RAT 1.5, the midrat

[Maximumbob54]

Or as I'm currently thinking of it, "The put your money where your mouth is" knife. There are a few knives that others and myself have wished there was a more middle ground offering. A medium Sebenza/Inkosi has long been a wish. And since my first RAT 2 in AUS 8 I've always wished there was a slightly larger but not so chunky as the RAT 1. And then they finally offer a great steel upgrade so I double dipped. But the wish has of course been for the MidRAT:

For me it means no longer choosing between a three and a half finger knife or a knife for those that share DNA with Paul Bunyan. And jumping from S35VN to MagnaCut, that's a nice little upgrade at a most reasonable price. And the G10, I love Spyderco G10 but even I can admit it's a little aggressive. But this G10 is that same mama bear just right level of traction without eventually eating a hole in a pocket.

I just can't help but feel like this is a company listening to the buying public. And for that, Ontario got my money. And I'm not displeased.

 

[Blue Sky]

The 1.5 was completely unexpected, to me at least, considering the company sale and how it seemed to go into near suspended animation. For them to introduce a new model, albeit a scaled version of an existing model, is quite the welcome surprise. It looks like a good choice, I hope it’s successful for them. I like my model 1, but it is a little large in certain situations.

 

[knarfeng]

Or as I'm currently thinking of it, "The put your money where your mouth is" knife. There are a few knives that others and myself have wished there was a more middle ground offering. A medium Sebenza/Inkosi has long been a wish. And since my first RAT 2 in AUS 8 I've always wished there was a slightly larger but not so chunky as the RAT 1. And then they finally offer a great steel upgrade so I double dipped. But the wish has of course been for the MidRAT:



For me it means no longer choosing between a three and a half finger knife or a knife for those that share DNA with Paul Bunyan. And jumping from S35VN to MagnaCut, that's a nice little upgrade at a most reasonable price. And the G10, I love Spyderco G10 but even I can admit it's a little aggressive. But this G10 is that same mama bear just right level of traction without eventually eating a hole in a pocket.

I just can't help but feel like this is a company listening to the buying public. And for that, Ontario got my money. And I'm not displeased.

I had a RAT 1 with fancy carbon fiber handles. I found it uncomfortable to grip because the edges of the handle had not been chamfered properly. How did they do on the RAT 1.5?

The RAT 1, being originally designed by Randal's Adventure Training, was originally designed to be a large reliable folder which could be used as a wood's knife in a pinch. The RAT 2 was more of an EDC city-carry knife due to it's reduce size. What do you think of the RAT 1.5? Does it still have the "last ditch survival" vibe? I have a 1.5 on order, so I will doubtless form my own opinion, but I'm interested in your take on the overall feel of the knife.

 

[knarfeng]

Well, to answer my own questions:
For me the 1.5 is more of a city-carry knife than a folding outdoors knife in the hand. It carries smaller, too. It's become one of my most frequently carried folders.
The G10 is nicely machined with rounded edges, making for a comfortable grip.

Still like the RAT 1, though.

 

[wesessiah]

Thanks for the update knarfeng. Ive been going back and forth on getting one. Every now and then I'll get a small knife, but not like it at all. Most recent was a mini bugout 533-3, which is considerably smaller. Its not necessarily that the blade or handle were too short, but everything, even the thumb stud felt too small and recessed to be able to use based on muscle memory from opening thumb stud knives. I took it back and got a freek 560-03.

This rat 1.5 has caught my eye. The two knives i carry the most right now are a rat 1 and pm2. I love the rat 1, so if the rat 1.5 doesn't make me feel like I'm sacrificing usability, it will be great to have an inexpensive daily carry in magnacut.

Is it noticeably slicier than the rat 1? I have a problem with always carrying thicker blades too. I'm rough on them, but it is nice to have a thinner blade or flat/hollow ground.