The Ontario 499 or 499 Mod. What's the Difference 

Tobias, that 3-11 is not the date. A lot of those knives have that stamp 3-11 may be the stamp for the mod

Thank you for clarifying these knives! Bought a 499 at Cabela's and thought at first it was a counterfeit. But upon watching this video, I am glad I kept it because it looked cool. Thank you for clarifying again, peace.

Great in depth coverage on these knives. I bought one after I got out of the AF sometime early 1980's, and carried it in the back of my Jeep in the deserts of New Mexico. When I moved back to Texas, I forgot how much it rains here, and a weather seal on my Jeep back window was allowing water to leak in directly on the knife. By the time I figured that out, the knife was destroyed. The sheath was the first to go, then it started working on the handle & blade. I thought I kept it, but I can't find it right now. I always liked how the USAF knife felt in my hand compared to the K-Bar. When I do replace it, I will go with the more expensive version.

Jeez people, this knife was originally designed for USAF pilots for emergency use. The 'saw' was meant for ripping through aluminum aircraft skin back in the late 50's early 60's. The sharpened swage was for helping to poke an initial hole in the aluminum skin before cutting. This thing was never meant to be a $300 'tacticool' or 'bushcraft' knife. Good job dressing them up though.

Love the way these knives look! I would definitely pay a little extra for the finger groove and swedge! Thanks for the very informative video, Tobias! 👍

Very cool knife that has served the US Military for 5-6 decades. I like the NSN version as the MOD does seem to be a bit of a factory second. Another Ontario I received over 40 years ago is the 6141 MK 3 which is the 440 steel and hard plastic version for waterborne usage. Thanks for another excellent historical video!

I still have the one issued to my in flight school and carried in Vietnam. It was made just before the metal covering became standard. The sheath has a single rivet and strap and it does spin, just like the China made copy. All of the knives issued to my class were made by Camillus, and even the brand new ones had a smooth leather handle, not quite as smooth as one with some use. The stone is branded Norton and is medium not coarse. There is a small lip on top of the pommel faces, just enough to catch with a nail. The washer and leather washers just in front of the pommel are not perfectly aligned. Never noticed it until now. I think that back in the 1960s when my knife was made the fit and finish standards were for a serviceable knife, not a retail product. The details you are bringing out are important for display (on the belt or in case) more than use. It its like a pistol or rifle we looked for functionality first and last. I carried a SW .38 or a M1911. The .38 was what it was, and if the M1911 had been maintained for accuracy, what did I care if the finish was worn or a little pitted? The false edge was not very sharp, and the point was fragile. i broke the tip on mine and ground a new point so the blade is just a bit shorter. These are fairly tough knives otherwise. The thick blade and profile make it difficult to sharpen as a slicer and the saw teeth were I think designed more for cutting aircraft doors and skin. Also supposed to be OK to break plastic-never had to do that. Some of the pilots preferred the Gerber MK 1 or 2 combat knife. The MK2 could be used to saw wood, the issue knife not so much.

Thanks, Tobias! I have been thinking of picking up an Ontario 499. Didn’t know about the 499 Mod. I appreciate the video. BTW Amazon currently has the 499 for $36.99.

Excellent comparison Tobias! Very well done a thanks for the explanation!!

Great review and comparison, thank you very much! It helped me to decide on which one I'm gonna buy - 499 Mod, which I'm gonna modify even further for outdoors use.

Wal-Mart has all knives on clearance! I just got one today for 9.99.

Thanks. My father and I have been using 499 for decades.

I just bought a 499. It's my new favorite! Very functional, good weight and beautiful in it's simplicity. Sharpens to a razor with the high carbon. Great video and nice shirt! I live a few miles from the stray dog.

Fantastic information Tobias!! Now I want both of them!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Great review and comparison Tobias thanks.

Great comparison Tobias, very knowledgeable, :) 😎 👍

Thanks Tobias, excellent review. I am in the market for a 499 now, so this tells me exactly what I need to know.

Wow! That was outstanding! All my questions were answered. Greetings from Germany!

