- Joined
- Mar 26, 2002
- Messages
- 4,940
I have a bunch of knives, both fixed and folders, production and customs. The Al Mar was one of the few that was more designed as a hard use tool. Many of my folders were more designed for the wow factor and the fantasy of using a knife for self-defense.
The more and more I train and research, the more I find it silly to carry a knife dedicated for self-defense. Being both a trainer and student of edged weapons survival, I think it is more important to carry a hard use tool that can stand up to EDC chores, that can be pressed into use as a weapon, than one designed specifically for that purpose.
It has been a long time since I purchased a knife any knife. Here was my criteria.-
The knife needed to be 7 oz. or under, since the SERE was right at 7.
It had to be flat, allowing it to be carried no matter what I am wearing. Most of the time that is a kilt or nylon shorts from Deluth Trading.
It had to have the ability to be carried tip down, since that is my preference.
It had to have decent steel.
It had to be under $50, so that if I like it and lost it, I could afford to replace it.
I am not a lock Nazi, so the type of lock was not an issue.
Sitting around the other night, I started thinking about my favorite knives that I use while in the woods and around the fire ring in my front yard. Immediately I thought of the Ontario RAT 3. I have beaten the snot out of it, using it to split wood for fires by using it with a baton. Then I thought about my respect for the work of <a href="http://jungletraining.com/index2.htm">Jeff Randall</a>. Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered seeing a folder by RAT in a knife magazine a while back. Doing some digging on web, I found the knife, called the Model 1. Then I read some reviews, and saw nothing but good things. When I found out the knife could be had for less than $30, I just about fell out of my chair. Truth is that when I first saw it for $35 I thought it had to be a misprint. After checking Amazon and reading even more praise of the knife I ordered one shipped for less than $30.
My Model 1 showed up in the mail today. Here are my initial impressions. Razor, hair popping sharp, I have never seen a production knife come this sharp. Some people in their reviews complained about it being too big and heavy. This is a subjective thing and I was a little worried about it. So I put it up against the Spyderco Military that had been filling in as my EDC. As you can see, the size of the Model 1 is average. It outweighs the Military by only .08 oz.
Knowing that I would be doing a review on it, and that people are always asking me what I am carrying, I looked at it from that point of view. Having a son that is a lefty, I was pleased to see that it can be configured for right and left handers, as well as tip/up ti[down. The liner lock lines up with laser like precision.
In another review someone else had also mentioned that out of the box the knife was hard to open, and they fixed it by adjusting the pivot. This is not a practice that I am a fan of; instead I like to break it in. I had absolutely no problems popping the blade open time after time with my thumb, without any flick of the wrist. The open scale design ensures that debris will not get stuck in the knife. The blade is constructed of AUS 8 which is proven steel.
At the writing of this article I have not carried the Model 1 at all, since today was a Mr. Mom day. I will carry it this weekend while doing the normal stuff, and then all next week while teaching a military class. But even now, I can tell this is a keeper.
If there is one gripe I have is the lack of texture on the nylon scales, but for the price it opens it up to modifications, such as replacing the stock scales with G-10 if you prefer. The price point also has me planning to get another and having a black blade cut to use as a trainer.
The knife is comfortable in all grips including the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zm_UM5Y5HI">inverted</a> grip that I prefer for cutting someone off of you. An exposed pommel means it can also be used as an impact weapon.
The bottom line is that I am liking the Model 1, and feel that it is a steal for the price. If someone handed me this knife, and I knew nothing about it, I would have thought it was a $50-$75 knife.
I have been carrying the Model I for several weeks now. It has cut lots of parachute cord, cardboard, and even whittled some tent stakes. The action has smoothed out considerably and is quick to open. Love this knife.
Last edited:
