$50 Wal-Mart Survival Knives: Which Is Best?
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- čas přidán 17. 11. 2017
- #survival #bushcraft #camping #edc
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The reason the Ontario 499 has a low Rockwell rating is because in a survival situation, they would rather the blade bend than snap or chip. This would be even more important in an Artic scenario when the knife steel is frozen.
A lot of the aircrews in Vietnam carried these, they performed flawlessly. It's "Old School", which means you have to work on it, when it's issued to you, and maintain it...like your weapon, you DO maintain your weapon, right? I had a Kabar when I was stationed in the western Pacific. We took a bean can turn our leather handled knives over, put them in the can, then filled the can w/ neatsfoot oil up over the hilt. We left it there for a week or so, then wrapped it in paper towels to "sweat out" the excess oil. We treated the leather sheaths the same. This made the leather virtually impervious to the frikkin' jungle humidity that would rot untreated leather. About every 6 months we would give the handles and sheaths an overnight soak to maintain them. We oiled our carbon steel blades w/ olive oil instead of motor oil since we often prepared our food w/ these blades. I still have my Kabar 46 years on and the handle is still as tight as it was when I got it. The sheath wore out so I replaced that, but the knife is still perfect. Take care of your weapons, they will take care of you. JA
Yep like any tool
Thankfully we have access to more specialized materials today due to technological advancements. Things like moisture resistant handle materials that still provide ergonomic comfort, and powdered steels that resist rust without sacrificing durability and edge retention.
That's actually a really cool story man. Hey just so you know, your picture if a peace sign is actually an upside down cross of blasphemy. I can imagine you didnt realize that I'm not coming down on you for it I just thought you would want to know is all. Take care
Actually, that's incorrect. I've had " christians" tell me that since the 60s. Back then, they replied heavily on the inability for people to be able to fact check . Nowadays with the internet, there's no excuse. Research it. Open your mind. Your " preachers" have lied to you. That's why I am no longer in that club.☮️
@@SteveAubrey1762 Its pagan and wicked. And satan uses symbols to cast spells on people. Sounds like you are under a satanic spell right now. Hope you come-to soon and i pray the Lord Jesus opens your eyes. You need Jesus Christ.
I have carried my Ontario Air Force Survival knife since Desert Storm when it was issued to me. Never had a problem with it after giving it a proper sharpening.
Joe Frizell: Agreed! He apparently does not know it needs to be "made ready"?
I reprofiled mine ever do slightly and now it's a work horse of a knife
How did the leather sheath hold up?!
Who else noticed the guy walking at 6:10
nathan osborne Peter Kohler of Dark Timber Knives was up with me
That was his dad, he only plays with knives under adult supervision.
It was a Sasquatch.
It's a fuck.ing sasqutch
GhettoRanger how am I the only one that liked your comment? lol
Thanks for this video Aaron! I went out to the closest Walmart to me and picked up their last Gerber Prodigy in stock, and immediately went home and processed a few pieces of wood for our wood burning fireplace! Loving the knife and sheath so far!
Muscatine IA Walmart still has them in stock they've got 50 more but people have found out they'll I just bought my brother one for his birthday
I had my Gerber Prodigy for around 5 years beat the living hell out of it and holds up great
So glad to hear that!
Treeline knives hunting with sheath
I have a prodigy that I wanna learn to take proper care of and need to fix after having someone else "sharpen it" for me, could you offer some advice sir?
Same as any other knife
I agree,it’s an absolute beast..the Prodigy is hard to beat for a good budget stainless tactical survival knife
Regarding 0:56, that knife is not the OKC 499 Pilot Knife; instead it is the Ontario 499 MOD Knife which is their cheaper, lower quality version of the Ontario Air Force Survival Knife 499. Regarding 16:41, that black reinforcement on the leather sheath is not made of plastic; instead it is made of aluminum. Its name is called the “Chape”.
Most military grade survival knives are Rockwell 55 because they would rather have the knife bend than snap, roll than chip. This is true especially in artic conditions.
