What is wrong with the Ranger Series by Ontario?

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jfive

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Hey folks,

Is it just me or is the Ranger Series by Ontario not that popular among knife enthusiasts?
I like the designs - especially of the 4" versions - and haven't tried 5160 steel so I'm quite interested in these blades. Is anything wrong with the heat treatment of the 5160? Do the handles feel uncomfortable? Does the blade geometry sucks? Please tell me what is going on ;)...

Cheers,
J5
 
they are pretty nice knives. Justin makes a very nice knife, i'd just spend 40 or 50 more and have him make instead of the ontario. they have issues with the handles fitting well.

cricket
 
Popularity is hard to assess without production and sales figures. Ontario does not have a forum here, so some kinds of enthusiasm will be harder to find.
 
Ontario makes a decent knife, but their handling of the R.A.T. issue soured alot of forumites on their products.

I've only ever handled one of the Ranger series, and it seemed WAY overbuilt. Ontario's handles are a bit blocky, perhaps due to their design and production methods.
 
you are right, esav.
to be honest i don't really care about popularity at all...if a knife is well made (fit & finish, heat treat) and affordable i'm happy. but before i buy a knife i usually check what people say about this particular product. i have the impressions that knives with good quality usually get a good reputation. but it is hard to find positive reviews about this ranger series...that made me wonder and i would like to know the reason for this - because nobody owns a ranger knife or because they are not worth to be mentioned....

and it seemed WAY overbuilt. Ontario's handles are a bit blocky
Click to expand...
thanks for this info...but there is one thing i don't get: people seem to worship the bk2. aren't the dimensions of the ranger afgan and the bk2 pretty much the same ?
 
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There's nothing at all wrong with them. They are overbuilt tanks at a very good price. They are not subtle slicers and are not designed to be. They are what they are.

Justin Gingrich is a great guy and a real deal Army Ranger and the Ontario Rangers are built to the same specs as his Rangers.

If you want a full height grind bomb-proof chopper/basher/smasher at an excellent price...you can't beat the RD series.
 
jfive said:
thanks for this info...but there is one thing i don't get: people seem to worship the bk2. aren't the dimensions of the ranger afgan and the bk2 pretty much the same ?
Click to expand...

The Ranger series knives are a full 1/8" thicker(.375) than the BK2(.25), a knife overbuilt in it's own right.
 
never too sharp said:
Ontario makes a decent knife, but their handling of the R.A.T. issue soured alot of forumites on their products.

I've only ever handled one of the Ranger series, and it seemed WAY overbuilt. Ontario's handles are a bit blocky, perhaps due to their design and production methods.
Click to expand...


This what I think also. I've had three of these knives, still have two; the RD-4, and the Falcon. Btw OP, if you like the shorter blades, the Falcon is 3 7/8" on the blade, and looks like a scaled down Afghan.

On topic though, I've had no problems with the steel. Edges on mine came evenly ground, and sharp. As said, the handle scales could be improved as they are very blocky. I have used my Dremel tool with a drum sander to round out the handles a bit. It works well, but you should not have to work on a new knife like that.

Even with the handles, I think the Ranger lineup is an excellent value and well worth what you are paying. Prices seem to fall in the same category as the Becker's and the ESEE lineup of knives. I am particular to clip points and the Rangers have that. I would like to see kydex sheaths over the ones now used.
 
I might still get a ranger Shiv as a medium sized carry fixed blade. It could do with a different cord wrap on it, but for the money it looks pretty hard to beat.
 
Even if the Ontario versions weren't built to the same level of quality, how would anyone ever tell? The Ranger knives are so ridiculously overbuilt that they are almost completely bombproof. Think of a leaf spring from a 1943 deuce-and-a-half with scales and an edge on it and that's a Ranger. You need to hire a weapon bearer to haul the thing around.
 
jfive said:
Hey folks,

Is it just me or is the Ranger Series by Ontario not that popular among knife enthusiasts?
I like the designs - especially of the 4" versions - and haven't tried 5160 steel so I'm quite interested in these blades. Is anything wrong with the heat treatment of the 5160? Do the handles feel uncomfortable? Does the blade geometry sucks? Please tell me what is going on ;)...

Cheers,
J5
Click to expand...

Nothing is wrong, I bought a RD-4 at the Blade Show at the Ontario Booth with Justin right there. I have know Justin for years, he is a great guy and this is a great knife, especially for the price. I bought it on Saturday, I was told they would ship it right away. I recieved it the following Monday. This RD-4 is a tank and now rides in my backpack as my travel knife.
 
never too sharp said:
The Ranger series knives are a full 1/8" thicker(.375) than the BK2(.25), a knife overbuilt in it's own right.
Click to expand...

