Received my Ontario Ranger RBS 9 today...

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BuckeyeGuy

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I was in the market for a 9"+ survival knife and strongly considered the BK9, but ultimately I found the Ontario Ranger Bush Series RBS 9 for about $20 cheaper. Being they had similar specs and the Ontario came stock with micarta scales, I ordered it. Keep in mind I didn't have a chance to handle either knife prior to ordering because my local shop never has either in stock. Of course the day after I ordered the Ontario the local guys got a BK9 in stock. It felt great in the hand and had me drooling! I was seriously second guessing my decision, but decided to wait and see and give the Ontario a fair short.

So today I received the Ranger and my VERY FIRST thought once I gripped the handle was...."Why oh why didn't I get a BK9?". This thing feels horrible! It is very uncomfortable in my hand and I know it's going to hurt as soon as I wack something with it; it kind of hurts if I grip it tightly. So needless to say I'm going to see if I can sell this for what I have in it or ship it back if I can't.....and then get a BK9!

I will say I like the looks of the Ranger knives. They have a very unfinished, industrial look about them that I like. The sheath was also much better than I was expecting; it's much better quality than it looks in pictures and videos. It is very light, at 15oz I believe. It has a very functional choil, but the jimping felt like it needed to be extended a couple more teeth to be effective. It could be a great knife for someone....but not for me and my woman hands!

Couple pics...
Scales_zps99f3352c.jpg

RBS9_zps10f40d66.jpg

RangerLogo_zpsc4446d3f.jpg

Sheath_zps8ed55a0b.jpg
 
We all live and learn as we go.
I have to admit, when I decided to get a quality knife this past winter, the Ontario's were on my short list.
I lurked around here a little bit and decided on a BK2 to get the ball rolling. 8 months and 5 knives later I don't even look at Ontario's any more.
 
In the other thread you had me worrying that I made a bad chose on getting a bk9 rather than the rbs9 but now my worries are put to rest. Thank you:)
 
Yeah those handles dont look very comfortable. It seems like the front of the handles(side closest to the choil) stops short. They look like they would be fine for chopping as your hand is going to settle into the rear of the handle, but for fine work up close it seems like your hand is going to be less supported. If they would have made them symmetrical on the front and back, I think it would be a better handle.

But then again I've never handled an RD9, so its merely speculation.
 
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I had an RD4 - the 1/4" thick model, hated it.
the RD9-BS at 3/16" thick might not be as bad -- especially after a few minutes on the belt sander...
if you can't trade it back at your local knife shop, drop me a line about possible trades.
 
Here is my RD9 Bush with a little work to the handle and added jimping.
I like it a lot, it has a nice thin grind and feels good in hand after removing some material.
Its bare bones design is super light for its size and makes a great pack knife.

downsized_0316132052a_zps3b68e084.jpg
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Where is the Becker content maybe this should be in general?
 
You need a BK9. You can't not have a 9.

I'm curious how it chops compared to the BK9. I've heard the RD9 does not chop as well as the BK9, probably do to the thicker blade angle on that .25" thick piece of steel so I'd imagine the RBS-9 to be close in performance to the Becker.
 
Along with all the Beckers I own, there are Two RD 7, and one RD9. The tapered 1/4" 5160 steel is good stuff, the finish is good, although the heavy grinder marks on the edges look crappy , but I smoothed them out easily. So that leaves the grip. As you say it is not comfortable and no amount of modding will make as comfortable as any Becker. That said, you can modify the grip to be more to your liking with some work thinning and rounding of the micarta scales. The Ranger Bush series are 3/16" thick so there is a small weight saving. Next time get the 9, the wait is worth it.
 
hawkhead said:
Along with all the Beckers I own, there are Two RD 7, and one RD9. The tapered 1/4" 5160 steel is good stuff, the finish is good, although the heavy grinder marks on the edges look crappy , but I smoothed them out easily. So that leaves the grip. As you say it is not comfortable and no amount of modding will make as comfortable as any Becker. That said, you can modify the grip to be more to your liking with some work thinning and rounding of the micarta scales. The Ranger Bush series are 3/16" thick so there is a small weight saving. Next time get the 9, the wait is worth it.
Click to expand...

I ended up taking an angle grinder to the Ranger handles (my first ever major knife mod). I took the humps almost completely down and did some sanding work to the micarta. I killed any chances of returning or selling this thing, but overall, it feels much better than before...but still not as good as the Beckers. That being said, I broke down and ordered a BK9 last night (along with a Bahco folding saw)! The Ranger will make a great beater/loner blade, but the 9 is going to be my go to blade. I'm anxious to compare the two head to head and see which performs better.

Before
RBS9_zps10f40d66.jpg

After
DSCN2311_zps5376df8b.jpg

Before
Scales_zps99f3352c.jpg

After
DSCN2313_zps106188e5.jpg
 
looks pretty good. I don't think you'd have any trouble selling that if you decided to, since most guys are going to do that anyway.
 
Good job on the handles. I had a full RD-9 that I sent to Justin Gingrich and had him do his reprofile work on the handles, along with a few other mods. Turned out really great.
 
I have a RD9. Bought it before I discovered Beckers. I want to like the blade, I really do, but whenever there is work to do, the BK9 is what I grab.
 
SpikeHawk said:
I have a RD9. Bought it before I discovered Beckers. I want to like the blade, I really do, but whenever there is work to do, the BK9 is what I grab.
Click to expand...

I feel the same way. I really want to like the blade because it's a great value and is built to withstand a beating...but I just hate the way it feels. I don't even really like to hold it, even after all the work I put into it. It feels like I'm holding a block of wood.
 
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