With lower hrc, also they sharpen much easier and faster.
I find the Air Force survival knife to be easy to sharpen. RC55 is not crap, and I am really tired of harder steels that are hard to sharpen. Most of what dulls a knife, such as microscopic pieces of silica in wood and leather and cardboard, are harder than any steel so any steel will have to be sharpened after use no matter the hardness. A harder steel is more brittle. I can get razor edges on my machetes and most of my field knives and they hold their edges for a reasonable period of time. I would rather have a blade I can sharpen easily in the field than a more brittle blade that is harder to sharpen. The silicon carbon stone that comes with the Ontario knife is a good stone.
I'd say 57 rc id good for heavy use fixed blades
Ontario knife would definitely be my last choice in a real shtf situation. The Gerber prodigy is the best choice here by far.
Thanks for the review. My son and I was looking at them 3 knives 2 days ago great timing
My Ontario 499 edge was terrible right out of the box, its edge was basically rolled. A lot better after I sharpened it. It’s edge geometry on its primary bevel isn’t great for bushcraft, as its really designed for a pilot to cut themselves out of a fuselage. I suspect it’d be decent enough at batoning with its geometry. My biggest complaint with my first one I owned was its lack of weatherproofing, particularly the sheath, and how the fuselage saw gets food stuck in it with food prep. I live in a humid/wet environment, a friend used and left it out at night, got rained on. It was kinda hard to get it dry, the leather got mold on it, knife got rusted, ended up throwing it away. That said, it was my first camp/fixed knife, my best friend gave it to me, and it’s a knife that grew with me. I have so many memories and sentiments with it, and it has such a classic look and feel. It’s like my first car. So, years later I had to get another one. It might work better if I put a different bevel on it, but grinding it would mess up the heat treatment.
Outstanding review - great info - well presented. Thank you!
Aaron, another great video concept. Keep these coming.
Thanks Aaron... great comparison video. I'm a Strong Arm fan as well. We have these in all of our car/get home bags, along with a folding saw. For just a few dollars more... the Strong Arm for sure. Amazon really jacked up their price on them, but Blade HQ still has a good price on them (for anyone looking).
Alan Williams nice!!!
Great knives for all you guys that find yourselves in a survival situation on a weekly basis. Many people are unaware of the dangers of being caught unprepared when exploring their backyard or worse yet the backyard of someone you've only known a few years. Can you imaging being out after dark in a strange backyard and your mommy not being able to find you after the streetlight come on? Very scary!
Perfect timing, I was just looking at these in our local display...kinda like the Buck, but the Gerber info was eye-opening, thanks
The Gerber Prodigy is one of my favorite knives. I own two of them! I also own the Strongarm but I prefer the grip and the sheath of the Prodigy. It batons through any piece of wood up to 4" in diameter and it makes beautiful feathers which you can ignite with a ferro rod using the sharp 90 degree edge of the spine. That thing is a flame thrower! By the way, it looks like a Bigfoot sighting at 6:10!
The Buck really impresses me, not only does it cut better but it looks less "plastic" than the Gerber.
Liked the Prodigy so much for a lake camp knife, I bought a 2nd one in case I loose the 1st one!
very good format. I like seeing the three side by side on the exact same tasks, and same piece of wood. even with the " feels like" opinion that is impossible to completely get rid of, this is the most fair test method I have seen. bravo.
Wife got me a Prodigy for Christmas and i love it. Great addition to the collection and a great companion blade to the Strongarms I already have. Paid $33 for it at Walmart and it was the last one in the store.
just got the last Prodigy at wallys also,,69$
Just picked up the Gerber! Love it
I have several knives and I have the Ontario. And it has the original sharpening. You can sharpen it with a more full slope, but I think from the factory it's made for durability. But you can give it a more pitched cut edge with a good sharpening machine. But I do think they make it for longevity out of the box.
