Ontario SP8 Reveiew
By admin • Sep 9th, 2007 • Category: Gear ReviewsBefore my recent trip to Chevlon canyon lake I was able to pick up one of Ontario knife companies SPEC SP8 machete’s to replace my Fiskers hachet. The SP8’s blade length is 10 inches long and is constructed of high carbon steel with a flat black oxidized coating. The knife has a unique flat tip, which looks kind of funny, but did infact proved useful in specific tasks like chisseling. The SP8 also features a saw back that was phenomenal for creating my notches for both my Snare trap and my figure four dead fall trap. The handle is constructed of a high impact kraton polymer that proves to be comfortable, but I would still recommend a good pair of gloves for long chopping activities. The SP8 comes with a fabric sheath with a kydex insert.
After putting this knife through all of the daily tasks involved in basic survival, I definately give the SP8 a rock solid two thumbs up. The chopping power is quite impressive, I was hacking through willow trees 2-3 inches thick with no more than 5-6 good swings. I truly loved and used the saw back area for making and notching my couple of test traps. I actually impressed myself by being able to make the notches on my figure four trap in under five minutes.
The SP8 did an amazing job in replacing my hatchet and may even replace my Cold Steel SRK (already replaced with a Chris Reeve Mountaineer II). My SRK didn’t see a whole lot of use on that trip. It chops, notches, and chissels its way through some pretty heavy duty tasks. I strongly recommend the SP8 from Ontario knife company and for a blade of this quality for under $50, you really can not go wrong.
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Your review incite me to try the Ontario SP8. I compared it last weekend with a black coated Lofty Wiseman Survival Tool (a kind of a modern British parang).
I was expecting that I would prefer the parang, because the Lofty Wiseman’s parang was designed since the begining as a survival tool, while the SP8 was desined as a rescue tool. The SP8 is now marketed as a survival tool for bushcraft too. In my opinion both of them can substitute a small axe, among other tools.
The Lofty parang is made of 440A stainless steel, while the SP8 is made of 1095 carbon steel. The quality of the coating of the SP8 is MUCH better than the Lofty. The Sterling Pound being so high, the Ontario SP8 is a lot less expensive than the Lofty Wiseman’s parang. The Lofty Wiseman is also much heavier than the SP8.
The SP8 is easier to manage for a non-expert, so I personally choped better with the SP8. The SP8 allows you to hit with any part of the blade. Instead with a parang you must hit with the main part of the edge. I think that the expert hand will prefer the Lofty parang though.
I felt that if you are not a hunter or an expert survivalist, but just an amateur bushcrater with not much experience like me, the SP8 is the right tool. It is easy to carry and manage. The SP8 is a great complement for your knife.