Micarta Rat-1 made in China

M

MBG

Joined
May 21, 2020
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167
I ordered one of the new Ontario Rat-1s in micarta. It showed up yesterday and I noticed that these knives are made in China. I don't want to start a political conversation here, but I was surprised since I thought all RAT-1s were made in Taiwan. My initial impression is that the knife seems to be about the same quality as the Taiwan production knives. I know that Chinese knives can be very good, but I probably would have waited for some reviews before purchasing had I know there these aren't made in the same factory as my other RAT-1s.

Are there other RAT-1 models produced in China or is this the first one?

My biggest complaint at this time is that the old Randall's logo looked a lot better, but that is neither here nor there and probably a discussion 10 years too late.
 
I'm seeing a developing trend for companies offering budget low/mid-grade steel folders to be made in China even though the rest of their product line is made domestically.

Becker did this with their BK40 recently as well.

It seems that anything with AUS steel is coming out of China more and more frequently.
 
The country of origin is listed on the vendor's site. OG Rats are Taiwan. That's what gave me pause and decided not to order one.
 
Jarhead Greasemonkey said:
China made RAT has nowhere near the fit and finish of my Taiwan RAT.

Very disappointed.
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The fit and finish of my sacles isn't as good, but I think that has more to do with the materials than the workmanship. I think the FRN scales basically drop out of the mold ready to go, whereas the micarta takes some TLC to get all the fibers cleaned up. The fit and finish of the metal parts seem about equal on mine. Centering is good and action is as expected.
 
MBG said:
Jdottinger got it right, Knifecenter. I didn't say at first because I wasn't sure if they were a sponsored vendor.
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Wow..I did not know there were Rats coming out of China now. My first thought was “uh-oh…someone bought a fake”
 
If your question is on Chinese quality….in general…
Buy or handle a FINCH knife. USA company design but
Made in china, Quality of materials and workmanship is superb and impressive.
 

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Finch... I gotta look them up!
Thanks for the hot tip!
 
I've got to say this about Finch: They sure know how to bulld a pretty knife!
 

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I think Finch is made by Bestech, so they should be pretty well made! I'm kind of a sucker for WE and Kizer but the Finch line looks great. Kizer's amount of milling per $$ made me a fanboy, and Drop got me hooked on WE actions, what can I say.
 
it's quite simple to solve your worry, just check the factory's info on internet, if the factory is a good one, then why worry about the origin?
 
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