Wow. Sad news. Ontario Knife Company has closed and gone out of business. The parent company says they have not been profitable for years.


https://www.oleantimesherald.c...fc-87d8c96a81a3.html

FRANKLINVILLE — The Ontario Knife Co. has been sold to an out-of-state interest and is expected to close by the end of the month, the Olean Times Herald learned Thursday.

The move would put 56 employees of the Franklinville cutlery out of work effective July 27. Ontario Knife makes tactical, outdoor and home edged products. Before moving to Franklinville, the company had its roots in Naples, N.Y., where it was founded 134 years ago.

The parent company, Elma-based Servotronics, which is primarily involved in manufacturing aerospace components, announced plans to sell Ontario Knife on March 30.

The sale has been made to a Virginia-based distributor, Blue Ridge Knives.

Cattaraugus County economic development officials had been working with a group of local investors who had hoped to purchase Ontario Knife’s legacy brand.

“It’s devastating,” said Corey Wiktor, executive director of the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency and part of the county’s effort to retain the company and the jobs.

Wiktor said the IDA will reach out to Servotronics to see of space in the Franklinville building can be utilized for manufacturing for the parent company. They also want to see if any existing equipment could remain at the plant for a possible cutlery startup operation,

The sale was “lightning fast,” Wiktor said. “We started working on a package as soon as we heard about the potential sale of the company in April.”

The local group was more than $600,000 short when it came to financing and Servotronics went with a company with cash.

Dave Fenske, a potential investor with decades of experience in the cutlery business, led a group of area investors seeking to buy Ontario Knife.

“I know this was an uphill battle from the start, but I have to say, each of you stepped up in a huge way from the county to help,” Fenske told IDA officials in an email Thursday. “You all acted very promptly, and offered a multitude of efforts and help."

Wiktor said county economic development officials, county legislators and other leaders were involved in the “all hands on deck” effort to help the local group purchase Ontario Knife and keep it in Franklinville. Local lenders and the New York State Development office were also involved.

Wiktor said county economic development officials are beginning to plan a targeted jobs fair for those employees losing their jobs.

“My heart sank when I heard the news,” said Franklinville Mayor Michael Sikora.

“It’s awful. It’s terrible news,” Sikora said. “Things are on the uptick in Franklinville because of the cheese plant. We’ve had a bit of a turnaround. Real estate is picking up. You can’t find a house or an apartment here.”

Wiktor said the local investors apparently ran out of time. “It’s very disheartening. There are people who worked there for decades. We are going to do whatever we can to help people find other jobs. It is still a big change in lives and lifestyles.”

Servotronics had not announced the sale as of late Thursday.

Cattaraugus County, which has a long history of cutleries, will be down to one after Ontario Knife closes, Cutco Cutlery in Olean.

In a joint statement, Cattaraugus County Legislature Majority Leader Michael Brisky of Franklinville and Legislator Ginger Schroder of Farmersville blasted Servotronics for selling Ontario Knife to a company that planned to close the Franklinville plant.

“We are profoundly disappointed in the horrific news that Ontario Knife Company’s parent company Servotronics, Inc. has decided to liquidate and sell Ontario Knife Company to a Virginia based investor,” the legislators said in a statement.

“OKC is a more-than-a-century old employer and dedicated community partner in Franklinville and Cattaraugus County. The loss of this legacy company is tremendous to the employees, the community, the County and the region.

“The Cattaraugus County Legislature, Administration, Industrial Development Agency and Economic Development Department has been working to provide loan and grant assistance for the last several months to assist a local party that submitted a bid to purchase the company and keep its employees and operations in Franklinville and Cattaraugus County.

“We will do everything within our power to assist the employees affected by this decision and will be communicating to the corporation our dissatisfaction of its decision,” Brisky and Schroder said.

Sad to hear,
I just recently picked up an SP-8 survival machete.

NY is the land of memories and broken dreams. Hard for anyone to stay in business.

My ex-in-laws lived in Farmersville, not far from OKC. Beautiful country. Crappy state. As I recall, jobs weren't all that plentiful in the area. Shame a historic company goes under.

