Buck Vantage Pro vs Spyderco tenacious vs Ontario rat 2 vs other

I have a vantage select the blade wasn't centered out of the box but a small pivot adjustment fixed that. The lock up is great and it flips OK but it slices like no tomorrow
 
Personally I would go with the vantage. I have had 5 all up and all but one have been great fit and finish wise.
Matt
 
Owned two of these, a Vantage and a Tenacious.

I recommend you read more reviews on the Vantage at various knife retailers, the quality is hit or miss. Plenty of complaints about blade centering and ill fitting scales. My experience mirrors these reviews (cue Buck fanboi flame).

On the other hand the China made Tenacious build quality is spot on. The blade opens and closes smoothly, it came centered, and the flat grind blade is a great slicer. Now 8cr13mov is not super steel like S30V (I also own two S30V Spyderco knives) by a long shot, but it's not bad. It will hold a edge decently well and just takes a few swipes on my Lansky rod sharpener to get the razor edge back.

I don't own a Rat 1 or 2 but have read nothing but good reviews on these.

I would recommend two other knives, Kershaw Blur (blems on Kershaw Guy dot com are $42 for a quality US made knife) and Real Steel E77 ($25 knife that performs like a $50+ knife).
 
I've owned the Tenacious and the Vantage. Of those two I prefer the Tenacious because it's smoother with better lockup and centering. I'm interested in the Rat2 but I'm waiting for them to release a D2 version like they did with the full size. As someone else mentioned the Kershaw Link is very nice for the money and made in the US. It's an assisted opener.
 
Spyderco Tenacious is a hell of a knife for the price. The RAT 1 is equally good (RAT 2 is just smaller, depending on what you prefer).

Plus they come in a variety of colors if black is not your thing.

(If I had to choose one, it'd be the Tenacious).
 
All are good choices, As others have said Vantage is the way to go. My son has one & really likes it. You are a boy scout so is he, in fact he got his EAGLE and has is court of honor tomorrow. His buck will be in his pocket
 
Out of those 3 I would recommend the Tenacious. The value line Spydercos are all very high quality knives to start out with. Just because the Buck says that it has a "better" steel doesn't mean anything. There's more to steels than just shaping it into a blade and slapping it on a knife. a company like Spyderco or Benchmade would have a much higher quality of S30v than Buck does. So I would find it hard to believe that the Buck would out perform the Tenacious by much if any.

another great option would be to throw an additional $10 on your budget and get a Spyderco Delica. You can find them on Amazon for right around $60 and that knife with its VG10 steel will run circles around the others on your list. Just a suggestion but I think in this case it's definitely worth the extra money to get a much higher quality blade.
 
IMHO id go with the Tenacious. It's a great budget blade. Bucks QC has been missing lately, I had a vantage for a week, had to warranty it, they sent a new one, sent it back for a trade in. Had massive problems with the lock up.
 
Of those you mentioned, the Buck is a great knife but you need to inspect each one to get one that is perfect. The Spydercos are normally spot on. I would, however, like to mention two knives you probably have not thought about. I mention these because of camping and rough use.

First, I would take a hard look at the Cold Steel Mini Recon or Recon 1 in the now discontinued AUS8 steel. You can find these at bargain prices, they cut very well, and are near indestructible. (I know, I have the Mini, and I have a lot of higher end knives and I will put this knife up against any of them and it will beat them).

Second, the new Cold Steel Pro Lite looks pretty good, but it is new so I have no experience with it. I know it will be up to the task in your price range.
 
Hi Yodasko,

As a former Life Scout and J.A.S.M. It's great to see there are still Scouts. I have owned both the Vantage Pro and the Ontario Rat II, and they have both been favorites of mine for many years.

I cant say much about the spyderco, since I haven't owned one.

I lost my original Vantage pro back in 2011 and recently ordered a new one after going through lots of other knifes. The Fit and Finish on the newer designed Vantage Pro I received toady is on par with my Benchmade mini-grip (and the Ontario Rat II), and the new way they do the scales makes it much more comfortable than the older ones. Everything is lined up and smoothed. I will be using the Vantage as my city/office carry knife.

You can't go wrong with any of them, but I would recommend the Ontario Rat II to you for a few reasons.
  • The Rat II is the least expensive one to abuse and maybe lose in the woods.
  • With that said, the Rat II is an incredible value for it's price, and it has amazing fit and finish.
  • The Flat Grind on the Rat II gives it better performance in bushcraft (esp wood carving) than the Vantage.
  • The Rat II was designed by a bushcrafter to be a bushcaft-style EDC knife. It works safely, efficiently, and comfortably for things like shaving tinder, making traps, throwing sparks, and cleaning fish.
  • The AUS 8 on the Rat II is heat treated very hard, but it is still easier to sharpen than the buck's S30V

Those are the reasons I often use my Ontario for chores on my farmstead and leave the nicer ones for city use.
 
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I own them all and couldn't agree more with TXoutback. His remarks and assessment is dead on. He left out the tenacious which in my opinion is third anyway in what you would want as a scout.


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The fact that your researching knives tells me that at some point in your life you will have owned all three of the knives. I would go with the spyderco first just because it looks the coolest in my opinion. Until you start using lots of different blades you really can't have a good idea of what you are going to like the best. All three of those knives are great blades and you can't go wrong with any of them.
 
I forgot to mention.. the Rat II has a nice lanyard hole just right for some bright orange paracord!
 
I have all three and like them all. The Vantage Pro is my favorite carry knife of the three.
 
A single Spyderco Tenacious is what started my knife addiction and subsequent slow fall into certain poverty.

I still use that original Tenacious every single day, it's my work knife, and it's awesome.

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Yodasko said:
I will be using this knife for camping and sometimes food prep.
Click to expand...

I prefer the Tenacious over any other knife in my collection for food prep. Was pretty sharp out of box too, so might not have to worry about that. Definitely my favorite sub $50 knife. IMHO however, just from what I know from the other two, I'm not sure it's your best choice if you're looking at harder use. Not too familiar with Buck's S30V, but simply comparing steel to steel, it should prove superior to 8cr13MoV. Simply not being a FFG, the Buck appears it would hold up better. Depends on what use you'll be trying to get out of it.
 
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