And the Winner is... RD-9! Again...

R

Roguer

Joined
Jan 5, 2015
Messages
1,403
Well I done and did it again...

I looked over the OKC offerings for big blades in 5160 and my needed specifications made things pretty limiting.

I wanted full real tang, 5160, and a thumping and whumping hilt for real heavy work. What people consider "Heavy Use" it seems I call it medium usage. I'm not out to destroy my tools but some times if its the only one I got to do some thing, I'll do the thing I need to get done with it if I know the tool I'm using can do it. If an emergency or desperation job needed to be done I'll use what ever to get it done.

So ruled out was both SPs line up.

RTACII and Woodsman looked like the only game in town, then I checked my old knife web sites haunts and saw the RD-9 was still available! OKC's site ran out of them. Having one already (it gets loaned out to much because of its 5160 capabilities) I know what it can be absurdly capable of and still be able to do if some one top heavy Bushy stuff with the choil on it like all RD knives. Having seeing SP-51s going about ~POOF~ going away from about every where I grabbed one. Down side its got G-10 Orange scales...good news TKC seems to have good RD fitting scales that fits it. Since this might be the last time to get a new RD 9 I acted and got it before I would kick myself to waiting to long...again...for some thing I wanted/needed/ that works.

Yes for me the RD 9 is a compromise blade for me. But my ideal large 5160 blade would be a full tanged micarta handled saber grind blade. For me its a decent FFG blade I can use as a multi-tool that can do bushy stuff AND is a 1/4" spine 5160 steel that can be used with out worry. (once the blade proves to have a good temper that is.)
 
I only have 2 rd9's one I stripped after the coating was gone down the middle, the other I tested then put back in the box. Rtak2 is a beauty though, its got reach and looks like any charging animal could be put down with minimal suffering. I strap that to my back in a kydex sheath or wear it high on the hip depending on location. The rd9 is my business woods blade, and the woodsman looks like a real frontiersman would have been proud to carry it. The rd6 or the Cerberus get to ride horizontal on my back belt. If you ever get an rtak2 don't throw away the sheath, a 12" tramontina fits perfectly in there
 
I use my SP-51s and SP-53s for dedicated wood whopping. RD9 makes a good all purpose blade I know it can do things with out much worry. For my FFG large 5160 blade the RD9 for me is a better around performer as all RD 4-9 all have a good bushy performance with the choil set up. And one heck of a Thumping and Whumping hilt! For Middling sized chopper...really the RD Tanto will ride with my RD9s now.
 
RD 9 as usual is a good knife I recently got.

G-10 handles, I relearned I HATE them!

Any one know where one can get RD Micarta handles? I'd hate to have to pull them from one of my other RDs and swap them.
 
Roguer said:
RD 9 as usual is a good knife I recently got.

G-10 handles, I relearned I HATE them!

Any one know where one can get RD Micarta handles? I'd hate to have to pull them from one of my other RDs and swap them.
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Straight from Ontario. Their phone # is on their website, you need to get the part # from customer service. They are $8 apiece and were in stock last time I checked.
 
Happy to help. Wish I had kept that part#, they have different part #'s for each side, and the hardware and there's no way to look it up on the site, but at least all the rd6-9's have the same scales. Have to call during their business hours m-friday!
 
Also the RD4 has the same scales, what is in my hunting pack will also get a Micarta up grade. Heck for 8 bucks a piece it tempts me to get any other RD I see out there if its got different scales!
 
Might as well get as many as you can, they charge $6 (to me) shipping up to $75, then it's free
 
Roguer said:
Also the RD4 has the same scales, what is in my hunting pack will also get a Micarta up grade. Heck for 8 bucks a piece it tempts me to get any other RD I see out there if its got different scales!
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I found the stock#'s; the right side slab:40-40-3220;left scale 40-40-3370 price $5.75 each in stock. The tak screw is outofstock, each of 3 insert is 40-40-2700; 40-40-2710 I forgot which was which
Now you don't have to wait till Monday to order! So it's $11.50 per the set I was off a little
 
The RD6 is a great all round middling sized blade, as it is slicey enough yet the 1/4" spine is wedgy enough to baton with. The RD Tanto is a great Batoner and the choil makes it do Okish bushy stuff. The other RD types the TFI is a nice short heavy middling knife, light yet able to do heavy stuff! The RAK is one of the few saberish grind (baring SP and SP+ stuff) that the saberish grind is what makes a operate out side of its capabilities.
 
How does the tfi compare to the tak mod or tak1? I also, I didn't take your meaning on the RAK; are you saying it is not an effective operator?
 
The RAK with its saberish ground makes it a great performer!

Its a 1095 blade that is 3/16th in width. But it can step up and do more than FFG. I was going to round the spike till I found out how handy it is. Its a knife proving to be a good bushy blade. As i suspected it was designed with many good applications that I could of thought out.