Another great review. I would have liked to see some of the chopping and battling tasks. The Wal-Mart reviews are cool.
Nice review. Thanks for sharing! I understand you have to test these knives as they come out of the box, but if you could have given me twenty minutes with the Ontario and my edge pro, it would have done just as well, or better than the other two. 1095 In my experience is just way easy to work with. I agree with your summation of the Gerber. I also dig the Buck, but no lanyard hole ruins it for me. Thanks again!
What you called plastic on the Ontario's sheath is actually a thin metal... at least it is on mine which is about 20 years old..
Awesome video thanks for the info!
Love these Walmart series!
If I were going to one of the three for strictly survival, it would definetly be the Ontario 499.
You go for it ! I was given that Ontario as I joined the military..... then I bought both the buck and the gerber after owning all three for years the gerber is hands down the best .... that Ontario simple sucks at the one task a knife cannot suck at ..... cutting ....because of the grind and the tempering seriously the Gerber is the best .... by a noticeable and long way ......
The Gerber prodigy is definitely the best knife out of these 3. I own all 3 of them and the Ontario is the worse knife I own. They bend real easy and it doesn't hold an edge and very difficult to sharpen.
@@exgi76gmailcom
Greetings from Nova Scotia Canada & i had a few Ontario Knives off & on over the years....all i can say is i will NEVER buy another Ontario knife again, the quality control is awful & the edges are just God Awful.
I don't know WHATEVER is going on in their factory but they need to Smarten Up i think.
💯👍👋
@@ernestwalden3894
Your 110% right....i had a sp1 awhile back & the edge couldn't even cut PAPER !!
Ontario knives are just Crap nowadays it seems.
👎😠
And it’s so very sad it used to be a trust worthy company… the old (very old) Ontario Military issue machete’s we’re bloody incredible the new one’s ? ya might as well use a mall ninja sword, which is crazy considering they use 1095 steel which is a total waste of good metal with such incredible potential ….
Great, informative video. As of right now $50 and under is my price range, so I appreciate you field testing of these knives. Now that I see the strength in performance of the Buck and Gerber Knives and what they both have to offer, I`m going to look into both of them. Keep your great reviews goings.
Admittedly not US made, but if low price point is important, Mora knives simply cannot be overlooked I think!
A lot of great knives made all over the world
I'm glad they aren't U.S. made, they would be overpriced if they were.
Box claims the prodigy is made in usa
Can't buy a Mora at a Wal Mart though.
Doug Johnson actually probably not. Sweden is a very expensive place to do business manufacturing products. The reason moras are so good and so cheap is that mora has very very smart design, manufacturing, and management. They know what they are doing. I just wish they started a premium line. With their knowledge, manufacturing, and design imagine what they could make with premium materials.
6:00 mark- you're being stalked.
Sblaze813 I was going to ask if anybody else noticed the Sasquatch cameo!
Great eye!
Look behind him
I hope you pack a turnoquet
Smuckers T lmao
That Buck is impressive, good price to quality ratio.
I've owned two Gerber LMF IIs that combine the design of the Prodigy with the features of the Ontario, but faced with that choice between the Buck and the Gerber I'd go for the Buck, looks great too.
However I'd buy the Strongarm over all, now that's a great knife.
agree, luv my buck mesa
Wow, The "Ontario 499" has been (is) issued for decades! You can trust your life to it! You have to sharpen it! Oil the sheath and handle (the washers need/must swell!). It is not plastic on the sheath, it is metal to help prevent the knife from poking through. It is built specifically as a Military "survival knife", virtually indestructible. The spine is for cutting out of an aluminum cockpit. For wood, it is more of a rasp. Makes notches, strikes ferro rod, scrapes magnesium, makes wood "fuzz" for fire. You can dig holes, cut out roots, beat the crud out it, cross baton, pry, spear, stab, fight (steel hilt!, whatever!!!!! The sharpening "stone" is pretty course to repair and restore a working edge, after you have jacked it up - "surviving". it is not a "beginner" knife, at all!. You might want to reevaluate it? Go ahead and try to hurt it. Nothing personal, but you naively tossed a "jewel of a work horse" over your shoulder. I have owned and used them for decades, as a "pack" knife/tool. Thanks.
