RAT-1, where have you been all my life??

arskrg

arskrg

Joined
Aug 15, 2011
Messages
2,405
I've known about this knife's reputation for years, but it never caught my attention enough to make me pull the trigger on one. Just noticed on a local Facebook group that someone living 20 minutes from me was selling one with OD scales for $20 in new condition, so I jumped on it.
I realize that they're only $25-30 new, but this feels like a STEAL for the $20 I paid for it. Very comfortable, pretty stout, smooth action, solid lockup, and absolutely no play at all. Spent about 5 minutes with it on the Work Sharp and it's got a very respectable edge now.
Went for a bike ride with my daughter and pulled over to throw some rocks and sticks in the stream. Used it to cut up some small branches for the heck of it and it preformed very well and held it's edge just fine.
I'm officially a fan. This will definitely be my new go-to knife for gift giving.
 
I gave my brother a Rat 2 a year or two ago now, and he still carries it. He's really tough on knives, and it's held up really well. His S30v Manix is all chipped up, but the Rat isn't. It's got a great patina on the blade these days, too.

Pic from 11/15.
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Both the 1 & 2 are outstanding. My only very minor complaint on the 2 is it's a little harder to flip open than the 1. Just a size issue. Kinda hard to get my hand and fingers all lined up to open it. But, I still love it.
 
The RAT 1 and 2 have held a great value position in the folding knife world for a long time. They're hard to beat for almost any EDC role. If you love RATs, take a look at the RealSteel H6 and the H6-S1, very similar to RATs in style and price, but better materials and construction. I really like the H6-S1 because it hits the sweet spot for me in size. A blade length of 3.4" with a weight less than 4 ounces fits pretty well in my carry when the Model 1 seems too big and the Model 2 seems too small.

Be careful when buying RATs as the market has gotten flooded with a lot of counterfeits, mostly of Model 1. There are some offered with blue, red, orange, yellow or camo scales that Ontario has never put on a RAT1, so steer clear of those. There are some gray scaled rats that are a legit exclusive, but the standard legit scale colors are black, OD, coyote, sand and pink (I think that's all of them). There's also a clunky Ganzo counterfeit with a sticky Axis lock. The best bet when buying a RAT is to go directly to a reputable knife reseller and avoid the Rivers and Bays.
 
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