3/16" performance on a 4" blade?

T

THE BARON

Joined
Aug 18, 2006
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164
Woohoo!

Placed an order for my very first RAT (RC-4) yesterday with The Knife Connection and am very anxious to see its arrival at my door :D. That being said, I have to say I felt a little bit apprehensive (and still do I might add) about the RC-4's blade thickness. The 3/16" thickness will cetainly be nice and tough but is the extra thickness really necessary on a 4" blade.

Please don't get me wrong here, I'm sure I'm going to love this blade but I'm just wondering if a 1/8" thick blade would perform better than the 3/16"?

I'd love to hear what you old RATs have to comment on this... In all your honesty.

Thank you friends,
B
 
Depends on what you plan on using it for.

It's a pretty wide blade and a full flat grind, giving it pretty good geometry.

It is pretty thick frankly, but it's still one of my favorite "only one" style blades.
 
If I'm correct, there are some knives with similar length blades that are even thicker by Fallkniven, Bark River, Cold Steel, etc. To me the RC-4 thickness seems like the perfect compromise. I've found it slices tomatoes quite well if that's an indication.
 
Its a full flat ground so I wouldn't be apprehensive. The izula (sub 3 inch) is 3/16th and nobody complains about that.
 
Just basic everyday cutting purposes... whittling wood, opening boxes/bags/etc, cleaning small/med game, camp chores. Will be used in the bush (camping/hunting) approx 90% of the time.

No intentions for batoning wood (waste of time in my opinion).

I like a sturdy sharp knife that feels good in my hand.
 
I have an RC-4 and just love it!!

I use it as a "bushcraft" knife, around camp, etc.

Using it and holding it, the blade and weight just feel right for a knife of its size. To me, it feels just right for the bushcraft role.

I even whittled part of a wood chain with it a couple weeks ago!
 
I found that convexing the edge helped with cutting performance. I'm with the OP that I'd jump all over an RC-4 in 1/8" and while we are at it, tack on 0.25" extra handle - perfection!
 
I'm liking 1/8" blades right now too. That being said, I have a 4" Swamp Rat in 3/16" steel and it performs just fine. If you like to baton then the 3/16" is really nice.
 
I don't mind the thickness on my 3 inch HEST at all because the edge geometry, that 20 degree flat grind, is still so sharp it doesn't matter that the stock is thick.
 
I like blades thicker, unless its' sole purpose is for cutting food. Otherwise, a little bit thicker is always a plus in my eyes.
 
Munky88 said:
Its a full flat ground so I wouldn't be apprehensive. The izula (sub 3 inch) is 3/16th and nobody complains about that.
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No it isn't.

It is .156. Still a hefty little bugger, but there is quite a difference.
 
I use my rc 4 for camping. And I use it for battoning and it works just fine. I usually bring wood that's mostly split and use the rc 4 to get it down to 1-3 inch thick pieces. It can take a pounding.
 
My RC4 is my EDC knife. I use that tjhing for just about everything imaginable. I did convex the edge on mine so now it is an even better cutter than originaly, but that is just my personal preference. Due to the full height grind the extra thickness doesn't detract from the knifes performance in any way. They really nailed it when they designed the RC4. I have forund it to be just about the ideal knife.
 
THE BARON said:
Just basic everyday cutting purposes... whittling wood, opening boxes/bags/etc, cleaning small/med game, camp chores. Will be used in the bush (camping/hunting) approx 90% of the time.

No intentions for batoning wood (waste of time in my opinion).

I like a sturdy sharp knife that feels good in my hand.
Click to expand...

You'll be A-OK ! :D The RC4 can handle those task with ease.
 
its a little thick but its nice and tough. I use it for carving and such as well as for camp chores and it works great. Not my favorite kitchen knife though=P
 
Grats on your new RAT!

3/16ths doesn't limit the 4 inch blade at all thanks to it's design/grind (at least for what I've been using it for). The only task it lacks in for me is chopping but I didn't buy the RC 4 because I expected a good chopper.

I expected a great quality do-just-about-everything blade and that's exactly what I got.

I'm sure it will eat anything you throw at at!
 
Thanks for your purchase!

The RC-4 was designed as a compact knife with a 4" blade. You will find that the blade thickness is not a detriment & for some uses it is a benefit. It is a compact knife that will do a ton of work. You made a great choice!:thumbup:
 
Ditto on the below and Welcome to the Party. RC-4 is my very favorite knife. It's comfortable, balanced, feels like a natural extension of your hand and can do just about anything you ask of it. But thats just me talking. See for yourself when the UPS guy comes bearing gifts.

No knife is all around perfect in every way. But IMO, the RC-4 is Damn Close.
 
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