Help w/ a new chopper

[SPXTrader]

Not sure if "bought" is the correct term or not, but they are in an "agreement" to have Ontario manufacture and sell the Ranger line. Hope for them it doesn't turn out like it did with RAT.

 

[Elen]

First, I don't own a Ranger, so I can't speak from personal experience. I'll leave this one to the people that own one.

As for the RTAK, I wouldn't buy anything from Ontario. Ever. Read this thread and you may agree.

As for the comment on the superior warranty of the Ranger, I'd have to ask how it compares to Kershaw's no-hassle lifetime warranty and free sharpening. And in my experience with the Outcast, the D2 does real well in taking impacts. Several 4 inch hardwoods have been "impacted" on the farm with nothing more than the desired results. To me, that's what a chopper is supposed to do.

And the Outcast is just a little more than half the price of the Ranger.

Yes, that whole Ontario vs RAT thing was interesting, to say the least. I try not to let such things affect my preferences too much, though - a knife is either good or isn't, regardless of who makes it and how they behave. Some people, of course, choose otherwise - I've no problem with that.

As for the warranty, although I have not used Kershaw's warranty, according to Kershaw themselves their warranty excludes damaged caused by "abuse":

Limited Lifetime Warranty
Kershaw products are guaranteed for the lifetime of the original owner to be free of defects when received from the factory. Any product we find to be defective in its original material, construction, or workmanship will be repaired or replaced with the same item or one of equal value at no charge. (Of course, normal wear, abuse such as prying with the knife, or neglect are excluded from this non-transferable warranty.)

Ranger Knives, on the other hands, has a "no questions asked" warranty - Justin doesn't care if you pried car doors with the knife or not, if you broke it, he'll fix it for you. Free sharpening, I believe, is included. Whether this is important is up to the person considering purchase - personally, I like a no questions asked type of warranty. It does inspire confidence. So, in this sense, Ranger Knives has the superior warranty, at least technically - I suppose it's not superior if one doesn't care whether or not the warranty covers loosely defined "abuse" or not.

Now, I'm not knocking the Outcast in favour of the RD9 at all. The RD9 is a pretty rough type of knife, aesthetically at least. Not intended to look good at all. While D2 isn't the most brittle of steels, it's not among the toughest, either - the 5160 used in RD9s is far tougher. On the other hand, D2 is much more resistant to corrosion. In impact work, the former quality is much more important than the latter, though. I'm not saying one can't use a D2 blade for impact work, but I will say that I would rather use something tougher, especially when working on frozen, knotty wood.

Well, that's my reasoning for preferring the RD9. Of course, I forgot to mention that Justin is simply a great guy to deal with. :thumbup:

 

[SPXTrader]

I can tell you that Kershaw will bend over backwards to please a customer when it comes to CS and warranty claims. There have been many documented cases here on BF where Kershaw has covered knives that technically shouldn't have been based on their printed terms. This goes so far as to cover some that were slam worn out, screws stripped, tips broken, and when sent in, a new knife was returned to the owner. I can't personally speak of their CS, because I've never had a problem with any of my Kershaws. But it is interesting that Kershaw will send replacement parts to a customer if desired, and opening and tinkering with a folder, AO or not, will not void the warranty. The ZT fixed blades (0100 and 0121) will be replaced free even if you break the knife in half.

My problem with Ontario is that they were/are making knives inferior to Jeff and Mike's standards, and still using RAT's name and logo on them. Well, if enough problems are encountered, it effects the good name of RAT, Jeff and Mike.

Justin is a great guy and makes a fine knife. My concern would be what quality you will get with the Ranger name on it when manufactured by Ontario. Also, the issue of warranty coverage comes into play as well. So with only the history of the RAT - Ontario information, I'd still stay away from anything made by Ontario.

Now, if you could get a Ranger made by Justin prior to Ontario's involvement in the manufacturing, that's an entirely different story! :thumbup:

 

[robicon]

Not sure if "bought" is the correct term or not, but they are in an "agreement" to have Ontario manufacture and sell the Ranger line. Hope for them it doesn't turn out like it did with RAT.

After speaking to Justin on the phone, I believe he said he sold his company to Ontario.

ETA: I'd choose the RD9 fro mthe three listed.

Of any, I'd take the Busse FFBM

 

[Blop]

an axe or a machete

OK, i am not the edc man (every day chopping man) but depending on the objekt, this answer seems pretty correct to me.

What do i know?

Well before christmas i go getting a christmas tree. Therefor an axe does the best job for me if it is not a saw.

After christmas machetes did the best job for me. I used to sharpen one for a friend of mine and give it a try. It went through the old tree with a single blow. I count this on its length and thin shape.

Choppers mean a compromise between those two to me.

Correct me with own experiences please.