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Leighman
Starting Member
USA
6 Posts |
 Posted - 01/14/2008 : 09:42:56
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Greetings to all from Kentucky!
First of all, GREAT SITE...I hope to learn much here.
A few summers back I rec'd an Ontario bolo(Spec Plus?)as a gift.
The combo leather/cordura sheath was sturdy EXCEPT that the retaining snap(s) appears pretty cheap and were easily unsnapped.
The edge was very keen but appeared a little thin for vigorous "chopping" type chores.
To the back yard I went with bolo in hand.
I began clearing some light, waist-high brush. Mostly dead vines and some live saplings that were approx 1/4 to 1/2 inch in diameter.
After about 10 minutes I notices a thumbnail-shaped chip in the blade about 1 1/2 inches from the tip. The exposed steel/metal was "grainy" in appearance and rough to the touch.
I promptly sent it back to Ontario and was rewarded with a free replacement. Instead of chopping I decided to test the point for side-to-side durability. to my disappointment, I easily snapped off the first 1/2 to 3/4 inch of the tip with very little effort. in disgust, I sent the second bolo back with a polite note telling Ontario I would ne be requesting a replacement.
I've noticed they no longer appear to market this model. Any ideas?Heat treatment? Angle of grind? Type of steel (1095, I think)???
Thanks!
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Noss
Moderator
USA
1382 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2008 : 14:53:49
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Leighman: Welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing your tests. It sounds like a bad heat treat. Ontario appears to have many flaws in their HT process from what I have gathered. 1095 is a good steel and should have never chipped out like you described. the
tip breaking on the Bolo is not a big surprise depending on the grind. Ideally the tip should hold up well on a work blade. Most of the 1095 blades I have tested the tip broke easy during the flex test.
From what I have read about Ontario blades is you may get a good one or a flawed one. You have to put it through some hard use as you did before you know if you bought a good one. You can't tell by just looking at it.
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A Dull knife is always better than a broken knife. |
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Rune Pedersen
Junior Member
Norway
125 Posts |
Posted - 01/14/2008 : 15:03:56
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I've owned one of those crappy things too. I snapped it clean off attempting to split a 5" logg. First of all the blade is too thin and I agree with you about geometrics and type of steel which I too recall was 1095....by the way I refrased the name of the series from "spec plus" to "spec pulp"
Have you found a sweet replacement?
Hypo |
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Leighman
Starting Member
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2008 : 08:07:50
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Thanks for the welcome.
For 30+ years I have run the gamut looking for that "perfect" outdoor blade.
As for A "sweet replacement" I have tried more than a few with poor results.
Whil I won't bash any companies as a whole, these have been less than stellar; Glock Field Knife (should be called a field bayonet), ChiCom Cs Kobun and Brave Heart, Buck Intrepid that weighed a ton and dull from the factory, a a couple others that I fail to recall as they were just THAT poor.
Of course, part of being a knife nut is running out and purchasing the latest-greatest blade when it hits the market! Personally, my knife "budget" is $150 and usually under $100. |
Edited by - Leighman on 01/15/2008 08:08:55 |
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Leighman
Starting Member
USA
6 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2008 : 08:12:56
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| On the plus (not "Spec Plus") side I have had great results from a CS (Carbon V) SRK and Recon Scout, Swamp Rat Camp Tramp (still kick myself for trading THAT one), USAF Pilot's Survival Knife (once it was correctly sharpened), Becker Campanion (handles a little on the large size), and currently the Ontario RTAK (5 inch). |
Edited by - Leighman on 01/15/2008 09:05:31 |
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eatingmuchface
Junior Member
456 Posts |
Posted - 01/15/2008 : 13:42:22
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| the tip doesn't suprise me, but it does sound like you got a bad heat treat on that first one. |
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Ontario Bolo Knife Test from Noob:
