OK had my RDs a while.
Best all round one is the RD7 for all purpose one blade option. If it was made in Saber Grind probably better. That extra inch over the RD6 really makes it better for a one blade do all woodsy stuff. From small stuff to the big stuff, really its a GREAT knife!
Have to say the flat grind with the Choil on all RD knives, RD4-RD9, makes it a good all round bushy type knife though. Even the RD9 can do controlled bushy stuff OKihsly.
RD Tanto, probably best second choice. Really its closest to a saber grind one can get. Pointy part is great for them fine hole making bushy people whine about being needed to be done with a thinner blade. Its heavy yes but it sure gets the job done! I put a LOCK BACK folder in the pouch for a finer blade stuff tool. Really the RD TANTO is a great stand alone or a must have as part of a system if your other blades are flat grounded ones. Found this on U-tube, it really captures a lot of what I think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhB_Aa9akqo
I got my 3rd RD Tanto as one got dedicated to a bug out bag. I like to keep two usually one paired with my RD9 and one for general use/carry.
RD6, well best still in production all round middling sized knife. The blade cutting edge is "shorter" than some thing that long, but the choil as stated earlier makes it a great all round do every thing knife that was probably envisioned that way. For all round like the RD7 it can baton goodishly and the 5160 very strong and tough and snaps back when bent on a knotty piece of wood. If your looking for a still in production do every thing with bushy, hunting, or if need it to stand up to heavy work when needed, this probably might be the best still in production option. This is from looking from the bushy point of view, for a more chopping middling knife the RD TANTO rules!
I had to get another RD6 as I gave to many away to people who I felt needed a real knife for good general purpose heavy all purpose work.
RD4, have one, short ugly, but well it works great for a hunting knife! Short enough and I chipped it though...on heavy boned deer cutting legs off, hey it was freezing out and the knife did the job! Got the small chips out easily with a small field hand sharpener. So...it WORKS GREAT! i would of got an Afghan but well...they all go poof. When OKC sunsetted it, it go gone, so RD4 works. RD sized handle works great with the thumping and whumping hilt.
RD9, well as stated earlier with choil and flat ground it can do bushy things, it chopped well when needed. The RD9 is my large flat grind blade, it works so well I never saw a need to get an OKC Woodsman. I might get one later to have two large flat grind blades later on. Really I like mine, probably best RD impulse buy I did.
RD TFI...well still can't figure out what its best at. Its a short small heavy 5160 hunk of steel with one heck of a hilt for thumping and whumping. So far it looks like its good as a small heavy sharpened GP small to middling knife that is close to indestructible as one can be. With its 1/4 spine and narrow blade height wise, its close to a saberish grind and it probably would also be a good sharpened pry bar description when needed. The thumb ramp and blade angle makes the large standard Choil not needed. The TFI is a different critter from the RD4-9 types. If some one can tell me more of its potential applications I'd like to hear it. The reason for the angled blade and such would be nice to hear about and such. I won't comment on its "TACTICAL FIGHTING" ability as I don't get knives with intention on getting in to "TACTICAL KNIFE FIGHTS!" I can't wait till next beer season...er deer season, since I don't drink godly heaven sent booze any more, to see how it works on deer processing and maybe I finally found a nice 4-5" knife to break the ribs on our local deer. Oddly the old reliable fix blades and lock backs literally can't cut it any more on the local deer where I hunt. Other places like dad's farm they still go through the sternum, so I know its not me or the knife going bad.
RD HAWK II, well I got one well because I could. I haven't had a chance to play with it...er TACTICAL TRAINING with it on TYRANNICAL BOTANICALS! That spike...well I seen it has its uses like pickeroon like tool to haul a log in, I'm use to hatchets with flat ends for thumping and wumping. The handle going to see some sanding, its good lookticool but Useticool the RD HAWK II needs some work. Mine came with a blemish where the coating on the side was botched and left some steel exposed. Well seeing the blade was great I just took some black aluminum gun paint and did a few coats over it. It wasn't on a general wear area so I call it field repaired. The hilt itself can do some light thumping and whumping, that is a reason I went for most RD knvies, a solid thumping and Whumping Hilt. Given its just about a 12" hatchet about, I'll figure things out about it along the way. But so far the SPAXE I got also at the same time seems more multi-toolish.
