While being very knowledgeable of the backwoods (Hunting, Tracking, Wild Edibles and Survival) I spend most of my time in the urban environments. There are a wide range of training exercises, just like the outdoors, that we can study for the Urban experience. Knowledge of gang activity and locations, self defense, etc. all play a vital roll in urban survival. One tool I will not do without in backwoods or city is a good knife. This is a mini review of the Extrema Ratio RAO. I have been using this knife for only a few hours today and have really begun to torture it. Received in a trade, the RAO really impressed me out of the box. Now I thought the CS triad lock was tough. While it is large, the RAO can withstand high impacts for penetration. I was able to penetrate nearly halfway through a phone book and 3/4" into a 2x4. What makes this one so tough is a pin that is inserted into the finger gaurd. The pin is threaded. This gives the knife the extra security and strength near to that of a fixed blade. Batonning red oak at 4" in diameter was effortless. After these three tests the pin remained in tact and undamaged. Still no blade play at all and the tip was still sharp enough to chisel with. I also did some chopping on red oak. It took a while due to the fact there is not enough weight to follow through with, but it did hold up to the chopping. Not heavy by any means. My tests were enough to convince me of the strength that this knife induces. I truly believe this beast can handle any urban survival situation. Wouldn't say this knife cannot handle some good glass breaking and rescue situations as well. The RAO slices well too. Shaving feather sticks was just as easy as any other knife. Over time we'll see how the edge maintains. The extra pin really makes a difference. In fact, it makes you not afraid to beat the hell out of a folder. #1 in my book for urban survival. This is my choice for the "You can only pick one knife" disaster threads.