The Ranger knife that you handeled of mine was NOT an ordinary Ranger RD, it was a RD6 Signature Series & is 3/8" thick. Regular Ranger RD's (ready for deployment) are 1/4" thick
5160. I just don't know why they are not flying off the shelves. Maybe because there is too many models & variations available & the places that sell them usually-but not always-get the specs wrong on thier sites. That may confuse some people. They are a TANK of a knife for a great price IMHO, the sheaths---not so much, which is why they are such a good value. I like them a LOT. PLUS they are Made in America, just not the sheaths. For those that think thick blades can not slice or are not sharp & just a prybar, sorry, you are wrong. It certainly will not slice as thin as a kitchen knife, but they will slice & can be made uber sharp.

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IMHO, there is nothing wrong with them. Quite the contrary, i think they have everything right. 1/4" thick, good steel, good sharp point, finger choil, jimping & extended tang/handle & also a large hole for a lanyard. If i could redo the same knife, i would make the choil a little bigger, blade a little wider (not thicker), & extend the jimping down the blade another 2". The sheath, well, it is what it is to make the price point. If you add a custom sheath, that would add another $80-90 to the price & then everyone would think they are over priced & not buy them. The Ranger RD series are one of the best kept secrets in hard use knives IMHO.

Disclaimer---NO i do not work for Ontario or sell thier products, but would be proud to do either.
 
"Overbuilt", as the name implies, is usually a bad thing. It means too much for a certain task.
"Tank" of a knife is a bad thing, too, as tanks are not meant to cut and handle well.
 
I'd heard there will be more signature series in S7 steel produced eventually. Different models this time. To me the RD 4 signature model at .375 inches feels like a railroad spike to me. The longer RD 6 signature made of the same S7 stock feels much better, and more knife like.

The Ontario knives are nicely made, and a great value. I like it better than the Becker line of knives. My only complaint would be the sheath. It rattles around too much, and feels cheap.
 
I really like the Afghan signature series. I do have an issue with the sheath. The liner inside the nylon sheath looks like it was made from a soda bottle. It is not anchored with a screw at the bottom like higher end sheaths are. The liner tends to pull out along with the knife. Not a good situation. Being .375 thick it is hard to find a replacement sheath.

I think Ontario and especially their Ranger line are quality knives. I would not hesitate to buy another, sheath issues with the Afghan aside.
 
Gambrinus said:
"Overbuilt", as the name implies, is usually a bad thing. It means too much for a certain task.
"Tank" of a knife is a bad thing, too, as tanks are not meant to cut and handle well.
Click to expand...

A knife that is not meant to cut----hmmmmmmmmmmm. Tank of a knife is a bad thing---hmmmmmmmmmmm. Overbuilt is a bad thing---hmmmmmmmm. I got it, grab your sharpened butter knife---to arms i say ! LOL Just kidding. I guess one mans Holy Grail of a knife is anothers boat anchor. I just thought the name implies that it is overbuilt, a tank & made for hard use. Which is what a soldier wants, something that will not fail when you need it most. No such thing as knife abuse when in harms way. Made by a US ARMY RANGER, for soldiers & is ready for deployment/detatchment.
 
I have the RD-4, Afghan, and the RD6 Sinature series, an RD Hawk, and a couple of Ontario machete's. I really want to like them, the RD-6 is thick, sharp as it can be, and sure it might cut thin slices of paper, but try a fish or a carrot. When the entire thickness has to pass through the material, it's a different matter..
I have spent lots of time reprofiling the edge of the Afghan, and the RD-4. I re-shaped the handles with sandpaper, cause the caused pain to use otherwise. The handles are so blocky, that if I just squeezed them hard, I felt pain. Hard use, well, lots of pain. Not a deal breaker, sandpaper is cheap, and the materials are great. The time I spent on the handles and convexing the edges, machete's as well, was quite a bit. For me, it was gathering some skills for future knife making. For others with less time or patience, get one from Justin his knives have better F&F.
On to the 5160. I didn't think much of the HT from Ontario, it's "soft", so very tough, but dulls fast. By comparison, I also have a Culberson Bolok that was shaving sharp, and after a few hours of hard use, chopping hard seasoned wood, it was still sharp. I can tell a degration in minutes of use with my other Ontario's.

All in all, you get what you pay for. Uneven edges, crappy sheaths, the RD Hawk's sheath is okay, blocky handles and a softer HT. The are strong, I use my machetes for yard word, and the Afghan chops through roots, digs, can be used hard and pryed on. Just don't expect great F&F, or excellent slicing.

I'm not putting them down really, just being honest. The are American made, and tough, anybody can re-shape handles, rework the edges, and get a better sheath.
 
MTF3 said:
Nothing is wrong, I bought a RD-4 at the Blade Show at the Ontario Booth with Justin right there. I have know Justin for years, he is a great guy and this is a great knife, especially for the price. I bought it on Saturday, I was told they would ship it right away. I recieved it the following Monday. This RD-4 is a tank and now rides in my backpack as my travel knife.
Click to expand...

You didn't buy from Justin? I don't know how much more Justin sells his knives for, but I'd like to know. It seems like an interesting knife. I'd like to hear from someone who has one from Justin and one from Ontario.
 
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