Reasons I went for Ranger Detatchment Series products are just a few reasons even if only ONE has a SABERISH grind is...
1. 1/4" solid spine!
2. 5160 dang near indestructible properly tempered steel!
3. SOLID AND BIG HILT for thumping and whumping!
4. OKC's generous warranty!
5. DANG BEST BAG FOR THE BUCK QUALITY! (yes you can get slightly better and more refined products for about twice as much)
6. OKC makes stuff that is mostly made to be HARD USE and hard worked with! Not Lookticool with light use!
If you want a thinner blade I tell people get the BUSH version or a RAT.
Now if OKC made more saber grind type blades...I'd probably get them, a RTAC II style 1/4" Saber ground 5160 would be perfect for me!
So if people want a negative Rant to see here, more OKC RD SABER GRINDS, there did the big negative rant for those people who wanted to see a negative one.
On a side note people ask my why I like a big blade for trail working, easy its safer than a hatchet I find. SP-53 is the king of that one.
Oops that was publish not review post...
How I allocate my RD knives is as follows when going on a wilderness extended expedition by walking, watering, or vehicling, is usually as follows.
RD 7 is the general purpose one blade, I treat it like an RD6 when using a knife system.
RD6 gets paired with a SP-51 or SP-53, one has a sharpener in a pouch the other smaller LOCK BACK Gator Blade or Buck 110.
RD Tanto goes with the RD9, flat and saber combo only different sized blades. Same Smaller knife and sharpener combos in pouches.
RD4 has been moved to the offical hunting pack, RD TFI still fiddling with it.
Lone use blades well...RD7 and the RD Tanto I find the Tanto is better when the whacking and thwacking might be needed to be done. Other wise most RD knives make great one use stand alone knives from the RD6-RD9 and Tanto. The RD HAWK II is a different critter.
Best all round one is the RD7 for all purpose one blade option. If it was made in Saber Grind probably better. That extra inch over the RD6 really makes it better for a one blade do all woodsy stuff. From small stuff to the big stuff, really its a GREAT knife!
Have to say the flat grind with the Choil on all RD knives, RD4-RD9, makes it a good all round bushy type knife though. Even the RD9 can do controlled bushy stuff OKihsly.
RD Tanto, probably best second choice. Really its closest to a saber grind one can get. Pointy part is great for them fine hole making bushy people whine about being needed to be done with a thinner blade. Its heavy yes but it sure gets the job done! I put a LOCK BACK folder in the pouch for a finer blade stuff tool. Really the RD TANTO is a great stand alone or a must have as part of a system if your other blades are flat grounded ones. Found this on U-tube, it really captures a lot of what I think. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhB_Aa9akqo
I got my 3rd RD Tanto as one got dedicated to a bug out bag. I like to keep two usually one paired with my RD9 and one for general use/carry.
RD6, well best still in production all round middling sized knife. The blade cutting edge is "shorter" than some thing that long, but the choil as stated earlier makes it a great all round do every thing knife that was probably envisioned that way. For all round like the RD7 it can baton goodishly and the 5160 very strong and tough and snaps back when bent on a knotty piece of wood. If your looking for a still in production do every thing with bushy, hunting, or if need it to stand up to heavy work when needed, this probably might be the best still in production option. This is from looking from the bushy point of view, for a more chopping middling knife the RD TANTO rules!
I had to get another RD6 as I gave to many away to people who I felt needed a real knife for good general purpose heavy all purpose work.
RD4, have one, short ugly, but well it works great for a hunting knife! Short enough and I chipped it though...on heavy boned deer cutting legs off, hey it was freezing out and the knife did the job! Got the small chips out easily with a small field hand sharpener. So...it WORKS GREAT! i would of got an Afghan but well...they all go poof. When OKC sunsetted it, it go gone, so RD4 works. RD sized handle works great with the thumping and whumping hilt.
