Ontario Knife Company (OKC for short) has been a major player in the American knife market for some time. Perhaps most widely known as supplier to the US military, popular designs such as the US Air Force Survival Knife have been in the hands of servicemen for several decades. As their knives proved able to stand up to the harshest of conditions, their reputation grew. OKC has since entered the civilian market with an impressive line of outdoor survival and utility knives, one of which being the RAT 1 folder.
The RAT 1 has an overall length of 8.5 inches with a 3.5 inch blade comprised of AUS-8 stainless steel. It is available in both a partially serrated and plain edge featuring a full flat grind with a Rockwell hardness of 55-56HRC. The 5 inch nylon handle allows for the pocket clip to be configured for either tip-up or tip-down carry ambidextrously and houses a liner lock mechanism. The RAT 1 is manufactured in Taiwan, which some may see as disappointing, but this allows it to be priced affordably at a mere $30.00 on Amazon, a steal given the quality of the knife.
My RAT 1 came razor-sharp and deployed smoothly with no adjusting of the blade tension or lubricating required. It exhibited no play in the blade and locked into place with a satisfying click. I feel that the placement of the indent for the index finger, palm swell, and jimping on the blade are positioned perfectly and will be comfortable for all hand sizes. The knife is balanced unevenly with a heavy handle, but in defense of that, it does help the large blade to feel light when in use.
I immediately tested the edge by breaking down a 15.5 x 12 inch box. Slicing through the first five flaps of the box was done with ease, but on the sixth there was noticeable resistance. By the eighth cut it took considerable effort to slice through the cardboard neatly. On my tenth cut I encountered the first mid-cut stoppage. While that isn’t stellar performance, a few quick swipes on a whetstone brought the edge back to it’s initial sharpness and I was able to keep reducing the cardboard into smaller and smaller pieces.
I attribute the results of the first test to the AUS-8 steel used for the blade. AUS-8 is by no means a super steel and will not hold an edge through repeated heavy use due to it’s softness. However, because of it’s softness the AUS-8 sharpens easily enough that a superior edge can be put back on it quickly using even just a field sharpener. Being that the RAT 1 is intended to be used as an everyday-carry (EDC) knife and not a long term field knife, I’m of the opinion that it’s edge retention isn’t much of an issue. As long as one takes care to touch up the edge after a few heavy uses, the blade will serve it’s purpose well.
For the following two months I carried the RAT 1 as my EDC knife. Normal tasks such as opening packages, cutting cordage, cutting fabric, sharpening pencils, and more were handled with ease. I found the large blade especially useful when opening clam shell packaging. Being able to puncture deep into the plastic and have a long cutting surface to slice down the length of the packaging would make quick work of them. The knife handled food prep exceedingly well and may even become the knife I use specifically for that when camping.
However, there were times that the large blade was more of a hindrance. Cutting a thread from delicate fabric required me to carefully determine the blade’s exact path of travel and ensure that it didn’t deviate in the slightest, lest it shred the whole garment. This became even more of an issue when making cuts into smaller objects that needed to be held in the process. To be working with such a large blade in close proximity to my fingers made for tense (and dangerous) moments.
With that large blade comes a large handle. The size of the handle is a benefit when using the knife, but can pose a problem when pocket carrying. Even when clipped to the top of a front pocket, the handle extends deeply into it. If the RAT 1 and your cell phone are competing for space in your dominant pocket it can get cramped fast. Being that I like having both my knife and phone close at hand, it was annoying to have to break from my muscle memory and move one of those things to a pocket I didn’t normally use. This problem was exacerbated when in an environment that I didn’t want the pocket clip visible. When I would drop the knife fully into my pocket the length of the handle would fall perpendicularly across my thigh. Not only was this very uncomfortable, but it created a very obvious rectangular bulge in my front pocket that wasn’t inconspicuous in the least. If one is in an environment that the presence of a visible pocket clip may draw unwanted attention, an unknown, but clearly visible, object in your pocket certainly will too.
It should be noted that what makes an EDC knife good for one person may make it bad for another. We all lead different lifestyles and have different needs. The RAT 1 is well-designed knife, but can be a bit much to carry daily. It would make an excellent utility knife or back up knife that rides in a pack. I’ve actually taken to carrying it in place of a fixed blade for short hikes that don’t go far into the backcountry. When camping I’ll be using it as a food prep knife to avoid contamination from my primary fixed blade. The RAT 1 can serve many purposes, even if it is a bit large for a traditional EDC knife. For those that size isn’t an issue, the RAT 1 is excellent. If you’re the “go big or go home” type or are looking for a backup folder for your fixed blade knife, the RAT 1 will not let you down.
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