Ontario RAT 5 vs Esee 5/6??

Translash

Translash

Doing evil things...
Joined
Jan 18, 2011
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Hi guys. For those who might remember I made a thread about which is a good 9" blade chopper that is comfortable (kukri gives a lot of vibration), and I decided to order the RTAK II :)

For my next choice I need a roughly 5-6" blade for the more smaller bushcraft work and was looking at a bunch of knives but the 2 that really got me hooked were the Ontario RAT5 (D2) and Esee 5/6.

My concern with these knives is that they seem pretty much the same except that the Ontario one is a good amount cheaper.

My question is: which is the better choice, Ontario RAT series or the Esee series?

BTW: any other suggestions????
PS: I have a BK2, it is a bit too thick for my liking -- 3/16" is optimal for me :D
 
They are both great. Another good choice would be the Becker BK-10, the BK-7, or the BK-12 (Has not come out yet, but preorder is available) The ESSE 4, 6 or the BK-12 seem like the best choices to me.
 
If the BK2 is too thick, then the ESEE 5 will not be a better knife. The grind of the ESEE 5 makes it even thicker.
Knives that are 3/16" thick, are excellent for camping, bushcraft etc.. but the grind is still important.
Look at the Bark River Bravo 1, the ESEE 4&6, wait for the ESEE Lazer Strike (in the works).
Ontario Afghan, RD6 are worth checking out. Ontario has very basic sheaths, and the fit and finish aren't as great as ESEE, thus a price difference. On my Ontario Afghan and RD4, I had to sand the micarta to get a better fit and ergonomics on the handles.
 
Translash said:
Hi guys. For those who might remember I made a thread about which is a good 9" blade chopper that is comfortable (kukri gives a lot of vibration), and I decided to order the RTAK II :)

For my next choice I need a roughly 5-6" blade for the more smaller bushcraft work and was looking at a bunch of knives but the 2 that really got me hooked were the Ontario RAT5 (D2) and Esee 5/6.

My concern with these knives is that they seem pretty much the same except that the Ontario one is a good amount cheaper.

My question is: which is the better choice, Ontario RAT series or the Esee series?

BTW: any other suggestions????
PS: I have a BK2, it is a bit too thick for my liking -- 3/16" is optimal for me :D
Click to expand...

If the BK2 is too thick for you then so will be the Ontario RAT5 and the ESEE5.

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Beckerhead #42
 
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