Ranger RD Line seems to be DCed

R

Roguer

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Jan 5, 2015
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The 2022-2023 catalog seems to of killed off the Ranger RD line. All of them. Even the 1075 R.A.K. that had a great blade form. One form of older RD NS4 DGs that were around for a good while some place all went poof right when I noticed a few RD knives I was going to restock on were all gone.

Hopefully they are doing a year off of production to open production for their newer hit or miss products.

I picked up probably my last RD 6 (on the assumption they will disappear soon) for a niece who been hinting at wanting one...and one of my few remaining RD Tantos...(Not...have strength to resist...) I never gave my RD6s away because I hated them I gave them away to relatives to who I knew that NEEDED at least one decent bomb proof survival type knife. Most told me it got them out of some minor incidents and looking back could of been bad with out it or made them getting back to the warm glow of their computer screen and doritos a lot easier. To me that tells me most of them I gave away did their job.

Any one hear if the Ranger Line has been totally "Sunsetted" as Tooj use to say?

I always perfered the RD6 over the RAT 7 any day, even both had FFG blades, the 5160 RD6 was to me the superior knife. And the R.A.K. is the reason I never got a BK7 was because of the compactness yet very useful blade and tough saber grind it had.
 
Roguer said:
The 2022-2023 catalog seems to of killed off the Ranger RD line. All of them. Even the 1075 R.A.K. that had a great blade form. One form of older RD NS4 DGs that were around for a good while some place all went poof right when I noticed a few RD knives I was going to restock on were all gone.

Hopefully they are doing a year off of production to open production for their newer hit or miss products.

I picked up probably my last RD 6 (on the assumption they will disappear soon) for a niece who been hinting at wanting one...and one of my few remaining RD Tantos...(Not...have strength to resist...) I never gave my RD6s away because I hated them I gave them away to relatives to who I knew that NEEDED at least one decent bomb proof survival type knife. Most told me it got them out of some minor incidents and looking back could of been bad with out it or made them getting back to the warm glow of their computer screen and doritos a lot easier. To me that tells me most of them I gave away did their job.

Any one hear if the Ranger Line has been totally "Sunsetted" as Tooj use to say?

I always perfered the RD6 over the RAT 7 any day, even both had FFG blades, the 5160 RD6 was to me the superior knife. And the R.A.K. is the reason I never got a BK7 was because of the compactness yet very useful blade and tough saber grind it had.
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No, I've heard nothing. Communication is definitely not Ontario's strength. Since Tooj retired, there has been absolutely no communication.

I have a feeling that the RD line will be back. I think the RD9 knives that suddenly showed up must have been made in a very small batch, maybe 500 knives, maybe less. Perhaps that's how Ontario will be making them now. A small batch once in a long while. I don't understand how that could be productive or cost effective, but it looks like that's their plan.
 
I think the ones from KC were warehouse finds, and KC picked them up. The RD 9DG and the NS4DG that they had. The RD9s they had went pretty fast, the RD NS4DGs were lasting a while. I did a ridiculous cart count and the cart showed no problem with it. Then Poof all gone when I checked again for some one.

Hopefully they are on a long production rotation like they do at times. But the R.A.K. has been labeled as Discontinued, and that is a 1075 knife. OKC as Toog explained it gave good reason for their switch to 1075 for them, the way OKC does 1075 makes them a bit more durable at a cost of needing a slight more sharpening.

I just got my RD6 today, I have to give it to the niece who kept asking if it came yet...me and my big mouth she found out I ordered it, and who can say no to a cute niece for some thing that I trust to get her out of trouble if needed. It was sharp, grind good for a hand ground knife, and a few swipes on the Razor Edge's Rat Trap Honer, it was pretty dang sharp. To me the RDs all 5160 FFG models with their great choil can do about all bushy crafty thingies decently and is as tough as hell. The tang is non skeletalized and the handles are decent enough. There are some cons for me but over all for me they are greatly out numbered by the pros they have. My main use knives are my RD7s, the reasons I never got a BK7 at all. But my NS7s see more use as well. They maybe the hated FFG grind, but the "hieght" of the blade and their 1/4 in width off set that a bit, and being 5160 steel makes them close enough for me.
 
Yeah, I agree totally. For some reason unbeknownst to me, manufacturers seem to produce an awesome product & then kill it. I have no idea why they do that. I honestly think that they just need more exposure of their products in action. A good product with the proper exposure will sell itself. They just need a grass roots effort from the manufacturer for it to become popular again. Maybe at gun shows, hunting expo shows or outdoor expo shows, but what do I know. Maybe they already did that.
 
For its size and weight, if it wasn't made out of tough 5160 steel I'd pass on it normally. The RAT 7 to me is not as versatile that could survive as much as heavy abuse an RD 6 can take.
 
Well I probably ordered my LAST RD 6 forever. I got the cash, they don't spoil, and my stock pile of them is dang low. I use my RD7s and NS7s mostly, the RD6 some times accidentally gets packed, but still a good midsized knife. I usually gave them away to family members who used them as mostly a car knife because they know its there when they go out in the wilderhood. And take it from the car when they head in the wilds from their car, they were surprised how much it bent and popped back in to place in several instances. So far most got them out of some form of minor to major problem, back the to warm glow of their computer/device screen and doritos at home. To me that showed the tool I gave them did its job.

For me the RD Line was my compromised line. God knows I got over a dozen of them over time. My RD 4-9s and NS4 &7s were a compromise design that was one hell of a performing compromise. It had a clip point I normally don't like, but its one heck of a STRONG POINT! Its FFG I dislike...was short enough to act like a saber grind I like! Its what I thought a waste of a blade choil...well it made it a real bushy crafter knife capable knife! Handle and small side but I could live with it. The thumb rampiess I could live with. The full size Thumping and Whumping and Pummeling Pummel is what I saw and was drawn to the knife in the first place. So as I said the RDs to me were a "Compromise" type knife, its cons really weren't much of a con and some became pros, and the price. Well I could afford two RD6s for the cost of a "High Quality" 1095 steel knife...oh yeah. The 5160 steel RDs are just freaking awesome, the main point and reason I got these knives. Even the 1095/1075 RAKs I got turned out to be decent compact mid blade sized knives.

My RD Tantos are my midsized heavy choppers. If I break the tip, I'll find some blade master to make it in to a drop point for me, I got my first one for tacticool, gave one to my brother, who uses one for a lot of abuseful things. The RD Tanto I'm thinking of having one converted to a thick saber ground drop point of spear point. I think that would be an ultimate RD MOD.

I use to give away folders of the Buck and Gerber kind, but the friends and relatives said they did work but a few broke, but the ones that broke they were able to make tools to help get out of a trouble spot. Guess it took a while to make a paddle or oar with a Buck 110, but most said it was faster than a swiss army knife!
 
Got last RD6 I'm probably getting. Sort of not so sharpish but I put it to the Razor Edge Rat Trap Honer and got pretty sharp pretty fast. I fear its going to the nephew...he likes the ones I gave his dad...
 
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