Ontario Rat 5 is...okay

[stabman]

So, pay came in just before new year. Remember the Outbound knife that a friend gave me back in December 2022?

It's the one that looks kind of like a Rat 5...a LOT like one.
It was Canadian Tire's best copy of a Rat 5.

Well, now that Ontario Knife Company is a thing of the past, decided I needed to get me one, before they all go away.
Well, Christmas tree is still up, so it still counts.

Made in June 2023, just a month before OKC went away:

Cardboard sleeve, with message:

Spine:

It kind of fits in your hand:

Knife made in USA, sheath made in China:

 

[stabman]

There it is, in the sheath:

Out of the box, it is one of the least comfortable things I have ever held in my hand...and that includes a vicious biting, scratching lizard I used to own.
So, something had to be done:

Better.

Now, I have read that the Rat 5 is kind of an emergency knife, or an "urban survival" tool.
So, to test that, first thing I did was go to try and maintain a trail through a wooded section in the city that I have been keeping opened for about the last decade (someone else initially established it). I had an action camera on a headband mount, but it was aimed a tad too high, so I missed most of the breathtakingly inefficient chopping.

It worked on small, whippy branches, but completely sucked at chopping anything of any decent size, no matter how I held the knife.
I gave up, and explored the wooded area itself, locating an old hobo camp. Decided to rest and have a cigar. I allow myself one or two a year generally, and hadn't had one for about 2 years, so it was time. So the only pics you get are from that down time:

And one blurry shot of ineffectual chopping (one of the only times it showed up on the action camera):

Well, for some reason I woke up early today, and decided "Hey, maybe it would work better for cross-grain batonning!" So, I used the Rat 5 to whittle down the end of a piece of wood I had in the storage room to make a walking/batonning stick.

Where to test it out though?
Where feels "Urban Survival" enough?

This is a good sign:

So let's go off to the side, and start testing it out.

 

[stabman]

Done!

Brought the wood over to this camp so they could use it for firewood.
Gave them a few juice boxes, granola bars and handwarmers too:

They had some firewood, but more is always better.

Well, off to a new zone:

Old burn pit. Used to be a shelter next to it:

Well, what if during your "Urban Survival" you need to stab a tire?
Can the Rat 5 do that?

Yes.

But can it also split a janky piece of wood you found on the railway tracks?

Yep, it can do that too.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with the Rat 5.
I was ready to hate it after the initial hand discomfort out of the box.
Was not thrilled with it on the first outing...but when it came to cutting wood like a well, knife, it did great on the walking/batonning stick.
It cross-grain batonned wonderfully, and didn't dull at all, even after the tire stab.

The coating held up well, the edge held up well.
It is the newer model, so it is 3/6" thick, full flat ground 1075 carbon steel.
Maybe grab one before they are all gone; it does not suck.

 

[Deino]

If you drop 20CA$ more, the RTAK is a good option. It is basically a long Rat fixed blade. Might not be as handy as the smaller one.

 

[stabman]

If you drop 20CA$ more, the RTAK is a good option. It is basically a long Rat fixed blade. Might not be as handy as the smaller one.

I have the ESEE Junglas, which is why I have skipped the RTAK.

Thought about the ESEE 5 from time to time, but the Rat 5 is half the price, and with full flat grind on slightly thinner stock should do knife tasks more easily.
Might have to make a Kydex sheath for it at some point.

If I get a ton of extra cash, I might get the ESEE 5 for the hell of it, but other than prying open doors I don't think it would do anything better than the Rat 5.
Be interesting to know what the Rat/ESEE guys think about the 5; I know they said the ESEE 5 was a specialized tool that was never intended as a bush knife.

 

[razorburn]

Did you ever consider the Ontario Rat 6 in S35VN.

 

[DocJD]

cross-grain batonning!

I believe you purposely violated the printed caution to " not apply force to the back of the blade" !

Living dangerously there , my friend .

 

[stabman]

Did you ever consider the Ontario Rat 6 in S35VN.

Only recently found out about it.
Would have considered it; harder to find now.

I believe you purposely violated the printed caution to " not apply force to the back of the blade" !

Living dangerously there , my friend .

Dangerously is the only way worth living.
Warnings are how you know where the fun is.

 

[qmether]

That tire didn't stand a chance




With a little coaxing Esee 5/6 scales will almost fit.

 

[stabman]

That is interesting news!
May have to try that out at some point.

 

[Greggy]

The most unspectacular knife I own. Wish I would have done more research before buying. I took the scales off and dyed them forest green. Looks nicer now. Thick behind the edge, so robust but hardly a slicer. I took it camping once and it was almost useless. I suppose it is built for batoning, but I have never seen the purpose in that. Prefer an ax or hatchet. Pics below:

 

[stabman]

The most unspectacular knife I own. Wish I would have done more research before buying. I took the scales off and dyed them forest green. Looks nicer now. Thick behind the edge, so robust but hardly a slicer. I took it camping once and it was almost useless. I suppose it is built for batoning, but I have never seen the purpose in that. Prefer an ax or hatchet.

Just measured mine: 0.035" to 0.040" behind the edge, depending on where I measure. Doesn't seem to be all that thick, and some of that will be the coating. Some folks have mentioned how the rough coating gets in the way of performance til it wears down/smoothes out.

The ESEE 5 was designed for the idea of a downed pilot, perhaps having to smash and cut out of an airplane, hence the thick grind and glass-breaker. The RAT 5 is less robust than that, but still has the glass-breaker pommel...cannot find anything written as to whether it was originally designed for downed pilots too, but seems possible given the similarity in design (other than thicker steel on the ESS5, and saber grind versus flat grind).

Given how well it managed wood carving when I fashioned the end of the walking/batonning stick for a rubber tip, I think it would work fine as a camp knife for knife tasks; it is a bit heavy for length of blade though with those thick scales and solid slab tang.

The Rat 7 would likely work to chop somewhat, but I already have a BK7, and the Outbound knife got me hankering after the Rat 5.

If the Rat 5 was less handle heavy and came with a Kydex sheath, I think people would find it to be a pretty great mid-sized belt knife. The handle heavy nature of it would probably aid in smashing a window though; that is the final "Urban Survival" task I have to test out with it but sadly, the spot that used to have acres of abandoned vehicles and ruined structures was cleared out a few years back. Will likely take a while before I can find a chance to see how well the pommel performs.