RC preference?

MrCoffee

MrCoffee

Joined
Feb 17, 2007
Messages
2,304
Hey Everyone,

I was looking at the different blades that RC offers, and I was wondering what peoples preference for them was. Meaning, why you prefer say a RC-3p over the RC-4p, etc. Or the RC-6 over the RC-3.

Jeff do you have one you prefer, one model that is your favorite?
 
Right now it is a toss up between the Izula and the RC6....The Izula has a slight edge due to I can EDC it to work as well as on the trail
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Hmm...Can the Izula be bolted to the RC-6 sheath? :D
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Ok, works for me, but WHY? :) Seriously.

Let see if I can make this a bit clearer. I have a number of Scott Gossman's knives, each I really like a lot. I have a couple of PSK's, two PSKsr's, a WTK, etc. But when I am heading out, I prefer the PSKsr to all the others. The size, the sharp, the overall easy of use and upkeep has made that one Gossman my favorite (so far).

Back to RC. I have a RC3, which is part of my BOB, and my ARES kit, but I dont take it woods bound. Why? I simply prefer the TAK. I like the larger size, the overall shape, etc. It is the one that "fits" me best. (so far).

So I am curious why someone picks an RC3 over a RC4, or a RC6 over a RC4, or a Izulu over a RC3.... etc. And I was curious if Jeff and Mike (as well as everyone else!) had a preference, since they have access to them all.... :)
 
My number 1 survival knife is a machete....seriously.
 
My preference right now, would lalmost 100% be a Izula, but I don't have one .. so RC-4.

Simply because I am not rich, and it is the only one I own at the time =/
Of course, that will hopefully change next year :)
 
Of the current offerings, the RC-6, because of the handle size. I had bought an RC-3 (because I have so many ~4" knives, I figured the RC-4 would never get used). The handle was a bit too small for my liking, so it got gifted to a young man at church who's been showing considerable skill in our woods outings and liked the knife. Merry Christmas.
 
Right now the RC6 is my favorite. This is due to the handle design and size. I would have ordered an RC4 but was concerned tht the handle would be too small. Though it would be a better size overall. I am awaiting the release of the RC5 SERE.
 
I'll take a stab : )
I think the RC-3 is a great little package,
goes in my "edc" bag - (maxpedition proteus clone)
Nice flat little knife, with plenty of handle for the blade size.
Not as big as an "only" knife, but a perfect backup if I lose my folder.
All their knives are good, but in the 4" range I prefer my Bravo-1.
As wildmike mentions, I feel the handle of the RC-4 is a bit small for the blade size (for me), the Bravo's grip just inspires more confidence.
Scrapyard Dumpster mutt fills the 5" slot, and rides on my "line one" gear
in a Spec Ops sheath. I'm getting a kydex sheath for it as well, In case I need more discreet carry of a bigger knife.
And my Swamprat Ratmadu......in a custom Martin Swinkel sheath, may not get carried at all, cuz it's just too nice!
 
IMO the RC-3 is about one of the best all around EDC knives that can be had. It pairs up with the RC-6 brilliantly. The RC-6 is a bit of a brute, but capable of doing the brutish things without giving you arthritis of the left hip. The RC-3 does everything it is a PITA to do the RC-6 with. I love the combination of the two.

I haven't had the pleasure of an izula yet. It looks like a great little knife, like all neckers, optimized for concealed carry and minimal weight when used under neck carry. I like the neck carry mode, but find I only use it under certain circumstances, like when I'm sitting in a boat. I tend to prefer scales on my knives. However, I do see the Izula as one of those perfect Kit knives to stow in a PSK. I will get my Izula some time soon.

The RC-4 is a great solitary knife. I really like it a lot, although if I had my wish, I'd have it in 1/8" thickness just like the RC-3. I understand why RC when to 3/16" for this knife and it serves a great marketting feature to offer the knives scaled in different thicknesses as they do. It took a while to convince me, but 1095 in 1/8" thickness is pretty tough stuff and more than enough to handle the difficult jobs that come buy. When comparing the RC-4 and the RC-3, I have to give the edge (albeit a rather small one) to the RC-3. Just bloody hell near perfect and the smaller handle size really works with the smaller blade length.
 
I love my RC-3 as well, but I tend to pair it up with either a TAK-1, Ranger RD-9 or one of my other brutish knives. I don't have a Izulu yet either, I have a couple of Scott Gossman's PSKs I use as neckers and thats all I need at the moment... Amazingly enough I find the cheap Blackjack Grunt a wonderful brute knife, one of the best deals for the dollar I have found.

