If you could only own one RAT...

I like a knife that I can carry and not really know it's there. My preferred carry is horizontal in the small of my back. Obvioulsy the Izula is about the ideal solution for that. The RC-4 tucks in nicely in that carry mode as well. The longer the knife is you start having the handle sticking out past my side and it then catches on every single thing you pass by. The RC-4 is blade enough to handle anything I can think of, and it's compact enough to work in my preferred carry method.

I'm just one of those people that can't stand a down the leg vertical carry. Nothing against the 6 in any way. Just that for me the 5 is more than I want to on person carry, so I have it MOLLE latched to the side of my pack.

Even if I did carry vertical, I'm not the exactly a skinny guy, the 6 sheath system with the handle being above the belt line would rub a hole in my spare tire and no one likes a flat.
 
Cpl Punishment said:
Question for the guys who picked the RC-4: why did you pick it over the 6? The 6 has the same thickness, so it's just as good a slicer, a bit bigger for the heavier chores, and not enough heavier to matter. Is it all due to laws limiting what you can carry at Wal*Mart, or is there a more practical reason?
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Good question, and my short answer is, "I like fixed knives with four-inch blades." ;)

For my purposes, those "heavier chores" don't happen often enough to justify more than what the RC-4 does for me. On the other hand, my choice of the RC-4 over the RC-3 (at the time) lines up better with what I think you're suggesting.
 
Still, I don't get something.
The whole range of RC knives, starting with the Izula and ending with the RC-6 but without the RC-5, would cover everything you might need.
So why buy an RC-5?

Ya, an emergency knife?
In a survival situation you would be better of using the RC-6 for its chopping capabilities.
And guys like pilots, who maybe would need to use the glassbreaking capabilty of the knife just get a knife from the army rigt?






I know one reason: Its friggin' awesome:D
Btw, I didn't stop me, I love it!
 
I used my 4 last year to butcher bears. More manageable than the 6. I haven't had to baton yet (lightweight portable saw on me) so who needs a 6? I dropped my BK-9 from my pack-too heavy.
 
Hornady said:
Still, I don't get something.
The whole range of RC knives, starting with the Izula and ending with the RC-6 but without the RC-5, would cover everything you might need.
So why buy an RC-5?

Ya, an emergency knife?
In a survival situation you would be better of using the RC-6 for its chopping capabilities.
And guys like pilots, who maybe would need to use the glassbreaking capabilty of the knife just get a knife from the army rigt?








I know one reason: Its friggin' awesome:D
Btw, I didn't stop me, I love it!
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Yup, I fought the temptation for quite a while but now I have a 5 and I love it.:D
 
My first RAT was the RC6. I dont mind the size and it works exceptoonaly well for most tasks, just wish it had a sheath similar to the RC5. Plus it doesn't carry very well horizontal so it doesn't get EDC duty.

Then I picked up the RC4. Nearly perfect in size and design. This knife grows on ya from the first use and just keeps on doing so. The blade is right in my ideal size range for general utility. And the great sheath makes it fantastic for horizontal carry. So it became my EDC blade.

The rC5 has become my kit/platform knife. It has been turned into a fairly comprehensive survival kit. It cuts even better now that I convexed the edge.
 
Rc-4 its big enough to take a lot of abuse but not ridiculously large to feel odd in the hands when useing
 
wildmike said:
My first RAT was the RC6. I dont mind the size and it works exceptoonaly well for most tasks, just wish it had a sheath similar to the RC5. Plus it doesn't carry very well horizontal so it doesn't get EDC duty.
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Not to try to persuade you from the RC4. . .
Get a large Spec Ops combat Master or Survival sheath (gives you the sheath like the RC5), rig the paracord to go across the back of the sheath instead of along the sides, and it carries pretty well horizontally. IMO it works best carried SOB because of the knife length. Spec Ops also sells a modular sheath, which is just the Combat Master with PALS loops where the pouch usually is, yo put your own pouch on, or leave pouchless, if you want.
 
wildmike said:
The rC5 has become my kit/platform knife. It has been turned into a fairly comprehensive survival kit. It cuts even better now that I convexed the edge.
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Detour (aka hijack)
wildmike, did you convex the edge yourself? If so what method did you use?? I have thought about convexing a couple of my RAT's, but I don't have the machinery and would be forced to do so free hand. Start with a low grit and work up...

Back on track... Just one RAT.... I am making this a shtf scenario in my mind, so I would say the 5.
 
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