Glad Someone Else here feels the same way...Are there "better" Options...Yes but the Aircrewmans does what it was designed to and priced to do and then some
The piece on the ones I've looked at at my local Walmart was plastic, it's the reason I didn't buy it.
I've got the Ontario psk I reprofiled the blade and it cuts so much better I can so feather sticks baton dig and anything else I need to do and not be afraid of breaking it
Jerome Kukurugya -China Knockoff!!? USA are not made like that.
www.amazon.com/Ontario-Force-Survival-Knife-Black/dp/B001CZDQPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1511020578&sr=8-1&keywords=ontario+499+air+force+survival+knife
- $45
Now that's a Shame...The Leather works just Fine I wonder why they didn't go with the Material they use for the Spec Plus Line
I like these videos looking at "budget Walmart gear." I would have liked to see you do some chopping and batoning with the blades. I know how it would've gone; just would've been nice to see it.
Phil P I agree.
I think the Ontario would've done better in batoning, chopping, & prying. Seems built more for durability.
The ontario is actually the weakest by design. Its a rat tail tang. The other two are full tang.
A day late and a dollar SHORT on commenting, but 4 years after this video was made I found the prodigy at Walmart. LOL
I don't see the point... you would have to sharpen all 3 knives equally first before the tests.
Finest these three are all factory edges, no sharpening ahead of time
gideonstactical - I sorry, but that is the point. You are comparing 20th century knife (499) to 21st century knife without taking in to consideration Military contract issue vs civilian issue. Totally different standards! For long term "survival" as titled, there is no comparison, the Buck and Gerber are a joke. Don't misunderstand, they are all great knives and have their uses. Title asks, which one is best survival knife?
Even sharpened, the grind angle of the Ontario is still pretty severe, it's strong as hell if you were using it as a prybar to get out of an aircraft, and chop with it, however the hollow grind of the Buck makes for a superior slicer for detail work like feather sticks, food prep, carving sticks to make snares and camp utility items etc.
Calling Gerber and Buck a joke exposes your bias, Gerber have some great knives in use with the military right now, with tough steel, well designed handles that are sized well for gloves, grippy when wet and rugged.
Harry Akira Eaton I was given a vietnam issued ontario from a family friend who wanted to pass it on. When sharp it is an ok slicer (cut my finger to the bone, ironically was the first blood it ever drew) however it is clearly not intended for that purpose. It is meant to be abused ie. Chopping, battoning, digging, prying (I wouldnt do this to mine). For being several decades old the knife shows the wear well, still takes a decent edge and is incredibly easy to sharpen, even with a stone picked up from a stream.
@@wgoodman63 if u are rubbing river rocks on your Vietnam era fighting knife you dont deserve to own it. We arent in the Cambodian jungle. Get a proper stone. JFC.
Great video on some good budget blades
👍🏻👍🏻
Knife technology has come a long way, but I saw the AF Survival Knife, or “Bolt Knife” as we all called it for some reason, endure some ridiculous abuse at SERE. The one I was issued had a blade that was already bent at a 45 degree angle. Still got it sharp and was able to do all field tasks with it. We also trained to use it for wood tasks, and used the Camillus “Demo Knife” for all fine work in the field, such as skinning game. It stayed sharper than the Bolt Knife. Who knows, but I have to wonder if the Prodigy or Strongarm would survive hundreds of SERE students for years on end in all conditions, but I somehow doubt it. The soft HRC is probably what gets the 499 through so many years of abuse.
good video, you mention thickness and blade design didn't know about. I know have to reassess couple blades I have and do those exact test you did. thanks, keep up the good work.
Great review, even though 5 years old. The Prodigy knives are now available at my home Walmart. I really like the Buck (one of my dad's favorite knife brands) for KP duty.
