Ontario Rat 1 Linerlock Black

The Ontario RAT 1 is the perfect moderate-use beater knife that I can trust in outdoor settings (think beach hangout or camping) or to pass to a friend if they ask to a borrow a knife.Steel:The upgrade in steel from the original AUS-8 RAT 1 to this new D2 steel is considerable. The edge on the D2 steel blade will hold for an unquestionably longer time than budget steels like AUS-8 or 8Cr13Mov but perhaps not quite as long as steels like CPM S30V/S35VN. I've additionally observed D2 to be a bit prone to chipping so I advise new purchasers to be careful with hard chopping and stabbing tasks.Ergos/Carry:The ergonomics are great but the handle scales are not as grippy as they should be. I won't go as far as to say they are slippery, but they certainly feel so compared against some of my other knives.The clip works well and the closed blade fits snugly in the side of your pocket (albeit rather largely)Last little note on my personal knife: When I open the knife, the locking liner/tab will randomly engage deeper along the blade tang, making disengaging the lock feel difficult and "stickier" than usual. This happens about 1/20 times I open the knife, randomly. It doesn't bother me too much but I will admit it's always a bit of an unpleasant tactile surprise to feel the sticky disengagement whenever it happens (which I can't seem to predict). For the uninitiated knife nerd, this behavior shouldn't have popped up as early as it has (about 1 month of ownership), given that it's usually a sign of considerable wear (think multiple years) between the locking liner and the blade tang. This should be something to look out for in your knife when you get it: Lockup consistency.However with all that said, for the budget-conscious EDC'er looking for a new mid/large sized EDC knife, I think this might be among the best budget-friendly deals available. You can't commonly find knives with this steel, operating action, & fit/finish at this price, let alone for knives larger than 3.5". It certainly deserves all the high ratings it receives but I caution you not to abuse it TOO much because, again, the liner lock is not as robust as something like a well-crafted titanium frame lock, Spyderco's Compression & CBBL locks, and Cold Steel's Tri-ad lock (to name just a few popular options).Whew, long-winded, sorry. Either way, enjoy the knife ;)Edit: Adjusted to five stars since sticky lockup wore itself in nicely. Perfect centering and action. No blade play. It's really excellent.

Not comparing it to my Beanchmade's or top tier Spiderco's.For the money it's a Great all purpose knife. Very well made, fit, finish and functional.Though from China it's obviously a higher standard. The blade lends its self well for everyday work (casual) while it's look is gentlemanly.The blade deploys easily and smoothly. Nice balance.The only 2 things I would like are a larger thumb stud (my big hand) and a slightly more aggressive grip.The grip feels nice but is relatively smooth. If bloodied it would slip right through your grip.Its definitely in my low threat rotation but as I stated "low". Other wise if your just using for utility it's worth every dollar

I was looking for an economical EDC and compared the Ontario RAT1 with the ESEE BRK. Wanted to keep only one. Both are made in Taiwan, supposedly with D2 steel. Here are some random thoughts and observations. Pics show BRK on left, RAT1 on right.-Fit and finish: both are pretty good given their respective prices (BRK $38, RAT1 $42)-Both blades were centered despite pics (due to lens distortion) and are very sharp-RAT1 held together with 10 screws; BRK had eight screws and a nail-BRK frame lock was VERY stiff and difficult to operate; engages just over half of the tang which is more than satisfactory.-RAT1 liner lock Is centered on the tang, despite pics-BRK has scale on only one side—feels cheap and thin with liner being smaller than the scale; RAT1 is one scale thicker and the liner is flush on all sides-Weight: BRK 4.5 oz; RAT1 5.0 oz-Closed lengths are identical despite pics-Closed width of BRK is about 3/16 inch wider with more of the blade exposed-Blade lengths are the same with the RAT! having slightly longer exposed tang-Spine of RAT1 feels less finished i.e., feels stamped with sharper edges-RAT1 feels more finished in hand with no hotspots; BRK handle edges and clip feel “sharp” in comparisonBoth are excellent knives for the price, but in the end, I decided to keep the RAT1 because I just preferred the action, operation and feel, even though I had to pay for return shipping on the BRK (not Prime). Maybe this will save you some money. YRMV.

I received the Rat 1 a bit over 2 weeks ago. Build quality seems good and it feels great in my hand. Thumb flicking was very hard to do out of the box, super stiff. After wear in and cleaning it has loosened up a bit but still takes a good bit of force to open.Pro'sGreat priceGood steelFeels good in handCame mostly sharpCon'sApex was off quite a bit.Opening is stiff and hard to thumb flick. Cleaned and oiled but did not help much.

Awesome pocket knife. The D2 Steel is fantastic, and a simple handy design. I also own the AUS-8 model and they are both go-to for me. The D2 sharpens up to a wicked edge, just remember to keep it oiled because it will rust. It isn't a showy blade, nothing fancy you'd whip out at a BBQ with the boys, but it is the knife I want on the job site, out in the woods, on the hunt, or just around the house. Top notch performance at a very low cost, compared to what's out there. I'd put this up against any of my Emersons, Benchmades, Spartan Blades, or Toor Knives in terms of performance.