Ontario Knife Co. RAT 1 with D2 Blade

[kwselke]

I like reasonably priced utilitarian knives. My latest knife purchase was an Ontario Knife Company RAT (Randall's Adventure Technology) Model 1 with a D2 Steel blade.

It is a well built modern folding knife. Thumb stud opening, liner lock, left/right pocket tip up/down pocket clip positioning makes for easy one hand opening and closing for most folks. On my kitchen scale it weighs in at 4.9 ounces. Usable blade length is about 3.25". I pictured it with a Spyderco Delica for size comparison.

I paid $40 delivered for this knife. What interested me was the D2 blade steel. No, it is not easy to sharpen, but it will take and hold a very sharp edge. Easy to sharpen denotes dulls quickly to me.

OKC offers the same knife with AUS-8 stainless for $10 or $15 less, but that holds little interest for me.

This knife is not tactical, but it would be handy to have while hunting, fishing, and or camping.

 

[mauser9]

Read the quality is very good and does hold an edge with the steel used. Picked up additional info from Blade Forum. Working on a small collection myself and this is a great possibility for the money.

 

[billwill]

Great purchase, you will enjoy owning this one!

 

[Valmet]

That look like a quality knife, esp for $40.

 

[Marshwheeling]

Got the RAT 2 with AUS8. Same color as yours. The steel is more than adequate to my EDC purposes.

I have some D2 blades, and like them, but for this one, I mostly wanted to check out the pattern.

 

[Marshwheeling]

Got the RAT 2 with AUS8. Same color as yours. The steel is more than adequate to my EDC purposes.

I have some D2 blades, and like them, but for this one, I mostly wanted to check out the pattern.

 

[mauser9]

Read the Aus-8 steel is pretty decent if not the best of course. My EDC is a Sog Trident Tanto with Aus-8 and takes quite an edge. Had it for 7 years and no blade play yet. Am happy with the spring assist for sure. Paid $59 for it off Amazon.

 

[kwselke]

Read the Aus-8 steel is pretty decent if not the best of course. My EDC is a Sog Trident Tanto with Aus-8 and takes quite an edge. Had it for 7 years and no blade play yet. Am happy with the spring assist for sure. Paid $59 for it off Amazon.

AUS-8 is about .7% carbon and 14% chrome, and then mostly iron with a dib and dab of other stuff. It is a perfectly fine serviceable budget stainless knife steel. D2 is about 1.5% carbon 12% chrome, and then mostly iron with a dib and dab of other stuff. D2 is more prone to rusting because of its lower chrome content, but the higher carbon content truly gives it the superior edge. If your knife works for you there is nothing wrong with it.

 

[shouldazagged]

I'm never sure what is meant by "not tactical"; but if it means "not all black with an American tanto point", that would be selling point for me. I like uncoated, unserrated drop-point blades, because I find them more efficient and useful.

Those look quite decent for the money. I would be okay with either steel. I've had some very satisfactory knives with AUS 8 blades, including a SOG Flash II I really liked.

 

[Ray]

Hard to sharpen D2 stell, but how hard?
DMT Diamond stones will do it ?
Asking because I saw one selling around here.
Regards, Ray

 

[steelslaver]

Diamond stones will sharpen D2

I have made a lot of D2 drop points from 3/16 D2.. It will clean and skin your deer and elk and your buddies deer and elk and still easily cut the date out of your tag. But, you had better not try to pry with it, especially the tip. It has a very abrupt elastic limit. Won't bend, it will snap.

D2 has 12% chrome, 1.5 percent carbon, .9% vanadium, and .8% Molybdenum. Iron can only use about .85% carbon and as the chrome uses no carbon D2 has a large excess of carbon in comparison to its Iron content. The carbon wants something to bond onto an it uses the Vanadium, forming Vanadium carbides. The carbides set up in the grain boundaries. Carbides or course are extremely hard, but brittle. This accounts for the abrupt elastic limit and the extreme wear resistance. You can get a D2 blade sharp enough to shave hair and it will stay that way for a lonmg time, but it will never get as sharp as something like straight high carrbon like W2 or 1095 because the carbide size will limit the edge unlike extremely fine grained steels. D2 is also impossible to get a real high polish on it because as you sand and polish it small carbides will tear lose from the surface and leave small scratches. 400 grit is about it. You can shine it up on a buffer after that but close inspection will show the scratches.

 

[kwselke]

Hard to sharpen D2 stell, but how hard?
DMT Diamond stones will do it ?
Asking because I saw one selling qround here.
Regards, Ray

I have DMT coarse and fine whetstones and a Spyderco Sharpmaker. I consider D2 about as difficult to sharpen as CPM S30V. It just takes time, but the edge is quite long lasting.

 

[Ray]

Then I think I´ll stick to the AUS 8 steel, regards, Ray

 

[shouldazagged]

...You can get a D2 blade sharp enough to shave hair and it will stay that way for a long time, but it will never get as sharp as something like straight high carbon like W2 or 1095 because the carbide size will limit the edge unlike extremely fine grained steels."...

Thanks for the clear explanation of the metallurgy.

Several years ago I asked Mike Stewart, the head man at Bark River Knife & Tool, what he thought about D2. His reply was, "D2 will take a ****** edge and hold it forever."

As far as I know, he still doesn't use it. The only knives of his I've owned, purchased years ago, were convex-ground A2, and were fiendishly sharp out of the box. But he did give me and several other guys Queen slimline single-blade trappers with D2 blades, which he had convexed, for us to test drive. Mine cut well, and definitely held its edge, but wasn't nearly as sharp as his A2 fixed blades.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I thought Tactical referred to 40 year old guys who still live with their Mother.
Mike Stewart never gave me a Knife.
Anything that’s handy would work,
Thank you very much!
Here’s my RAT.