Love the Air Force Survival knife. I've got one never let me down. Still carry it. Son in law has the Gerber. Need to get that Buck. Glad your doing the whole Wall-Mart thing. My uncle was in the Air Force he got my cousin the Air Force knife back in the 60's when we were kids. They sharpen it up it worked great, me I carried an old ka- bar skinner. But in the 1960's you made do with what you had. But for cutting up wood or cutting down small trees we used a hatchet. Everybody has a lot better things to work with now.
Butch Hill - 100% agree on the Ontario 499!
Late comment here. I know a lot of people hate on the Ontario 499 but it has grown on me for a couple of reasons. One is it's a very concealable blade in it's sheath. I can fit the "bolt" knife in my Carhartt coat easily. Another reason is it's a good car/truck blade in it's original pilot concept. You can use the butt for a glass breaker or skull crusher against let's
say a carjacker. The saw has many uses and the blade can get razor sharp as I did with mine just using a Worksharp pocket sharpener. I've had mine since the early 2000's as it is dated 5-01 and recently I'm starting to like it more. I also strengthened the handle with 550 paracord by wrapping it tight. starting at the top leather stack just under the guard, I then wrapped up and over both sides of the guard and then down to the bolt. So in essence, I locked the guard in place and then gave more strength to the handle. I know there are better, more modern blade designs all over the place. But lately I'm starting to like the older stuff. I've been sheath carrying (original 1980 low profile sheath) a 3 dot Buck 110 1980-81 in 440C for a couple years now so now I'm looking at pairing it with 1980-81Ontario or Camillus pilot
knife. Of course for backpacking and camping I will have a RD9 or SP51 on my pack for heavy use.
The prodigy is hands down one of the best value on the market.
Haha, when you were slicing the paracord and things with the Ontario, your face was like Trish's when she opened Napoleon's letter and found the drawing of her in 'Napoleon Dynamite'.
I am proud to understand that reference.
Nice I’ve been waiting on a review on this I always see these knives in Wally World and always wondered if there worth it
Most Excellent video my pick is always the USAF Survival knife & a Tie w/Mora GI model as well ! TY good intel
Kipper White no problem
So here we are 10m later and I found a Prodigy in my local Walmart! I have small hands, but it doesn’t feel overwhelming! Surgically sharp right out of the box! Love it, can’t wait to use it! Great suggestion for the price, sorry I couldn’t give you the business on the link, but saved like $23!!!
I don't know if they are still marketed the same way, but when I got my Ontario it was listed as a pilot survival knife. It was designed to be able to cut your way out of a plane. Also the 2 holes in guard is to enable the user to tie it to make a spear.
Love my Gerber Strongarm. Purchased mainly because of your Awesome review on it. Some time back. I've used it in many Situations Camping and Such, is a Great knife.
tymccutchen glad to hear it!!
Nice pace. Good and realistic testing. Well done video.
Great review. I got the Buck Messa as soon as I knew it was available. This is what I wanted wen they fist released the Endevor, I liked it but I don't like serrations. It is the right size, has a comfortable handle, good sheath, stainless steel, easy to sharpen and just looks good. I carry it in my edc bag (which is the mountain smith rift, thanks to your review). I also got it because I got the Reaper ( because of your review) and I still like that knife. I pair that with my cold steel kukri machete for the wilderness. Thanks and God bless.
(Sept 2023) I just checked Wal Mart web site. The Prodegy fine edge is still listed. The Buck Mesa I couldn’t find. As I said back 5 yrs ago. I have both the Buck and Gerber and like them both and they have held up well and performed well for $50 knives....
Yes it’s nice to see they are still available.
Awesome dude thanks gonna buy the prodigy
I enjoyed the specks and the details on each. I have several knives both fixed blade and folding knives some heavy some light. The buck knife seams superior to the other two in that its application in the fieled seemed more practicle as opposed two the other two knives. Over all really good vid !
