Ontario Rat Folder Model 1 reviewed (10 pics)

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May 1, 2004
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After a prolonged vaction into the world of flashlights I have returned to reivew my first serious knife purchases in almost 2 years.

Now, I usually have a two knife EDC rotation. I carry a Pacific Salt at the restaurant I work at and a 550 Griptilian when I work contruction and generally around the town. A few months ago my best friend lost the Griptilian at a tree-house hostel near Savannah, Georgia (reward available if found- knife was lost with a yellow Streamlight ProPolymer Luxeon 4AA flashlight with a last name written on it.) which was gut-wrenching since it was a plain edge olive-drab BT-coated model. Ever since then I have needed a flat ground blade for EDC rotation since all my other knives are hollow ground.

Thus, I did research and decided on the Ontario Rat Folder Model 1 with plain edge and black blade.

First, some facts:

+Full-flat ground blade
+4-position pocket clip
+Left or Right-hand position thumb stud
+AUS-8 Blade steel
+Dual steel liners
+3.6" blade with 3.25" inch cutting edge
+5.0 inch closed lenght with 8.6" open length
+Knife is made in Taiwan
+Liner Lock

Overall this knife is large, but not overly so. However I have noticed this knife is psychologically very large and is more intimidating than my Pacific Salt despite the almost exact same size of the two knives.
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As you can see the lock bar locks up to the left side of the blade but the lock itself is very secure and had no binding problems during snap openings nor any problems with medium force spine-whacks on a wooden table. Opening and closing of the blade is accomplished by a thumbstud and is very smooth with no binding or roughness. The liners are each half as thick as the blade and make the knife feel very secure with no flex in the handle. The knife was also free of any blade-play.
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The Zytel scales have poor texture. The grooves are all well-molded but there are too many of them, this creates a surface that is slippery when you hands are dry and only moderately grippy when they are wet. I recommend the user lightly scrub the whole of the scale with low-grit sandpaper to create some roughness in the Zytel and improve the grip significantly. Please understand that the actual handle itself is very easy and secure to grip, merely the Zytel scales suffer from poor texture.
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The imagery on the blade is very well-done and appears to me to be tasteful and well-executed. The blade coating was even and smooth but after some cardboard cutting tests I am unsure of how durable the coating is. No mention is made of what exactly the coating was. I will update when the knife gets some more wear. Now, I have onlt had time to perform a few cutting tests but the knife was easily able to shave from the box and cut several feet of heavy gauge cardboard against the grain with only moderate edge wear, typical for AUS-8 steel.
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The knife is fairly big but it feels much bigger to me than it actually is. I have no problem carrying big knives as they are accepted at work and in my community but if you want this knife be sure you can carry it and use it before buying. The handle is good but would have been excellent if it came from the factory with improved grip on the Zytel, an easy fix for the user though.
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I don't feel the knife is overly heavy or large. Heavier of course than my FRN handled Spyderco knives but by no means an anchor. This is due in part to the open back-design and the lack of a dedicated back-spacer.
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Overall I feel this knife is well-designed and an effective cutter but seems to me to be oddly expensive for a Taiwan production piece. However; given the quality of the lock and the overall excellence in finish I feel this knive should be rated as excellent. If you need a full-size liner lock that is as lefty-friendly as possible seek this knife with no hesitation.

Questions/Comments?
 
Nice review Spoonrobot, great pics too.

I am liking that knife you have there.

Mind me asking what you paid for it?

WR
 
I have the RAT 1. I really like it. The F&F on mine is first class. The blade takes an amazing edge and holds it well. After several months of use it is still as tight as the day I got it. I agree the scales could be grippier and I wish the thumbstud was knurled. Still it is a great deal for the price.
Here are my other RATs.
rats9cb.jpg
 
Great pictures and a great review.
Let us know who it actually performs as you get to use it more.

Thanks,
Allen.
 
