New Rat 2 owner, have a question.

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bluefox85

Joined
Dec 25, 2020
Messages
6
Hello all. I'm fairly new to knives and have really only owned Gerber Paraframes. I know they are cheap but they have always performed well for me as a work knife, and I love the solid frame lock lock-up. I have purchased 2 Kershaws but returned them immediately as I did not like the liner locks that engaged at 10-20%, and they all had L-to-R blade play.

After watching countless reviews, I decided on the Ontario Rat 2 in Aus-8 (I wanted AUS-8 so I can learn to sharpen properly before moving up to the higher quality steels). I got it for Christmas from my wife today, and like it a lot. It seems great- solid 50% lock-up , no blade play whatsoever, and the blade is perfectly centered. The only issue that I have is that the action seems really loose; so loose that I can hold the scales and flick the knife open completely without touching the studs or blade itself. Is this normal on this knife? I know people described it as "smooth"??
Thanks in advance
 
Merry Christmas Bluefox85. I also have the Rat 2 in Aus-8 but mine is not near as loose as yours. I have to actually pull on the blade to open mine. The pivot screw may need to be tighten a little on yours.
 
Sounds a bit too loose. You can disassemble the knife and bend the lock bar in a bit to increase the tension of the detent.

My advice though is to return it for a replacement from the dealer you bought it from.

I have five of these and they have detent strong enough to prevent the knife being able to open with a gravity drop.

They really are awesome EDC blades for the money.
 
MolokaiRider said:
Sounds a bit too loose. You can disassemble the knife and bend the lock bar in a bit to increase the tension of the detent.

My advice though is to return it for a replacement from the dealer you bought it from.

I have five of these and they have detent strong enough to prevent the knife being able to open with a gravity drop.

They really are awesome EDC blades for the money.
Click to expand...
Well not a drop, but a strong flick of the wrist. I also bought one for my co-worker as a Christmas present and his does it as well. Maybe I should take a video and upload it.
 
tshows said:
Merry Christmas Bluefox85. I also have the Rat 2 in Aus-8 but mine is not near as loose as yours. I have to actually pull on the blade to open mine. The pivot screw may need to be tighten a little on yours.
Click to expand...

MolokaiRider said:
Sounds a bit too loose. You can disassemble the knife and bend the lock bar in a bit to increase the tension of the detent.

My advice though is to return it for a replacement from the dealer you bought it from.

I have five of these and they have detent strong enough to prevent the knife being able to open with a gravity drop.

They really are awesome EDC blades for the money.
Click to expand...

I took a quick vid... is this normal for a Rat 2?


 
I would tighten the pivot a hair and see what that does for you. It sounds more like the detent is a little wimpy but as long as it opens fast for you as the pressure on the thumb stud overcomes the resistance of the detent, I would call that acceptable for me (maybe not for you). Benchmades are really well known for this as the axis lock doesn't hold the blade closed the greatest so if you drop the knife the blade can come open pretty easily. The flipside of that is some of the nicest actions on folding knives and a strong.

The detent is located in the lockbar so adding a little pressure as MolokaiRider suggests will probably help. It's actually a pretty simple adjustment if you're feeling uneasy about messing up the lock at all. One side effect could be lock stick from the added pressure of the lockbar, so just be aware of that.

If you actually try that with a lot of smooth actioned knives, especially with heavier blades, that will happen. I can probably open 1/2 of my folders that way that aren't lockbacks.

Regarding pivot adjustment, a very small amount can make a big difference. Like, 1/20th of a turn on some knives is the difference from loose to stiff action as you pinch the pivot washers together.
 
bikerector said:
I would tighten the pivot a hair and see what that does for you. It sounds more like the detent is a little wimpy but as long as it opens fast for you as the pressure on the thumb stud overcomes the resistance of the detent, I would call that acceptable for me (maybe not for you). Benchmades are really well known for this as the axis lock doesn't hold the blade closed the greatest so if you drop the knife the blade can come open pretty easily. The flipside of that is some of the nicest actions on folding knives and a strong.

The detent is located in the lockbar so adding a little pressure as MolokaiRider suggests will probably help. It's actually a pretty simple adjustment if you're feeling uneasy about messing up the lock at all. One side effect could be lock stick from the added pressure of the lockbar, so just be aware of that.

If you actually try that with a lot of smooth actioned knives, especially with heavier blades, that will happen. I can probably open 1/2 of my folders that way that aren't lockbacks.

Regarding pivot adjustment, a very small amount can make a big difference. Like, 1/20th of a turn on some knives is the difference from loose to stiff action as you pinch the pivot washers together.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I'll just leave it alone then, and get used to it. I think I am used to tighter cheaper knives that require pushing the thumb stud and flicking the wrist in one go...that's why it felt "loose" to me
 
I have a few rats and I tighten the pivot screws just enough so that I can't flick them open and I NEED the thumb stud. But that is my preference. The centering had not been screwed up on mine with that slight tweak, but ymmv. Best of luck and enjoy. I have more expensive folders but it seems every time I leave my house, I grab either my SAK or one of my rats.
 
I have a Rat 1 that does the same. I like it. The detent holds it closed well enough, but the opening is fast and smooth.
 
My rat 1 has gotten grimy numerous times so ive disassembled it enough times that i couldnt say how it was when stock. I always just set the pivot screw where i like the action to be.
 
I bought a Rat1, Coyote in D-2, last year ? Anyway, it was my first. I was busy after that, tossed it in a tub, and kind of forgot about it. Then I re awoke to it with some down time, and appreciated it more. Since then I picked up a few more. The only issue that I noticed was a slightly tight blade retention on a couple of 1's, and a slight rough opening on one of them. It all disappeared with use. I have one Rat2 (man I like the two's so much !), that might need tightening as it feels borderline too easy to open. I suppose that it will get a tweak some day soon............. I want a few more 2's, one in blaze orange for sure.
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I edc a rat 2 in D2 at work. Very nice knife.
I just tweak the pivot screw so the blade is center & it opens as I like.
 
If there is no side to side play and the knife does not open by itself presenting a risk, then it is perfectly fine. If your preference is for a tigther pivot, then tigthten it to your liking.

But the knife is OK as is.

Mikel
 
Just got a Rat 2 in D2 and I’m amazed at how nice it is for the price! I can see why they seem to always show up in comparisons on knife reviews. Mine is very smooth so far. Flicks open like a much more expensive knife.
 
TheLegoJoker said:
Just got a Rat 2 in D2 and I’m amazed at how nice it is for the price! I can see why they seem to always show up in comparisons on knife reviews. Mine is very smooth so far. Flicks open like a much more expensive knife.
Click to expand...
I just got mine, and I agree 115$!!
 
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