Knife Review - Ontario RAT 1 Folder

The Ontario RAT - 1 folder is a discount folding knife option from the Ontario Knife Company.  The specs of the blade are as follows:

Blade Steel: AUS-8

Blade Length: 6 Closed

Blade Thickness: .120 inches

Overall: 8.620 inches

Handle Material: Ergonomic Nylon 6 handles

Blade Color: Satin Finish

Locking Mechanism: Liner Lock

I generally try to avoid discount blades as they have failed me in the past.  This blade, however, has proven itself.  The blade is quite large and fits in the hand well.  The ergonomics are well balanced and help the knife to feel like an extension of the hand.  This blade comes out of the box extremely sharp and the AUS - 8 allows for easy maintenance.

Some negatives about this blade are that the texture that is molded into the handle scales is very shallow and the slightest amount of sweat / moisture between the hand and the handle will encourage it to slip.  Also, the thumb stud is rounded.  This rounded end makes it slightly challenging to deploy the blade.

As for a POU (Philosophy of use), I feel that it is just a little too bulky to be an every day carry knife.  This knife would find it place in a hiking / day pack or even as a reliable duty blade (for all of our LE and military friends) 

It's not fair to any $35 blade to expect perfection.  It becomes more of a pro/con balance and this blade ends up being more than worth it.  

For a in depth review and a good look at the blade, you can watch a review I did on the blade below.

Thanks for reading guys and check back often for more reviews!