TFI don't got the TAK 1 or Tak Mod...(got new car so that's on hold) but the TFI is a tough little blade. U tube has a good vid on it.
 
I believe most knives made by Ontario with a flat grind are 5160, (except some of the 2nd gen spec plus)while most 1095 blades are saber grind
 
Yes their tactical blades and their Spec and spec Plus have saber grinds (SP-10 one of the bester ones!)
but for wanting a great thumping and whumping hilt their RATs and RDs (but the RAK and RD TANTO) are FFGs.

While I still could afford to get a few knives (had a bad feeling last chance for a while then car died) I got a RAT 7 to see if I liked it. Well I do like it and going to keep it. Glad I got it over the RAT 5 as the 7 seems way more versatile and nice and Slicy for campy stuff. I almost got a BK 5 but the RAT 7 was cheaper with a great micarta handle already. Really the RAT 7 is a good light to medium use knife that can do heavy stuff...even if its a FFG one. ;)
 
I forgot about the rats, I was ogling the rat 7 but I have so many rd6's and 2 rd9's I never hit purchase, except the rat3 limited in d2, which is completely different from the others, having walnut scales, no choil or integrated guard, more of a skinner really
I have 2 sp10's, sp50"s, 1 sp51 and sp53. I've enough choppers for now
 
Having to many RD 6s was what I thought. Get the RAT 7! Its a great general purpose bushy knife. Some like smaller blades or Bushy stuff but I like at least a good middling blade. My usual general carry alone (with a small lock back quality folder) is a RD 7 I have to admit as it can seem to do all with 5160 abuse capable steel. The Rat 7 will be a good bushy or slicer camp knife that can do heavy stuff if needed.

I usually give away an RD6 to a niece or nephew or who needs a good tough general purpose HEAVY 5160 steel knife. Its good for bushy and chopping and batoning. For me my RDs are my main compromise knives, super tough 5160 that can do about any thing. Good thumping and whumping hilt, the choil lets them do good to decent bushy stuff even with the 9 and Tanto! The clip point and shorter handle I can put up with. The all FFG of the RDs (But the TANTO!) I can deal with as it has a 1/4" spine and the "Shorter" width of the blade helps with its batoning, but then batoning is only part of its expected duties I want it to be decently able to do. Reason I chose an RD 9 over an RTAK 2. But mostly as part of my "compromise" knives is their quality and AFFORDABILITY! I been able to get enough knives for the "oops for that one knife there, good thing I keep one knife here!" oopsies, and not only have one or a few of super uber expensive knives made. The RD 9 is used as a multitool and back up wood processing blade for me, also it gets paired with a SP-51 or a BK 9, with the SP-51 its the multi-tool with the BK9 its the heavy use woods blade and the other is the multi-tool as the 5160 steel seems to be almost unstoppable. Some times one needs as many thumping whumping hilts as possible I find, and if limited to what one can carry in, hence I had to look for some others to full fill some needs.

My SP-10s are for...well I like the look of them and they are great beater blades! And well when I know when feral dogs (if the wolves don't get them) are around I carry one with its hilt and huge blade I think could deal with that situation better. My SP-51s are my main wood whacking, chopping and batoning blades when on wilderhood romps, the straight blade is easier to maintain in the field. My SP-53s are my trail clearing when Tyrannical Botanicals Dare to invade the ground and air space of the trails! Never saw a need for a SP-50 or a Woodsman as they are large FFG knives and a RD9 seems to be able to do what they do only have a good thumping and whumping hilt!
 
I can never seem to decide on 1 or 2 large knives. My rd6's are for gifting as well. I do like the rtak2 tho as it's length, relatively light weight make it great hide stabber, I haven't brought my sp51 or 53 out yet, as I am waiting to put on one of those sp10 guards on them. After this mod, the only advantage the sp10 will take is the clip point for fighting. I think, the rd9, rtak2, and bk9 could handle a month out, plus a half-hatchet; small blades like a modded snody big boss, okc Cerberus, and an rd6, wouldn't add too much weight
 
When I gift out and RD6 I get a replacement one as soon as I can. Great knife to loan out when pressed for one. The SP-51s seemed to of gone bye bye as they were sunsetted. My last production box said Dec. 2016, and every where else I could of found them are gone. Glad I got mine when I could of. The KING chopper is the SP-53! That's why I use it for protecting the territorial land and air space from tryannical botanicals! As its near the base of operations I use for launching such punitive expeditions from! (old family farm house).

Now I got a car again I can do stuff like that.
 
The woodsman is a new and improved sp50, except the handles, so if you didn't like one it follow that you wouldn't like the other! I bought 5 or 6 rd6's in two weeks, the price kept going down, I think the last 2or3 were around $50. The sp50 is really light
 
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