Ontario RAT knives

[Tim357]

Anybody have one? Comments, concerns, complaints, compliments? I'd be interested to hear how they perform.

[Hickory]

Never heard of her.

[GhostHawk]

Ontario Knife Company is I believe who is making "Old Hickory" knives these days.

The "Rats" look a bit over priced to me, probably the Molle compatable sheath driving costs up. Steel is steel. Question is how badly do you want one, and what will you use it for?

[sparkyv]

Very good knives, good value, good quality. I have the ESSE folder version in D2. No real complaints.

[Tim357]

I have the RAT 5, a gift from my son. It's rather large, more so than any of my others, however it is not a hunting knife. I think it's niche is a camp knife. I like 1095, my favorite knife steel. I don't really care for the black coating, however that won't remain for long. I do not care for the sheath even a little bit, so I ordered a Kydex number for it. It seems a worthy blade so far. It is now sharpened to hair popping sharp. It remains to be seen how well it holds up. Gonna give it a go next weekend.
Thx for the replies.
Tim sends

[Tim357]

After a weeknd in the desert I learned a few things. Clearly this would be a poor hunting knife. It may work ok as a skinner, but as a general hunting knife it's too stinkin big. The blade is a sort of gentle clip point so the tip, while sharp for slicing, is not really suited to piercing. A guy could make do gutting a deer, but there are better knives out there for processing game.
You can use it to split wood for the fire, but an axe is superior. It will prep wood for a fire starting bundle quite handily. Knives are made for cutting, not chopping.
It works ok for cutting meat, but it's a mite thick for that as well. The kydex sheath I bought is much superior to the nylon one that came with it. I do like it, as it rides high, and has a belt attachment that opens on a hinge so you don't have to unbuckle your belt.
I'll be taking it on my forays the rest of the year. Perhaps I'll find its niche.

[Bazoo]

I've not owned any of the rat knives, but I've had a few ontarios. They are real good quality, but like you said not especially suited to game processing. More of a survival knife. You can remove their blade coating with paint stripper. You can also make it less grabby by sanding it with some 400 grit paper and oil.

I like the size of the rat 3, the blade is thinner and it's more light.

I'd like a buck 679, similar to the 192 I have. The 192 has a weak spot at the blade tang and is known to break blades off if used to chop firewood. Other than that I love it. I use it as a knife not an axe, but knowing it's limitations might save both me and the knife if I'm ever way out and lost without my axe. Course I don't venture far without my hatchet or axe.

[NWPilgrim]

I don’t understand the thick, big “camp knife” idea. To me a camp knife should be handy for cleaning fish or small game, cutting up potatoes or other food, shaving knots off a walking stick. I like the Moras, smaller Bucks, and the like in the 3”-5” range with thinner blades than the “camp” knives. For handling firewood I would be taking a small saw, hatchet or machete depending on terrain and brush/trees.

[GhostHawk]

NWPilgrim well said IMO, and I agree. Don't bring a knife to do a saw's/axes job.

Even a lightweight tomahawk will do a better job of processing firewood. Especially if it is sharp and kept that way.

[Bazoo]

I've often thought that a 12" Ontario machete would be a much better survival knife that all those that are touted as such. A nice thin 1095 spring steel blade is good for many tasks.

[Tim357]

An update: Somewhere along the way a chip came out of the blade just in front of the choil. It's about the size of a half of a dime. Contacted Ontario Knife Company. Sent a photo, they replaced it. I recommend this company. They stand behind their product.

[Outpost75]

I have a smaller RAT3 in my EDC which I have found entirely adequate for most field chores, as I also carry a hatchet and a Fiscars woodzig folding saw for heavier work. Quality is good for the price, and the smaller knife is more useful for general use.

[Bazoo]

I've had them send replacement plastic handles for my US machete at no cost. I've had good luck out of all things Ontario.

[truckjohn]

I got one of the RAT 3 D2 Limited Hunters.

After I got it in hand - I didn't think I would like the handle shape, blade shape, and lack of a guard as much as I do now that I have used it on a deer. It really does feel great in hand and is NOT slippery at all with blood, guts, and fat soaked hands.

Conversely - I thought the D2 would perform better than it did....The factory edge was sort of dull - So I sharpened it up good. It finally took a razor edge. Then I used on a deer.... About halfway through - the edge just suddenly went from sharp to dull. I powered through the rest of the deer and finally finished it up.

I have resharpened it twice since then. That first time was a beast. And it still seems to be a bit chippy in use. Hopefully it gets better after a few more resharpenings. I really want it to be better as I like the feel of the knife in hand.

[sniper]

I have a RAT II, which I like very much.