Extrema Ratio RAO Video Test Completed No Destruction

[noss4]

I Decided to test out the tip on the RAO and see just what it could do. I Was able to dig a hole all the way through a 2x4. No tip damage occurred during this. I used my palm to pound on the butt of the handle to dig the tip in and help get the job done faster. The knife is very solid for this type of work. The tip acts like a chisel digging it's way in. It is defiantly a working tip on the RAO. Very nice strong, sharp design.

The videos are in three Parts posted at www.knifetests.com

Enjoy

 

[5inbali]

I Decided to test out the tip on the RAO and see just what it could do. I Was able to dig a hole all the way through a 2x4. No tip damage occurred during this.

That knife seem great!
But I'm wondering about how that tip would perform in a defense situation since the tip angle seem a bit too wide (may be just my impression), so while very robust and reliable on hard material like wood or phonebook it may not be suited penetrating with sufficient ease in flesh (I'm thinking to test like the ones from ColdSteel on hanged chops of meat) or worser, elastic and resilient vests like military ones or even heavy clothes, leather, jeans etc...

I mean, I know that a military knife is intended to be more a tool than a wepon except from Applegate-like ones, however would the RAO design prove to be effective as last resort option or would it require the units equipped with it to carry a second knife for reliable defense, taking additional space and weight?

I know in advance that two knives designd to fit at best different specification of use is better than one.. but this is not the point of my question, I'm just wondering how would a knife of such desgn be used in a combat situation, out of the specs of the design (or may be not the case and the specs foreseen also combat usage?), or if it would not be used:
1) The gladius like tip is quite fearsome, but it's large and IMHO penetrating through an heavy jacket would spread the force in a such large area that only more powerful strikes would result effective, or I'm wrong about that?
In this case the soldier would probably not be confident in using it in sabergrip, losing a lot in terms of reach and speed and relying only in powerful jet very predictable stabs.
2) Probably due the weight near to 350 gr. it could be also impressive in slashing/chopping, widening the arsenal of possible use in combat and so reducing the predictability of the user... but being it very short if compared to a kukri or machete would it risk to not reach the angular speed to be used effectively in that way, or I'm wrong also on this aspect?

I'm not intending to criticize this knife since being it primarily a tool it seem it has proven designed in the best way to meet the specification 185°RAO asked, but since it is so unconventional in design (expecially the tip) if compared to other knives I'm wondering how would it perform out of it's specification, as for defense that was certainly one of the "specification" knives was designed for since neolithic ages...

 

[HoB]

I am not sure, but this seems to be more a question for the SD forum.

While I do not think that your post was poorly worded at all, I will admit that I wince every time I read a statement of this kind.

as for defense that was certainly one of the "specification" knives was designed for since neolithic ages...

This is the type of prejudice that is at the root of increasingly stricter knife laws.

To the point (no pun intended), your viewpoint is quite interesting, considering you often read the reverse argument, that a lot of tips are to fragile for stabbing. In fact, I am pretty sure that this tip was designed with the idea in mind that it would withstand repeated heavy stabs. Although it does invoke a funny picture in my mind: "STOP, HOLD, you are not allowed to attack until I have threaded the pin into the lock of my knife..... .....alright, now I am ready....".

But seriously, I don't think it would be fair to compare the RAO against a fixed blade with a bladelength any longer than the RAO's. It seems pointless to compare the capabilities of a 5" folder against those of a 15" machete.

 

[Hammer27]

I wouldn't turn to this as a SD knife if it was my first choice. I think ER designed this from the ground up as utility especially when one looks at their other designs (fixed and most folding) and how they are excellent for SD.

 

[noss4]

I don't see the RAO as a fighting knife more of a heavy duty utility blade. I'm not in the military so mine will never see combat action. Just everyday civilian tasks.

 

[5inbali]

Well, my thougt was that if an unit has to be equipped with two specialized knives rather than one it has to double the cost, weight, space, possibility to lose a compromising item in enemy groud etc... so I wondered if RAO alone could cover all possible usage a military unit like a behind the line corp like 185° could be called to respond to during a mission; BTW looking at the photos at Extrema site, the RAO can be carried also with extended blade, so ready for any use.
While the roubustness of the design let me no doubts it can do everithing you can ask to a light camp/tactical tool, I wondered how much it could be fit for SD.
I mean, I see it can hurt bad, but my doubt was if it could be usable with sufficient speed and good thusting/slicing results against softer targets as the aforementioned classic ColdSteel test over meat chops.
My doubt is: the blade geometry with that such wide tips had be designed to provide (also) a robust combat knife to withstand heavy usage against heavy miltary vests, or it had voluntarily sacrificed SD usability (expecially in thusting, except for stronger and more predictable stabs, not exactly fit for a knife fight against a trained opponent) for giving extreme (for a folder) performances as utility a tool?
If the first rather the second scenario is true and the RAO keeps an adequate SD value (for a folder), IMHO it may defeat all other Extrema Ratio heavy folder designs, providing more robustness and smaller cost per unit...

 

[Hammer27]

I think that its better to have a robust blade than a fighting blade 9 times out of 10. Anyone here heard ofLone Survivor? One of the men chronicled in it (Matt Axelson), a Navy SEAL who routinely completed and carried out all kinds of combat missions carried one knife....a Spyderco delica. Seems even those at the tip of the spear know its unlikely they'll have to stab anyone.

http://www.mattaxelson.com/album/afghanistan/hidden room2.html

knife is clipped to the upper left hand side of vest.

 

[5inbali]

This is the type of prejudice that is at the root of increasingly stricter knife laws.

It was not my intention.
Indeed (sorry, it's a bit OT) I think weapon control laws are one of the most pointless kind of law; problems comes from:
people not respecting law, wich will not respecting those laws as they didn't respect other ones, and have no difficulties in buying illegal weapon, even autos and explosives;
people going mad (drug, alchool, just nuts...), which most of times uses the most improvisate device they can find, and there is usually no problem for them to find lethal non-weapons like a car, a stick, a kitchen knife, a garden tool or even bare hands.

Weapon control laws just make more difficult / costly / restrictive (i.e. no firearm zones, no knives zones) for citizens to have weapons or even tools providing a minimum deterrent effect, like knives; at same time really dangerous people will not be affected, and have honest citizens offered unarmed like fish in a barrel... not good IMHO!

 

[Stubai]

Looks like one beefy, tough folder.