RAT3 in 1095 rare????

M

monkfish4

Joined
Oct 26, 2001
Messages
64
I just placed an order for some RATs from Cumberland, and was told that there is a shortage right now of RAT3's in 1095.
As I understand it, Ontario had some problems with their machinery, and as a result, a whole bunch of 1095 RAT3's were scrapped.
Although I would have loved to have a bunch of RAT3's to practice knife edge grinding, it is good to see that QC for Ontario, (at least the RATs), is still going strong.

By the way, I ordered a RAT3 in D2, a RAT3 in 1095, and an RC-3 to round out the bunch as a Christmas present to myself.
 
We're not sure when Ontario will be back up and running. I know they did scrap a LOT of RAT knives dues to not being to our quality specs. Since then, they have some new grinders and are suppose to be working the RAT knives off of these grinders. We *think* they should have RAT knives shipping sometime in February.

Mike and I (RAT) have a philosophy on all of our knives, whether they're manufactured by us (RAT Cutlery) or manufactured by Ontario (Ontario RAT). From now on, all knives will fit a top quality standard or they will not be produced. No exceptions. The very reason Mike and I started RAT Cutlery is so we would have say-so over quality, options, designs, and styles without having to get layers of corporate approval. RAT Cutlery now gives us the mechanism to produce top-quality cutlery in short time spans, and also react to what our customers want in upgrades. Mike and I still support the Ontario RAT line 100 percent, but as long as our name is on it then quality and customer service will always be our first concerns.

Jeff
 
Did you say February...Mine has been on back order since 1-Oct. This is going to be hard. At least it will be top quality.
 
LG&M said:
Did you say February...Mine has been on back order since 1-Oct. This is going to be hard. At least it will be top quality.
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat. Been waiting since Oct. But, I'm glad the RAT guys are on top of it and looking out for us. It just makes me want to buy more RAT knives.
 
I've been in touch with Ontario on a weekly basis. They will likely not ship any RAT knives until mid January to early February. We shut down production and scrapped knives back in September So it isn't surprising that you've been waiting since October. We would have liked to have given up front notice to dealers and customers that that was going to happen but conditions were such that we had to do it on the spot in order to maintain the integrity of the RAT line. As the old saying goes, "You do what you gotta do." Ontario management was in agreement with us on this.

I checked samples from a run of carbon steel TAK knives about two weeks ago and they were very good and well within specs. All the carbon steel models should be shipping first then D2 models after that. I cannot imagine that Ontario will show up at SHOT without RAT knives to ship so I look for that to be the latest for shipping on RAT knives. But I still have not been able to wring an updated shipping schedule out of them. (Originally they were to start shipping in mid December.) All I can say at this point is they will ship when thy have stock and because this has been a pain to get done I really think the product they ship will be absolutely first quality. Jeff and I have also stopped ALL sales of any 'seconds' of RAT knives. That includes any sales at the factory store in Franklinville, NY as well as any sales of seconds to large distributors who ran specials from time to time. We do not want the reputation nor the headache of dealing with two separate standards of quality. The previous sales of seconds from the factory were nothing short of a royal pain in the ass and we got tired of it biting our ass every time we turned around. We've had RAT knives (seconds) turn up in Europe having been sold to people as first quality. No more. It has been Ontario's policy forever to sell seconds (usually cosmetic blemishes) and they may continue to sell seconds of other lines made there but not RAT knives.

Jeff and I as well as Ontario truly appreciate the willingness of customers to wait this out . If I get any concrete update on shipping I will let you know here. Mike
 
Thanks for the update....I have a ton on order and had been wondering about it.
 
Hi,

I was about to order an Ontario Rat3 D2 from swords.ca. The online dealer has some in stock right now. Should I be concerned about getting a second quality product from that dealer due to the production problems?

Thanks alot! Can't wait to get my hand on one of these!
 
I believe the problem was with the 1095 versions of the RAT line. They were stopped at the factory. I got a D2 RAT3 last week and it is first rate. I would imagine that any RAT knife at a dealer was in stock before the bad batch.
 
I'd still buy stock from any dealer. If by chance you did get a knife you believe to be a second or less than a first quality knife then you contact me directly and I will make sure Ontario replaces it (no charge) to your satisfaction. Ontario is a good company and is working hard to make sure they only produce first quality RAT knives. They will replace your RAT knife if you are not happy with it. Contact me directly at mike@ontariorat.com Thanks, Mike
 
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