Ontario Knife Company 8686 Spec SP15 LSA, Fixed 6-1/4" Blade, Kraton Handle, Boxed

Ontario is an American company known for making very tough knives, so I already knew I was going to get my money's worth. Either because of photo perspective or because I didn't pay good attention when I bought it, the knife looks a lot different in person than it did online. However, it isn't a bad thing. First of all, in the pictures it appears fairly wide, while in person it looks a lot thinner- more stiletto like a Gerber Mark II or Fairbairn-Sykes knife. This also makes it look longer than expected.Another thing that might not be apparent from the picture is that the thickest part of the knife isn't right in the center, like it is with a regular dagger: it's about 2/3 of the way up, so the sharpened end has a much more gradual taper than the false edge. It looks like this was done to give the knife more utility and strength, so it's much more of a "spear-point knife" than a true "dagger." The serrations on the spine-side are really wide; I haven't tried to see how well they work, but the definitely look cool. Overall, the design choices for this knife give it a really unique and unusual appearance from a typical dagger or spear-point knife. The edge came sharp enough to cut paper- not quite hair-shaving sharp, but that's ok; you can always sharpen it yourself. The tip is extremely sharp and glides through cardboard and plastic with minimal effort (use your imagination if you intend to use this knife for defense).The handle and crossguard are made of sturdy rubber and it's extremely grippy. It is still grippy when wet, and I haven't tried to cover it in slick mud, but I imagine it would still stay well in your hand. The handle is very long so it will accommodate even huge hands, and there is a nice, wide pommel with a lanyard hole for hammering. I'm not entirely sure if the knife is a true full tang like advertised, but the handle is heavier than the blade and attracts a magnet, so I would assume so. The balance is really nice and the knife is very maneuverable.The sheath is actually a lot better than I thought it was going to be. It is nylon with a plastic insert and two retaining straps. The diagonal retaining strap is snug and the top was is actually adjustable with velcro so you can make it as loose or tight as you want. The back has MOLLE attachments if you need that type of thing. My one complaint about the sheath is the plastic insert is wider than the blade, so the knife will move around in there laterally if you push it. However, the plastic is also very snug and the knife will stay in there upside down without any straps, so this isn't a problem at all- only for the very picky people, perhaps.Overall this knife looks great, feels great, works great, and has a very good provided sheath. Comparable American-made knives are $100+, but Ontario is always surprisingly affordable for the quality- I got my SP 15 for around $50. I won't be testing the strength on this one, but I've horribly abused other Ontario knives and the steel always holds up, so I have no doubt the SP 15 would do the same. Remember: 1095 steel is high carbon (not stainless), so keep it dry and oiled- or buy another knife if you plan on leaving it in the rain or sink for a couple of days!5 out of 5 stars; definitely recommended.

I wasn't expecting this knife to be as good a quality as it is. First of all, I expected the blade to be thin and the knife overall to be lighter. It's not. I wish I had a micrometer to measure the thickness of the blade but it's hefty. I also like that it has a taper. If you were looking at a cross section of the blade it would look like a diamond.◇ The handle is solid and the buttcap is a true hunk of metal. It came sharp, as sharp as you'd expect from a factory. Razor sharp no, but well sharpened to slice. My biggest complaint is the sheath. It's terrible especially given the quality of the knife. This knife deserves at least a kydex sheath. It may drive the price up a bit but the sheath that it comes with is thin and cheap. I'm looking for a quality leather sheath and I'll probably have one custom made for it.

I love this knife! The blade and Handle are the right length for a Combat Dagger. The rubber hilt, handle grooves, and bottom cap ensures that your grip stays tight. The first 2-3 inches of the top part of the blade can be sharpened as well as the bottom. The grip is perfect for a large hand, unlike the Sykes-Fairbairn Commando Knife which is too slim. If I had a complaint, it would be that it should have come better sharpened.

It’s a pretty good knife, for what it is. But, what is it? A survival knife? Not really, the handle and blade shapes aren’t good for that, and the serrations on the blade aren’t very useful. A fighting knife? Ummm, maybe? The blade is THICK, making it less than “lively” in the hand, but... maybe? An overall “combat knife”? Okay, I guess I could come up with several uses for this in combat. The problem is that I can come up with several alternatives that accomplish that role while serving better at those *other* roles, as well.Still, I dig it. I put it on an old FLC vest with a lighter loadout to throw in my truck. Plus, it looks cool. I’m just not sure what it’s supposed to be...?

Would be a great fighting knife very strong & intimidating ..but unpractical for general woods jobs @ camping/ hiking . Sheath is nothing special , a little weak .

I have been watching this knife for a long time. Not my first Ontario but this one is what I was looking for. First off like other reviews this knife came paper bending dull. Not going to make a big deal because I can sharpen a knife. First of all the blade steel is 1095 Carbon which is one of the easiest blades to sharpen. Second of all if you cannot sharpen this or any other knife you may be better off without one. This piece is well balanced and tactically ready to perform. As with other knife manufacturers the sheath is O.K. but most will seek other options like I did. For the price point and slight inconvenience of putting an edge on it I would not hesitate to recommend or buy again.

This is a vicious knife. It’s more than a dagger in terms of utility. It’s very solid, very well built and well designed. The quality is really high. It’s strong. Great steel. Tough handle. Ithas a great edges out of the box that can be as sharp as you desire. The serrated edge is also excellent and by design is easier to maintain than other similar serrated edges and it makes quick work out of any required task. It’s not a light weight and it shouldn’t be. It isn’t too heavy either, it’s just right. I have huge hands and this doesn’t feel like a toothpick. It feels substantial. One would not want to be on the receiving end. It’s tough enough to use on any reasonable knife related task. Its light enough to take with you. It’s a piece of American bad ass built right and built to last at a reasonable price.

The knife is well-made and sharp out of the box.A good value for the cost. This has been true of every Ontario knife I've owned.I've been testing fixed blade knives of various sizes to carry on the weak side (That's the side opposite of the hand you shoot with, for you non-gun people.) to defend against a gun grab. A Kydex sheath would be an improvement, but the provided sheath is useable.