Sad News.
I have a couple Ontario knives from a Bayonet to folders I always thought of them as quality with a good price.

I'm from Catt County. This is a local blow no doubt.

All that's left that's old school, is Cutco and across the PA border only a few miles from Olean is Zippo, which is doing pretty well.

Catt County needs income from any source and the community isn't rich by any means.

I sympathize, I really do..

but the headlines kept popping into my head. “OKC slashes staff.” “Knife Company Deep In The Red” “Corporate assets for OKC are on the chopping block.”

I’m sorry, really, really.

quote:

Originally posted by Flashlightboy:
I'm from Catt County. This is a local blow no doubt.

All that's left that's old school, is Cutco and across the PA border only a few miles from Olean is Zippo, which is doing pretty well.

Catt County needs income from any source and the community isn't rich by any means.

Well, you're getting the cheese factory soon. TBH, I was surprised they picked Franklinville to expand.

I was really surprised to see Ontario Knife go down, it really seems a shame.

Damn...134 years, what a shame.

I hope Blue Ridge Knives can bring the name back. Now I've got the urge to get another Air Force Survival Knife; if my fave source for stuff can get any more in stock.

ETA: Knife Center is showing many of the Ontario products as out of stock, etc.

Damn, I liked the Old Hickory carbon steel kitchen knives.

They make fine knives. Sorry to see an American company go under. Hopefully the name will live on and the products will still be made here in America.
Amazon has many of their products in stock and actually marked down. Ordered a couple of Air Force survival knives because I’ve used those for years. Still have the original Ontario USAF survival knife issued to me in 1991.

I have 2 Ontario machetes; the abuse they’ve suffered while retaining factory sharpness is impressive. I’ve chopped through 5-6” downed trees across roads.

Somewhat reminiscent of Camillus Cutlery closing although that was the result of bankruptcy and later a factory fire. Icons keep disappearing.

quote:

Originally posted by Sauer Kraut:
They make fine knives. Sorry to see an American company go under. Hopefully the name will live on and the products will still be made here in America.
Amazon has many of their products in stock and actually marked down. Ordered a couple of Air Force survival knives because I’ve used those for years. Still have the original Ontario USAF survival knife issued to me in 1991.

Amazon had the AF survival knife listed at about $45 this morning when I first looked. #2 best seller in its category. They are now a bit over $63; I guess that they got the word about the closure.

The reviews on the 499 are mixed at best.

quote:

I guess that they got the word about the closure.

Not directly. Amazon's pricing algorithms are traffic based. Because of the news, people searched Amazon for Ontario and that traffic caused the price change.

That's a shame. Hard to see another old American brand go down.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
The reviews on the 499 are mixed at best.

This video shows the big problem with these. I've read of other accounts of people having this happen. For what it's worth, I own one as well, I got it for about $15 on clearance from Walmart years ago.

https://youtube.com/shorts/7g6xD2uauII?feature=share

Once you bend the tang, it starts to work-harden and goes brittle, then it's basically over.

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
The reviews on the 499 are mixed at best.

I would agree. Old school knife, carbon steel blade with a sharp point that’s easy to break off, somewhat flimsy tang. It’s a nostalgia thing for me. Issued one in 1991 when I went through survival training with the Air Force. We always referred to it as the “bolt knife” because the end of it is shaped like a bolt. Great for hammering. I also have my uncles and it is Vietnam era I guess. Definitely better, more modern knives out there.

^^^For me, it's mostly nostalgia too. Back in the '80s and a Navy Reservist assigned to a Marine unit, they gave me a survival knife for field use as opposed to a fighting knife. Something about being a "non-combatant". Don't recall if it was an Ontario or Camillus. Back when Uncle Sam called for proposals on this type of knife, the choices were far fewer (it may have been 1959). Somewhere on the web, a guy opined that the Air Force Survival Knife (or Jet Pilot Knife) during Vietnam was probably the most common knife among the troops.

ETA: I got one of the last model 499s available through Amazon. Old stock, it was made in 2011. Next day after mine shipped they were $15 less.

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