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I wanted to post here my thoughts and a small review on the molded sheaths that come with the RC-products. For the die hard RAT CULT - this is old hat, but I thought it would be nice for somebody to provide a bit of information on the sheaths - one of Rat Cutlery's most impressive attributes as its own devoted thread.
So far, the three knives released by Rat Cutlery include the RC-3, RC-4 and RC-6 with different color flavors of the RC-3 and RC-4. I'm admittedly recycling a few pics for this thread, but they are provided for the purpose of this review.
The standard offering for sheaths on the RC-3 and RC-6 are the tan moulded sheaths. The RC-4 is different as it comes with a black kydex sheath (I assume the dessert tan and orange G10 varients have the same black kydex sheath).
The RC-3 and RC-4 can be purchased with the optional molle-backing. A molle-back option will be made available for the RC-6 at a later date. The molle back attaches to the the molded sheath part and provide an extra lashing around the pommel of the knife - making it "jump proof". I'm also told that the molle back allows some adjustment of the height at which the knife is hung on the belt, such that the molle back allows the handle to hang lower than the paracord configuration. I don't have a molle-back part so this is about all I'll say about this feature. Perhaps others who use this option can comment in the thread.
My first RC purchase was an RC-4 back in march 2008. I instantly fell in love with this knife. It was also my first kydex sheath. Since that time I've had custom kydex sheaths made for some of my other knives.
The main difference between an RC-sheath and the aftermarket kydex that I've bought is that the RC-4 kydex sacrifices compactness and weight for flexibility of attachment. So most aftermarket sheaths look something like this:
They are form fitted to the knife eliminating bulk where they can. Either a dedicated loop, dangler style loop or teck lock is used to attach the sheath to your belt. Here are some pictures of the RC-4 sheath:
First you will note that unlike the standard aftermarket kydex sheath, the RC-kydex has kydex material forming a flattened edge on both sides of the blade. This adds bulk to the knife compared to the standard design. You will also notice that the the rivets which provide threading holes, occur on both sides of the blade. This is what provides a lot of flexibility of the sheath system. The knife can be threaded with the supplied paracord such that the paracord forms a set of belt loops. The above picture shows the RC-4 carried inverted under the belt. You can easily configure the knife for horizontal carry or carry it vertical outside the belt. The blade also comes with molle clips allowing you to thread the sheath to molle webbing found of military style packs and vests.
I was immediately pleased when I first received my RC-4. Admittedly, my initial reaction was 'Bummer' - I have to buy a tec-lock. That was until the Rat team posted the pictures of how to thread the paracord to make your belt loops. Some people think that this is somehow uncomfortable. I have carried my RC-4, more often outside of the belt, quite extensively and I have no problem with this method of carry. Also, the little clip that comes with the paracord allows you to rapidly reconfigure the method of carry. So if you decide you want to switch from vertical to horizontal. You can re-thread the paracord in about a minute to do so. Similarly, want to shift from left-side to right-side carry? The sheath is fully ambidextrous and can be configured in either direction. No screw drivers required.
I like my kydex a little on the tight side. The RC-4 sheath is highly adjustable, ranging from having it so loose that it can easily pop out when inverted, to having it very tight producing a sharp 'click' sound when the sheath and blade become seated. I like the latter. You will note in my picture above that I tightened the supplied screws on both top holes of the knife. This is against suggestions, but I like the tightness that this configuration gives. Also, if for whatever reason I loose a screw, I have another attached to the sheath that can be screwed down rather tightly. This actually happend on my first outing. I didn't tighten the retention screw and it fell out somewhere. So now I have a backup.
Another unique feature of the RC-sheaths is that the design results in a relatively large 'lip' of kydex or plastic behind the spine of the blade at the top part of the sheath. This makes an excellent platform to push off of with your thump when unsheathing the knife. If you are like me, and like a tight fitting sheath, then the push off makes extracting the blade very nice. You aren't trying to yank your knife out against the tension of the belt. Simply grasp the handle with your fingers, and push the blade out of the sheath by pressing your thumb against the extra lip of plastic behind the spine. It seems kind of obvious, but after using the RC-4 and then my other knife/kydex sheaths, I really began to miss that extra plastic to aid the push-off. Again this is a difference inherent to the shaping of the RC-sheaths that includes material sandwhiched on both sides of the blade. True - there is a weight and bulk penalty to this design, but the ergonomics of it seem to ring true with me.
