RAT 5 vs Ka-Bar Impact D2 Spearpoint

P

pjmaxm

Joined
Nov 29, 2005
Messages
454
I am looking for a lightweight knife for backpacking and camping. I wanted full tang construction, blade with about a 4-6 inch length, quality steel (1095 or D2 etc), a decent sheath, and somewhat lightish.
I had bought a Becker BK2 Campanion thinking it would be good and the factory is closed so I wanted to get it while I could, but holy crap is this thing thick and HEAVY. A tad bit overbuilt for what I am looking for.

So I have narrowed down the search again to either a Ontario RAT 5 or a Ka-Bar D2 Impact Spear Point Ka-Bar D2 Impact

I can find them for almost exactly the same price, so it basically comes down to preference I guess. I know a lot of people love the RAT line of knives, but has anyone had a Ka-Bar D2 Impact? Between the two which would you choose?

Edited: I have small to medium size hands if that makes a difference between the two.
 
I would choose the KA-BAR. I have a KA-BAR D2 Extreme and it is very very sharp and seems to stay that way for a long time. I just might also get one of the D2 KA-BAR Impacts. I like the way they look!

Ciao
Ron :D
 
I had once decided between these two and went with the RAT-5. I like 1095 away from the house for its toughness and ability to be field sharpened. I also don't care for the swedge/false edge on the Impact, and the sheath for the RATs come with a handy snap belt closing pocket for a sharpening stone or anything else that fits.

Can't go tremendously wrong either way, but I am happy with the RAT-5.
 
After looking around a bit more I am also now considering the RAT TAK-1. I will be carry a small folding saw for the serious wood cutting so I am thinking that something smaller like the TAK-1 might work also. Man so many good knives and so little money and space in the pack.
 
Well i have owned Kabars and RATs, never a RAT-5 or the Impact. My friend has the kabar D2 extreme fighter which he paid over 100$ for, and recently got a kabar MULE. The fighter held up for about a year, but now the tang pin comes out all the time, and the blade will shift from the handle up to 1/8 of an inch. The MULE doesnt lock well, and he suffered a major cut when he stabed it into a log and the lock slipped pushing the blade into his fingers.

I have a RAT-7 (love it) and a RAT-3(love it even more). I have used the crap out of both and they still are in great shape and i have no complaints.

Although the Impact is different than my friends Kabars, I think it says a lot for the company. and after his experiences, I wouldnt be out long with just a KABAR.
 
If you are looking for a lighter knife, and will be carrying a wood saw, I say go with the RAT-3, its thinner than the 5 and TAC, and much lighter in weight.
 
The Ka-Bar Impact is a great knife and don't let anybody tell you different !!!
As Muzzleup said they come very sharp and stay that way forever. The D2 steel really bites well into wood.Here are a couple of pics of mine...prior to taking the first one the knife fell and bounced off all the rocks on the other side, I was sure the blade would have chipped, the only damage was a tiny chip in the coating the blade was unharmed !!!
MtWork010.jpg

Also with it being a Spear point it is very good at drilling wood if you need to make a fire with a bow etc ! Plus ideal for defense against any wild critters !!!
FrancisKing006.jpg


I could tell you negative things I have heard about the RAT line of knives but as I don't have one I do not believe I should tarnish their name. What I will say though is do a search on these forums and then make up your own mind !!!
 
pjmaxm said:
After looking around a bit more I am also now considering the RAT TAK-1. I will be carry a small folding saw for the serious wood cutting so I am thinking that something smaller like the TAK-1 might work also. Man so many good knives and so little money and space in the pack.
Click to expand...
I don't own the Ka-Bar, but do have the TAK-1. Not trying to compare blades but I know the TAK to be a very good knife for the $$$. 1095 steel pictured.
Img_0005.jpg
 
Is one hollow grind and one flat?That mighit be somethig to consider if you have a prefrance.
 
I like the Kabar Impact series, BUT........

Handle one first, if you can. The grind of the blade is very thick. By this I mean that the thickness of the blade, from the spine down to where the grind starts, is deep. THis leaves little room (about half the height of the blade) for the grind. I'm not sure if I'm explaining this correctly or not. Take a look at PitDog's picture (I like the new nickname PitDog :) ), you can see the grind starts halfway down the blade.

On the Rat 5, it's a flat grind starting at the spine all the way down to the edge, probably about 7 degrees or so...guessing.

This might not make a difference to you, it does to me. THat doesn;t mean I wouldn;t love to have the Kabar Impact, just that, between the two, I'd take the Rat-5.
 
Good thread. I've been considering these knives as well. Awesome pics by Pitdog! Much better than the catologue shots.

