F1 or RC3?

I carry both knives and they have plusses and minuses.

You have it from Jeff--Fallknivens are top shelf. Fallkniven have convex grind, which I love and rubber handles, which I hate. (that is why I did 100 of them with BRKT handles...)

As to the steel. VG10 is excellent and holds an edge better than the RC, but it has the tradeoff--it is not as easy to sharpen.

The RC knives were designed to go into the field and not come out. You can beat them to death and they will not chip, can be sharpened easily in the field. RC has standard micarta handles that are far and away superior (IMO) to the thermorun rubber ones on Fallkniven.

Sheathing--Fallkniven comes with a leather sheath (though I am not a fan of the full cover sheath) and RC comes with an extremely versitile and well thought out molded plastic sheath.

Warranty--Both knives should not need warranty work, but RC wins hands down here. Fallkniven is a 1 year warranty that does not cover abuse. RC warranty is no questions, no BS, they will fix or replace it whatever you do to it.

I love both knives. They are very different. I don't think you will go wrong with either.
 
okbohn said:
I carry both knives and they have plusses and minuses.

You have it from Jeff--Fallknivens are top shelf. Fallkniven have convex grind, which I love and rubber handles, which I hate. (that is why I did 100 of them with BRKT handles...)

As to the steel. VG10 is excellent and holds an edge better than the RC, but it has the tradeoff--it is not as easy to sharpen.

The RC knives were designed to go into the field and not come out. You can beat them to death and they will not chip, can be sharpened easily in the field. RC has standard micarta handles that are far and away superior (IMO) to the thermorun rubber ones on Fallkniven.

Sheathing--Fallkniven comes with a leather sheath (though I am not a fan of the full cover sheath) and RC comes with an extremely versitile and well thought out molded plastic sheath.

Warranty--Both knives should not need warranty work, but RC wins hands down here. Fallkniven is a 1 year warranty that does not cover abuse. RC warranty is no questions, no BS, they will fix or replace it whatever you do to it.

I love both knives. They are very different. I don't think you will go wrong with either.
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WELL SAID:thumbup:

I had both, I still have my RC3 AND 4:thumbup:
 
Quapaw said:
So now VG-10 is super-steel and 1095 is relegated to the scrapheap of history, eh?
If it's newer and cost more it must be better. :rolleyes:

I'm sure the F1 is a fine knife. But I would trust my life to my RAT. Can't say that about a Falkniven.
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That's pure argumentum ex stercore tauri.

I described the design and the materials, at no point did I name the Fallkniven steel, much less claimed it was a “super-steel”. Things are relative. I'm sure the RC3 is a good knife, but the F1 is better. No scrapheaps need apply.

As for “If it's newer and cost more it must be better.”, that's a strawman fabricated entirely in your own imagination. The RC3 is 1.428877769836 times as expensive for me to buy. It would be silly for me to make such a claim.

The original poster asked for opinions. I expressed one. It is not important to me that you believe what I believe, but I'm sure the forum would run smoother if you didn't just make stuff up.
 
Rat knives have a stellar reputation.I don't think you'll go wrong with either.
I own an F1 and really love it.I carry my S1 more and I have a Bravo-1 on the way that I look foward to putting through it's paces soon.
 
I have both, and use both. As has been mentioned earlier, both are excellent blades. The RC3 is easier to sharpen, and IMHO has a better handle. I personally also like the choil on the RC3, but I am probably in the minority there. All that being said, I tend to carry the F1 more often because I have a chest sheath that rides comfortably between my pack straps that keeps the blade instantly available as well as secure. If I had one for the RC3, I would probably lean more towards it for it's thinner cross section, and.....yes.....the choil. I carry a diamond paddle sharpener so ease of sharpening isn't really an issue for me.
 
eventually you will get both, it's just a matter of deciding which one to buy first...
 
You are soo right. I have over 40 Fallknivens, mostly F1s and I have been looking at the RAT 3/4 too. Just to have something to compare with.

I have not tried any RAT3/4s yet but to me it seems that they are of equal quality. When people ask for "the ultimate survival knife" I usually give them three companies to choose from, Fallkniven (F1, S1), RAT (3, 4) or Bark River (a whole bunch).
I guess all the the knives are "best", but not necessarily at the same place.
In the arctic environments, where the F1 and S1 are developed, they probably win. In the subtropic jungle, where the RAT knives are tested, they probably win and the barkies win in the big forests up north.
I know you guys like micarta, G10 and tangs that can be seen all around the knife. That might be fun and dandy in a warmer climate, but when everything is frozen, you dont want to have your hands on cold steel.

