ONE knife.....

[NathanJefferson]

Knife lady/Brad or someone else confirm or comment on this quote I found on Rat vs Esee, Sounds like they are VERY similar but slight differences...?:


ESEE 3 vs RAT 3
- The Rat 3 has a shorter handle and many users say that the bevel is uneven on the grind of the RAT 3
-ESEE 3 comes in more styles and colors, offers a MOLLE backing (as do the other models). ESEE 3 has 2 different pommel options, pointed and rounded
-Ontario offers it in 1095 & d2

ESEE 5 vs RAT 5
- ESEEs has a 1/4" thickness, while RAT only has 3/16" neither is better, they both have a different purpose...
-Ontario offers it in 1095 & d2
-Standard crappy ontario shealth.
-Milled pommel on the ESEE is more elegant and maybe even better functioning since it is milled not cut out like RATs

I do not own the larger ontario models, but they are cheaper for a reason and as mentioned here they are:

Bevel/ grind irregularities, sheath design is poor on larger ontario knives, coating can wear easily.

ESEE used to contract their work out to Ontario, when ESEE was still called RAT, as far as I know they are 2 different companies now. RAT handles training, ESEE handles knives and other survival stuff. The main reason was the management and designers at RAT and ESEE were unhappy with the quality Ontario put out. Ontario at that time was more concerned about pumping out product quickly rather than quality. Now, realizing it, they have taken steps to do damage control since they realized they could have skyrocketed profits if they were able to keep quality up to higher standards. Newer Ontario knives like the Spec Plus Gen II line is high quality stuff, with a crappy sheath.

ESEE now leases or contracts their work out to a small company (in Idaho I believe), called Rowen Manufacturing. ESEE guarantees their knives FOR LIFE NO MATTER WHAT! Ontario does not, that is the main difference in price that you see.

 

[Bradsknives]

Knife lady/Brad or someone else confirm or comment on this quote I found on Rat vs Esee, Sounds like they are VERY similar but slight differences...?:


ESEE 3 vs RAT 3
- The Rat 3 has a shorter handle and many users say that the bevel is uneven on the grind of the RAT 3
-ESEE 3 comes in more styles and colors, offers a MOLLE backing (as do the other models). ESEE 3 has 2 different pommel options, pointed and rounded
-Ontario offers it in 1095 & d2

ESEE 5 vs RAT 5
- ESEEs has a 1/4" thickness, while RAT only has 3/16" neither is better, they both have a different purpose...
-Ontario offers it in 1095 & d2
-Standard crappy ontario shealth.
-Milled pommel on the ESEE is more elegant and maybe even better functioning since it is milled not cut out like RATs

I do not own the larger ontario models, but they are cheaper for a reason and as mentioned here they are:

Bevel/ grind irregularities, sheath design is poor on larger ontario knives, coating can wear easily.

ESEE used to contract their work out to Ontario, when ESEE was still called RAT, as far as I know they are 2 different companies now. RAT handles training, ESEE handles knives and other survival stuff. The main reason was the management and designers at RAT and ESEE were unhappy with the quality Ontario put out. Ontario at that time was more concerned about pumping out product quickly rather than quality. Now, realizing it, they have taken steps to do damage control since they realized they could have skyrocketed profits if they were able to keep quality up to higher standards. Newer Ontario knives like the Spec Plus Gen II line is high quality stuff, with a crappy sheath.

ESEE now leases or contracts their work out to a small company (in Idaho I believe), called Rowen Manufacturing. ESEE guarantees their knives FOR LIFE NO MATTER WHAT! Ontario does not, that is the main difference in price that you see.

To the best of my knowledge this is the way it went down. Jeff & Mike did the design on the RAT knives that Ontario manufactured. There was no RAT Cutlery at the time as Ontario was the sole manufacturer and controlled the distribution of the RAT knives. Due to some disagreements between Jeff/Mike and Ontario over quality, Jeff and Mike left Ontario and formed Rat Cutlery and Rowen started manufacturing the Rat Cutlery knives that are marked with "RC". Due to the confusion in the knife world between the "RAT" (Ontario made) and the "RC" (Rat Cutlery/Rowen made), they changed their name from Rat Cutlery to ESEE. Other than the warranty, the biggest difference is in the heat treating that Rowen uses verses the heat treating that Ontario uses. ESEE/Rowen uses a differential type heat treat that allows them to control the hardness rating on different sections of the blade. A little harder on the edge for edge retention and a little softer in the spine for shock absorption and stress release with an overall average of 57rc across the entire blade. The method of heat treating is one of the reasons you see a price difference between ESEE and Ontario knives.

