New to RTAK II comments?

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Loosearrow

Joined
Apr 14, 2008
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A friend owns a pawn shop and he had a RTAK II by Ontario. It was a massive blade in my hands. The knife appeared new and in good shape. The price was right, so I threw down my birthday money and took it home. Before I got it home, I was driving down the road and thought to mess with it. It drew first blood. The heavy knife slid out of the sheath like butter. I went for a grab and it cut my thumb. No complaints here. I will have to heat the plastic liner or glue in a piece of leather or felt to create some drag on the knife. It is a large beast. I have a BK2 and thought I needed another toy. I am aware of the differences between ESSE and Ontario. The partnership had to have some value to put these knives on the market. I guess I am looking for comments in general about this knife. I suppose if I am carrying this in my pack I won't pack a hatchet. I have used a kukri with good results but wanted to experience a large cutter. Regards
 
it's a good blade - the handle is a bit chunky and there are issues with sheath retention, but I'm sure you're well aware of that by now. :)
use it, enjoy it! (and don't hesitate to sand/file the handle to better fit your hand)

Oh, yeah - which part of ks and which pawn shop? Some good deals to be found in them places!
 
I want one really bad, i'm trying to decide if it's a good next purchase. I might save my money for Blade show, though.
 
I really liked mine. I regret selling it, but I didn't have much use for it. So it had to go
 
1066vik said:
it's a good blade - the handle is a bit chunky and there are issues with sheath retention, but I'm sure you're well aware of that by now. :)
use it, enjoy it! (and don't hesitate to sand/file the handle to better fit your hand)

Oh, yeah - which part of ks and which pawn shop? Some good deals to be found in them places!
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Thanks for the reply. Pawn shop is Penguin Pawn, in Overland Park or Lexexa, across the street matters in that area. I couldn't believe how quick it cut me. Massive blade sliding out quickly and the normal reaction is to catch it. Wrong move. Maybe I should pour gun powder in the cut and light it! I thought it was an interesting blade. It's like looking for the lost chord in music. Just doesn't exist. Years ago a sodbuster or 110 worked great. Now the toys are more expensive. I think the RATKII will replace my modified 12 inch machete. Upgrade? In price for sure. The problem is getting rid of the items I am upgrading. I think I am a blade horder. Regards
 
Jarhead? I was in the crotch 70-74. Sometimes it hard to justify the purchases. I suppose if we just try them out and can bring ourselves to the point of letting them go for a decent price we can try them all out. If I had posed the question on the forum, when I went back it might have been gone. I had my rat hole birthday money so I took a chance. Should have put a quote to USMC 2017. Still getting familiar with the upgrades on this forum.
 
Loosearrow said:
Thanks for the reply. Pawn shop is Penguin Pawn, in Overland Park or Lexexa, across the street matters in that area. I couldn't believe how quick it cut me. Massive blade sliding out quickly and the normal reaction is to catch it. Wrong move. Maybe I should pour gun powder in the cut and light it! I thought it was an interesting blade. It's like looking for the lost chord in music. Just doesn't exist. Years ago a sodbuster or 110 worked great. Now the toys are more expensive. I think the RATKII will replace my modified 12 inch machete. Upgrade? In price for sure. The problem is getting rid of the items I am upgrading. I think I am a blade horder. Regards
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cool.
I'll have to check them out one of these days - I work in downtown KC a couple days a week.
if you ever want to do a comparison with the Junglas, let me know and I'll bring it into town with me -- same blade, different handle.
 
It's not a bad blade. AS I am sure you have found out from others comments, the handle and the sheath are the only real downsides to it. The handle is a bit blocky, and the sheath retention is not good.
 
The RTAK II is a slight redesign of the original. A slightly different grind, and a little heavier. The original RTAK was designed by Jeff Randall, and handmade by Newt Livesay. It was designed more for chopping woody plants and vines, and was a favorite of DEA for chopping marijuana in Central and South America. The Ontario models I and II are slightly chunkier in the handle than the handmade version, but that is easily remedied with sandpaper and elbow grease. The II is a little heavier, better for heavy chopping of harder woods, with the same handle problem. I have one of the Livesay handmades, and it is my favorite heavy chopper. My property is mostly trees, and I do a lot of limbing after they are down. Simply slice along the length of the tree, and the branches fall off with little effort. One bit of advice, let the weight of the knife do the work. All in all, a pretty good outdoor knife, and at least as good as the Junglas, or any other factory chopper, for that matter. Good choice.
 
Keep me in mind this summer. I have only met one other forum member since posting. Bought a Vest Pocket Bowie from Bark River from him in Topeka. Might be interesting to swap stories one of these days. Regards.
 
I have read that. Thanks for the confirmation. Seems like the evolution of this knife has had much input from different makers. I think I would have preferred the original by Newt. He seems to put alot of thought into his work. Maybe one day I will have the opportunity to hold one. Seems like this knife is an orphan. I think I will name it "Bad Blood." Cut me good. I will post if I figure out the best way to snug it up in the sheath. I would like to see some leather for this one. I compared it to my modified Ontario machete and it is the same size overall.
 
Loosearrow said:
Keep me in mind this summer. I have only met one other forum member since posting. Bought a Vest Pocket Bowie from Bark River from him in Topeka. Might be interesting to swap stories one of these days. Regards.
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well, since I also work in Topeka, that's pretty easy to meet up in as well - or halfway between in Lawrence.
Drop me a PM or email some time.
 
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