RC4 Pix - RC3/TAK Reference Pix

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diceman

Joined
Jan 1, 2007
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I see that BearTheDog just posted some pix of his new RC4 today as well - so this will be some of the "same stuff" - although I did get some spine shots for comparison.

My RC4 arrived today from the big brown truck and I couldn't possibly be more impressed! The balance on this knife is excellent - fit and finish are perfect - and the sheathing system is great. Looking at the pictures before she arrived, I didn't think I'd like the RC4 sheath as much as I do the RC3 sheath. After getting hands on with the new setup, I do think that this sheath is more versatile. I currently have a large Tek Lok on one side of the sheath, and the Molle locks on the other. This would be nice if I were to have the sheath attached to a pack via Molle locks and decided to downgrade my pack and pull the rig off to attach to my belt - without having to change attachments.

This baby falls right between the RC3 and the TAK in terms of size. I think that its "every bit as much knife" as the TAK, but in a more compact package, due to the smaller handle. The usable choil on the RC4 is something that I like over the TAK, and allows the (larger hand) user to choke up to a "gorilla grip" despite the somewhat shorter handle. The thumb ridges are located in a very natural position. I'm glad that Jeff and Mike did away with the glass breaker pommel on the RC4. As all of my RATs have been, the RC4 is razor sharp out of the box. The RC4 is less than an inch longer than the RC3, but feels like a much more substantial blade due to the thicker stock and added cutting edge - even though its overall size is only minimally larger. I really like my RC3 for EDC type concealed carry - but I'd grab the RC4 for a hike in the woods or B.O.B. addition in a heartbeat. In fact, I'll be lashing my RC4 to the outside of my EDC PSK tomorrow.

Enough rambling - here's a few pictures to give you guys who are still "on the fence" a better idea of its size, relative to the RC3 and TAK.

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Great pics Dice, man look at the size of the serrations...compared to any other makers serration they are huge,I bet they cut quick and easy !
 
That's the one thing about our knives that the die-hard plain edge guys are cheating themselves on. Our serrations cut and sharpen easily. All you have to do to sharpen them is sharpen your knife like you normally would. You don't have to sharpen the grooves with a round hone (although you can).

Anyway, for those who think th RC-4 handle may be too small for them, we will have a prototype of the TAK at Blade Show.
 
Rowen's quality is just freakin' awesome, ain't it ;)
 
Rowen is the Bee's knees...quality is there and that is great for RAT Cutlery and Jeff/Mike Designs are Freaking awesome... Can not wait to cradle my RC4..
 
jeff,
what do you mean about sharpening the serrations like normal? I am a DIE HARD PE guy only because I can't ever seem to keep them sharp.

thanks for the info,
Brett
 
As I said in another post, I hope some day Rowen decides to enter the market with their own line of cutlery. The knife industry needs many more American manufacturers such as Rowen in this market. With that said, I'll bet many of the other guys don't feel the same way when it comes to new competition, but I think Rowen could enter this market with a high quality production folder or something like that and really kick ass!
 
Brett, all you have to do to sharpen our serrations is sharpen your knife, no kidding. Shon explained the physics behind the serrations to me, then explained to me that all we had to do was simply sharpen the knife like normal and it sharpens the serrations since the plain edge of the knife is part of the serration. (those with serrated knives will be able to see what I'm talking about). Anyway, I tried it and it works like Shon said it would. It's easy and simple.
 
Those are some nice comparison pics. I was playing a bit, and this is what happened. Hope these come out.



 
The next 24-30 hours are going to be the longest of my life!!!!!!

Hurry up big brown truck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Jeff - Quality is absolutely top notch - and fit and finish simply could not get any better.

The thing I love about these serrations are the fact that they don't have "pointy teeth" that get all screwed up and are impossible to fix - they're just a PE with serration "voids" which can be touched up when needed - and as Jeff explained, the "tooth" of the serration is really just a small plain edge portion with a cutout on either side.

I did a comparison of the old and new RAT serrations in an older thread:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=529279

Here is a quick picture of the 3 types of teeth that RAT has used - take a look at my writeup in that linked thread for my thoughts on their use (no one type was best in all areas tested - but RC's win for me.)

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Yes ,I remember the older thread you posted ,Excellent write up and Documentation on the cutting variations.
 
I'm a plain edge guy, so forgive a dumb question. I understand how the Rat-7 serrations are a big help because of the increased cutting edge and points--but how do the serrations on the RC-3 help?
 
I can't answer you directly maybe Diceman will chime in but I to am a PE type guy but I took a wild shot at the new serration on the RC blades and in a day or so I should have my SE RC4 inhand and give you a review on the serration being I to am a PE guy mainly.
 
texastonydobbs said:
I can't answer you directly maybe Diceman will chime in but I to am a PE type guy but I took a wild shot at the new serration on the RC blades and in a day or so I should have my SE RC4 inhand and give you a review on the serration being I to am a PE guy mainly.
Click to expand...

good to get the voice of a fellow PE guy!
 
I'm a "PE" guy almost always as well - particularly on larger blades. I got a great deal on my RAT7 SE or I would have gone PE on something that large. I work in law enforcement (local) and the military (Army Guard - prior Active) - and am most likely to be cutting through cord/webbing with my duty carried knives. In my experience, a serrated edge is much more efficient in those situations. My larger knives are my "camp knives," and I almost never get an SE on anything 5" or larger (in fact, that RAT7 is my only 5"+ knife that is CE). If any of you guys are going to carry your RC3/4 for EDC or duty, I would highly suggest taking a look at the RAT serrations (RC in particular) as they are easy to maintain and very effective in certain situations. If you spend all of your time in the woods/bush/etc and don't cut many synthetics, I can totally understand the dislike of CE for those situations.

Again, I'm quite impressed with this new offering from RAT - its a real winner!
 
My main question--is how (as in the physical hows) do the RC serrations work because I always thought that it was the up and down and points that made serrations work.

I like the idea of serrations that can be maintained like the rest of the knife!
 
In my (scientifically challenged) observation, its the "corners" of the teeth at the voids and the PE sections of the teeth that do the actual cutting - the voids allow the cutting portion of the serration to get a deeper bite - the lack of pointy teeth make them less likely to hang up in some materials - and the sharp "PE" sections of the teeth just add more cutting edge to the serration (where the pointy teeth don't in themselves "cut" as much as they "saw.")

I don't know if that came across clearly - if anyone can word it more eloquently, please do!

Edit - my observation in the serration comparison thread that you bumped was that the pointy serrations acted more like a "saw" (excelling when cutting harder/rigid materials) where the RC serrations acted as a more efficient plain edge (excelling on softer/fibrous materials).
 
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