Ontario Knife Company continues to drip feed tantalizing screenshots and info about its 2022 releases. The latest model they’ve shown off on social media is the Equinox, a second knife in their newly-established Ti 22 series.
The first Ti 22 model was the Ultrablue. “Ultrablue” was an appropriate name, given that the knife’s defining feature was its vibrant blue anodized titanium scales. It filled a specific niche in OKC’s lineup, offering full front-and-back titanium scales with a $50 price tag. With its 3-inch, ball bearing flipper tanto blade, it was a budget knife for knife nerds. Naturally that budget remit meant a simpler steel, and the Ultrablue came with AUS-8 blade steel. As old as it makes us feel to say, AUS-8 almost feels like a throwback budget steel at this point – but it’s one that still performs quite well in the EDC category the Ultrablue falls into.
Enter the Equinox, which takes the same design and specs as the Ultrablue, but makes cosmetic changes and a notable steel upgrade. The most obvious visual difference is the bronze-hued titanium scales, which contrast nicely with this model’s black-coated blade. The steel beneath that coating is the most notable change between the Equinox and its blue-hued predecessor – and indeed between it and any other knife in OKC’s catalog. OKC is rolling this one out with S35VN, and it will be the only knife in their product line with this super steel. As we’ve said before, S35VN may not be a current-gen superstar anymore, but it’s still a well-regarded recipe, with comprehensive performance that makes no extreme tradeoffs like we see in exotic metallurgy’s upper echelons.
All other design details are the same as we saw on the Ultrablue, from the handle shape, to the flipper deployment, to the insert-bolstered frame lock and fullerized American tanto blade; thus we’ll put this one into the same general EDC category as its budget-conscious brother. And speaking of budget, OKC hasn’t given out the MSRP or release date for the Equionox yet; presumably they’re waiting until SHOT Show next month to reveal those details.
The Equinox is the third new for 2022 OKC reveal so far. In November they showed us the OH-O Machete, a new fixed blade in their Old Hickory line. A second Old Hickory preview came in December, this time for a slipjoint, the first in the Old Hickory series.
Knife in Featured Image: Ontario Knife Company Equinox
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