RD9, well as stated earlier with choil and flat ground it can do bushy things, it chopped well when needed. The RD9 is my large flat grind blade, it works so well I never saw a need to get an OKC Woodsman. I might get one later to have two large flat grind blades later on. Really I like mine, probably best RD impulse buy I did.
RD TFI...well still can't figure out what its best at. Its a short small heavy 5160 hunk of steel with one heck of a hilt for thumping and whumping. So far it looks like its good as a small heavy sharpened GP small to middling knife that is close to indestructible as one can be. With its 1/4 spine and narrow blade height wise, its close to a saberish grind and it probably would also be a good sharpened pry bar description when needed. The thumb ramp and blade angle makes the large standard Choil not needed. The TFI is a different critter from the RD4-9 types. If some one can tell me more of its potential applications I'd like to hear it. The reason for the angled blade and such would be nice to hear about and such. I won't comment on its "TACTICAL FIGHTING" ability as I don't get knives with intention on getting in to "TACTICAL KNIFE FIGHTS!" I can't wait till next beer season...er deer season, since I don't drink godly heaven sent booze any more, to see how it works on deer processing and maybe I finally found a nice 4-5" knife to break the ribs on our local deer. Oddly the old reliable fix blades and lock backs literally can't cut it any more on the local deer where I hunt. Other places like dad's farm they still go through the sternum, so I know its not me or the knife going bad.
RD HAWK II, well I got one well because I could. I haven't had a chance to play with it...er TACTICAL TRAINING with it on TYRANNICAL BOTANICALS! That spike...well I seen it has its uses like pickeroon like tool to haul a log in, I'm use to hatchets with flat ends for thumping and wumping. The handle going to see some sanding, its good lookticool but Useticool the RD HAWK II needs some work. Mine came with a blemish where the coating on the side was botched and left some steel exposed. Well seeing the blade was great I just took some black aluminum gun paint and did a few coats over it. It wasn't on a general wear area so I call it field repaired. The hilt itself can do some light thumping and whumping, that is a reason I went for most RD knvies, a solid thumping and Whumping Hilt. Given its just about a 12" hatchet about, I'll figure things out about it along the way. But so far the SPAXE I got also at the same time seems more multi-toolish.
Reasons I went for Ranger Detatchment Series products are just a few reasons even if only ONE has a SABERISH grind is...
1. 1/4" solid spine!
2. 5160 dang near indestructible properly tempered steel!
3. SOLID AND BIG HILT for thumping and whumping!
4. OKC's generous warranty!
5. DANG BEST BAG FOR THE BUCK QUALITY! (yes you can get slightly better and more refined products for about twice as much)
6. OKC makes stuff that is mostly made to be HARD USE and hard worked with! Not Lookticool with light use!
If you want a thinner blade I tell people get the BUSH version or a RAT.
Now if OKC made more saber grind type blades...I'd probably get them, a RTAC II style 1/4" Saber ground 5160 would be perfect for me!
So if people want a negative Rant to see here, more OKC RD SABER GRINDS, there did the big negative rant for those people who wanted to see a negative one.
On a side note people ask my why I like a big blade for trail working, easy its safer than a hatchet I find. SP-53 is the king of that one.
Oops that was publish not review post...
How I allocate my RD knives is as follows when going on a wilderness extended expedition by walking, watering, or vehicling, is usually as follows.
RD 7 is the general purpose one blade, I treat it like an RD6 when using a knife system.
RD6 gets paired with a SP-51 or SP-53, one has a sharpener in a pouch the other smaller LOCK BACK Gator Blade or Buck 110.
RD Tanto goes with the RD9, flat and saber combo only different sized blades. Same Smaller knife and sharpener combos in pouches.
RD4 has been moved to the offical hunting pack, RD TFI still fiddling with it.
Lone use blades well...RD7 and the RD Tanto I find the Tanto is better when the whacking and thwacking might be needed to be done. Other wise most RD knives make great one use stand alone knives from the RD6-RD9 and Tanto. The RD HAWK II is a different critter.
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