Yes, thank you for clarifying this! I had considered getting a 499 at one point but didn't because I kwpt seeing the price differences and they were often shown incorrectly in the ad/preview pic. Luckily for me I had gotten an Ontario SP-2 as a kid in the 90s from a Mil Surplus shop back home and was very pleased with it so I didn't have that "I must have this" feeling/mindset. While I love the looks of a Ka-Bar or Kay-bar style knife like this one I don't care for the tang style and honestly if I were to get one it would probably be a Mark I USN for general purpose use.

Thanks, always wanted one, these knives were in our USAF aircrew survival vest.

I like the 499 mod, because I prefer it without the fuller and swedge. I bought one a few years back at Walmart for $30 and I regret not buying another being Ontario is now not in operation anymore and for $30 it can't be beat, I love my 499 mod

Excellent review. Most informative. Thank you

If they made that knife a complete full tang knife I may consider dropping the dollars.thanks for your time.👍👍👍

Proud to own one, love it, thanks for the chat

Hey Tobias holly smokes I was going to pick one of them up every time I’m in Walmart!!!!!!! Yo I just picked up the canoe Christmas gift set in the tin at tractor supply I’m shootings a video on it soon thanks Buddy!!!!,,,,

Thanks for this video. I just found this by accident and glad i did. I had no ideal there was difference. I prefer the regular 499. I do not see the 499 mod on OKC website but do see it for sale on various other sites.

Hello 👋 my outdoors friend, thank you for sharing this informative review.

Hello from Kentucky land between the lakes and Happy Halloween 🎃 I had one of these knives back in the 80s. It was my very 1st fixed blade knives. When I wached the movie first blood I started practicing wilderness survival skills. Long story short I'm 52 and still into survival lol. Anyway I baught another one just to add to my knife collection. There cool knives but definitely wouldn't be my 1st choice for a shtf survival situation. They bend and don't keep an edge but very cool looking. Anyway thanks for sharing and God bless. 🇺🇸

I still have the 499 that I bought in Germany while on my way to Bosnia in the late fall of 1995. I carried it every day even though Battalion HQ had said we were not to carry any large knives on us. I had sharpened it to a razor sharpness. I used it mainly for opening MRE's, but I had it with me as a last resort weapon. I had an M16A2 and a M9 Baretta as weapons, but I liked having a knife with me as a backup.

Nice comparative review. I have a 499 stamped 5-01 on the pommel and I think I got it from Ontario back around that time. The leather stacks were so skinny on the handle that I thought maybe they just used the smaller end stacks and said screw it. So, being a hockey player, I had this stuff called Protect Toe which was used on the toe of hockey skates when they still used nylon. Anyway, the Protect Toe is like tar and hardens like a plastic to protect the skate. So I put that on the leather stacks which blackened the handle made it hard. Then I wrapped the handle very tight with black 560 paracord because the stacks were so skinny. It's almost a perfect width now, about the width of the pommel all the way up to the cross guard. I figured that would also strengthen the handle. I do have a question regarding the stacked leather. Would you use a mix of beeswax and neatsfoot oil, coat it, heat and repeat? I treat a lot of my leather sheaths or leather that way. Hopefully that's good for treating and waterproofing leather.

I’m happy to know that I have the better 499 knife. If I would have seen “China” on the sheath I would have put it down and continued my search. I bought mine in 1994. It came in a white cardboard box and wrapped in lite brown wax paper. The only thing I have done with the sheath and handle is put neatsfoot oil on it. I didn’t dye or sand it at all.

Very interesting! I’ve just watched this comparing the one you sent me. Mine is clearly the 499 original, but a couple of interesting little points. First, though yes I have the fuller, but the clip point isn’t sharpened at all, and the saw stops further from the clip point, but less far back than the MOD. The other thing is that the fit of the leather to the pommel isn’t quite perfect, leaving a small step. The pommel is, however, very nicely chamfered and the date (3-11) is very clear and straight. I’ve polished the handle and sheath with Kiwi brown shoe polish and oiled the lot with several coats of boiled linseed oil. Both came out really nicely, without any sanding. The grain laid down very well. I’ve burnished it with a bit of policed wood on the handle and the edges of the sheath too. What I haven’t done yet is to rub down the blade a little. It’s only that I didn’t have any fine wet and dry to hand. I think it will serve to highlight the contours, especially of the fuller, well. I may sharpen the clip, but I haven’t decided yet. Finally, it came with a black lace. Would leather be more authentic? Thank you again for sending it. You should have held it back till you’d shot this though.

