Scrapyard vs Rat Cutlery vs Cold Steel vs Gerber

Joined
Jan 5, 2009
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Which am I getting the most bang for my buck?
Which of these makes the strongest knives?
Which of these makes most quality?
And finally
Which of these makes the most comfortable handles?
 
I agree with Rat. Forget cs and gerber. I would pick RAT cutlery for the outstanding quality, price, and warranty. Scrapyards are good too.
 
If I could buy a Scrapyard SOD for list price, I would buy it in a second, but it is way to hard to get one of these so I might have to go with a rat cutlery.
The Scrapyards on their site go for like $120 but everywhere else like ebay or forums there are 2x the price.
 
Bang-for-buck? Probably something Cold Steel, like a Bushman or Roach Belly.

Strongest? Scrapyard uses modified S7 in super-thick blades if I remember correctly, so it should be theoretically toughest.

Quality? I've personally NEVER heard of any kind of QC complaint for a RAT knife, and should any happen to pop up the company will deal with your issue swiftly and decisively. Scrapyards probably aren't slouches in that respect either.

Comfortable handles? Depends on what you consider "comfortable". I personally think the RC-4 has the perfect handle for a 4" blade, but most other forumites whine about it being too small. It all depends on your hands. Scrapyard's Resiprene-C is supposed to be very nice on the mitts, though.

Just an addendum, if it helps you decide: RAT Cutlery seems to be operated by three of the nicest guys in the universe, not to mention the knife industry. Food for thought.
 
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I would go with Rat. I had a Scrapyard and thought the blade was way too thick for general camping chores (what I bought it for) and the handle was too short. For bang-for-buck I would also look into Ranger Knives. Justin's knives are hell-stout, made excellently, and Justin's a stand-up guy.
 
I would forget about Gerber entirely. I think they're trying to up their game, but they're not there yet.

Politics aside, Cold Steel makes some decent knives- but you have to take each of their offerings on a case by case basis. The Voyager series, in particular, can be depended on.

RAT Cutlery, probably the best "bang for the buck" and quality for the money out of your choices. Excellent knives. Incredible warranty and customer service.

Scrapyard- excellent knives, very high quality, very comfortable handles. Bulletproof Busse warranty and customer service. They have very thick edge geometry, and limited availability however. You may have to source your own sheath.
 
a full tang would be stronger, but you're already dealing with thick blade stock (geometry is pretty important in determining failure) and the steel is used in jackhammer bits. Also, CS doesn't use a full tang in a lot of models, and it will really depend on how large the lightening holes are under the micarta slabs on the RATs. Tangs are no better than a wash. Except for Gerber, because the tangs are attached to Gerber knives. J/K, they have a few US made models that might be picking up on quality, though I can't say firsthand. Might have to get one at the PX and see.
 
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