I've worked in law enforcement. Mt. Rescue, and as a alpine mt guide.
I've handled all three knives, I have a different perspective on the knives.I would take the Ontario 1st, the Gerber 2nd and the buck wouldn't make it into my pack at all, to thin and fragile.
The ontario can have the edge changed to a suitable edge of the users choice, this knife will bend before it breaks. A knife that breaks is a failure when it come to survival.
The leather sheath will give you a little more protection than the other knife sheaths in a crash if you are roughed up , you do not want to be impaled by your own knife. That is also one of the functions of a knife sheath.
People who have had close calls as aircrew members would consider this.
If your lucky enough to have survived, the knife may be your only equipment other than the clothes on your back that you have.
So prep your knife and sheath before hand, add some fish hooks and kevlar fishing line, a awl needle, and iodine crystals in a small thick water tight sealed tube that will fit in the pouch. A flexable magnifying lens and button compass to the sheath. Replace the sharpening stone with a fine file, stash that on the inside of the protective metal cover. A thin fire steel can also be stashed in there, seal it with some duck tape.
naw that Ontario knife is primitive technology 👎
@@blakeg4166
Put your brain in gear, before you engage your mouth.
I picked up 2 of those buck knifes, they are pretty darn good for the price and USA made. The Gerber Prodigy almost looks like the Gerber strongarm.
people always bash 420hc. Bos 420hc holds an edge almost identical to 1095. Also, it is almost identical to sharpen. Bos 420hc is pretty much stainless 1095.
agree'
Nope
Not true at all, hardness may come close but when it comes to edge retention, 1095 hands down!!
I've bought my Gerber prodigy 4 months ago and I fell in love with it. Plus Walmart had it on sell for $42 some odd cents. So I save $10. I might run out and but another one cause it's that good of a knife. You can beat on it whatever and it will hold up. Great video by the way
(2023) In fairness to the Ontario, it is a great 1950 survival design, but it hasn't changed. The Buck and Gerber show how far knife design has changed in over half a century.
Great video! I just got the last Gerber prodigy today at Walmart. They had none in stock, the only one they had was the display model. It's normally a $50 knife, but since there won't be a sheath that comes with it, I advised they should sell it to me for $40. Welp, they sold it to me for $40. I got a great knife for a great price!
Are you still alive?
Love my Prodigy! I just ordered it’s big brother the LMF 2 Infantry.
Fixed blade is more handy faster to use, no chance of lock failure and looks better on the belt.
Aaron great review on budget knives great channel take care and stay safe my friend and God bless you and your family brother.
Great review thank you love the buck
May have been 50 5 years ago. Now they want a 100. Figure out that rate of inflation..it's a lot higher than they say
I just bought a Prodigy plain edge at Wal Mart yesterday so I don't know if they made another run or if it just isn't very popular in the town I bought mine in. The Prodigy also still exists in a partially serrated version for those who are interested in that option!
It's the 499, not 599!! The thing I love about Ontario Knives, is I can always reprofile the edge. I have a Freedom Fighter 6 and that knife is a Kabar on steroids with a hardness of 59 and crazy edge retention. Nobody, I mean nobody that has experience and knowledge on knives isn't just going to walk out of a wal-mart, let alone any damn store, straight into the woods, and automatically say the knife is crap!! There are people on CZcams who all they do is collect is the Ontario 499 knife, and after sharpening, reprofiling, these guys swear by this knife!! Now, I don't have the 499 but I do have plenty of other high carbon knives that outperform more expensive ones. I don't care about the sheath the knife came in, I care about the blade and it's sharpness.
That large guard has holes to tie a spear... so you don't need to carve one.
Great review, the Buck wouldn't have even been on my radar and now it will be added to my collection, after the Gerber.
I thank you for the look at a couple good knifes to look for.
