Ontario Knife Company ASEK Survival Knife System

A good knife for general hunting, hiking, and bushcrafting. This is a 1095 carbon steel blade that is easy to use and maintain.

The ASEK knife is the official issue US Air Force Aircrew Survival & Egress knife. It is a good survival knife. 

It comes with a 5" blade made of 1095 carbon steel, a rubber handle, and is 10.25" of overall length. I've owned the knife for about 10 years and have used it for cleaning game, building snare/traps, and general camp use. I gutted and skinned a moose, bear, deer, etc with only light touchups on the blade. The knife has accomplished this well.

It comes with a saw back, seatbelt cutter, and a glass break pummel. I used to do remote first aiding and it was all in helicopters, so those escape features were desirable. They may not be necessary features for you, but if you heliski, for instance, it might be useful. As a general purpose knife it is excellent. 

The only drawback is the partially serrated edge on the blade. This is not a feature I am in love with. I know some of my friends do like this on general purpose blades, I don't. I have reshaped the edge and this, for me, is better.

The lack of vanadium in the alloy and the knife needing oiling for rust prevention is why it only gets 4 stars.

It has proven to be a good knife. I recommend it as a general purpose knife.

Background

10 years hunting, hiking, and camping.