Next up is the RC-3 and RC-6. They both come with a molded sheath that is made of a softer tan plastic compared to the harder kydex. As I understand it, there are different color offerings for the molded sheaths related to the desert tan and orange G10 blades on the RC-3.
The standard black blade knives come with tan-plastic sheaths. Again, I have to admit that the wow factor on the sheaths for these two knives was not exactly high the moment I opened up these packages. In fact, my first thought about the RC-6 was - man I gotta get some custom kydex on this baby. But time does sway temperament. The molded sheaths do not have the same rigidity of the kydex and this results in a first impression of 'cheaper' material. However, this impression doesn't really seem to hold up in usage.
The mating of the blade on both the RC-3 and RC-6 resound with a solid click, just the kind of soundI like to hear on kydex. The RC-6 sheath also has a rigged thumb ramp facilitating the thumb 'push off'. The plastic ridges are kind of reminiscent of file work on the blade spine and serve the same purpose. The RC-6 has two sets of rivet holes enabling a high and low adjustment of paracord belt loops or the holes can serve as multiple lashing points of the sheath to a pack.
Both the RC-3 and RC-6 basic sheath systems allow them to be configured in all the different ways described for the RC-4. They also have included molle clips. One thing that was pretty cool was my ability to thread together the RC-6 and RC-3 in a piggyback style configuration. I did this while in the field on a coffee break to to try it out. It took about a minute to do and it worked great.
Now kydex rarely wins beauty contests and the molded sheaths gets even fewer points on the aesthetics. However, these are supremely functional sheaths that can be configured in a wide variety of different carry methods. I probably only covered a few of those possibilities in this thread.
The one thing I have learned time and time again is that a sheathless knife is pretty much useless while a highly functional sheath gives even a mediocre blade a whole new level of functionality. With the RC-products you get the benefit of a great sheath melded to a great knife. There really isn't more than you can ask for.
I would like to hear from those of you who might have the sharpshooter leather and the molded or kydex sheaths on the RC-3 and RC-4. What are your thoughts on comparing this aftermarket sheath with the standard one. I'm thinking of the following criteria: 1) carry comfort; 2) flexibility of carry options; 3) bulk.
Thanks!
So far, the three knives released by Rat Cutlery include the RC-3, RC-4 and RC-6 with different color flavors of the RC-3 and RC-4. I'm admittedly recycling a few pics for this thread, but they are provided for the purpose of this review.
The standard offering for sheaths on the RC-3 and RC-6 are the tan moulded sheaths. The RC-4 is different as it comes with a black kydex sheath (I assume the dessert tan and orange G10 varients have the same black kydex sheath).
The RC-3 and RC-4 can be purchased with the optional molle-backing. A molle-back option will be made available for the RC-6 at a later date. The molle back attaches to the the molded sheath part and provide an extra lashing around the pommel of the knife - making it "jump proof". I'm also told that the molle back allows some adjustment of the height at which the knife is hung on the belt, such that the molle back allows the handle to hang lower than the paracord configuration. I don't have a molle-back part so this is about all I'll say about this feature. Perhaps others who use this option can comment in the thread.
My first RC purchase was an RC-4 back in march 2008. I instantly fell in love with this knife. It was also my first kydex sheath. Since that time I've had custom kydex sheaths made for some of my other knives.
The main difference between an RC-sheath and the aftermarket kydex that I've bought is that the RC-4 kydex sacrifices compactness and weight for flexibility of attachment. So most aftermarket sheaths look something like this:
They are form fitted to the knife eliminating bulk where they can. Either a dedicated loop, dangler style loop or teck lock is used to attach the sheath to your belt. Here are some pictures of the RC-4 sheath:
First you will note that unlike the standard aftermarket kydex sheath, the RC-kydex has kydex material forming a flattened edge on both sides of the blade. This adds bulk to the knife compared to the standard design. You will also notice that the the rivets which provide threading holes, occur on both sides of the blade. This is what provides a lot of flexibility of the sheath system. The knife can be threaded with the supplied paracord such that the paracord forms a set of belt loops. The above picture shows the RC-4 carried inverted under the belt. You can easily configure the knife for horizontal carry or carry it vertical outside the belt. The blade also comes with molle clips allowing you to thread the sheath to molle webbing found of military style packs and vests.