Very nice video, I think they changed the heat treat on the 499 Mod to 55-57 And the 499 was only at 50-55 by I may be wrong. Very cool knife and I enjoy the fire made with this knife a lot more than knives costing 10 tomes more :) Thank you for the video

Got my 499 from the Air Force back in 2000. It is dated 5-94, it has been a great knife over the years. It started out duller than a butter knife and the leather needed seasoning. I've only ever sharpened it with the included stone and is enough for me. Should be around doing the job for many more years to come.

I have the 499 and it lives in my go bag. I have considered buying a 499 MOD which I believe used to be factory 2nd but maybe folks weren’t buying them so the name changed. Either way they are a great little knife.

Thank you so much for posting this!!!!!! I’ve been trying to tell people the Modified is not the same!Im going to post on a video today and probably put your channel in the description to subscribe your channel.I just subscribed your channel myself brother 🔪👍

This video was very helpful. My guess is that Ontario makes the 499 MOD knives for two reasons: 1) By eliminating some manufacturing steps (no fuller, no swedge grind on false edge), and outsourcing the sheaths to China, OKC creates a cheaper version of the knife that can be sold to wholesale distributors, who can then pass it on to small retailers at a price similar to OKC's for the regular 499 knife. I notice that the MOD version is not available direct from OKC, suggesting they do this as a special for some of their bigger customers. 2) No swedge grind might be helpful for sales in places like California, although I have no idea what CA knife laws are like at this point. BUT, the upshot is that the 499MOD version does not conform to the MIL-K-8662 specification, and is somewhat less useful as an egress tool.

It’s the extra grinding into the blade and the stitches in the holder snap strap and the the workmanship that went into the product in the first place is the cost difference if you’d ask me!

The one I was issued 35 years ago or so seems to be identical to the cheaper one you have. I didn’t sand my grip, I oiled it and it fit my hand perfectly.

I purchased a camillus a few years ago sheath is riveted an sewed. Has groove ,long saw blade and sharpened chisel tip but no born on date.if i remember right it was toughted as left over parts assembled after going into bankrupts .very well made wouldn’t get rid of it!jim

Hello. That 15$ will get you a Rough Ryder as a secondary knife. Making it a more complete camping systeme. As you know, the swedge and the saw back are primarily for cutting the way out of a downed aircraft. Not something most people need. It all depends i think on if you are more a collector or more a user. The real blade looks cooler too. A.other vert interesting vidéo. All the best.

First time the hearing finger groove, I have heard it referred as a blood groove. Allowing easier retraction from a body cavity.

I never even knew this and I know mine is a Mod, which must be why I got a good deal.

I bought the Mod on a whim a few years ago. I then began to notice the differences when I looked it up on RU-vid. I think mine came with a little better fit and finish than yours. It was absolutely dull as can be though. I like hand sharpening, but haven't really gotten around to sharpening it up like I think it should be since it would take a lot of work by hand. Mine is also stamped 3-11, is that an actual date code?

Sorry for the late comment on the video but I just received a gift of a OKC 499 knife I believe it’s the one with the China sheath, I have to ask do you feel that it is a good knife to carry around I’ve been seeing one star reviews everywhere

very interesting, thanks for sharing

Over the yrs I have had and sold many of the 499 you ll never get 2 that are the same And there roughly made but very cool ! Its not a every day knife but I love them I have never seen the 499 / mod so thanks very much great vedio! Also ebay is flooded with fakes Some better then the real ones! But as far the sheath I compared a brand new pilot to to the esek Sheath their identical same exact color amazeing ! The esek knife did have the white stitching ! The pilot has a revit. Here's the big difference the new rivets are very strong they lye in between The leathers much better the the older sheaths were they just peen over and dig in to the leather To bite!!! Also the single stud I actually preferred because you can swing the leather strap out off the way! I think the new sheaths are an improvement not a cost cutting thing these knifes are never finished nicely! you will see a ton of little screwy things from crystals to no welds to off center Stone pouches that annoys the hell out of me! To machine and tooling marks! I owned hundreds of knives and I never go in the woods with out one of these in my kit Thank you. TONY

the reason the snap moves is for right or left hand carry, this is actually better for this reason

