RAT-7

I've always loved the OKC Rat knives. I purchased my 7 on Oct 30 2018. I received the newer model (smaller sharper etching on the bolster and sheath does not have a pouch). I had asked about the sheath and got mixed answers, so hopefully my review will help others. The knife is high quality. It came in an OKC box and was very sharp. The weight distribution is very good. It doesnt feel forward heavy. The finger choil makes finer carving and cutting much easier. The sheath is nylon and very basic. Black with white threads. But its very solid and well made. The powder coating is holding up nicely. This is a very durable and multiuse knife. Ive grown so fond of it I bought a second one to keep new in the box. Until I tried the Rat 7, I was a huge fan of the Rat 5.

I am a knife guy. I like Benchmade products, but do not like them for bushcraft work. I wanted a new knife to go with my new axe, knife, saw set (bushcraft trinity). So I was looking at a few selections in the $90-$150ish price range. There are so many options and videos out there, that I don’t think you can really go wrong. I was looking at a Buck 119 or 120, Mora Pathfinder, Gerber Strongarm, Tops Bob Hunter, Tops Moccasin Ranger, Ka-Bar BKR7, Ka-Bar 7503 Jarosz “Turok,” and like every ESEE 6 model in the series. From those, many were eliminated due to price. Most of the better brands (ESEE and Tops) are in the upper $150 price range. The Ka-Bars and the Mora are great knives, but were on the smaller size for baton use. The Bucks were super heavy and I didn’t want to carry those on a belt all day. The closes contender was the Gerber Strongarm, and I just went with this knife because I wanted to try it out. I was already familiar with Gerber products and wanted to try this out. There you go, I wanted to save $50 and try out a different knife brand. It’s a great knife. The handle is a little big for me, but I can slim it down myself with some sand paper. If you have large to XL hands, then this will be perfect for you. The sheath is a little janky, but it does the job of holding the knife. I’m thinking of getting a kydex or leather sheath for it and that newer Gerber axe. But the one it came with will die for now.

The sheath sucks but the knife is ok there are a few issues. 1 the coating is not very tough, 2 the grinds are uneven, 3 the grips are kinda blocky. I would still recommend it for a solid camp knife it is pretty durable and has good edge retention.

This knife has now de-throned my Becker BK-7 as my favorite outdoors knife, something I never expected it to do. I originally picked one of these up at Cabela's because I loved the simple elegance of the overall design, and it came with an attractive walnut handle and leather sheath. I have since made a custom leather dangler sheath and replaced the original walnut handle scales with the OKC original Micarta scales. This review reflects the knife in its original OKC form. First, the specs, in case something got missed in the product description: Manufacturer: Ontario Knife Co. Model: RAT-7 Overall length: 12.25" Blade length: 7.0", cutting edge 6.5" Blade thickness: 0.19" Weight: 12.6 oz. Blade steel: 1095 Blade style/grind: exposed full tang (no skeletonizing), drop point, full flat grind Handle material: Micarta Sheath: my own custom leather dangler I actually had a chance to test this knife out on an 11-day hiking/backpacking trip through the Grand Circle in northern Arizona and southern Utah. I had the option to take a Becker BK-7, which was a knife I was rather familiar with already, but decided on this one because, a) the overall package was lighter and more compact vs. the oversized factory sheath of the BK-7, and the blade itself has a slimmer design which made it easier to wear, and, b) it didn't look so "tactical" in comparison so as not to draw as much attention on the trail. Considering that I wore the knife 24/7 while on that trip, the more "woodsy" look of it looked more in place with a group of hikers than a fighting style knife. The weight difference, while only a few ounces when considering the sheath, was a factor when considering my loadout. During this trip I essentially put this knife through a trial by fire (pun intended) considering for a large part of it we did not carry an ax or hatchet. Paired with my small folding saw, I was able to accomplish pretty much every task that came up during our trip. I did A LOT of firewood prep, and considering I was with a Boy Scout troop, I used this knife constantly to show them how to build a "one-log fire." Between the inexperienced abuse at the hands of the younger scouts and the considerably heavy use I personally put on it, it came out winning in almost every area. Properly cleaned, this knife also excelled at food prep, building log walls for windbreaks, cutting though webbing and cargo straps when one of ours broke and wouldn't release, and fashioning ad-hoc hiking sticks out on the trail. The overall balance and ergonomics are, in my opinion, one of the best in ANY knife I've ever used. Being a large blade, it actually wields like a much smaller, lighter blade because it's so balanced. The handle design is very comfortable and rather large, which I like, with no discernable hot spots or uncomfortable countouring. Even with a somewhat blocky profile, the handle was still fantastic feeling and the Micarta provided an improved purchase on the knife over the walnut scales. Batoning with this knife while processing firewood was incredibly easy, and the blade edge held up very well during hard use. The Micarta also absorbed the punishment much better than the walnut scales, the originals having broken beforehand (the reason I ordered the Micarta ones). The Micarta scales also make this knife balance much better, being heavier and denser than the wooden ones. In my opinion, the wood scales are a downgrade even if they look better. To summarize, the good: - excellent balance - great ergonomics - very tough steel and edge; excellent edge retention - epoxy powder finish actually held up very well - great fit and finish - perfect size for a field knife - razor sharp out of the box - great handle - excellent slicer - good chopper - great jimping--not too aggressive, but enough so to provide added traction While I really struggled to find genuine complaints about this knife, there were a couple of things I think could be better, but not by much: - choil isn't very large, so for some might be impractical or unsafe to use as a finger choil - handle doesn't have a pronounced hook or swell near the pommel, so while chopping there is somewhat of a feeling it could slip out of my hand. A lanyard solved this issue - for some, the knife might be a bit too large My overall impression of this knife is that it's a great knife, very clean and elegant in its simplistic design; there's no showy or gimmicky designs like exaggerated ergonomics, over-aggressive jimping, funky blade grinds or geometry (looking at you, Tom Brown Tracker), and no serrations. Serrations simply aren't necessary with this design. The knife feels good in the hand--balanced, quick, and ergonomic in spite of the somewhat blocky handle scales. The palm swell on the handle is just right providing both comfort and purchase. Conclusion: This is an EXCELLENT survival knife, one which was originally designed specifically as a SURVIVAL knife: not specifically tactical and not specifically for bushcraft. It has since become one of my two all-time favorites along with the OKC Ranger Series RD-6. As far as value for the money, you cannot beat this knife. It performs and feels very much like a knife in a much higher price category, which is why I bought a second one to keep in a go bag. Highly recommended.