I’ve been in the woods for 50 years now. Hunting, fishing, camping, logging, and surviving. I always have a minimal of 5 knives with me. To fit different tasks, but always keep multitasking in mind. I try to stay under a hundred bucks per knife, because it never fails, I will loose a real expensive one trying not to loose it, lol ! In this style of multitasking knife, I carry a gerber bear grylls survival knife, of which after my first one, I bought several for vehicles, packs, or whatever situation I may find myself in. They’re not the sharpest, but tough, fairly cheap, and versatile. I wish they came in a tanto, half serrated design !
Nice review. I do have the ontario and putting a convex edge on it and cutting off the top finger guard turns it into a much much better knife. Does all those tasks like butter. Out of box the other 2 do perform better.
Fantastic review.... I was dead set on buying one of those okc survival knives.... You saved me 40 bucks..... And you have a new subscriber!
TheArmorFist: FYI - Ontario 499 SERE opinion. Not CZcams! willowhavenoutdoor.com/featured-wilderness-survival-blog-entries/ontario-air-force-survival-knife-review-by-jj-johnson-of-realitysurvival-com/
Gerber Strongarm: Tactical Grey in BDZ-1 Steel for a little bit more for a lot more knife with the better BDZ1 steel ~~ for about $35 bucks get the toughest knife a Glock 78 or 81 indestructible ck the reviews
RimfireRat I got the BDZ 1 Strongarm. Cool knife, just haven't had a chance to use it yet. Too many knives, too little time.
same here din't get a chance to give it a work out , but those glock knives are Freak'n awesome i'n battoned firewood with them doz times with no damage still even stay Sharpe
RimfireRat The Glock is on my list. Just got the Schrade schf2sm today, so I have enough toys for now. Planning cool vid for my channel.
Fair reviews for straight out of the box comparisons. I own the OKC AAF knife n I agree the blade profile is thicker than what I normally like. I do know mine didn't come straight out of the box razor sharp. After I put an edge on it it did all I asked of it. It might require a little more maintenance at first but I would be willing to bet it would outlast the other 2 in the long run.
I own 2 of these, I like them, the strong-arm I have is one of the best knives I own. I want the buck though, I like a razor sharp knife to carry on my belt. Thanks for the video!
i bought the buck mesa. liked the knife. used it for 6 months. but the handle did not fit my hand. over the winter i ground down the spur thing and put a nice finger pocket. sanded the handle with finger channels just a little bit. got rid of the larger but part. now i love it.
Nice, but the Ontario is a bit of apples to oranges, since it's a pilot knife and I think the geometry is different because the materials it's to be used on are going to be different.
Great review and comparison. I changed the profile on my Ontario and it works a lot better. One thing the Ontario has over the others is that it will bend a lot more before it breaks. The SS will usually break instead of bend. They made it that way, so our armed force service people would be able to use it and hopefully straighten the blade out if it bends. But it is old styling and it takes a bit getting used to it. It is too bad the put the holes on the tope guard, because if they the holes in the lower guard, you can just cut the top guard off. I think your assessment is right on.
Correct. An air force survival instructor saw thousands of uses of the knife over the years (with successive classes using the same knives). None failed. Get the SP2. Modern materials. Better sheath. Can cut off the top of the hand guard.
The problem with ontario is that its a combat survival knife...not really a "go camping knife". More like a "oh shit gotta dispatch this insurgent" kind of knife.
First at 645 am to watch an awesome video! Thanks Aaron Good weekend to you.
Just found your channel. Hope to get caught up on you videos. Very good
The Buck was more impressive than I would have thought. Great review and a fair comparison. In my case I went a few dollars more and got the Strongarm. It's on my get home bag.
Doug Lloyd great choice
I have the Mesa, love it. It's become my go-to camp knife when camping with the family. It lives in my truck so it's always handy. For the price it's a good buy. I've batoned with mine & had no issues, it was small, kindling stuff but did a great job & I haven't had to resharpen it yet.
Jerome Kukurugya glad to hear it!!
gideonstactical One thing I would change is the belt loop. I'd love to see them include a loop like a Mora so you could slip it on & off without having to undo your belt.