Good job buddy…👍👍👍

My version was purchased about 25 years ago and the clip point always seemed to me, to be very fragile with the sharpened swedge. That original point is "promising" to snap off, so I just might be leaning towards the MOD version for point durability.

Wow great info, I was expecting mine was the cheaper MOD version but I think it is actually the real 499. So can I darken the handle just by sanding and using shoe polish? I dont have to dye it?

Weird my sheath has 499, rivet and stichtes. But the 499 mod tan color. My knife handle also is 499mod color with horrible attention to detail on handle, but my blade is in between the two blades you've shown, mine has a swedge but no fuller 03/11 is the date on the knife. I'm guessing the one I have is a model made in between these two you've shown, maybe???

I have the Onterio dated 3/11 but has a swedge and a fuller on the blade

I am ex Australian Army. I have one of these knives. Mine has no markings whatsoever but has the metal backing for the sheath. I got this around 1990, perhaps it was a version sent to Australian Forces under licence? I will never know. I think it is a great knife and built for purpose. I wouldnt use it as my go to survival knife butit would dothejob nicely in a pinch. Blade on boys and girls.

I have a 499 mod, and today the only place I can find one online is a single listing on eBay for $100. I don’t want another, just was curious how much the price had gone up since Ontario switched hands.

I have an Ontario 5" blade, gray paint on the pommel, and a single hole in the guard, any ID?

The sheath I would simply treat and upgrade my self.. but the blade. What a diff. Worth the 20$! Both are way to expensive here in Europe, so..

Hello nice vid, how is the edge retention on these knives ?

Just doing some looking around at different fixed blades I either have or am thinking about getting. This 499 Mod is the model I have. Funny that I bought it less than two years ago from wally world and it has the 3-11 date also.

I have the 499 mod and the rivit on the button lach is sewed on to great video tho very informative

Thanks for an interesting talk. I had an old Camillus Pilot Survival back in the 1970s and recently bought the Ontario 499 Mod on a Wal-Mart sale. I do like the historical factor but for me it is not a good knife for practical use. The edge geometry is poor and it takes a lot of grinding to get a sharp edge. The steel is 1095 treated to about 54 Rockwell, nice and tough but poor edge retention.

The scalloped out grooves you are calling finger grooves are actually called blood groves.

I just ordered the 499 from Amazon for 48 dollars. I like the fuller/thumb groove. A true fuller doesn't weaken the blade, it depends upon whether it was pressed in, or milled out. My comment from 2 years ago under my Locksport channel William Mancel, still stands. I am finally getting a replacement for that water destroyed knife.

My sheath is sewn and riveted, my knife has the groove but is not sharpened at the top swedge and my date on handle is the same as your mod. 3-11 so im guessing I have a crossbreed between a 499 and a 499 mod.

i'm almost ALWAYS budget minded and will take the reduced price version. in this case i think the difference is significant. firstly having a swedge and fuller are better blade geometry. to have the swedge SHARPENED that's too good, gotta get it now! lol

Mine is the non mod one but it doesn’t have the sharpened swedge

I have one dated 3-11 that says 2nd on the blade but I can’t find anything wrong other than the tip of the blade isn’t quite straight or centered

Interesting comparison. I have 2 older Camillus Pilot Survival and a 499 MOD. The Ontario 499 MOD has much lower fit and finish standard. It’s basically unusable. I tried to sharpen it on a Wicked Edge. I gave up after a while. The primary bevel is wonky and very thick making it difficult to sharpen the secondary edge. The handle also way off with oddly placed grooves. It’s as if they had a bunch of undeliverable issue blades and used them as trainers for new employees to grind, sand and finish. The sheath is much lower quality. The snaps are plastic not metal. The metal on the back and tip is noticeable thinner and the stitching is coming undone. I do like the no fuller and non sharp clip. I probably got a lemon. 🤷‍♂️.

