Ontario Knife Company, also known as OKC, is an American manufacturer of knives and other edged and military tools.

History

Ontario Knife Company was founded in 1889 in

Naples, New York Naples is a town in Ontario County, New York, United States. The population was 2,417 at the 2020 census. The Town of Naples contains a village, also called Naples. The town is located in the southwestern corner of Ontario County. The annual N ...

. They are currently located in Franklinville, New York, in Cattaraugus County, where most of their products are manufactured. Ontario Knife Company is most well known as a supplier of military knives. Over the years, they have supplied the U.S. military with products such as the M7 bayonet, the

USAF The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

Survival Knife Survival knives are knives intended for survival purposes in a wilderness environment, often in an emergency when the user has lost most of their main equipment. Most military aviation units issue some kind of survival knife to their pilots in case ...

, the M1942 Machete, the Navy MK3 MOD 0 diving/survival knife, the M9 bayonet, and most recently, the

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

OKC-3S Bayonet. They have also obtained a contract to build the Aircrew Survival Egress Knife (ASEK) Survival Knife System, chosen by the United States Army to be included in its Air Warrior Equipment System. The knife was tested and approved by PM Soldier and the

United States Army Soldier Systems Center The Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) Soldier Center, now CCDC SC, was formerly the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, and is a tenant unit of the United States Army Natick Soldier System ...

to meet the criteria defined by the US Army, and functions include a

Plexiglas Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) belongs to a group of materials called engineering plastics. It is a transparent thermoplastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and brands Crylux, Plexiglas, Acrylite ...

breaker, hammer, saw teeth,

serrations Serration is a saw-like appearance or a row of sharp or tooth-like projections. A serrated cutting edge has many small points of contact with the material being cut. By having less contact area than a smooth blade or other edge, the applied p ...

, spear holes,

lanyard A lanyard is a cord, length of webbing, or strap that may serve any of various functions, which include a means of attachment, restraint, retrieval, and activation and deactivation. A lanyard is also a piece of rigging used to secure or lowe ...

hole and insulated guard.

Military production

Complementing their lineup of military issue knives, Ontario Knife Company produces several commercial lines, including the Spec-Plus series, which features many popular military/survival blade designs with updated handle and sheath designs, and the Freedom Fighter series, which features metal hilts and pommels with military/survival blades. Their Randall's Adventure & Training survival knives were designed in conjunction with Randall's Adventure & Training, a popular outdoor survival training and expedition company. The lineup includes the original RTAK (formerly produced by Newt Livesay Blades), 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 renowned Bowie Knife expert and knifemaker Bill Bagwell, introducing lower cost renditions of several of Bagwell's famous designs. In addition to their sporting/outdoor knives, Ontario Knife Company produces a large range of other cutlery and tools including Old Hickory kitchen Clcutlery, industrial and agricultural products, and sci-med scientific tools and instruments. Ontario Knife Company is also major supplier of private label blades and knives.

References

{{Authority control Companies based in Cattaraugus County, New York Defense companies of the United States Knife manufacturing companies Companies based in Ontario County, New York