RAT 5 vs Ka-Bar Impact D2 Spearpoint

jarlaxle said:
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.
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When I said holds an edge forever of course I was exagerating, but what I meant was that this is my first blade in D2 and I was skeptical about the hype I had read but this has proven even better than I could have imagined !!!:eek:
And you hit the nail on the head when you said " touch up " as this is the key with any steel, touch it up before it gets too dull and then you won't have a nightmare trying to put an edge on again !!!:thumbup:
 
I can reprofile D2 blades with a diamond stone quick. D2 is easy to sharpen with diamond stones. I bet it is a pain with anything else.
 
jarlaxle said:
I have a RAT-7 (love it) and a RAT-3(love it even more).
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Not to get too far off-topic, but why do you love the RAT-3 even more than your RAT-7? I have a RAT-7 D2, that I think is a tremendous knife, and really thought long and hard about a RAT-3 in D2 before buying a Manix. (I love my Manix, so am very glad about that decision.)

Do you find the RAT-3 a little too small after using the 7? I've really been looking at the Scrapyard knives Street Scrapper 4, since it seems to have a good size without being too big. It's twice the cost of the RAT-3, though, so I've been holding off on it for awhile.

Your thoughts are appreciated.
 
Mountainman38 said:
Not to get too far off-topic, but why do you love the RAT-3 even more than your RAT-7? I have a RAT-7 D2, that I think is a tremendous knife, and really thought long and hard about a RAT-3 in D2 before buying a Manix. (I love my Manix, so am very glad about that decision.)

Do you find the RAT-3 a little too small after using the 7? I've really been looking at the Scrapyard knives Street Scrapper 4, since it seems to have a good size without being too big. It's twice the cost of the RAT-3, though, so I've been holding off on it for awhile.

Your thoughts are appreciated.
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well....off topic but giving you some information relevant to your post here. The SS4 is only available on the secondary market nowdays and is selling for 175-200 bucks which makes it three times the rat-3. If you are looking for a bullet proof little knife that is comfortable and indestructible, you might try the thru hiker from www.fehrmanknives.com 3/16" thick CPM 3V 3" blade with kydex sheath for $100.
 
ashtxsniper said:
I can reprofile D2 blades with a diamond stone quick. D2 is easy to sharpen with diamond stones. I bet it is a pain with anything else.
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Not really. When I got my RAT-7 D2, the edge was ground off-center and very obtuse. It took several hours, off and on, of working it with first a grinder (very lightly) and then a diamond stone to get it close to where I wanted it. After I got my Spyderco Sharpmaker, I used the 40 degree angle and the medium rods to put an excellent edge on it. I recently chopped through a 2.5" dried out log with it twice, and was still able to easily shave hair. The Sharpmaker is a great tool, once you've gotten your edge to decent shape.
 
Along the same lines as the "Thru Hiker" is the good old Becker BK11 "Necker". That nice 0170-6C steel with a tall, flat ground drop point blade. Of course, they are getting harder and harder to find (*cough* I would trade mine for the right knife *cough, dont ban me! :D *)
 
Mountainman38 said:
Not to get too far off-topic, but why do you love the RAT-3 even more than your RAT-7? I have a RAT-7 D2, that I think is a tremendous knife, and really thought long and hard about a RAT-3 in D2 before buying a Manix. (I love my Manix, so am very glad about that decision.)

Do you find the RAT-3 a little too small after using the 7? I've really been looking at the Scrapyard knives Street Scrapper 4, since it seems to have a good size without being too big. It's twice the cost of the RAT-3, though, so I've been holding off on it for awhile.

Your thoughts are appreciated.
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Well i love it so much because it is smaller and easier to mountain bike with. Plus i like the thinner blade for most cutting duties beside chopping. If i go out for more than a day i take both. I just seem to get more use out of the 3 lately.

Yea it's much smaller, but i find it will baton anything i need.:thumbup:
 
I have a couple of the BK11 neckers. They are great little knives, but not even in the same ball park as the thru hiker. The thru hiker is much better steel, thicker, and the handle is actually large enough for you to use all four fingers to hold on to it. I would compare it more to a Busse skeleton warden, except it's handle is 1/2" longer than the warden.
 
Mountainman38 said:
Not really. When I got my RAT-7 D2, the edge was ground off-center and very obtuse. It took several hours, off and on, of working it with first a grinder (very lightly) and then a diamond stone to get it close to where I wanted it. After I got my Spyderco Sharpmaker, I used the 40 degree angle and the medium rods to put an excellent edge on it. I recently chopped through a 2.5" dried out log with it twice, and was still able to easily shave hair. The Sharpmaker is a great tool, once you've gotten your edge to decent shape.
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You know, when I got my TAK-1 D2, the grind was also off-center, and took me a lot of work with a diamond stone to finally get a sharp (very sharp) edge on it.
Also, the micarta slabs didn't line up right with the tang properly; I had to fix that with a file. The knife is solid, but I wish that the quality control was a little better at the factory. I wouldn't get another one if I knew that I would receive it in the same condition. - FYI
 
I have 9 Ka-bar knives.Among them is the impact warthog,impact spear-point(1095) and the D2 impact fighter.Thees knives are tough.They are so simple that there isn't much that can go wrong with them.
I have had my eye n the RAT line for a while and plan to get a few when the funds allow.They have a reputation for being relyable and sturdy.
Bottom line....I don't think you can go wrong with either.
 
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