I had no idea you were a Master. I will tell what's his face so he can stop looking.

As the unit simply says:

Thanks

and apologies for undersized images when seemed plenty big when saving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSwrE-I3MHM

I'm sure the Ontario is a fine blade.

From the turn of last century, until 1960, there was Scagel who was a smith with an eye for wonderful art, one protégé of sorts, Bo Randall, who was a wealthy newspaper family dilettante minding his family's diversification into orange growing in the 1920s/30s who stumbled across Scagel work while vacationing up north. There also was US CAV farrier Rudy Ruana banging out blades for Indian horsebreakers, wanting a knife which could handle frozen winterkill horse carcasses, and later for Montana hunters tired of factory knives falling apart in the middle of nowhere. Randall got into it as a hobby, and when WWII and fame broke out, he had the ability and means to promote, promptly hired workers and a foreman, and his business was born.

But no masters, only guys taking a bar and beating out a blade and grinding to shape, smithing pure and simple, on nrarly a factory level, the Swede O1 making a blade far superior in edge holding to most factory knives.
Ruana probably did more experimenting and had higher performance blades and geometry, frankly, as Randall was a tinkerer, and was nobody who actually was at the forge for a living for very long at all, their blade techniques have not changed essentially since it started, same formulas, single largest change being the electric heat treat oven in early 1950s. To take nothing away, they probably were among the finest knives money could buy into the 1960s. But, masters, not.

Randall has been short of masters of late, couple of years ago, one guy retired with 35yrs, then an unexpected loss of a 20-25yr guy with heart problems, then two or three younger guys up and quit over being treated so well, and in a 12 person biz counting the prez, his son, and lady answering the phone, talent took a real hit, definitely showed in some more recent received knives which never should have gone out the door, in my opinion. 4yr now a 5yr wait and schedule has been slipping for at least a year, and attitude current is "it has our stamp and you WILL like it." I will buy older, currently, but no newer, not until a regime change.

Or maybe it just means gun/knife buyers have short attention spans from instant gratification overdose.

Given the difference on grind/edging between the issue bayonet and this blade, would not be suprised if bargain basement had the issue treatment, but, no real idea, having not laid eyes on one. The more expensive version has everything needed for a stacked leather conversion aside from ordered leather washers and a shop with thin and thick grinder wheels.