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Turtle Man or Heavy Hunter?

Recently purchased two Economy fixed blade hunters. (Both made in China) The first was the Turtle Man Lightning (TM 002) the other a Rough Rider Heavy Hunter Series Sidewinder (RR 1349)

The Sidewinder currently sells at $22.99. (It debuted at $16.99). The Lightning goes for slightly less at $19.99

Both are currently sold out so both are exceedingly popular. After playing around with both for a few days, I have to say, I prefer the Lightning, primarily because it feel more comfortable in the hand and it is easier to get out of the sheath.

Specs	Lightning	Sidewinder
Maker	Turtle Man (SMKW)	Rough Rider (SMKW)
Made in	SMKW’s China Factory	SMKW’s China Factory
Model Number	TM002	RR1349
Blade Steel	440C	440a
Tang	Full	Full
Blade length	4.5 in	5 in
Thickness	1/8	3/16
Blade width	1 1/8	1 ¼ in
Overall all length	8 7/8 in	10 in.
Handle Material	Pakkawood	Polished Wood
Sheath	Nylon & Faux-Leather	Nylon & Faux-Leather
Rivets	Brass	Brass
Guard	Nickel Silver	Nickel Silver
Pommel	N/A	Nickel Silver
Lanyard Hole	Brass Pin	N/A

As the chart shows, the Turtle man Lighting is almost a full inch smaller that the Heavy Hunter Side Winder. The blade is also ½ inch shorter, with less width and thickness. However it is 440c compared to 440a. Both blades came razor sharp with a nice hollow grind.

The Sidewinder is currently a knife that is on a traveling tour within the Rough Rider Group on iKC. We have already seen how it was possible to cut down a three inch sapling with the five inch blade. The most I’ve done with the Lightning was use it as wedge to split a 2X4 and cut some frozen pork and chicken with it.

Both seem to be good solid knives worth the asking price. I suspect the sidewinder with its thicker, tougher blade might be slightly better in the batoning department. However, the deep finger grooved handle makes it hard to change your grip.

The thumb rest along the spine of the Turtle Man Lightning make it extremely easy to place an index finger or thumb on the spine for stability and control during fine detail work. Also the Loveless Style handle makes for a very comfortable grip. Plus the handle has a lanyard hole which comes in handy for people who like to use a lanyard.

The sheath on the Turtle Man Lightning is made of the same nylon and imitation leather used in the Heavy Hunter Series. It also has a simple plastic insert and wide belt loop. The securing strap holds the knife in place by securing the guard. I find this the best type of strap as it doesn’t interfere too much with drawing the knife. It has a single strap on the back which might have been added for horizontal carry, however unless you add another strap it probably would be an epic fail. On the plus side, the sheath has an extra wide belt loop which is more than wide enough for an web belt (3 inches)

The Heavy Hunter Series sheaths also have the wide belt loop (not quite as wide as the Lightning) and features a wrap around design the protects the knife’s handle. The sheath also has two loops which make horizontal carry possible. They also provide the potential for MOLLE type attachments. Of course, if you’re left handed (as I am) this wrap around feature only makes it that more difficult to draw the knife.

In the case of both knives, you will find they rattle a certain amount inside the plastic inserts inside the sheaths. I have found this to be a common problem with nylon sheaths with plastic inserts.

If you’re looking for an economy priced hunter both are worth the asking price. They are well made and will get the job done. The rest will come down to your personal preference in blade geometry and ease of grip.

Turtle Man Lighting

Heavy Hunter Sidewinder

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Comment by Tobias Gibson on November 13, 2013 at 17:42: Charles, pilots don't jump out of perfectly good planes. Matter fact the plane needs to be falling apart and burning up before they'll jump! Now as for a reason to jump from a perfectly good plane: I usually go with "so you can be where the enemy least expects you for the purpose of killing them so they don't kill you"

Comment by Tobias Gibson on November 13, 2013 at 17:36: Howard is right about the location of OKC. The company moved at some point during its history. The ASEK is sort of new take on an old school blade. I prefer stacked leather. And 100 mile and hour tape makes any knife jump certified.

Featured Comment by Charles Sample on November 13, 2013 at 17:31: I never did see any reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane! LOL

Comment by Howard P Reynolds on November 13, 2013 at 17:28: Hahahaha. Think how hard it is to get oil out of castors, Tobias! Thanks for the background on Ontario. When I visited Ontario Knives a couple years ago the factory was in Franklinville, NY, Cattaraugus County.

I don't know ifin I want one of them new ASEKs. They sho is ugly, and at my age I ain't gonna be jumpin out of a C-130 and cuttin chute cords with the tool.

Comment by Tobias Gibson on November 13, 2013 at 12:09: Howard, as for the beeswax, that is a question for someone else. I've been real happy using Mink Oil. Been using it well over 30 years and it seems to have been fine by me. I'm sure others will argue the contrary.

The only problem is getting the oil out of the mink. Their feisty little fellas.

Comment by Tobias Gibson on November 13, 2013 at 11:56: Ken and Howard, The Ontario is made for the US Military. Mine indeed has the month/Year of manufacture as well as OKC stemped into the pommel

The new version is known as the ASEK. The Ontario Knife Company is located in Naples, New York. It takes it name from Ontario County, New York. They have been around since 1889. At one time they also owned Queen Cutlery. After the demise of the Camillus, they took over the military contract. (They had made also had previous military contracts but were normally overshadowed by other knife makers.) The also own the Old Hickory line of kitchen/agricultural knives.

ASEK stands for Aircrew Survival Egress Knife. The pomel/grip/guard are molded from one piece of high impact insulated FRN handle. The saw blade will cut through aluminum siding or acrylic glass. The pommel cap is also a glass breaker. The sharpening stone was replaced with a belt cutter with a diamond impregnated sharpening rod. The sheath has thigh straps is jump certified and is Molle compatible.

Comment by Howard P Reynolds on November 13, 2013 at 10:57: Oh, hey, is the number stamped into the side of the butt of the Ontario AF Survival knife the month and year of manufacture?

Comment by Howard P Reynolds on November 13, 2013 at 10:48: AF Survival Knife: Hint: (to those who don't have one) You will break the small, included, sharpening stone soon after you begin using the knife, but DMT makes small (2.75") "stones" that will fit the pocket. But, only one "stone" will fit so you have to choose only one grit to have with the knife.

My question: I occasionally use Red Wing Boot Oil on the stacked leather handle to keep the stacked leather from drying out. Should I melt some beeswax into the leather instead?

Comment by Ken Spielvogel on November 13, 2013 at 10:40: OK, yes I remember your experiment. It is a nice looking knife. I am going to SMKW next month and may just get one.

Those AF Survival knives all look a lot alike.