Well done.

Isn't one of the reasons that the Blade comes with a Parkerized Finish, is so they're not only protected, but Non-Reflective so that the enemy doesn't see a flashing reflective glint...

I payed 18 at the BX for an Ontario in 1987.

The 499 MOD's blade is from the current Ontario ASEK....sans rubber handle.

Alot of the guys discarded the sharing stone and replaced it with a Big lighter

It's almost like the 499 Mod is a last ditch edition

when it comes to sheaths as a former paratrooper we 100 mph tape secured it to our lbe . when you step out in prop wash you for sure throw away both and get a real sheath

Cool

Hey Tobias I just sent this to a buddy in Ohio who sent me an article on Curtis LeMay I think this is the one where you talk about LeMay

If you were doing something to draw the attention of law enforcement they they look at the edges on your knife, you have bigger things to worry about.

The main reason I really want to own this knife I simply because this is the real-life Rambo Knife, sorry but its true, yes I know the Randal model 18 is also a valid candidate, but this one is the real deal, granted I will attempt to get myself a far better custom made bull leather sheath, with Arkansas sharpening wet stone, now all I need is M16/AR15 CAR15 XM Commando and I am good to go! :D Still, this would be something I'd keep on my person when driving, I've seen too many times people doing stupid things behind the wheel, would try and have small first aid kitt with it too,

eu gosto é das duas . isto é se eu pudesse né!

I just received my 499 mod Air force survival knife. After watching your review of the 499/499mod I noticed right off the bat that the top of the leather handle was NOT off center like your knife you used in your video, also, the date and manufactures name is stamped clearly on the knife. Quite possibly your knife was overlooked by the QC department???.

The 499 MOD is simply a dumbed down version for big box stores.

Unfortunately, Ontario "quality control" went to hell and they sell knives in which the guards are so loose that they actually rattle when shaken. The stacked leather handles will eventually delaminate.I have real doubts the newer knives are made in the US. All negativity aside, Thanks for your review, Mr. Gibson and all the best.

Has anyone ever successfully sharpened a knife on one of those tiny stones that come with cheap survival knifes lol I feel like I tried alot and never actually got it to do anything but dull

Is this knife actually deployed currently in the military?

My 499 Mod looks a lot more expensive than it was after I gave the sheath and handle a whole lot of leather lotion.

I've owned at least half dozen of these 499 mods from Walmart. They are better in my opinion. These knives baton wood with minimum effort.. They're stronger then any other knife you'd get at Walmart.. It's legit and not not being sold there

What kind of tang do they have, Sir? Hope it's not a rat tail. 🤔

Wir bekommen in Deutschland nur das helle Messer. Die Qualität vom Ledergriff, nach Fotos , ist teils grausam.

:;thanks ur very match™

I have a 498M modified Marine Combat Knife. I may look for a 499M to accompany it. Now that OKC is out of business, they may become collectable.

Made in usa it's beautyfull geometry and quality

HANDS DOWN...499! I WILL GLADLY PAY THE EXTRA CASH FOR ALL USA MADE KNIFE/SHEATH!!🇺🇸

This knife looks cool but is ground uneven, dull and costs 84 Euros new on amazon germany lol. I got it gifted from my brother who worked at a military base and its quite shitty. A 15 Euros Mora Companion is a lot more knife for the money. My 499 has a thumbgroove and a sharpened swedge, but has the bright leather, weird.

$15 can buy a Mora knife

Just find one in a pawnshop

Oddly, Ontario's Rat series which is way more complex and clearly better made, fit + finish and function. And they are not made in the USA. Seems we did this to ourselves. A large RAT perhaps a better choice that doesn't offend people.

what is your life worth rough for a reason.

Helluf alotta complaining and nitpicking for a surplus $20 survival knife

Equal leather and structure of made in usa on model FOX combat Maniago. China blaaaaahhhh.