Ontario Ranger RD-9

All I can say is Justin is a first class guy:thumbup: I don't have any of the production blades as all mine are custom from him, but Ontario's production line of his RD-series is a good thing for him and issues need to be brought up to the manufacturer immediately. Let us know how Ontario fixes the problem...

ROCK6
 
RangerJD said:
Sorry to hear that you had an issue! I know the handles were a bit off when they first came out.....it is something that has been corrected and not all the blades are this way.

I did read your other post and as opposed to sanding them some can just be adjusted with the screws.

If you don't want to wait for OKC to fix it contact them and have them send the blade to me and I will take care of it for you. My email was put up by PatriotDan....so if you want contact me and let me know it is inbound and we can talk about what all you would like done to it.
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THis is why I think you are one of the best guys in the knife industry...this little post, here you are...man, you are one of the best. Gene
 
Gingrich is a class act, just bought a RD6 signature from CRKS...have a custom rd7 too, great knives, great maker.
 
I noticed Justin about this thread yesterday at 8, and he wrote here at 10.

I know the kind of manhe is, and knew he would do what he could to make it right. Ranger is HIS name after all.

That's why I'm loyal to Ranger knives.
 
Update: Ontario replaced the knife themselves and within the six month time frame (about two months turn around). It showed up a couple weeks ago and is ripe and fit to be used. It took some doing, but it DID get done!
 
I have a shank on the way, hopefully it is of quality... only costed me 35 bucks and I bought it to mod anyway. She's getting filework jimping and a rough forged patina look, with a new scandi grind, and leather strapping handle wrap.
 
Iboschi said:
Update: Ontario replaced the knife themselves and within the six month time frame (about two months turn around). It showed up a couple weeks ago and is ripe and fit to be used. It took some doing, but it DID get done!
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I'm glad to hear they worked it out for you. Ontario bashing is almost a sport here, so little gets said when things do get corrected.

A few months ago I bought an Ontario RAT7 and the handles weren't exactly flush to the tang. I contacted Chestnut Ridge, and Tom was on the ready for exchange, refund, or anything else I wanted to do. I kept the knife knowing that Tom was in my corner, contacted Ontario myself, and although they told me it would probably take a couple of weeks to get out new scales, I had them in my hands in a week. Painless.

They told me if this didn't resolve the problem, they would tell Chestnut Ridge to take the knife back. Tom even offered to pay for return shipping and shipping for replacement if I wanted an exchange so I wouldn't have to wait on Ontario.

(Chestnut Ridge: :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: )

The knife is better than expected in hard use, and since they made good right away, I was happy. I immediately ordered a another RAT 7 and RAT 5 from Tom.

BTW, In the last 18 months I have received unsatisfactory knives that had much more serious defects from Queen, Canal Street, and CASE.

While Ontario wanted to make the knife right, the others said to just send them back to the vendor and get my money back.

Looking at all the posts of folks that require customer service these days and how the manufacturers are going to the "no questions asked return" policy, I am thinking that we will see more and more of knives that we as consumers will be tasked with overseeing quality control. This is an issue that has been broached not only on other sites, but actually touched on lightly on the traditional subforum here.

I am not so sure that the "no questions asked return" policy is great customer service, but more to point the realization that all the knife makers are pumping out product as fast as they can get it out the door. They realize that not every knife is their best effort.

At any rate, it is good to see a post where things worked out well, no matter what the problem or the brand name involved.
I am glad you posted the update, Iboschi.

Robert
 
hey folks...
i heard the ranger series has some problems concerning the heat treat of the 5160 (rolling edges and stuff). is that true? i would love to get a ranger knife but i don't want to own a knife with a bad heat treat :/
 
Like jfive, I'm curious whether multiple folks have had any chipping problems with the Ranger RD's, seeming inconsistency in heat treatment, etc. Like ANY tough steel, I would expect the edge to roll when pushed beyond its limit. This is far better to me than chipping, however.

I'm certainly not out to bad-mouth Rangers or Ontario--I have no "axe to grind." But, I would like to know if anyone has honestly had issues (like significant chips) with knives that haven't been abused or subjected to anything bizarre. Let me say in advance that even if they have, this doesn't mean there's a vast conspiracy or a major production problem--it's just good to have information about people's experiences. (That's what a forum is for, right?) Also, resharpening the edge at too sharp an angle for the work intended isn't the knife's fault!

