Ontario RTAK or Becker Combat 9

M

Matt Seling

Joined
Oct 12, 1998
Messages
285
I´m looking for a tough "survival" utility outdoor knive for rugged work. enviroment mostly alpine region. blade will be used in combo with a sak. how do these two compare in terms of steel, weight, balance, edgeholding capabilities or ease of resharpening?
Also sheath ist an important factor. rugged, dependable. must have pouch.

thanks in advance guys

Matthias
 
Can't speak for the Ontario RTAK, but I did have the Livesay version. I sold it and now have the Becker 9 if that tells you anything. I love the Becker 9, it offers a lot of bang for the buck.
 
I couldn't speak for the quality of the Ontario RTAK, but I'm very sure that you will be satisfied by the Becker 9.
I've heard that the Ontario RTAK is pretty well made, but I've seen Ontario's own stuff and their quality is questionable.
 
I have an RTAK and absolutely love it,its a great knife.The great thing about this knife is its ability to compromise between a machete and a sheath knife and it does it well.I cant speak for the becker as I have not used one yet,but the RTAK is not a thick knife,but its a little thicker than a machete,the result is a knife that will sever saplins in an eay stroke with no resistance at all.The handle is comfortable,the sheath is ambidextrous and has a pouch and is perfect for zip tieing to a 4-wheeler or backpack with its lashing holes.Another great thing about a thinner knife that most dont realize is its ability to effectively chop even after it is significantly dulled due to less resistance of an obtuse edge or thick bevel.The steel is great as I have used the hell out of it and still havent "really" sharpened it and man is it sharp,shaved right out of the box.This knife is not a pry bar though and has a delicate tip in that it would even make an effective penetrator.The top tip could easily be sharpened.The whole knife is right for what it is and it dont weigh 10 ton like a lot of others out there.As far as Ontarios quality they must be doin something right as all of their blades are supplied to the military and must pass mil specs.
 
I just picked up an Ontario RTAK and it is one heck of a knife for the money. I was only familiar with Ontario's Spec-Plus line of military knives, but the fit and finish of the RTAK is far better and it is quite sharp for a knife it's size.

I don't really care for cordura sheaths on knives, but the RTAK's sheath does a good job of retaining the knife. I do have a question: My sheath does not have any belt loops. Is it supposed to come this way or am I missing something? I improvised by using black paracord around the top lasing holes and fashioned a loop, but if this is how the sheath is designed, how do you guys rig it for carry?
 
I do have a question: My sheath does not have any belt loops. Is it supposed to come this way or am I missing something?
Click to expand...

Does it just have a large piece of webbing running up from the sheath itself? I suspect you have just the sheath proper and the D-ring arrangement the belt loop portion hangs on got separated somehow.

Call or write Ontario and I bet they will replace it for you.

Matt,

I would buy an Ontario RTAK and some sand paper work on the grip. Neather knife will take huge abuse but, both are great knives. I like the profile of the RTAK better myself but, much prefer the Original Livesay RTAK grip or the Becker grips. This is nothing that would be hard to fix on the Ontario though so, I wouldn't let that or the great price slow me down from buying a Ontario version of the RTAK.
 
I haven't used either, but I have handled both. One thing to note is that the handles are totally different. On a scale of 1-10, the Becker 9's handle fits my hand as a 7, the RTAK's as a 2. I love the RTAK design, but the handle just doesn't work for me, so that's that. Of course, just handling a knife at a table doesn't tell you everything you need to know about a handle -- in use, the BKT's handle rating might fall or go up a bit, for me.

I'm planning on picking up a 9.

Joe
 
I thnk Jeff said over on RAT that the handles of the RTAK were large, square micarta and screwed on so that folks would reshape them to the grip they prefered.

Just get out the Dremel and the sandpaper and make it yours.

Ben
 
For the money and a little elbow grease, the Ontario RTAK would be hard to beat. If I didn't already have a Livesay RTAK, I would locate my dremel tool and get some more sandpaper and go to work.

It's hard to go wrong with the Becker though. I have a camp knife that for some reason never caught on with the general public...too bad too as it is a real sweet user. In hard use, some people may find the handle of the Becker to be a little large and slick. I really like bead blasted Micarta for that type of work.

Both knives are relatively easy to tweak for anyone with moderate skills with shop tools.
 
Originally posted by bensano
I thnk Jeff said over on RAT that the handles of the RTAK were large, square micarta and screwed on so that folks would reshape them to the grip they prefered.

Just get out the Dremel and the sandpaper and make it yours.

Ben
Click to expand...

Okay, dumb question maybe ... don't the handles on the RTAK trace the tang? In other words, don't I have to grind down both the handles and the tang? Grinding down micarta to shape is easy, and would be a fun project. Grinding down hardened 1095 isn't as easy. I assume if the handles were made with customization in mind, it can't be the case that the tang and handles are exactly the same size, but I also don't remember a gap between the handles.

Joe
 
Joe,
Not really, my Greco MST IV's Micarta doesn't exactly trace the tang and it fits my hand quite well.
 
Matt Seling:
I have both a Ontario RTAK and Becker BK-7. In contrast to some other comments, I'd say the quality in construction is far superior with the RTAK. I think the blade steel material is comparable between the two. However, the grind, symmetry, and overall shaping of the RTAK beats the Becker hands down. In fact I sent my first BK-7 back to Camillus for a replacement because the factory grind job was so bad.

Each are solid, comfortable to hold, dependable, and I make use of both for camp chores. Splitting wood with the RTAK is easier than the BK-7, which is no surprise since it is a longer blade. Each have the tang extension on the pommel, but the design of the RTAK's offers me greater versatility and uses. Both sheaths have pockets, but I prefer the construction of the BK-7 sheath. Unlike the design of the RTAK knife, the RTAK sheath appears to be over engineered and a less than optimal design. The RTAK blade, by contrast, is elegant and optimized for utility.

Do a forum search, there's been considerable discussion on the RTAK.

Cheers,

TT2Toes
 
If you're thinking about sticking that SAK in the little pouch on your big knife sheath, think about what you may do if you lose that knife and sheath.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top