RC5 or RC6 for camping and survival situations.

M

mlu359

BANNED
Joined
Nov 18, 2009
Messages
123
Gonna be doing allot of chopping and battoning through logs with the knife. will also be doing slicing, shaving and widdling and cutting of meat and vegetables and everything else involved with camping etc. Which knife do you think will serve me better? I would feel more comfortable battoning with the RC5 cause of its thick blade. If i break the RC6 battoning or prying things will the warranty cover it?

How much thicker is the RC5 than the RC6?

Also would it be best to get the knife with a partly serrated edge or plain edge? wouldn't the serrations come in handy with minor widling and carving and stuff like that?

Thanks
 
Last edited:
RC5 is .25" and 16oz. The RC6 is .188 and 11.8oz. Lifetime warranty on both knives. A sharp plain edge is best for whittling.
 
Neither is a good chopper. Both will Baton fine. I've batoned my RC6 through plenty of wood with no problems. If anything, the extra inch or so with the RC6 will probably make it better for batoning than the RC5.

But, pick the one you like best. Both can be made to work.
 
I had a RC 5 and while it was fun it was too thick and heavy to be practical. I would say the RC 6
 
For camp needs and general use I would choose the RC-6 over the RC-5 any day. Unless you plan on cutting a lot of rope or nylon webbing, get the plain edge.
 
Using wood logs, I don't think it's possible to break an rc6 if you tried. Both are fine knives, I wouldn't worry about one or the other too much
 
The RC-6 is still very strong, even though the RC-5 is thicker. They can both perform the same tasks. The RC-6 wouldn't lose out. :p

smustian said:
For camp needs and general use I would choose the RC-6 over the RC-5 any day. Unless you plan on cutting a lot of rope or nylon webbing, get the plain edge.
Click to expand...

Even if you have to cut a lot of those, a plain edge will still do well. Not much of a difference.
 
I have bolth I say get bolth but for what asking and want to do,RC-6 plane edge.
and IZULA if you don't already have one!
 
I have both. Both work exceptionaly well for every camp chore that I've come up with.

The full flat grind on the RC6 makes it a far better slicer.

The RC5 came with the eagle sheath when I got mine which was a better sheath than the RC6 came with. However if one were to buy the molle back and pouch for the RC6 then that advantage is gone.

I have convexed the edge of all my RAT'S, they all cut very well. Either will serve your needs well.
 
mlu359 said:
will also be doing slicing, shaving and widdling and cutting of meat and vegetables and everything else involved with camping etc. Which knife do you think will serve me better?
Click to expand...

RC-6 would be a good choice.

mlu359 said:
Gonna be doing allot of chopping and battoning through logs with the knife.
Click to expand...

There are plenty of good choices for this:
Knife - KaBar Becker BK9 or similar
Kukri - KaBar 11.5" blade Kukri Machete
Machete - When is the new RAT machete available?
Axe - lots of good options


I can't see any knife that is really good for chopping and batoning wood making a good slicer - it is hard to make a knife big and heavy and thin and light. You can buy a big chopper fairly cheaply and take that + an RC-6 camping. I went with a KaBar Kukri Machete, but I haven't tried it out properly yet - I will take it camping in the next week or 2 and test it out. It cost $46 and would make a good companion to an RC-6 without breaking the bank. There is also a Cold Steel Kukri for less than $20 that would make a reasonable cheaper option. One knife to do everything is just not going to work nearly as well as 2 different knives IMO.
 
The RC-5 is only 4oz more (half cup of water). That is like a 34% difference so it's going to affect the way the blade feels in the hand but not how it carries (unless you're a hardcore hiker)

I'd suggest getting yourself a real cheap serrated blade somewhere if you've never tried one before. Just to see what it's all about but I agree with everyone else here that you're gonna want the plain edge.
 
My only issue with serrations is I'm an amateur sharpener and they're hard to sharpen. I really don't have much actual use for them either.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top