I know the RAT-3 is technically a Ontario knife, but it's still a RAT knife, that was designed by our own Mike and Jeff. Maybe it's the budget RC-3. 
For those who don't know, Ontario had manufacturing problems for the RAT-3 sometime during summer/fall 07'. The RAT-3 that I ordered in Nov/Oct had an uneven grind, so I had a replacement on the way. Of course, they ceased production of the current line to fix the problem, so 4 months later I receive my new (improved?) RAT-3.
I was sent an invoice a few days earlier that my new RAT-3 would be arriving soon, and I saw that some of the retailers were starting to stock them again, so I knew mines would be home soon.
Anyways, I know everybody wants to see pictures so here they are, plus my initial thoughts. (original is on the left and new is on the right)
Here they are. The new one came with the foliage green sheath, which is nice.
So the first thing 2 things I noticed right away was the writing on the blade and the blade coating. Instead of the words being engraved/stamped, they are now printed on, which I don't like as much as the original. The second thing is the coat is more thick and has a different texture, kinda rough like BBQ paint. Again I like the coat of the original one better, but that's just my personal opinion.
flip side...
Here's the biggest difference in the actual blade itself. The newer one is longer! Not by much, but it's pretty obvious. The second thing is that the tip is thicker.
Last picture.
All in all, I like the look and feel of my original RAT-3 better, but the newer one is a bit longer and thicker at the tip. New, yes. Improved, maybe. My original RAT-3 was the first knife I purchased since I got into knives, so I feel there's this bond between us.
For those who don't know, Ontario had manufacturing problems for the RAT-3 sometime during summer/fall 07'. The RAT-3 that I ordered in Nov/Oct had an uneven grind, so I had a replacement on the way. Of course, they ceased production of the current line to fix the problem, so 4 months later I receive my new (improved?) RAT-3.
I was sent an invoice a few days earlier that my new RAT-3 would be arriving soon, and I saw that some of the retailers were starting to stock them again, so I knew mines would be home soon.
Anyways, I know everybody wants to see pictures so here they are, plus my initial thoughts. (original is on the left and new is on the right)
Here they are. The new one came with the foliage green sheath, which is nice.
So the first thing 2 things I noticed right away was the writing on the blade and the blade coating. Instead of the words being engraved/stamped, they are now printed on, which I don't like as much as the original. The second thing is the coat is more thick and has a different texture, kinda rough like BBQ paint. Again I like the coat of the original one better, but that's just my personal opinion.
flip side...
Here's the biggest difference in the actual blade itself. The newer one is longer! Not by much, but it's pretty obvious. The second thing is that the tip is thicker.
Last picture.
All in all, I like the look and feel of my original RAT-3 better, but the newer one is a bit longer and thicker at the tip. New, yes. Improved, maybe. My original RAT-3 was the first knife I purchased since I got into knives, so I feel there's this bond between us.
