RAT-1 Testing review (With pictures)

K

Killtation

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Apr 3, 2013
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So if you saw my other thread you know i got my RAT today. I was impressed with this knife and had to give it some testing. I spent a good 4 hours slicing cardboard. I don't know how much i cut... dozens of boxes. All came out to a 2-3 foot pile (picture below). Also did a bit of whittling and stabbing.

I deployed the blade a good 300-400 times today, i just sit around flicking it open (No wrist flick is needed, buttery smooth)

What i cut: Thin cardboard, regular cardboard, double thick cardboard, and all with LOTS OF TAPE, usually 2 or 3 layers of thick packing tape. About 10 feet of 3 inch or so thick wood (fairly hard wood but not the hardest). During my cutting i had to give the blade a few passes over a 3000 grit ceramic stone to keep it slicing easily. I did this 3 times during my testing and considering what i was putting it through i'd say the edge held up very well for what it is. The heat treatment is awesome on this knife.

The results: The edge dulled but never to an unusable point. It became VERY difficult to make clean cuts due to the buildup of tape adhesive on the blade (as to be expected) so i had to wipe it down with Adhesive-removal wipes a couple dozen times. The paint wore off but held up much better than i was expecting. The blade seems to be stonewashed underneath the coating and looks pretty badass with this wear. (pictures below) I found that the lockup became a bit later which was odd because the hardware has Blue Loctite on it. After doing a bit of tweaking i found that tightening the pivot on the right-hand carry side down very well and then lightly tightening the other just fractions of a turn until it opens well for you causes the lockup to return to normal (40% as opposed to the 60% it was before). It's still just as smooth as when i pulled it out of the box. There are no hotspots on this knife during extended use and i never felt uncomfortable using it aside fro my thumb being sore from deploying the blade hundreds of times.

The pictures... after cleaning the adhesive off and before freehanding it back to hair popping sharp:
 
Thanks for the pictures and review Killtation. You not only talk the talk, you walk the walk. If you work that rat too hard she'll get hot. You don't want to hurt the heat treatment that Ontario gave her. Now go get yourself some well deserved rest.
 
Glad you guys liked it. It looks like there's a stonewashed finish under the paint, i've never seen that before and it looks pretty damn cool.

I got a couple hours of sleep and my thumb is so sore and tender that i can't even open the knife with it.
 
That looks great where the paint wore off, use it a little more towards the tip to get it even and it will look like its supposed to be that way.
 
That's a great idea, killer. I tried to use different parts of the blade while cutting to see how it all performed and to make it not wear too much in one spot. I've got another few boxes left, i'll use this tip and see how it wears.
 
well, I guess now I have an excuse to buy another Rat 1 now that I know there is a stone washed finish under that black blade.
 
I'm not sure if it's under all of them. The ones i've seen on youtube or google images with worn paint seem to have a satin finish under the paint. I got mine from Reds Gear on amazon for 27.20 with free shipping and i guess i got the last one because they no longer have any Black bladed Rat 1s. (unless you don't mind a pink handle. That's going to be my next purchase. Black plain edge with a pink handle)

Anyway, day 2 update. Cut up about a dozen more boxes, used mostly the belly and tip of the blade and i think the finish wore pretty well. looks badass, in my opinion anyway. What do you guys think?

 
I filled three 50 gallon bags with that cardboard.

I suppose the conclusion of my review is.... Buy this knife if you don't have it. New favorite, new dedicated EDC, less than $30. This thing originally retailed for $80, i believe. I'd say 80 bucks is a bit too high considering the blade steel and handle scale material (I have no problem with Nylon 6 but it's definitely not as high-class in the knife world as G-10. This would even be a great knife for $50-60.
 
They're supposed to be releasing a version with real G10, also an A/O version (or maybe it's the same knife- an A/O with G10)
 
The wear on the blade looks killer, glad you like the knife. Can't wait to get myself one.
 
Cereal_killer said:
They're supposed to be releasing a version with real G10, also an A/O version (or maybe it's the same knife- an A/O with G10)
Click to expand...
If I remember right, the scales were just the same nylon as the current RAt-1, but it does have assist:

d72r.jpg

npi1.jpg


The pictures are from last month's SHOT show in LV. I've being told that it's going to be released "...in a few months" price would be in $50-80 range...
I cannot wait for it...

I have the smaller version of the RAT-1 and also I purchased 2 of the larger size for my son, who's using those extensively, on a daily bases, he's installing ACs...
I can add some more info to this post (good review!) with some pictures tomorrow morning if the OP don't mind, I used my small RAT a lot, also I have my son's knife with me...
 
Killtation said:
... I got a couple hours of sleep and my thumb is so sore and tender that i can't even open the knife with it.
Click to expand...

Try putting your thumb nail behind the stud and flicking your thumb forward (as opposed to outward) -- the flesh of your thumb never touches the stud, and the blade flies open (in my experience, anyhow, because that's how I deploy my Rat-1's).

And thanks for sharing your testing results - very cool stuff.
 
Ontario is listing it as G10 but of you remember back to 2 months ago when the ESEE/BRK Zancudo came out they did the same thing- insist its real G10, have all the dealers spec it as G10 till people actually get them in hand, then change the listings to "faux G10". Still tho I'm holding out for real g10, that would be killer (assuming it can be de-assisted)

http://ontarioknife.com/assisted-openers.html

Edit: at $50-80 I won't be getting one, even if its real G10 I don't care about (actually I don't like) A/O and the best part about the current rat's is at $25 who cares if I beat the heck out of it for a few months the loose it, for $80 I'm not buying it unless it says Spyderco or Benchmade on the side of it (because of brand loyalty)
 
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Cereal_killer said:
Ontario is listing it as G10 but of you remember back to 2 months ago when the ESEE/BRK Zancudo came out they did the same thing- insist its real G10, have all the dealers spec it as G10 till people actually get them in hand, then change the listings to "faux G10". Still tho I'm holding out for real g10, that would be killer (assuming it can be de-assisted)

http://ontarioknife.com/assisted-openers.html

Edit: at $50-80 I won't be getting one, even if its real G10 I don't care about (actually I don't like) A/O and the best part about the current rat's is at $25 who cares if I beat the heck out of it for a few months the loose it, for $80 I'm not buying it unless it says Spyderco or Benchmade on the side of it (because of brand loyalty)
Click to expand...
I'm with you on this. I like the "big", original RAT size, the II didn't do it for me even I used the knife extensively...
I got no problem with the A/o, in fact I tend to like those because I have sort of problem with my fingers and those assists work for me just fine ( Looove my Hissatsu...)
I love this knife as a size but for what I'm doing it's not very useful, also I don't like much the handle - even it is very comfortable in forward or reverse grip, I like to carry a knife that have neutral handle, something with more straight forms ( like the Hissatsu... :D) like the CQC-7 i.e.
 
I miss my RAT1 after this thread. Very excited for that version tbr soon...
 
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