How comfortable is the clip in heavy cutting / stabs. How secure is the liner under torques? Is the choil area ergonomic for a forward grip? What is the hardness of the steel?

spoonrobot said:
... seems to me to be oddly expensive for a Taiwan production piece.

Paying for the RAT name/brand.

-Cliff
 
great knife for a reasonable price. I love mine...but i won't be stabbing it into aything. It has a very solid lock-up and nice sharp blade.

I think the quality is exceptional no matter where it is made.

I even like the handles!

Go here to find the RC hardness:

http://www.ontariorat.com/



Drop by the RAT forums too for more info!
 
It's been more of a saw n' drill week this week so not any real use of the knife yet. I am going on some short expeditions in the woods in the next few weeks and taking the RAT with. Will report on use.

I paid 68.12$ + shipping from New Graham Knives for the knife.

Paying for the RAT name/brand.

Figured that was the case.
 
The Rat1 appears to be a solid folder. Not mentioned in the review are the massive bronze washers in the blade pivot area.The blade opening is very smooth as a result. There is talk on the RAT forums of possibly changing the handle material to G10 and doing up the blade in D2, probably having the knife built in the USA. I can see this move driving the cost up if they go that route. Got mine from cumberland, delivery time was 3 business days.
 
Thanks for the good review. I just noticed this knife recently and it peaked my interest. G10 and D2 would certainly be a nice upgrade to the package.
 
Cliff Stamp said:
How comfortable is the clip in heavy cutting / stabs. How secure is the liner under torques? Is the choil area ergonomic for a forward grip? What is the hardness of the steel?

Did some waste disposal today and had a chance to cut some 5-gallon buckets that needed to be thrown out.

1. I have repositioned the clip for left-hand tip-up carry and in this configuration I was did not notice any irritation or really any feeling at all from the clip when stabbing the thick plastic. During heavy cutting of the walls of the bucket the clip once again produced no problems.

2. There wasn't really a good way to test the lateral loading of the lock with the buckets but I did twist and torque the knife when cutting the very thick rim material to no effect. Keep in mind this was at best medium loading on the knife.

3. The choil area can be used by the index finger for detail cuts but my finger comes ever so close to actually touching the blade so I see no real use of that in the future. It was comfortable though, and I see no problem with this grip when doing light cutting detail work as long as one makes sure to pay attention.

4. As per the website spec sheet the steel is 57-59 Rc.
 
I Got Mine From Sagecreekoutfitters. Price Now Is $55.99 Plus S&h. Great Folks To Deal With And Excellent Shipping Time. Knive Feels great In The Hand And The Blade Cuts Like There Is No Tomorrow. I Have A Few Knives With The Same Steel And Have No Complaint. Sure They Need To Be Sharpened Once In A While, But What Doesn't.
 
Thanks for the details, it will be interesting to see some long term use and wear reports.

-Cliff
 
Finally, after thee hours of searching, I found a review about the Ontatio Rat Model 1 Folder. What do you expect whit a name like that!! Nice review Spoonrobot! How is the knife after a few months using?

Am looking for a heavy duty folder. Something like a Manix or Rat Trap but for less $$$. Must be a good utility/outdoor user. I like the design of this knife and I can get id for a nice price.
 
Thats quite a hefty knife there, and i thought my endura was large. Thanks for the review.
 
I received the RAT1 Folder as a b-day gift recently. First impressions is that it is a big folder (to me) that fills the hand nicely - prolly better for bigger hands, though. The thumbstud seems about as big as a footpeg on a bike, but I guess would work better with gloved hands. Good lock-up - solid w/no play. Doesn't seem as "solid" feeling in my hands as my Cara Cara G-10, but then again, the RAT1 is "open" (for easier cleaning) and the Cara Cara's back part of the handle is closed. The Cara Cara G-10 is also heavier. Haven't had time to really put it to any sort of tests, but this is the folder I will be taking on all of my upcoming hikes and camping trips. I like it.
 
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