 

[grunt soldier]

man for a light weight beast I'm going to go a different route as I'm a steel snob they say. wtf ever you know. 1095 is a good steel with rowens heat treat (aka they heat treat esee and ontario's blades) but I like something a bit harder. sr101, s7, 01, cmp 154, 154 cm, infi, cmp s30v, s35vn, cmp 3v, ect ect ect. all are great knives but in a true survival situation you want something that is going to hold the best edge and stand the test of time. man I would have a tough time choosing.
busse basic 11 if weight was a concern. busse bushwacker mistress if not, any of my horton blades, ect ect. esee junglass is a great knife but it's heavy and 1095. don't limit yourself to just anything. check out all the blades you can afford. don't just go off what people say. check and feel what works best for you. meet knife people and play with all their blades and then decide.

 

[Davis0023]

Glock Knife w/ root saw.

 

[Blackhawk2001]

For an all-around big knife, I've found I like the KBAR Becker knockoff (BK-2?). It's a pretty good median between the RAT-3 and the Khukri (I've got a couple of those, too.) I will say my "one-knife" might have been the Reese Aviator Survival Knife that I carried from 1991 until it was stolen when I came back from deployment in 2006. That was a great knife.

 

[daedrian]

SOG Seal Pup. Comfy grip, decent blade that holds a good edge, thick enough for batoning, and most importantly it's "gunny approved"

 

[Glock22c]

Benchmade NIMRAVAS

 

[jdwhitak]

I have a Benchmade Triage. It has a folding blade, safety cutter and carbide glass breaker. Sharp as hell too!

 

[tradertator]

This is a tough one. Current 3 knives of mine that are seeing the most work would probably be my Bark River Bravo 1, Blind Horse PLSK2, and Busse Boss Street. If I had to choose one though, maybe the Bravo. It has a square spine, which is great for a metal match. I like the thumb ramp, the length is about perfect for most task, and A2 is some pretty damn good steel.

 

[iauffenberg]

hmmm i would pick my old k bar or my old trusty buck path finder both would work great but would be hard not to take both

 

[TiminMishawaka]

Probably my Esee Junglas. It's long and thick (insert that's what she said joke) so there's plenty of material to be worn down through use. It's made of a material I've worked with so I know the material's strong points and weak points and if it breaks in half, I can reform each half into something useful. It's a handy all around piece.

 

[jbranham5173]

a qualty khukuri , i have one from khukuripalace.com hand made in nepal excellent knife

 

[7.62asprin]

Kukri, or kbar.

 

[churchmouse]

I have a nice old Buck and a few Schrades that cut, stab and do all I ask of them.

 

[bwframe]

I have a nice old Buck and a few Schrades that cut, stab and do all I ask of them.

That brings up a very good point. Is it better to invest in newer steel? What does it buy you?

 

[TiminMishawaka]

That brings up a very good point. Is it better to invest in newer steel? What does it buy you?

Newer as in age or newer as in technology? (Fair warning, either way I will probably still say no....lol.)

 

[Gator762]

I have two old Bucks(110 and 119) that i have used and abused for years and keep comming back for more also Churchmouse. Great old knives

 

[Davis0023]

Ok..Question here. I seem to be the only one who choose the Glock Knife w root saw. I did based on the all around benefits size, root saw and Glock quailty name. This is suppose to be a one knife and only one knife choice.

Although I know how to use a knife well..I can not claim to be a knifesmith by any means.
So why not the Glock knife, is there something poor about it or something I do not know??? (This is not a sarcastic question , it is real? )

 

[churchmouse]

I have two old Bucks(110 and 119) that i have used and abused for years and keep comming back for more also Churchmouse. Great old knives

The new steel is all neat and cool looking. I am sure it does everything it is intended to do. Some of the survival offerings are a must have for the knife oriented. Yeah Gator, I just love my old school pieces. If I get all wrapped up in the newer stuff it will eat up money I use for bullets and such. I am weak you know.

 

[teddy12b]

Ok..Question here. I seem to be the only one who choose the Glock Knife w root saw. I did based on the all around benefits size, root saw and Glock quailty name. This is suppose to be a one knife and only one knife choice.

Although I know how to use a knife well..I can not claim to be a knifesmith by any means.
So why not the Glock knife, is there something poor about it or something I do not know??? (This is not a sarcastic question , it is real? )

It's fine if you like it. Theres millions of knives out there and theres no answer to the question.