Ontario Randall Knives.... Anyone have any experience with the Rats with D2?

Marion David Poff

Marion David Poff

Joined
Oct 8, 1998
Messages
5,403
Howdy,

I am considering a couple of the Ontario Rats in D2....

Any experience with Ontario's D2 heat treat?

Any chipping?

It makes no sense to me, but I read someone who thought that you couldn't baton D2?

Makes no sense to me, but maybe the Ontario heat treat is off?

Anyway, anything you can add, would be appreciated.

Marion
 
Thanks for that perspective. I am familiar with the history. And Jeff and Mike still endorse the fixed blades that Ontario makes.

Any experience with the Ontario D2?
 
Sorry, I should have been more specific. I wasn't saying that because of what went on between RAT and Ontario, Its just that RAT makes a higher quality product. And for batoning and other hard use, I believe most people will reccomend 1095 over D2.

That being said, I have done a lot of reading on RAT products before and after they left Ontario and I have never heard anyone complain about the D2 chipping, but thats not to say it hasn't happened. Hope this helps.
 
the edge on my Ontario D-2 RAT-3 was horrible...:thumbdn: it was all off.. i had on for a while, needless to say, it didn't stick around for long...

i would definately go with the RAT knives...:thumbup:
 
RC knives are much better. Much better. I really dont think RAT endorses ontarios products anymore either, as none of them are covered by RATs warranty anymore. The only Ontario I would ever consider is the RTAK. Dylside seems to love his.

If you want a bulletproof knife, with a no questions asked warranty that is as good as gold, go RC. QC on ontario products is hit or miss anymore.

My 2 cents.


Edit to add- My wife has family from where you live. Gorgeous country, you are lucky!!
 
I have zero experience with the D2 version, but

Marion David Poff said:
I am familiar with the history. And Jeff and Mike still endorse the fixed blades that Ontario makes.
Click to expand...

That really is not true..


R.A.T. said:
The thing is, we don't want to get to them. We simply want them to leave us alone and quit making knives with our name, logo and likeness on them. Again, we wish them the best when it comes to the knife industry...we really do but quit trying to steal our marks and threatening us with legal action when we all we were trying to do is the right thing. Ontario never once tried get us to re-sign a contract after it was over with in April 2007. It was almost like they didn't care if the RAT team wanted to make knives or not. Then when we get our own thing going they come after us? Go figure.
Click to expand...
 
I seem to remember someone breaking a D2 model a while back. Who was that? Took a big half moon chunk out of the blade......


Thanks for posting that quote Tony, it speaks volumes.
 
I've got two Ontario RAT-3 knives I got as factory seconds because the 'Made in USA' mark was off and the scale covered some of it. They were both D2 and each was just $20! A deal no matter what you think of the company.

They both had some pretty obtuse edge angles and I spent a considerable amount of time bringing them back and sharpening them up. They are now very sharp and stay that way for a long time. I don't subject my knives to a lot of abuse so take it with a grain of salt. I do recall Cliff Stamp (?) breaking a Dozier D2 blade on his website and maybe that's what made people hesitant to use it, especially on bigger knives. I cut with my knives and don't often baton. If you're a knife abuser, maybe sticking with a tougher steel would be a good idea.
 
No problem bro:thumbup:

Sorry I couldn't be of more help with your original question.

I did have a RAT 5 in 1095 which I liked and had nice grinds to it, but I sold it because the handles were just too big for my liking.
 
I love my RAT 7, but it was bought before all the troubles. 1095 is a better choice for that kind of work. D2 is great steel, but it's so hard that you risk breaking it. 1095 is a better choice in a chopper/knife you plan to baton. However, Ontario's QC on tempering in their RAT line has been spotty as of late, from what I've been told.

I still say go with RAT. Higher quality and a kick ass guarantee. If I have the money at tax time I'm seriously thinking about an RC5 SERE.

Go to RC...you won't be sorry, I promise.
 
Go with RAT. I love my RC-3. It has done everything I've asked of it. I have the orange micarta scales on mine and I'm probably going to add an Izula to my kit.
 
I have a Ontario RAT-3 in D2. Used it extensively for deer season this year. Edge was a bit thick, but it stays sharp for a long time I have batoned with it, used it for food prep and other general tasks. No edge issues that I can see. I am in the process of saving for a RC-3 in Blaze Orange/OD. It's not that I don't like the RAT-3, I bought it long before the troubles between Jeff/Mike and Ontario. I simply like the Blaze orange option and after spending time on the RAT Cutlery sub-forum, very impressed by how they do business. If you want to try my D2, I'll send it to you once I get my RC-3. In fairness though, that might not be for a while:(
 
Thanks guys....

I am probably just going to get the Rat 3 with Blaze Orange, like you BenchmadeBoy.

Sometimes you want something, and try to justify it.... But, if you have to justify it, you probably shouldn't get it.
 
That's the spirit! In truth, I could buy that RC-3 tonight. As much as I want it, I just can't justify getting another knife right now. My trusty RAT-3 will have to do for now.:o
 
The sheath system that comes with the RC-3 is great. I use the molle-loks to quickly and securely move it between my Maxpedition bags. The orange/green combo is pretty intense, so it would be difficult to lose.
 
I do kydex, so I will probably put a blaze orange or red kydex sheath to it.....

That should be bright enough to wake up the neighbours.....

And with a Pink Izula, maybe a lime green sheath????
 
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