Gift for son: Ontario Rat 1 vs Spyderco Tenacious

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drifts1

Joined
Dec 17, 2010
Messages
34
A lil background first. About a year ago my son bought a S&W Extreme Ops $5 special at Big 5 :jerkit: I did not say anything negative because I was just happy he recognized the need for a cutting tool and took the initiative of buying it on his own as oppossed to asking me. After almost a year now the clip has snapped off and he repaired it the best he could but the screws are falling out and the handles are now loose. He uses his knife all the time at work and occasional outside of work. He has a birthday coming up in May so I thought I would get him a better knife. Since he isnt a knife nut I wont bother getting anything too exotic or expensive. I've narrowed it down too either the Rat 1 or Spydie Tenacious. I'm going with those two due to price, good reviews & they have 4-way clip positions(he's a lefty ). Oh, he prefers the combo edge as he uses the serrations quite a bit, I have no problem with that as I find combo-edges very useful & wont try to convince him otherwise.

Which would you suggest and why?
 
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Don't mean to be "not helpful" but I'd get both. They both are great inexpensive useful knives. I have both myself and can list equal pros on each knife. I use both for work on different days.

I own more expensive knives that may (or may not) have better steel but both knives are terrific in my book for work related tasks:thumbup:

Get both and let him pick the one he likes---or both:D You just wont go wrong with either one.

Sorry for not being able to pick a clear cut winner:)

Paul
 
Don't have the Tenecious, but have two Rat-1s, one plain edge, one combo edge, I think the serration on the Rat-1 is very cool looking and functional, I'm also gonna give the combo edge Rat-1 to a friend as a gift, I think it'll serve him very well. I also suggest you take a look at the new Ontario Utilitac II, I think it's a little better made than the Rat-1, and of course a litter more expensive.
 
Actually you were very helpful, think I will buy both! Let him use 1 for a month then the other for a month. Afterwhich he can pick the one he likes more. Meanwhile I'll do same and get the keep the one he didnt pick :D

I would appreciate more input, good or bad. Thanks.
 
You can also look into the spyderco persistence...slightly smaller than the tenacious. I have a persistence and love it. You really can't go wrong with the cheaper spydies for the $$. I've never tried a rat 1 so I can't say much but I am considering ordering one to try out. You can also look at the kabar dozier which is also a great deal.
 
I really like the Tenacious, but thats mostly based on my inability to use thumbstuds easily when my hands are cold and wet. That said, if I had about $35 to spend on a knife, I'd be taking a look at what Kershaw has as well, the Tenacious is a lot of blade for the money though, and some people sure do love the RAT 1, so really you can't go wrong with either, I'm just suggesting you take a look at what Kershaw might have out there.

Just some models to google:
chill, scamp, clash, oso sweet, blitz, volt 2

those are just the one's that are comparable to the RAT 1 or Tenacious, and under 26 bucks.
 
buy both, let him choose then keep whichever one he didnt want lol :thumbup: :D

i prefer the rat1 over the tenacious
 
I have both and if I could only keep one it would be the tenacious ,I love both but thats just me. I think both are great knives but the fit and finish on the tenacious is better but not by a ton and I think the tenacious holds an edge better and is more ergonomic to my hand . l also I have a small problem with the little hook area at the choil on the rat1 catching on things as I cut. I hope this helped.
 
Wow! Now i'm excited about which one i'm gonna end up with! B-day is not till May but maybe I could give him one in March, the second in April and he can pick on his birthday in May. It's his birthday, but I cant wait! And theres no guilt attached :)
 
Make sure you consider the overall design and overall knife profile. Along with materials used for the scales, liners, pivot washers, blade steel, lock mechanism, blade profile, overall knife profile and style, weight, etc. All the physical aspects of a knife versus what need you have for it. That's pretty much it. The hard part is that many MFG's spec competitive knives in their lineup and the differences can be obscure and hard to discern. Anywhere from false to misleading and everything in between.

I'm simply amazed at what our favorite MFG's are cranking out for <$50. It blows me away when you think about some of the tanks being offered with the biggest compromise only being high end blade steel versus medium but good EDC steel.

