Ontario Knife Company

Ontario Knife Company is an American manufacturer of knives and military tools. On August 1, 2023, OKC was acquired by Blue Ridge Knives, Inc and relocated to Virginia.

WWW ontarioknife.com 𝕏 ontarioknife IG ontarioknifecompany

History

Ontario Knife Company was founded in 1889 in Naples, New York. It then located to Franklinville, New York, in Cattaraugus County, where most of their products have been manufactured.

Military production

The company has historically supplied the U.S. military with products such as

ASEK
Model 499 U.S. Air Force Survival Knife
Model 498 Marine Combat Knife, Ontario's version of the original Ka-Bar
Mark 3 Navy diving/survival knife
Spec Plus SP6 Fighter and SP13 Tango
Spec Plus SP25 USN-2 Navy knife
Spec Plus SP26 USN-3 Navy pilot's survival knife
M7 Bayonet
OKC 3S U.S. Marine Corps Bayonet

OKC's "Randall's Adventure & Training" survival knives were designed in conjunction with Randall's Adventure & Training, an outdoor survival training and expedition company. The lineup includes the original RTAK, and the TAK-1 and RAT-7, both of which have been adopted by the U.S. military.
Ontario Knife Company has also collaborated with other designers such as Justin Gingrich, Bram Frank, and Bowie Knife knife-maker Bill Bagwell, introducing lower cost renditions of several of Bagwell's designs.

Civilian production

Ontario sold many of its military models for civilian use, and also produced a number of sporting/outdoor knives designed explicitly for the civilian market. In addition to these, Ontario Knife Company produced a range of other cutlery and tools including Old Hickory kitchen cutlery, industrial and agricultural products, and sci-med scientific tools and instruments. Ontario Knife Company was also a major supplier of private label blades and knives.