I dont really like the choil or the RAT3, but I might get over it.
 
Just to be flat honest about it, making a knife with slab handles (where the tang can be seen all the way around) is more economical and easier when doing Micarta, so that's the reason it's usually done that way. Some folks might tell you otherwise and have some reasoning to it, but for the most part it boils down to economics and ease of manufacture.
 
R.A.T. said:
I think the F1 is as good of bush knife as there is. I would probably choose it over our own knife if that was my only reason for carrying a knife. It all boils down to what you like and want. Same with choils and serrations. BTW: serrations are an option on our knives, not mandatory. Also, the RC-3's sheath system is much more suited to the guy who wears a MOLLE vest, or for the user who wants to carry concealed. I love the F1. Used one for years in the bush and would bet my life on it. Like I said, I would probably choose it over or knife for a bush knife. They still make it in VG-10? Yet another reason to own the Fallkniven. VG10 steel rocks!

Jeff
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This is a complete side note, but I have been looking at RAT 3 knives for quite some time now. Your response just pushed me over the edge. Not because I think that RAT knives are the end all be all, but more so because I want to support a company that has people working for it that give such an honest answer. Heck I'd like to work for a company like that. If you ever need an international sales guy- let me know! I'm bilingual, use to live with the Embra in Panama, and I have done business all over the Americas.
 
Thanks for the comment.

Just be sure you look at the right company: RAT Cutlery Company. We build the RC line (RC-3, RC-4, etc.) We DO NOT build the RAT-3, RAT-7, RAT-5, RTAK, etc. even though those are our designs.

Our lawyer asked us to put this up on our web site to avoid any confusion:

RAT only guarantees and offers customer service on knives built by RAT Cutlery Company and does not guarantee or offer any customer service for knives that are manufactured by any other company, regardless of the misuse of our trademarks.

We might just talk at you some day on some international stuff since you are bilingual and have experience in that area.

Thanks again,

Jeff
 
R.A.T. said:
Thanks for the comment.

Just be sure you look at the right company: RAT Cutlery Company. We build the RC line (RC-3, RC-4, etc.) We DO NOT build the RAT-3, RAT-7, RAT-5, RTAK, etc. even though those are our designs.

Our lawyer asked us to put this up on our web site to avoid any confusion:

RAT only guarantees and offers customer service on knives built by RAT Cutlery Company and does not guarantee or offer any customer service for knives that are manufactured by any other company, regardless of the misuse of our trademarks.

We might just talk at you some day on some international stuff since you are bilingual and have experience in that area.

Thanks again,

Jeff
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I'd love it!
 
And as a side note to the side note, we make a good knife, but so does Fallkniven, KaBar, SOG, TOPS, Al Mar and a whole lot of other companies that we fully endorse and support. We don't feel we are in competition with anyone in this market and consider most all of the other companies very good friends of ours. It all just depends on what you're looking for in a knife on who you buy from because there are honorable folks and great knives in most all of these companies..
 
F1 hands down. Better quality, better steel for the intended purposes of a small knife.
 
I will say that Rat Cutlery are great folks. You can read it here, or in their waranty, and I met them at Blade Show, and it showed there too.
 
ilbruche said:
I'd say the F1. The convex edge on the Fallkniven is only rivaled by BRKT knives.

Not to say the RAT isn't good....I just prefer a convex edge over a flat grind.
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Totally agree with this statement.:thumbup: I don't own a RAT and I like a lot of their smaller knives but on the ones I've handled the V grind just doesn't make for as efficient a cutter as the convex. I also find a convex way easier to sharpen than anything with a v grind.
 
hollowdweller said:
Totally agree with this statement.:thumbup: I don't own a RAT and I like a lot of their smaller knives but on the ones I've handled the V grind just doesn't make for as efficient a cutter as the convex. I also find a convex way easier to sharpen than anything with a v grind.
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So, HD, what about an RC-3 with a convex grind? It's on my list.

Doc
 
I've owned both. I prefer the F1 so I sold the RAT 3. You will not be disappointed with a F1 if that is your choice.
 
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