I just got an RD6. I really like the knife so far, but haven't done any heavy chopping or batoning with it yet. And, I WAS somewhat hesitant to order after also hearing of problems with chipping. 1095 has never given me that problem. Still, I wanted to try a 5160 blade just because they're supposed to be so tough. That said, I avoided the serrated version precisely because I thought that it might be more prone to chipping/breakage than an non-serrated blade during extreme use.

Probably worried about nothing and hoping to hear only good things. . . .
 
Right after Fancynuts did his review of the RD-9 ... where he was chopping into the ground ... and experienced some edge damage ...... the unknowing have spread that there is a problem.

I've pushed them farther than most and there isn't a problem. The handle scales were off in the beginning and I'm sure there has been some edges damaged but there isn't a problem across the board.
 
Brian Sargent said:
Right after Fancynuts did his review of the RD-9 ... where he was chopping into the ground ... and experienced some edge damage ...... the unknowing have spread that there is a problem.

I've pushed them farther than most and there isn't a problem. The handle scales were off in the beginning and I'm sure there has been some edges damaged but there isn't a problem across the board.
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Yep it was the "fancy" guy who made me wonder if the ranger knives had any problems. anyway i'm glad that everything seems to be alright.
 
I convexed my RD-4, I got the edge a bit thin for a rugged knife. I then cut an old golf ball in half, and got a big chip in the blade. It's probably my fault, in both ways. My Afghan hasn't chipped, nor any other Ontario that I own.
 
First I've seen this thread. It's really awesome of Justin to offer to fix the issue. Makes me want to buy one of his knives.
 
Thanks for the info, Mr. Sargent. I shall proceed to chop and baton with confidence.

For me, the RD6 is a perfect "all round" size and the most balanced looking/feeling of the line.
 
I was after another knife, but I can tell you a trusted dealer here that sells these products (see above) told me he used this knife in a near emergency situation. He batoned with it, IIRC he opened some cans with it, and did a lot of other rough camp chores. He was surprised and quite pleased with the performance.

It didn't get me away from the knife I was after, but I always remember him telling me that.

Robert
 
I just bought an RD9 myself, primarily because of all the positive things I've read and heard about JG and the 5160 steel. It's actually in transit to me right now; so I don't have any comments about it yet. Isn't there an Ontario and/or Ranger manufacturer's forum on the site? I don't know if I'm overlooking it, or if there just isn't one. If there isn't one, that seems like a rather significant omission of a major manufacturer.
 
trailbum said:
Sounds like a stand up guy. Give em some buisness.
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Justin (Owner of Ranger Knives) is a GREAT man to deal with.

I think you would be hard pressed to find anyone who would tell you otherwise

Sincerely

Dr.Bill
 
Iboschi said:
I bought one of these highly recommended blades for backpacking and serious woodsbumming and maybe a little abuse. After watching a few reviews and doing a bit of research I decided to try one.

I picked it up in October and gave it a quick workout with gloves and it preformed well. However, I noted the handles were a touch offset and not flush with the tang. I decided to overlook it until I could test the knife bare handed and see if it affected performance. It took about a month to get around to it, but I did give it the bare hand test. I quickly went from a chopping machine to a blister machine.

Long story short: ALL OF THE RD-9's rolling off the line have this problem! It will be over 6 months before they're able to correct it. I wanted to share this with the people here that are most likely to pick one up, and warn the folks here that might be considering one, that the RD-9's that Ontario is shipping out are flawed. I would like to give the RD-9 a fair test, but that might take a while. :rolleyes:

If you want to read my full, gritty story, you can find it here: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=713382
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Ik that this thread is super old, but i honestly find the handle complaints hilarious. I have many ontario knives, and youre right, the handles protroud past the tang, however this is less than a millimeter. So to say this turnt the knife into a "blister machine" must be a self admission to having velvet hands. And if it's that big of an issue for you, why not grab a piece of sand paper and shape the scales to your liking? Also, yes the finish is not as high quality, but for a $100 less than esse counterparts, id say that occasional oiling, and a quick sanding is well worth it. These knives are beefy tools that youre gunna murder (if youre using it how it should be used), why be so picky?
 
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