Broken RC-3

wow thats impressive. I weigh in at 216lbs. (just got my RC-3mil.)
seeing this helps be better understand the knifes physicsl limits alot better
I think RC and Rowen might want to look at that knife for QC and R&D, even if you refuse to utalize there warranty,the failure of the knife and a discription of circumstance can only serve to better the quality of future production knives.
 
RATs are not meant to be abused but with that said, we do indeed warranty abuse. Please drop Mike Perrin an email at mike@ratcutlery.com and he will take care of you. No need to send the knife back on this one ;)
 
Our knives are meant to be used in hard, normal use. BUT we also realize shit happens that you do not expect and sometimes in a pinch you might be forced to use a knife for uses it was not intended for. We run into this all the time in South America. Because that is the way the real world is we honor our warranty under most failures. If you want to send the knife back to Rowen we will replace it at no charge. Email me and I will send you a form you can print out and send back with the knife. Mike
mike@ratcutlery.com
 
well, Shuya, your attitude is remarkable, but I have a question: is that yellow spot on the broken tip rust, oxide or what? I guess that if you have a hidden crack in the steel, once you apply some force, that crack becomes a serious faliure point. maybe the original steel bar which turned out to be your knife had a production defect inside...
(the same happened to me... I broke a knife without abusing it, and along the fracture I could see a distinct brown rust spot)
and, as you can see, RAT folks carry on one of the best producer-customer policy I ever had the pleasure of meeting.
 
Nice to see the Rat team responding as per their philosophy. Guys, remember that this is 1/8" thick steel. A full body weight of prying will produce that. It probably would have taken it if the force was distributed further back along the blade but where it snapped suggests that the force was applied to a spot where there wasn't that much metal.

I don't think there was any fault to the knife. It was a wrong part of the knife in the wrong place with the wrong amount of force. Stuff like that happens. Kudos to the OP for posting and giving us a heads up and a great attitude. We all have learned something from this. Kudos to the Rat Cutlery team for their offer. As others have said, if you don't want to send it in, I'm sure you can play with that thing with a really course diamond stone or a file and get it back into a semblance of a knife shape.

Might I suggest going with an RC-4 on your next purchase? You probably won't be able to snap that one....But I'm not trying to instigate a dare either.
 
dilettante said:
I have a question: is that yellow spot on the broken tip rust, oxide or what?
Click to expand...

I don't know much, but first thing that came to mind was differential heat treat. It looks like the yellow is only on the back/spine but I doubt RAT does that(wouldn't it be cost prohibitive?).
 
My guess is that the yellow is pieces of fatwood the OP was trying to pry out. I doubt folks can tell if it is a heat treat issue from looking at a photo. From my recollection, Rowan Manufacturing does not do differential heat treat except for a few exceptions of the prototypes.
 
I agree with those who say file/grind it into a useable form. It's still quite useable as it is, but it could come out really nice if you redid the broken part in some way.:thumbup:
 
A great :thumbup:THANK YOU :thumbup:should go out to Rat & Rowen for their warranty, and keeping their word. As said a million times before, these are great knives from a great company. That’s why I continue to buy Rat knives instead of others, they are stand up guys and generous to boot. Loyalty is my way to say thanks, that’s why I just ordered a RC6 (from Chestnut Ridge, my #8 RC knife). We should honor RC & Rowen by picking a day that everyone would purchase (at least) one RC knife from a distributor, as a way to say thank you. Maybe we could do something like write "RAT-aholic" or "Pied Pipers" on the blade and the date, as a symbol of our loyalty to RC. I don't have a RC3 MIL yet and would love to add one to my collection. Routine purchases I’m sure are appreciated, but to coordinate and make a group buy would be meaningful.
 
kgd said:
My guess is that the yellow is pieces of fatwood the OP was trying to pry out. I doubt folks can tell if it is a heat treat issue from looking at a photo. From my recollection, Rowan Manufacturing does not do differential heat treat except for a few exceptions of the prototypes.
Click to expand...
Thats right. Its fatwood I cant get off the breaking surface.
No heat treat, no miracles - like it is said you cant see it.

Big thanks to RAT. I will contact you.


onado2000 said:
A great :thumbup:THANK YOU :thumbup:should go out to Rat & Rowen for their warranty, and keeping their word. As said a million times before, these are great knives from a great company. That’s why I continue to buy Rat knives instead of others, they are stand up guys and generous to boot. Loyalty is my way to say thanks, that’s why I just ordered a RC6 (from Chestnut Ridge, my #8 RC knife). We should honor RC & Rowen by picking a day that everyone would purchase (at least) one RC knife from a distributor, as a way to say thank you. Maybe we could do something like write "RAT-aholic" or "Pied Pipers" on the blade and the date, as a symbol of our loyalty to RC. I don't have a RC3 MIL yet and would love to add one to my collection. Routine purchases I’m sure are appreciated, but to coordinate and make a group buy would be meaningful.
Click to expand...

So thats what Im going to do ;)
 
Last edited:
Fatwood and knives do not mix very well. Best to use a sledge hammer. This also works for concrete bricks, where some other people like to test knives as well.
 
Mike just told me my new knife is on his way.
Wow...thats really fast.
Big thanks to you, RAT!
 
Companies that care make sense. Hopefully cents as well!
Seeing this is further deterring my ever stepping foot in some supercenter again.
 
So, I just got a RC-3 for my step-son, first RAT knife for the family over here. I know, once I held it I couldn't believe I got it for someone else. I had heard the guarantee was amazing, and now I can see that it's not hype.

My next knife, and probably many others after it will be from RAT. What an outstanding product and a guarantee behind it is just as amazing.

Absolutely amazing.

-John
 
I had a similar break to my ontario rat, Its a quick fix if you have a belt sander or grinder.

Picture355.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top