I picked this blade up the other summer. I have since stripped the finish off the blade, and browned it. Whatever OKC uses for its coating is seriously tough stuff. I've also sharpened the spine to throw sparks with ferro rods, and used a round file to make the jimping on the spine a little more aggressive. I can't leave well enough alone sometimes. That said, there wasn't anything really wrong with the knife right out the gate. It hits that sweet spot for a medium sized knife. Can chop, though a bit more labor intensive. Does smaller knife tasks well enough. Holds an edge decent. Can baton. I've whooped on mine a fair bit, and it doesn't care. The handle looks blocky, but is quite comfortable. Can't say anything bad about it. Sits well in the hand, doesn't transfer a ton of shock. No big hot spots to me. The only downside is the sheath, and seriously... you're not paying for the sheath anyway. It's serviceable, but nothing to rave about. Get a kydex, or a nice leather one for it if it bugs you, call it a day. My only regret with this knife is not buying two. I'll probably fix that in the near future.

Summarized, its sharp out of the box, has a nice grip that fits my Large sized hands. Blade was strait with a nice thumb grip at the spine of the blade. There is a small opening at the bolster of the knife that could let you get a really close and firm grip on the blade.

Está sem sombra de dúvida, na minha opinião esta entre as top 3 das facas, acabamento primoroso!!!!Só elogios, valeu cada centavo!!!! Parabéns!!!! Está é a segunda que compro!!!

Sin ninguna duda es la mejor empuñadura de todos los cuchillos de mi colección. Es extremadamente cómodo empuñar este cuchillo. Es una delicia. Es mi primer cuchillo Ontario y tuve muchas dudas antes de comprarlo. Con toda sinceridad lo compré por una oferta de un gran descuento. Me siento muy contento de haber hecho la compra. No lo he probado en ninguna forma aún. Lo recibí apenas hace unas horas. Pero la gran comodidad de sujetarlo es una gran satisfacción. Se ven bien los acabados, se percibe una construcción robusta. Lo recomiendo al mil por ciento y aprovechen la muy buena oferta de Amazon. Está genial!!!

Great size blade and quality handle. Razor sharp from the factory. Comes with a nylon sheath that is adaptable to right or left hand carry and has molle for pack attachment. Very formidable and strong tool. Very pleased with my purchase and recommend.

Excelente faca para acampamento, forte e robusta