I would love to get a Dumpster Mutt, but at the moment, a RC-6 comes first. But it will be a while, because I have no real need to replace any of my knives, and it is hard to justify. My list is kinda like 1) RC-6, 2) Gossman Kephart, 3) Dumpster Mutt, 4) Becker BK-2, or something like that.
 
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I've got an RC4 and RC3, and usually I'm more inclined to carry/use the RC4. Since the greater weight and size is not usually of any issue to me, I think that I tend to gravitate towards the beefier blade since it performs so well.

This afternoon I was splitting wood (in the usual way, with a maul) when I decided to switch over to batoning with my RC4 for a while...just for kicks.
 
MrCoffee said:
Hey Everyone,

I was looking at the different blades that RC offers, and I was wondering what peoples preference for them was. Meaning, why you prefer say a RC-3p over the RC-4p, etc. Or the RC-6 over the RC-3.

Jeff do you have one you prefer, one model that is your favorite?
Click to expand...

I've been torn between the RC-3p and the RC-4p for the past month and finally decided on the RC-4p tonight. Chestnut Ridge Knife Shop had one left in stock...until I bought it a few minutes ago! :D

IMHO, either knife is great and it's really just personal preference and intended use. Big help, huh?
 
I remember guys pushing hard for that last year. I think Jeff said they won't do it because there's not much that can be done compared to what you can buy from Tramontina, etc and they couldn't produce it anywhere near that price point.
 
kgd said:
IMO the RC-3 is about one of the best all around EDC knives that can be had. It pairs up with the RC-6 brilliantly. The RC-6 is a bit of a brute, but capable of doing the brutish things without giving you arthritis of the left hip. The RC-3 does everything it is a PITA to do the RC-6 with. I love the combination of the two.
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That is exactly why I started out with the Ontario RAT-7 and RAT-3. Every thing you just stated above is exactly how I see the both of them as well.

Now I have the RC-3 and will eventually get the RC-6 for the same reasons I obtained the two Ontarios. I want to support RAT Cutlery in general.

The grip on a knife means a lot to me and I don't mean to slam the Becker Line of knives. They hold an edge extremely well and they are really easy to sharpen. I had a Becker-7 and the Becker Necker. The Becker-7 always felt like it was going to get away from me, like I was on the brink of not being able to control it well because of the grip. Like the Glock 21 (.45 ACP), the Becker-7 is a great knife as the G21 is a handgun, but the grip on both of them are too large for my hands and knives are a lot like guns in this instance - you should get something that you can control or you will get mixed results and possibly not be as safe as you could be with the tool.

I haven't had the pleasure of an izula yet. It looks like a great little knife, like all neckers, optimized for concealed carry and minimal weight when used under neck carry. I like the neck carry mode, but find I only use it under certain circumstances, like when I'm sitting in a boat. I tend to prefer scales on my knives. However, I do see the Izula as one of those perfect Kit knives to stow in a PSK.
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If I know I am going to be using a small knife around camp a lot, I might carry it using neck-carry. However, for banging around all over the place, I don't like neck carry for obvious reasons. I don't mind having a small knife like the Becker Necker or an Izula with a skeltonized handle/grip. On a larger knife, I wouldn't like it at all.

I think the Izula is the perfect survival kit knife, especially the Maxpedition Versipac sized types of PSK kits or the Maxpedition water bottle survival kit Tony has, etc. Anything larger than that and you can carry the larger RAT knives.

It fits in the back of the Tactical Tailor E & E Pouch diagonally without a problem. It won't fit in a Penrith Tin, but you can't have everything! That T.T. E & E Pouch is an excellent piece of gear. Terry ("TJT" on here) gave me one for Christmas a little bit early so I have had some time to play around with it a bit. I have the M1 and M2 pouches from Maxpedition but for our purposes and my own personal tastes, I think that pouch from Tactical Tailor is an awesome platform to design a belt pouch PSK that is not so large it becomes cumbersome, etc.
 
I started with a RC3, then bought a RC4. After owning both, I sold them to consolidate to a plain edge RC3(my first was a combo edge). Just because they were too similar to have a need for both. Of course then my RC3 was stolen and I was out a RC blade for a while. Now I own a izula. Its too close to a RC3 to have a need for one, so my next blade will be a RC4. Its all personal taste, but the RC3 felt better than a RC4, not much better though.
 
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