Wow - I wish I had seen this a couple of months ago. I grew up in a house with Old Hickory knives. I got the whole set after my mother passed away. For Christmas this year I went online and bought both of my sisters a full set of Old Hickory knives so they could have a set like Mom's (now mine.) Man, was I ever disappointed when they arrived.
Every single knife had a rolled over edge. It was so bad I could see it with my naked eye. None of the knives had full tangs, and no two were alike in how far into (or out of) the wooden slab handles the tangs went. To say I was disappointed is actually a great understatement. I wouldn't even think of giving these to someone as a gift, I'd be too ashamed.
To make matters worse, I decided that I really liked the RAT design and I wanted one. I couldn't decide if I wanted the 5 or the 3 so I ordered both. The guy I ordered the Old Hickorys from also carried the Ontario Rat knives so I ordered a RAT 3 and a RAT 5. The 5 is a little bigger than I'd want to carry for a lot of things but the handle on the 3 doesn't fit in the hands which my grandfather (the blacksmith) gave me. The 3 blade is okay but I found myself wishing for a little more blade length to go along with a little more handle length. Now I see that RAT Cutlery has the 4 incher I was looking for about the same time I found out about this dust up between companies. Like I said, I really wish...
Anyway, I'm likely going to keep the RAT knives. Neither is perfect for what I want, but both seem to be good knives. I'll put each in a place as a backup knife (one will go under the seat of my truck, the other will go in a can with ammo to be buried in the Utah mountains.)
As for Ontario knives, I sent a respectful email to them asking for any information they share with me about the problem that exists between the two companies. With all due respect to Jeff and the dignified way in which he has spoken of his support of American companies, I have my own opinions. I don't see the need to support a company based solely on their geographic location, we're becoming far too much of a global community for that. I do see a need to support or denounce a company for how they run their business and how they conduct their affairs. I have two issues with what I've seen in all of this:
- Like most of you I am appalled at the way Ontario has acted towards the people at RAT Cutlery. This may be seen as "business as usual" by some, but I won't do business with a company whom I believe acts with dishonor.
- Quality control is not what I expected from the company which made the fine Old Hickory knives I grew up with and now keep in my kitchen.
I will keep and use the 2 Ontario RAT knives I now have. I will keep and use the Old Hickory knives I inherited from my Mom. The newer Old Hickory knives I purchased will have their blades ground
in half and they will be sent back to Ontario as a symbol of where I believe their company is headed. I plan to spread as much word as I can about the poor dealings Ontario is undertaking. Like I said, I feel no need to support a company just because they're "American" if they're going to betray principles which should make America great.
That is why we are confident enough to back our knives with a lifetime, no questions asked warranty. We got in this business to show the consumer and the knife industry that it is possible to make a superior product for an affordable price. We will never back off of that philosophy.