I don't want to get into a "where it's made" debate though . . .

drifts1 said:
Wow! Now i'm excited about which one i'm gonna end up with! B-day is not till May but maybe I could give him one in March, the second in April and he can pick on his birthday in May. It's his birthday, but I cant wait! And theres no guilt attached :)
Click to expand...
 
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Don't know if you've made the purchase yet, but "in my experience" I much prefer the Rat 1 for two simple reasons.
Edge retention and safety of the blade. The tenacious has the blade all the way down to the handle making a little more prone to cutting the handler, especially if new to knives.
I unfortunately had two people cut their fingers while closing the blade due to the blade choil (or lack of) coming too close tho the thumb. But probably the thing that just made me give mine away was the edge retention. I hated sharpening it almost every night after some light cardboard cutting at work, where the Rat 1 wouldn't need it for a week.
Once again this is what my experience was with the two.
Good luck on your decision!

For the most, I agree with most of this review. Just my .02
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9T-NwSBqPE

Spyderco-Tenacious-20080606-07.jpg


VS
images
 
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trugracie said:
Don't know if you've made the purchase yet, but "in my experience" I much prefer the Rat 1 for two simple reasons.
Edge retention and safety of the blade. The tenacious has the blade all the way down to the handle making a little more prone to cutting the handler, especially if new to knives.
I unfortunately had two people cut their fingers while closing the blade due to the blade choil (or lack of) coming too close tho the thumb.(snip)
Click to expand...

This, quoted above. Other than that they are very comparable, but a work knife needs to be safe as much as it needs to be robust. The Rat-1 is safer than the Tenacious, IMO.
 
Offering up another solution, albeit serration-less. Kershaw Skylines seem to impress quite a few people. You may also be able to find the lower end leek in combo edge. Another option is the delica 4 which I recently saw on yourcornerstore for around 45 bucks.
 
I would say go for a kershaw blur. They can usually be found at around 35 or more if you want to go a step up in steel. I just got one, and despite mine being the 440a model it is sharp as a razor, and hasn't needed to be resharpened since i got it, even after being used to cut everything from cardboard to tin, to being used as a screwdriver. If you were going to choose between only those two options, I couldn't really give you good advice because I don't own either, however, I have never had anything bad from spyderco. Good luck, and awesome gift. I didn't get my first knife until I was 18, and I bought it myself.
 
I'll tell ya...that Rat-1 is one heck of a knife. Built like a tank. Popular with the troops over in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is cheap, uses a pretty darned good steel, AUS-8, comes sharp and strops up as sharp as a Mora, four position clip. I have one. I am getting my boy one. He's a big time garden and landscape man and he has a fix bladed Mora that he carries around to trim bushes and whatnot. He needs a folder that he can tuck away because the suburbanites think his nice little Mora is kind of scary I guess.

I am a big Spyrderco fan, don't get me wrong, but the Rat-1 is maybe the best value in tough folders right now.
 
i own the Rat 1 and i think its freakin awesome, worth way more than the price tag that comes on it, and also i know it wasnt one of your choices, but i also own the reselience, slightly larger than the tenacious, but it is also a fantastic knife for the price, about the same as the rat one. you cant go wrong either direction you go though.
 
Between the two, it's up to the individual's preference. They are both similar in build material, blade profile and quality. I prefer thumb holes so that would be my reason for picking the Tenacious. Also the handle is shaped such that there's little chance of accidental cuts despite the lack of a finger choil. I also prefer a lighter knife but others seem to want a little heft in their knives. Again, a personal choice.

You have 2 good knives to pick from so you won't go wrong in any case. :)
 
RAT 1 is way, way better than Tenacious. It's pricepoint could be higher. I think, RAT is the way to go...
 
I ownboth knives, and as everyone else can attest, theyare great knives for the money, and both are easy to recommend. The one thing that would lead me to another recommendation, the fact he's a LEFTY. Linerlocks aren't impossible for a lefty, but you might consider a lockback like a Delica/Endura. With your choices so far, you really can't go wrong.
 
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