If this sounds stupid feel free to tell me that. I love the Rat folders. I carry my Rat II everywhere with me for the last year or year and a half since I got it. The only knife that spends more time with me than my Rat II is my Vic Super Tinker. I also really love the Rat 1 although it is a bigger knife than I usually like for daily carry. I take it camping and hiking when a bigger blade is a better option.
Although the Rat II was become my constant carry knife, I do have one small complaint when compared my previous ideal carry knives. My two favorite EDC knives before I got my Rat II were the large Buck Vantage Select and the Kershaw Whirlwind. Both of those knives have a lot in common with the Rat knives. Both have nylon handle scales over liners with a liner lock. The Whirlwind has nested rather than full liners. Both have a similar blade shape to the Rats with what I would call a "trailing point" tip and a lot of belly. The Rat excels over the other two in blade grind with its full flat grind. It also has a better pocket clip setup. The Whirlwind only allows tip down which I don't prefer and the Vantage's deep carry clip can make it a little difficult to retrieve sometimes. Where the Rat falls "short" of the other two is in length. Both the Whirlwind and the Vantage are 4.5 inches closed with a 3.25 inch blade. For me, this is the ideal carry size for a knife. I don't have overly large hands. My hands are tight in a size medium glove but loose in a large, so I kind of ride the line between the two sizes.
I'd be very interested in seeing a medium-sized Rat that is longer than the Rat II, shorter than the Rat 1, and also retains some of the slimness that makes the Rat II such an easy knife to carry in pocket. I sometimes see posts like this from others and think that an extra size of an existing line is unneeded, but I think the Rat line has to be one of the most profitable folder line-ups on the current market and might justify an additional "medium" size. Also, if you make the new medium sized Rat assisted, it might appease the few people out there who want an assisted Rat II.
Just some thoughts to consider.
Although the Rat II was become my constant carry knife, I do have one small complaint when compared my previous ideal carry knives. My two favorite EDC knives before I got my Rat II were the large Buck Vantage Select and the Kershaw Whirlwind. Both of those knives have a lot in common with the Rat knives. Both have nylon handle scales over liners with a liner lock. The Whirlwind has nested rather than full liners. Both have a similar blade shape to the Rats with what I would call a "trailing point" tip and a lot of belly. The Rat excels over the other two in blade grind with its full flat grind. It also has a better pocket clip setup. The Whirlwind only allows tip down which I don't prefer and the Vantage's deep carry clip can make it a little difficult to retrieve sometimes. Where the Rat falls "short" of the other two is in length. Both the Whirlwind and the Vantage are 4.5 inches closed with a 3.25 inch blade. For me, this is the ideal carry size for a knife. I don't have overly large hands. My hands are tight in a size medium glove but loose in a large, so I kind of ride the line between the two sizes.
I'd be very interested in seeing a medium-sized Rat that is longer than the Rat II, shorter than the Rat 1, and also retains some of the slimness that makes the Rat II such an easy knife to carry in pocket. I sometimes see posts like this from others and think that an extra size of an existing line is unneeded, but I think the Rat line has to be one of the most profitable folder line-ups on the current market and might justify an additional "medium" size. Also, if you make the new medium sized Rat assisted, it might appease the few people out there who want an assisted Rat II.
Just some thoughts to consider.