Drop leg swivel set ups are your friend for carrying a heavy blade. Leg muscles are strong. It seems to me that the 1/4" thickness seems to be an issue for you, so i would not recommend it to you. I LOVE it. Yes, you do tire quicker with a heavy/er blade. Thats just the nature of it. But i think you would be wishing you had it, should you ever break a thin/er blade. I like bombproof things, that are over built, that is just my nature. Yes, i have a BK-9, in fact, i have 2 of them. I have not broke it yet but i think i have come pretty close to doing so on several occasions while batoning through heavily twisted & knotted wood. THAT is where i would have NO issues with a 1/4" thick blade. I am pushing 50 years old. I am not what i used to be. Vehicle camping is mostly what i do. If you want a knife that you can baton through any wood without fear, i suspect this one would certainly fit the bill. I do find myself grabbing my BK-9 more often for reg cutting jobs. Not every knife is for everyone.

Thick blades: You either LOVE them or you don't.
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I agree with ya Bro

I love thin women and Fat Thick Blades!!!
 
Revolverrodger said:
The question is SP50 or SP51 ?
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I almost ALWAYS go with what is more Heavy Duty. It is my OCD to do so. I want a knife that will not break when i need it most. Hard use is NOT abuse in my book but i am former military & a former farm boy, so hard use is NORMAL use for me. I went with the 51 because of the sabre grind. The full 1/4" drops about halfway down the blade vs just at the spine with the full flat grind 50. But this is just me & JMHO. YMMV. :D
 
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