Ontario RAT II in D2 or Spyderco Delica 4

I have the rat II and like it a lot. The rat I not so much. Ain't got no Delica and likely never will.
I think the rat II is something special (though I think the Delica is probably a better knife). Mine is sitting here next to me right now.
Sits on my desk and opens letters and whatever needs to be done. I don't find the stud works for me. Maybe if my hand was smaller. My rat I lives in my truck and doesn't see much use, but I always have a knife if I need one.
But for the money, you can't get more knife than the rat II. It is well made, comes sharp and properly sharpened. Aus-8 isn't sexy steel these days, but it sure gets the job done.
D2 is a funny choice, being a not-quite stainless old school tool steel as I understand it. I have grown fond of tool steels. They probably went with D2 to keep the price pretty much the same, while making folks like me take a new look at the knife.
So you will have to watch for rust when you go to D2 from Aus-8. But for the price and because I don't have a knife with D2 and just 'cause .. I might pick one up.
 
Last edited:
Tucson_Tom said:
But for the money, you can't get more knife than the rat II.
Click to expand...

I agree about the RAT II in AUS 8 being a great value--probably more so than Delicas which are twice the price, and it's said they're also far easier to disassemble. They're inexpensive but not cheap.
 
According to this site, RAT-2 D2, olive drab (ON8828OD) will be available sometime this month. I signed up to be notified. We'll see, I guess; the site looks iffy and ON8828 most everywhere else shows it as a Hickory II Watermelon Knife.
 
Last edited:
Went ahead and bought the Spyderco (C11ZFPGR).

lBSFq0X.jpg


Thanks for all of the input.
 
Last edited:
Upload to imgur or postimage and use the IMG forum code tags? I think you only need an account for hosting your images here.
 
kizer begleiter is the love child of the two. worth checking out

*NVM! sorry i thought we were talking about the rat i. didn't realize this was about the not yet existent d2 rat ii
 
Nice choice. I just recently got a Delica with the Wharncliffe blade and I’m thrilled with it. You should be too.
 
I've got the Rat I in D2/CF and I LOVE it. As a fan of the Rat series, I'd say go that route. That being said, the Delica is a time tested and proven knife in its own right.
 
ON8828OD (Ontario RAT II Folder OD Green D2 Satin Blade) has become available but not apparently from authorized dealers on bladeforums.
 
Last edited:
Knifeworks.com has them now.

Warsaw said:
ON8828OD (Ontario RAT II Folder OD Green D2 Satin Blade) is shown available for $33.99 + shipping. I imagine it's going to be available from more reputable sources soon.
Click to expand...
Is that an authorized dealer on bladeforums? If not remove the link before getting a warning.
 
I like the Delica, but feel you need the ZDP version to make the short (in my view) blade have sufficient edge retention to be a "only knife carried EDC"...I also have had bas experiences with ZDP in general so that's probably why I don't own a Delica currently.

Recently bought a tan R2D2, it's a lot smaller and thinner (and lighter) than the Rat 1, very close to Delica size...BUT you can buy 2 R2D2s for the price of one VG10 Delica. Nice thin FFG on the R2D2 also, slices pretty much as well as a Delica.
 
The trade off is edge retention v corrosion resistance. If you’re a landscaper or do some type of similarly tool intensive work, then I’d probably recommend an Esee Izula or similar fixed blade instead of a Rat 2. If you’re a light user, the difference in edge retention becomes less valuable than the difference in corrosion resistance. VG-10 takes a laser sharp edge without a ton of effort, and while it doesn’t match D2 in terms of edge retention, it is good in that category— probably a 5-6 on a scale of 10.

Personally, I think VG-10 is probably as close to perfect as it gets for casual or light users, who don’t want to drop money on a great sharpening set up. You can keep it sexy with a Sharpmaker and minimal effort.
 
I have both the rat 2 D2 and the Delica in VG-10. I like both, but feel the Delica is kind of overpriced compared to what else you can get these days. Everyone talks about the Delica being very ergonomic but it doesn't fit my hand very well. My middle finger always ends up right on the point between two finger grooves.
 
Mo2 said:
this is debatable. the delica 4 is a great edc and slicer. vg10 wont last nearly as long in edge retention tho. but is far easier and faster to sharpen.

the Rat 2 will def be able to handle heavier tasks. the delica is much smaller, lighter and more edc friendly overall.
Click to expand...


This is a difficult post for me, and yes i know it's 7 months old.

I agree wholeheartedly with the first paragraph. It's a phenomenal slicer, and it does sharpen quickly and easily.

The part where I take issue is the assertion that the Rat 2 will handle heavier tasks than the Delica... Yes the Delica is smaller and lighter, but weight does not necessarily mean strength.

Both knives have steel liners. The big difference is the locking mechanism. A well done liner lock is very strong, but I'd question if it can be stronger than a backlock which tends to be stronger. (Not scientific, but here is BHQ's well known lock strength test:
)

Part of why the Delica costs a little more is the really great design which offers a slim small package but I don't think significantly compromises strength in any meaningful way to do it.

Not saying the Delica is STRONGER per se. Just that it's probably too close to call, and I don't think a reasonable person could contrive a "heavy task" that is heavy enough to make one fail where the other wouldn't.
 
Lock backs are stronger in the sense that they will take more pressure before they fail, but my three lock backs all have slight vertical blade play. Not enough to really matter in real life, but I like how solid my liner locks feel. I'm not sure I would call either the Delica or the Rat 2 heavy duty knives.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top