Steel will modus vs spyderco polestar vs the rat2 in d2

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Mai. H

Joined
Mar 24, 2019
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Hey guys, so I am new to knives and I can't decide between these three for my first knife, so what do you think would be best ?
 
Yonose said:
Welcome to the forums! The rat2 in d2 will not disappoint, that would be my first recommendation for a user.
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Thank you. Is it suitable for the outdoors ? I would have got a rat 1 but it's a bit large for me.
 
I’ve had and carried all three and you can’t go wrong with any of them. All excellent choices for high quality value. I like the blade shape of the Modus the best, but dislike the pattern on the FRN.
 
I've had a Modus, Rat 2 and I don't think I've tried a Polestar. The Modus is a hell of a knife! Great materials, fit n finish, and design. For a few years I was buying and selling knives left and right, and the Modus is one that I think about buying again constantly. The Rat2, in either steel, is a good choice, but is just a little too small for me to edc. The Rat1 is too big! If they every make a 1.5 that is literally half way between the Rat1 &2 I will probably buy 3 of them! I am sure the Polestar is good, as all the budget Spydercos are nice knives.

If you are not in hurry, and want to save a few bucks, you can find an occasional Modus in the exchange here on Bladeforums, the Rat2 in D2 comes up pretty frequently second hand too. If you decide on a Polestar, you should probably just buy new, as they don't come up second hand much on the forum and when they do they are sold quickly.
 
bralexander said:
I've had a Modus, Rat 2 and I don't think I've tried a Polestar. The Modus is a hell of a knife! Great materials, fit n finish, and design. For a few years I was buying and selling knives left and right, and the Modus is one that I think about buying again constantly. The Rat2, in either steel, is a good choice, but is just a little too small for me to edc. The Rat1 is too big! If they every make a 1.5 that is literally half way between the Rat1 &2 I will probably buy 3 of them! I am sure the Polestar is good, as all the budget Spydercos are nice knives.

If you are not in hurry, and want to save a few bucks, you can find an occasional Modus in the exchange here on Bladeforums, the Rat2 in D2 comes up pretty frequently second hand too. If you decide on a Polestar, you should probably just buy new, as they don't come up second hand much on the forum and when they do they are sold quickly.
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I think I am gonna settle for either a polestar or a modus since I've read somewhere that the blade stock of the rat2 is relatively thin 0.09 so it probably won't be well suited for outdoors use.
 
There's a big discrepency in price of the three knives you listed. Personally, I would go for a lower priced knife, such as the Rat, Zancudo, Buck, Kersahw, Spyderco Chinese line, etc. and spend the extra money on a good knife sharpener. Learn to sharpen well, and see if you actually need your knife for any particular jobs, and work from there. I'll add, that my first knife was a MT, and I learned really quickly that for the task I originally bought it for, a 99 cent boxcutter blew it out of the water (25 years ago). Nowdays, I have a ton of MT's (for certain roles), a decent knife collection of many different sizes and prices (although mostly used for odd tasks), and I still bring an 89 cent boxcutter to work sites. I'll add, my favorite 3" knife is a Buck 112 (I'd say with finger grooves but I also appreciate my non-finger grooved versions).
 
I saw you asked about outdoor use. If you have outdoor tasks that are suitable for a folder, go with the Rat 1. The rat 2 is in the small side but a good edc for light tasks. These knives have a good reputation for a reason, for the price you get a simply design that’s built well and can handle a lot of tasks.
 
The Rat 2 is a small knife, the 1 is a large knife, they really need like a 1.5 for EDC.

Steel Will makes good knives and their D2 is well done (mine both perform well), the Modus is mid sized and if you want a larger knife for outdoor pocket carry I’d suggest the large Cutjack in D2.
 
Mai. H said:
Thank you. Is it suitable for the outdoors ? I would have got a rat 1 but it's a bit large for me.
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D2 is not very rust resistant, so for outdoor use you will likely want to keep it oiled if it's going to be used in humidity or near water. Honestly may not even be an issue. The polestar has a more rust resistance steel. Though d2 will probably have a longer lasting working edge but be difficult to sharpen unless your using silicon carbide or diamond stones. The Rat being easier because it's steel is heat treated at a lower rockwell hardness.

For either one you choose I would recommend to re sharpen the factory v grind with a convex edge for outdoor use on wood etc.

What kind of outdoor tasks are you going to be doing with a folding knife? What environment will you be using them in?
 
115Italian said:
I saw you asked about outdoor use. If you have outdoor tasks that are suitable for a folder, go with the Rat 1. The rat 2 is in the small side but a good edc for light tasks. These knives have a good reputation for a reason, for the price you get a simply design that’s built well and can handle a lot of tasks.
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yeah it's just a little bit big for me
 
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