Ontario RAT-7 or Ranger RD-7?

T

Tikirocker

Joined
Oct 23, 2006
Messages
107
G'day all,

I've been on a long hard search for the best bang for buck blade for the bush, camping, survival and have come to the conclusion it's a heads up between these two blades above. I am 72 hours away from being able to purchase a new RAT-7 but then another thread showed me pics of the RD-7 and there seemed to be some indication that the RD-7 is a tougher blade.

The RAT-7 I'd be getting is the 1095 version - I have read of some QC issues from Ontario - can anybody clarify the degree and significance of this - is it a huge issue, minor? What are all your thoughts regarding the tougher blade for outback work? I also hear that Ontario is a Taiwan made blade vs the Ranger being handmade in the US?

Your pro's and cons greatly apreciated! Help me make a choice gents! :thumbup:

RAT-7-KNIFE-ONLY-%281095%29.jpg


vs

rd75.jpg
 
I'd go for the Ranger, I got an RD6 that can take more abuse than you could imagine. They are made for hard use and much higer quality I expected for the price. The customer service It's awesome too, you won't regret it :)
 
G'day Sanshou!

By the way, are we one the same page regarding SanShou if I mention push hands? ;)

Regarding the RD-6 I was thinking of going for this model rather than the RD-7 as the size seems a bit better - I hear that Justin is a great guy to deal with. Do you have any pics of your RD-6 in action by the way?
 
I don`t own any ranger knives yet, but i do have a rat7 and i like it alot.good luck on witch ever you choose.
 
G'day Buzz,

No doubt the RAT is a great blade too ... a mate from these forums sells these and I could easily pick on up in a couple of days but then I saw some info on the Ranger RD6 and 7 and the steel seems to be more robust ... looking at the real world size of the RD's I would actually be better off with the RD6 actually but I'm still open to any thoughts on both blades ... pro's and cons.

For me ... I can get a RAT-7 by weeks end ... I'd more than likely have to wait a while for the Ranger even perhaps going direct through Justin. I have also sent Justin a mail so will be interesting to hear what he says about availability and shipping time.
 
By the way gents I am wondering if I should request from Justin ( if I get the Ranger ) to have the blade taken back to a satin finish? I have seen this done by some other member on the forum and it looked ducks nuts.
 
I preferred the satin over the black. You can get a black one and send it back to Justin for re-finishing if you don't like it. I removed it myself and sanded mine down in the garage.

rd7_6_20-1.jpg
 
hatchetjack said:
I preferred the satin over the black. You can get a black one and send it back to Justin for re-finishing if you don't like it. I removed it myself and sanded mine down in the garage.

rd7_6_20-1.jpg
Click to expand...

That looks great mate ... love it. Did you do the work on the handle yourself too? By the way is that an RD-7? What are your thoughts on getting thr recurve on that blade?

Thanks! :thumbup:
 
Thank you!

Yes it is an RD7 and yes, I did the file work to the handle.

I like recurves but I think the RD7 is a bit short for it to be of any significance. There are some Ranger users that have had RD7 recurves made and love them but it doesn't quite fit my pistol.

When I go for a recurve, I use a Filipino bolo. Here's mine next to an RD9 for comparison and the RD7 next to some bigger stuff.

rb4.jpg


10_31_l2.jpg
 
RD7 all the way, even though I don't own 1...I do have 2 RD9s and I used to have a Rat-7 D2... The RD 7 is readily available from Brigade Quarter Master or Sage Creek...and BQM had my RD9 to my house within 3 days....The coating is easy to remove if you want to satin it yourself......Tough as hell and better Customer relations.......If your gonna do 1 then Go with the Ranger!!!!

http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/results.tam?rlk=2007694

http://www.sagecreekoutfitters.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=SC&Category_Code=RK
Never mind...they seem to be out currently
 
I can't comment on the Rat 7 or the Ranger from personal use but my Ontario Freedom Fighter Navy is not great quality and I wouldn't buy another Ontario personally. Get the Ranger (or something from Swamp-rat...)
 
Ranger Knives are tough, and you can beat the snot out of them. I own several Ranger Knives. Also, Justin is AWESOME to deal with!!
 
Sweet info on the Ranger blades guys - greatly apreciated. Just to get into a further discussion on the recurve - what are the cons of having this on the RD7 as far as you can tell? Is this primarily an issue of usage with the original prfile users being more into chopping and the recurve users more into cutting and slicing? I'm new to alot of this so ...
 
With those BK9, you can get Justin to make a much more comfortable set of micarta grips for around 20 bucks...the factory ones are not that nice.
 
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