-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/
are rat cutlery rc3s goood for bushcraft
- Thread starter benchmadebob
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2008
- Messages
- 9,491
Don't get me wrong, I love my RC-3, but I don't think a choil is neccessary on a smaller knife. Just my personal prefference.
I'm kinda with tonym on the "i could do without the choil" opinion.
I've been looking at these for a long time and i think i'd have bought a Rat by now except for the choil.
I have knives with choils, i can live with it but given a choice i'd rather go choil-less, especially on knives with blades under 7 inches.
I'll probably buy one anyway (lol
) but maybe if i wait long enough they will offer them sans choil.- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 7,021
Thanks baldtaco II. Maybe I won't make you puke after all.
Doc
Doc
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2006
- Messages
- 4,012
Mah pleasure amigo
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
- Messages
- 9,786
I definitely don't have the patience to do the wonderful job that XMP did with his. But like he did, I just started with 220 grit sandpaper at a wearmark and moved it out from there, progressing to 800 grit. It took about 40 minutes to do. I didn't pull off the slabs and left the tang coated for its protective value. I do notice that the blade requires more maintenance when stripped. I flip flop between shiny and patina blade often, choosing to force a patina onto the blade when I know I'm going to be gone for several days at at time.
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2005
- Messages
- 1,836
I have been wanting to add a RAT or two to my collection for a while now, and was just looking at both the RC-3 and RC-4 with the OD blade/Blaze Orange handles. I like the idea of the blaze orange micrarta handles for a survival knife (I already own a couple Bark Rivers like that) although I admit the low vis blade/high vis handle combo does strike me as rather schizophrenic.
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 7,021
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2006
- Messages
- 7,035
although I admit the low vis blade/high vis handle combo does strike me as rather schizophrenic.
The Orange handle was chosen for visibility, the OD blade coating was chosen because, well, because it LOOKS GOOD.
- Joined
- May 12, 2008
- Messages
- 756
Also if if it was black and orange it would be hollowinish
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2005
- Messages
- 1,836
I have not handled one in person, but the RC-3 and RC-4 both have those "Textured Powder Coated Blade " blades, right? The couple examples of those I have actually seen have looked... well bad IMO. Really cheap and rough and probably adding a lot of blade drag during slicing. If they have to have a dark finish (which I actually think they could do without) then I prefer a smoother Zinc Phosphate or something with a similar non-textured surface.The Orange handle was chosen for visibility, the OD blade coating was chosen because, well, because it LOOKS GOOD.
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
- Messages
- 9,786
Actually the coating is flattened and rather slick. I don't agree that it interfers with slicing, but it does prevent sparks off a ferro-rod. The RC coating is really quite tough and you have to go at it to get the coating off - unlike the phosphate based coating that rub off if you look at it with an evil thought in your head. All coatings do wear over time though, particularly when batoning. I was intent on keeping mine until I build a pronounced wear spot. Here was my blade before I took the coating off.
Part of me regrets that decision in all truth. I have an RC-6 on order and I don't think I'll be scrambling to remove the coating, even when it begins showing its wear.
Part of me regrets that decision in all truth. I have an RC-6 on order and I don't think I'll be scrambling to remove the coating, even when it begins showing its wear.
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 7,021
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2005
- Messages
- 1,836
Just looking at the photo you posted it appears just as rough and unattractive as the other examples of powder coated blades I have seen (like someone took a can of Krylon and spray painted it), and of course in a using knife, it mars up (as you photo also shows) which makes it evern more unattractive.
Honestly, though, its a matter of taste. I may not like the look, but some peope (like you!) obviously do.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2006
- Messages
- 4,012
Just looking at the photo you posted it appears just as rough and unattractive as the other examples of powder coated blades I have seen (like someone took a can of Krylon and spray painted it), and of course in a using knife, it mars up (as you photo also shows) which makes it evern more unattractive.
Honestly, though, its a matter of taste. I may not like the look, but some peope (like you!) obviously do.
Yeah, I think paint looking finishes are revolting. If it were mine I'd have to strip it. I'd be happy enough to finish it with cold bluing. I know it doesn't have the same degree of resilience as hot bluing but it works well enough on my choppers. It makes for a nicer wear pattern than any paint. I also like the fact that when it gets too worn you can just go over it with more and some wire wool.
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
- Messages
- 9,786
Why, pray tell, before I start?
Doc
Doc one of the reasons I bought the RC-4 was to have my 'bombproof', beater, survival knife. With the coating, it was completely maintenance free. Stick it in the sheath wet - who cares, next time I cut something it will scrap that rust off the edge easily.
Now I have to be more careful with it. The first time I took it on a trip all shiney, I would wipe it (usually just with my shirt or something) before sheathing it. Admittedly I was on the boat, and after a while everything on your body is wet, so wiping it down just spreads the water around. So it was getting rust fuzz and pits nightly that I would endevour to scrub off with a green scrubby. I don't mind the light rust fuzz, but I don't like seeing rust spot/pits forming. So I was performing much more maintenance than I liked.
By day 2, I ended up cutting up one of my firestraws and rubbing the PJC on the blade to give it an oil coating. This worked well for the next couple of days. The next trip I went on, I forced a patina on it. This worked well, making the knife much more rust resistant but still not nearly as good as the coating. I've also taken to carrying an oil rag in a ziplock in my bag to give the knife a wipe down from time to time. Every once in a while I get tired of the patina look and after sharpening, I'll buff up the blade to get it shiney again. Feels like I have a nice new knife and that is kind of fun.
However, I didn't buy this blade to be pretty. I didn't buy this knife to be a super sharp cutter. I bought it to be a bomb proof survival blade and I realized after the fact that I compromised its bomb proofness somewhat by removing the excellent coating it originally had.