Question - I thought the companion was 0.187" thick, isn't this the same width as the rat-5? Tak-1 is the same thickness as well. Only the Rat-3 is thinner - with a 0.125" thickness. I'm just wondering because the original post indicated that the companion was too thick/heavy for their needs. Perhaps something like the benchmade niramus with 0.115" thickness is a better fit?

I wanted to pipe in the consideration of a Fallkniven S1 - 5 3/8" blade but it is even thicker (0.2") than the companion.
 
...and there's also the option of getting the Ka Bar Spear Point Impact in 1095 instead of D2.



I like the TAK-1; haven't handled a RAT 5 or 7. (Love my RTAK II, but that's another thread.)

As for the RAT 3, I really like the size, shape & cutting ability of the blade.
But I found the handle to be just too small. (Especially the width.)

Generally, something else to consider is (are?) the Micarta scales on the Ontarios as opposed to Zytel on the Ka Bar 1095.

(I was just advised by ashtxsniper - see following post - that the D2 Ka Bar Spearpoint comes with Micarta scales and
that the 1095 version comes with Zytel scales.)
 
rifon2 said:
...and there's also the option of getting the Ka Bar Spear Point Impact in 1095 instead of D2.



I like the TAK-1; haven't handled a RAT 5 or 7. (Love my RTAK II, but that's another thread.)

As for the RAT 3, I really like the size, shape & cutting ability of the blade.
But I found the handle to be just too small. (Especially the width.)

Generally, something else to consider is (are?) the Micarta scales on the Ontarios as opposed to Zytel on the Ka Bar.
Click to expand...

The D2 impacts have micarta scales. The 1095 Impacts have zytel scales. Yes you can get the spear piont in 1095.
 
I love my RAT-5 but it is very heavy for it's size, that wouldn't be my first choice for backpacking for sure.
 
Hey Guys..

Pitdog..

What an Absolutely Beautiful picture,, what a Great view.. Where was that taken?

The hills, trees and lake are OK too :)

I like the Rat 7 personally...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
To answer KGD the BK2 campanion is something like .285 thick and weighs in around 14.2 oz, A beast for sure.

In repsonse to the RAT-3, I have a Spyderco ParaMilitary plain edge and a Calypso Jr. I think that it might be a bit redundant as most of the jobs I would use a RAT-3 for I would just as soon use my paramilitary or caly. Thinking the Caly for the ultra lightweight and excellent fine cutting.

Now I am also considering seeing if I can get the micata scales by themself and then get a 1095 Ka-Bar Impact Spearpoint. The 1095 would be lighter than the D2 because of the shorter length and I believe a little thinner. And there is the whole debate of 1095 vs D2 for camping/hiking knives.

Fallkniven knives seem great, but I was thinking of trying out some carbon steel like a 1095 or D2 for a change, yet as more time goes on the Fallkniven start to seem hard to beat for what I am looking for.

Thinking of a new requirement under 10oz. So the RAT-5 is kinda out of the running from what I can gather. Does anybody have any idea how much the TAK1 weighs?

Thanks for all the great input this is really helping me decide and think.
 
Pretty much all of the knives mentioned will do a good job for you. My advice is to find a place where you can handle them, and pick the one that feels best in your hand.
 
pitdog said:
The Ka-Bar Impact is a great knife and don't let anybody tell you different !!!
As Muzzleup said they come very sharp and stay that way forever. The D2 steel really bites well into wood.Here are a couple of pics of mine...prior to taking the first one the knife fell and bounced off all the rocks on the other side, I was sure the blade would have chipped, the only damage was a tiny chip in the coating the blade was unharmed !!!
MtWork010.jpg

Also with it being a Spear point it is very good at drilling wood if you need to make a fire with a bow etc ! Plus ideal for defense against any wild critters !!!
FrancisKing006.jpg


I could tell you negative things I have heard about the RAT line of knives but as I don't have one I do not believe I should tarnish their name. What I will say though is do a search on these forums and then make up your own mind !!!
Click to expand...

I never said anything bad about the Impact, i have never used it. I just gave my first hand experience with blade failures on the Kabar end, and the blade success on the RAT end. The impact looks like a great blade, but i dont know that much about it.

BTW anyone who talks about a knife staying sharp "forever" is ignorant and i would never heed their advice.. Yes, D2 holds an edge longer than 1095, but it is a bit harder to touch up.
 
The Ka-Bar Impact series is great, they look nice, have a very comfortable handle, and the price is so low ... get both of them .. I did.
Just wish the 6" model would have been a spear point like the smaller one.
Just my opinion ...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top