Ontario Knife Company

[Ranger99]

Unless I missed it somewhere, I didn't
see a thread on the sale of the Ontario
knife company.  Rumors in my region
are that it's headed to the east like
Schrade and other companies did after
being liquidated.
If that's true,  I guess we'd better get
used to foreign made cutlery for new
items we need

[Lloyd Smale]

marble was big up here years ago. then some bean counter from texas bought the out and moved operation there and cortracted a company in china to make there knives. lucky for us their two main knife makers started there own companys and make knives better the marble ever did., bark river knives and rapid river knives

[gene_225]

Don't know Rapid River Knives, but sure do like the Bark River knife I bought when I was visiting my sister in Lansing some years ago ('07). It is a beautiful knife, so it is still in my safe and hasn't ever been used yet.

[Dee]

My Case pocket has been retired,  and I now carry a Moore Maker sheath knife as my edc. Came outta Matador Texas. I think queen made this one for'em.

[Ranger99]

I have 2 Moore Maker that I'm thinking were
made by Bear & Sons. One is a sodbuster pattern
I never got around to using, and the other is
what I'd call a small copperhead or a large peanut.
Both are bone with the M.M. shield and tang
stamp,  but they're twins to Bear &Sons that
I have under that name

I've got enough Old Hickory and other Ontario
products to probably last my lifetime, but if
something is lost or broken or something it'll
suck to not be able to quickly replace it at a
reasonable price,  probably the main virtue
of Ontario knives ( like it used to be for the
other American manufacturers)
I was sure wanting to get one of the military
machetes to try, but I don't want an import
with the Ontario name

[Graybeard]

Bear and Sons is local to me, their factory is about 7 miles from my house. By the way they have a help wanted sign out if anyone wants to move here and build knives. I have loads of their knives.

I can't imagine I'll ever need another knife and don't really expect to buy more. My boys don't seem interested but I do have one grandson who is so he gets them all in my will.

[Ranger99]

Bear and Sons is local to me, their factory is about 7 miles from my house. By the way they have a help wanted sign out if anyone wants to move here and build knives. I have loads of their knives.

I can't imagine I'll ever need another knife and don't really expect to buy more. My boys don't seem interested but I do have one grandson who is so he gets them all in my will.

There's at least 56 experienced ex Ontario knife
company employees out of work now according
to the wherever it was I read of this
Maybe they'll take up the offer

[Dixie-Dude]

I think most Buck knives are made in Idaho.  They moved out of Kalifornia several years ago.  Bear knives made in Alabama are good knives.  I have one, a folding hunter with skinning and sawing blade along with a standard blade. 

[Ranger99]

I guess Ontario is already producing
cobwebs.
An acquaintance who knows I frequently
use Old Hickory knives was asking why
there's none to be found anywhere.
I haven't checked in a while, so I looked
at a mail order place I've dealt with before.
None of the traditional butchering patterns
that they're known for, with no resupply
ever expected and a backorder with no
expected ship date 
I guess it's good that I have what I have.
Crying shame

[ironglow]

My Case pocket has been retired,  and I now carry a Moore Maker sheath knife as my edc. Came outta Matador Texas. I think queen made this one for'em.

  I'm not familiar with Moore Maker, but Queen was owned by Ontario, until just a few years ago.

  Two very early makers are still operating, and I used to sell their brands, both first class.  Lamson is manufactured in Westfield, Massachussets,
  while Dexter~Russell is made in Southbridge, Massachussetts..

   Russell Green River knives are trhe ones that were popular with the mountain men, back in the fur trade days.  They still make them in the same patterns, and in carbon steel.

    Lamson makes very few carbo knives..and they are costly..  https://www.bigpoppasmokers.com/knives

   Dexter~Russell still makes a few carbon blade knives.   https://dexteroutdoors.com/hunting-knives/

 

   Another grand old name..Chicago cutlery..is now made in China.

[ironglow]

Bear and Sons is local to me, their factory is about 7 miles from my house. By the way they have a help wanted sign out if anyone wants to move here and build knives. I have loads of their knives.

I can't imagine I'll ever need another knife and don't really expect to buy more. My boys don't seem interested but I do have one grandson who is so he gets them all in my will.

There's at least 56 experienced ex Ontario knife
company employees out of work now according
to the wherever it was I read of this
Maybe they'll take up the offer

   No question, Bear makes some high quality knives !   However, whether many former Ontario employees make the trip, is questionable.

    Reason being, the Great Lakes cheese plant I have spoken of here, is under construction about a mile from the closed Ontario plant.

    On Tuesday, I drove by on the highway going south, and saw 3 billboards during th enext 20 miles, calling for applications to be put in with thm. 
    They will hire between 200 and 300 new employees.

[Ranger99]

Yeah
That would be a shame that talented knifemakers
would have to now be inexperienced cheese makers.
But I guess you do what you have to do.
I remember when Remington was absorbing H&R
and Marlin and the Remington workers didn't
want to mess with trying to put together lever
action rifles, or mess with working man priced
break action long guns, and was sending out
barely passable excuses for a firearm.
If I were an investor wanting to own a cutlery
company, I'd be looking for employees with
experience and an affinity for the job.
Instead these days investors want to buy
something and make whatever amount
of profit they expect in a big hurry, then let
the company languish into bankruptcy
or put it back on the market and dump
it ASAP.
That seems to be the norm right now,
and it's what's screwing up the country

[ironglow]

Yeah
That would be a shame that talented knifemakers
would have to now be inexperienced cheese makers.
But I guess you do what you have to do.
I remember when Remington was absorbing H&R
and Marlin and the Remington workers didn't
want to mess with trying to put together lever
action rifles, or mess with working man priced
break action long guns, and was sending out
barely passable excuses for a firearm.
If I were an investor wanting to own a cutlery
company, I'd be looking for employees with
experience and an affinity for the job.
Instead these days investors want to buy
something and make whatever amount
of profit they expect in a big hurry, then let
the company languish into bankruptcy
or put it back on the market and dump
it ASAP.
That seems to be the norm right now,
and it's what's screwing up the country

   Yeah, those Cerberus bean counters did a number on Remington,  Marlin and H&R...

[Drilling Man]

  I also have a pile of knives of different brands, but for my hunting today I MUCH prefer this knife by "Breed".



  I don't care about "pretty", all I care about is how it works when I get a deer down, and how long it holds an cedge, plus how easy it is to re-sharp when it needs it!  It does all of that in spades!!

  My by far, fav pocket knife is a USA made folder by Kershaw.

  DM

[Ranger99]

A few I know were having a knife
conversation about Old Hickory
knives, and how great and mythical
they are and this and that etc. now
that the company has folded.
It's funny how trendy things are
in the world now.
Nobody wanted or used Old Hickory
knives or lever action rifles until
the knife factory closed up, and
the ranching soap opera people
have lever actions and wear hats
and boots and jeans etc.

[ironglow]

Unless I missed it somewhere, I didn't
see a thread on the sale of the Ontario
knife company.  Rumors in my region
are that it's headed to the east like
Schrade and other companies did after
being liquidated.
If that's true,  I guess we'd better get
used to foreign made cutlery for new
items we need

  Unless my memory is faiiling me, I did post a thread on Ontario..  Bob, the boss at Ontario is a fellow elder with me at our church.
  When I asked Bob about the Ontario closure, he said they were simply closing, not selling to the far east.

   They have been in negotiations to keep the line going here in the US..  Ontario's well receives SPEC series will likely be carried on by Esee Knives.   
   
    https://www.eseeknives.com/

  Last I knew, they were in negotations with a southern US firm, to continue the Old Hickory line..  I'll check again.