I'll take the buck all day, try some Spanish Knives ,Nieto ,Muela you will see amazing performance with pretty low budget. Not a lot of people know about those ,look into it
The Gerber Prodigy is on clearance at Wal-Mart for $28.55. I just hit the order button. Lol Thanks for these reviews. You do awesome work A-Aron :-)
Thanks much my friend 😇 blessings
Another good vid Gid. The Ontario blade just shows how far blade materials and design have come over the years.
Totally!
Rudy Mirelez - Not accurate. The 499 will be around a hundred years after the other two are broken and trashed and we are all dead. He does great reviews, but he missed this one. He obviously does not know that old school military knives have to be sharpened and the leather oiled out of the box.
Gerber prodigy gets my vote. I've owned all 3. It's my edc. Reprofile the edge and it's good to go. Super well made tough knife.
Great comparison review
#gideonstactical Great review as always. Really liking this Wal-Mart series as a change of pace. I would like to see one on camping chairs if you continue with this.
I got the Buck brand new at a garage sale along with the Buck reaper for $25. I use the Mesa in the same vein as a Mora. Excellent little "bushcraft" knife imho.
Green Badger Outdoors agreed!
Have you ever tried a Schrade SCHF30? For budget knife I love it a lot. Ordered 2 on Amazon. The first one was hair cutting razor sharp but the second one needed a bit of touching up. Otherwise I have been using it & it's still kicking butt.
Since when do aircrew knives have plastic on the sheaths? They used to have metal.
I have one of those Prodigy knives with the ceramic coating and tac-hide. I't's nice to have what is essentially a combination of materials and design features of the Gerber LMF and the Gerber Stronghold, but I knew it was out of production a while back. I saw them for $40 on the Walmart websites, but now the stores are the only place to buy one. And I have looked around. I am bothered that the prices rose on the Prodigy and the Stronghold.
My Walmart still has 4 Prodigies in stock for $50 as of March 2021. Should I pick one up?
Just got the Buck Mesa today for $31 and change from Walmart. Took the handles off and drilled the Micarta to line up with the two holes in the back tang. ..instant lanyard! Going to trim the thumb ramp down and my wife is going to make a leather scout style sheath. Perfect day hike knife.
Good job on your videos ...I can understand what your saying and you seen to not be a poser. Got the tops B.O.B and Esee 6 (TKC scales ) after watching your other videos.
We do a lot of off road activities (dirt bikes , V8 prerunner, etc) in the California desert. ..you should do some survival videos on that environment! Thanks again
BTW...RAT 7 (TKC handles) or BK 7 for my wife?
Thanks for reviewing and sharing. Too bad the Buck Mesa is discontinued already and quite hard to find these days.
These knives are all designed for different purposes, and perform well in their respected fields. The ontario is specifically designed as a pilots knife for prying and sawing plane fuselage and for stabbing in a defensice manner. The gerber seems to be designed as a utility/general use blade. Robust enough thats its highly dependable but not hefty. The buck (as most bucks are) is a hunting/food prep/camp knife. The hollow grind and large belly makes it excellent for slicing, skinny, and general light cutting tasks. For a survival knife, the gerber would be most ideal. While it doesnt slice as well as the buck, its lower hrc rating and less dramatic grinds make it undoubtedly more durable over the long run of hard use. That being said, buck has a far better overall reputation in seems in reliability of their blades as of late. This ontario pilots knife has very limited use for the average outdoorsman.
Matthew Mcnabb yes it’s limited use indeed. Makes a guy wonder why it’s even in the conversation ever, unless you happen to be a pilot that rolled the dice and bought a cheap outdated pryknife, and actually happened to use it, when he crashed his jet and actually survived. Kind of a bleak consumer base to say the least
My ontario is pretty great after a bit of leather treatment and a good sharpening. Not gonna pretend it's flawless out of the box, but I'm happy with it; especially considering I grabbed it for just over 30 bucks