I was immediately pleased when I first received my RC-4. Admittedly, my initial reaction was 'Bummer' - I have to buy a tec-lock. That was until the Rat team posted the pictures of how to thread the paracord to make your belt loops. Some people think that this is somehow uncomfortable. I have carried my RC-4, more often outside of the belt, quite extensively and I have no problem with this method of carry. Also, the little clip that comes with the paracord allows you to rapidly reconfigure the method of carry. So if you decide you want to switch from vertical to horizontal. You can re-thread the paracord in about a minute to do so. Similarly, want to shift from left-side to right-side carry? The sheath is fully ambidextrous and can be configured in either direction. No screw drivers required.
I like my kydex a little on the tight side. The RC-4 sheath is highly adjustable, ranging from having it so loose that it can easily pop out when inverted, to having it very tight producing a sharp 'click' sound when the sheath and blade become seated. I like the latter. You will note in my picture above that I tightened the supplied screws on both top holes of the knife. This is against suggestions, but I like the tightness that this configuration gives. Also, if for whatever reason I loose a screw, I have another attached to the sheath that can be screwed down rather tightly. This actually happend on my first outing. I didn't tighten the retention screw and it fell out somewhere. So now I have a backup.
Another unique feature of the RC-sheaths is that the design results in a relatively large 'lip' of kydex or plastic behind the spine of the blade at the top part of the sheath. This makes an excellent platform to push off of with your thump when unsheathing the knife. If you are like me, and like a tight fitting sheath, then the push off makes extracting the blade very nice. You aren't trying to yank your knife out against the tension of the belt. Simply grasp the handle with your fingers, and push the blade out of the sheath by pressing your thumb against the extra lip of plastic behind the spine. It seems kind of obvious, but after using the RC-4 and then my other knife/kydex sheaths, I really began to miss that extra plastic to aid the push-off. Again this is a difference inherent to the shaping of the RC-sheaths that includes material sandwhiched on both sides of the blade. True - there is a weight and bulk penalty to this design, but the ergonomics of it seem to ring true with me.
Next up is the RC-3 and RC-6. They both come with a molded sheath that is made of a softer tan plastic compared to the harder kydex. As I understand it, there are different color offerings for the molded sheaths related to the desert tan and orange G10 blades on the RC-3.
The standard black blade knives come with tan-plastic sheaths. Again, I have to admit that the wow factor on the sheaths for these two knives was not exactly high the moment I opened up these packages. In fact, my first thought about the RC-6 was - man I gotta get some custom kydex on this baby. But time does sway temperament. The molded sheaths do not have the same rigidity of the kydex and this results in a first impression of 'cheaper' material. However, this impression doesn't really seem to hold up in usage.
The mating of the blade on both the RC-3 and RC-6 resound with a solid click, just the kind of soundI like to hear on kydex. The RC-6 sheath also has a rigged thumb ramp facilitating the thumb 'push off'. The plastic ridges are kind of reminiscent of file work on the blade spine and serve the same purpose. The RC-6 has two sets of rivet holes enabling a high and low adjustment of paracord belt loops or the holes can serve as multiple lashing points of the sheath to a pack.
Both the RC-3 and RC-6 basic sheath systems allow them to be configured in all the different ways described for the RC-4. They also have included molle clips. One thing that was pretty cool was my ability to thread together the RC-6 and RC-3 in a piggyback style configuration. I did this while in the field on a coffee break to to try it out. It took about a minute to do and it worked great.
Now kydex rarely wins beauty contests and the molded sheaths gets even fewer points on the aesthetics. However, these are supremely functional sheaths that can be configured in a wide variety of different carry methods. I probably only covered a few of those possibilities in this thread.
The one thing I have learned time and time again is that a sheathless knife is pretty much useless while a highly functional sheath gives even a mediocre blade a whole new level of functionality. With the RC-products you get the benefit of a great sheath melded to a great knife. There really isn't more than you can ask for.
I would like to hear from those of you who might have the sharpshooter leather and the molded or kydex sheaths on the RC-3 and RC-4. What are your thoughts on comparing this aftermarket sheath with the standard one. I'm thinking of the following criteria: 1) carry comfort; 2) flexibility of carry options; 3) bulk.
Thanks!
