D2 RAT knives

A

arijer

Joined
Jul 13, 2009
Messages
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Happy new year everyone.

While waiting on the 440c stainless knives to come out I have been surfing the net. I never gave much thought to the old RAT knives from ontario, until I found out that some are in D2. Been kind of thinking of pulling the trigger on a RAT-7 and RAT-3 in D2, if I could find a RTAK in D2 I would already have bought it.

So question, does anyone own one and what are your thoughts on it? Some sites claim D2 is great and I know Dozier uses it for his knives. Never heard a complaint about his knives. But a couple of sites have claimed that it chipps badly and is very brittle. I guess that would depend on the heat treat???? I also read that it is supposedly semi stainless (big + for me in florida).

Thanks and again happy new year to all.
 
well jeff did say that the izula folder will be in D2. but that comes out later this year.
 
I had a TAK from Ontario in D2. Good knife with an excellent blade. Used it for all outdoor stuff, inclusive a whole lot of batoning and never ever had a problem with chipping or brittleness. Gave it as a gift for a friend. Got another TAK in 1095 now.

Got a BM Stryker in D2 too and i can also vouch for the steel there. Havent used it for heavy outdoor use though.

D2 gets the thumbup from me :thumbup: . I have no reservations recommending it og buying a blade in that steel-type.
 
i have a BM nitrous stryker is in D2. it is a good steel. my NS is satin though. i would inly get D2 again if i got it coated.
 
arijer, I have one of the Ontario RAT 7 knives. So far, it has performed flawlessly.
I have beat the dang thing to death. Batoning, hacking, chopping, skinned a few rabbits, used it in the kitchen and cut one pretty big Cottonmouth snake clean in half as the snake hung on to my walking staff.

I like it, yep. :p
 
As I understand it, Ontario is no longer making the D2 RAT knives and they've sold all that's left of their stock to dealers. Some dealers are offering reasonable prices for the D2 RATs. If you're a fan of D2 or a collector, you might consider picking up your favorite size before they're all gone. Workmanship, fit, and finish aren't as nice as the Rat Cutlery knives though. The RAT-3 has a smaller handle than the RC-3 also. The Bob Dozier D2 knives, the Spyderco D2 Military and Paramilitary folders, and the Benchmade D2 Grips and 710's are probably better fan/collector items. I've got a couple of D2 RAT-7 knives and although they both have some cosmetic issues, the basic design of the knife and the inherent qualities of D2 steel make them great cutters and slicers.
 
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Interesting post as I ran into some Ontario RATs over the weekend on a website and was wondering enough to search through old posts for more info.
 
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