Ontario Knife Company 8848 Rat I Folding Knife - EDC Knife Black

This is probably the best value knife that you can buy anywhere for the amount of knife and the quality you get. The knife is really worth more that the current price Amazon is selling it at. Yes it is made in Taiwan but the quality control is excellent. I am not saying this is a perfect knife but it has stood the test of time and many including me think this is one of the top 5 EDC knives under $50.00 bucks. This is a Big Knife and it has a little weight to it, that is not a big deal but for some I can understand. I love the feel of the knife in my hands, the nylon 6 handles are okay, they do offer a bit of a grip but not like G10. The satin blade finish is really nice and I think AUS 8 is a decent steel for what you pay for the knife. I do treat all my knifes that might rust with FrogLube and keep them clean. That's just good maintenance. The clip is good, just enough bite to keep it from slipping out of the pocket but not enough that you have to pry it out. There are two issues though and really only one that I think is significant. First, I think I may have gotten one that has a stiff detent, mine was hard to open when I got it, but once you broke the detent it flew open. I gave a slight turn of the pivot screw and now it works well and the detent is manageable. It did move the perfect centering of the blade a little off but that is okay with me as it was only a little. Now the more serious one, I knew about this problem before I purchased the knife so I am not going to take any stars away from it because of this. The Blade in the closed position takes up almost the entire handle of the knife. If you rub lightly over the end of the handle curve you will not feel the blade at all, but if you apply pressure to where the fatty part of your finger starts to go into the handle you will feel the point of the blade on your finger. It could be a safety issue for a very small cut, it's possible. I carry this blade tip down so I don't think it will be a problem. That being said, I do really like this knife, I do think it's the best blade for the price, you get more than your moneys worth. Read more

From someone who owns several knives, both higher and low end (think various Midtechs, Sebenzas, Zero Tolerance, etc), the Rat I is absolutely awesome. I still can't believe the price-performance ratio you're getting with this knife. A lot of people may think Taiwan made means it's garbage, but they couldn't be more wrong. Many high end Spyderco's are made in Taichung Taiwan, and they're better quality than the American made ones. It pains me to say that, but it's true. The fit and finish easily matches that of $100~ knives from other knife companies out there. Small details like the lockbar side liner being hardened, the standoffs are fitted into the liners for easy dis-assembly & re-assembly, the dual bronze and teflon washers, full flat grind, all make this knife a cut above the rest of the competition. I'll break down the pros and cons here: ~+++PRO'S+++~ +AUS 8 steel, slightly better quality than most of the Chinese made knives in this price range that use 8cr13Mov steel, easy to sharpen +Features both phosphor bronze & teflon washers on both sides of the blade pivot (This makes the knife wicked smooth when opening) +The steel liner on the locking side is hardened. This is not something you usually see on knives in this price range. What you get for that is a liner that will be much more resistant to wearing down from opening and using the knife, and as a result you'll experience less blade wobble or "blade play" +Fit and finish is unbelievably good for a knife in this price range. I would easily pay $60-$70 and still feel I got my moneys worth +Blade shape is great for EDC use. The full flat grind means this is a great slicer blade +Comes very sharp out of the box +All screwed construction, no cheap pins or rivets. So the Rat I can be easily dis-assembled to clean, lubricate, modify parts, etc. Only a torx screwdriver is needed +The pocket clip is reversible in all four directions. Meaning no matter if you're a southpaw or a righty, you can carry the Rat I tip-up or tip-down +Flow thorough design. If it gets dirty you can easily use a can of compressed air to blast out any debris. Cleaning this knife is a breeze +PRICE. Plain and simple, you cannot beat this knife for $25-$30 dollars. Many people consider the Spyderco Tenacious (A Chinese made knife in the same price range) a better knife. From someone who has over ten Spyderco's and is a huge fan of the brand, this knife blows it out of the water. ~---CONS---~ -The nylon handles are a little too slick. They feel sturdy, but do not offer much in the grip category. There are custom handles available though -The jimping on the blades thumb ramp is only so-so. It works, but it's been rounded off more than it should have been. I'd rate it a 60/100 -The knife weighs just under 5 ounces. Now this isn't necessarily a bad thing for most people, however the reason I'm considering this a negative attribute is because the steel liners are not skeletonized/drilled out. Meaning the metal liners could have had pieces on the inside cut out to reduce some of the weight. This is more of a missed opportunity than a Con, but I feel it should be mentioned -If you purchase a version of the Rat I or Rat II that has the black blade coating; be prepared for it to scrape and flake off in no time. It's just a thin coating of black paint. it WILL come of with regular use. Higher end knives use stronger types of coatings (See DLC coated blades for example). This is one area of the knife that the price really affects what Ontario can offer in the final product. I highly recommend going with the satin finish blade. CONCLUSION I couldn't recommend a better knife in this price range. If you're on the fence, or just need an inexpensive knife for work or EDC, get this knife. If you're still on the fence I urge you to watch a couple video reviews on YouTube and see what other people have to say. Also, if you have not noticed already, there is a smaller version of this knife, the Rat II. There has been some confusion as to the Rat II being a newer model of the Rat I. They are identical knives except for the II being a smaller knife. Depending on your needs you may be better off with a smaller 3 inch blade than the Rat I's 3.6 inch. All in all this is an absolute steal for the price. Buy two, you wont regret it. Read more

This knife is great ! I am not sure how they can sell it at this price and make money ? It is built like a tank, the action is great and has bronze washers too ! I am not sure if its the AUS 8 steel or heat treat but this thing takes one hell of an edge. The factory edge was fantastic and extremely sharp. I thought i could do a bit better and used my ceramic 320 grit, 1000 grit, 5000 grit and finally my leather strop. The results were amazing, i can stand a piece of folded magazine paper up and it glides right through with a push cut not a slice cut which is how you know you have a sharp knife. If you can't push cut paper then its not as sharp as it could be. The knife is a bit big and heavy but manageable for EDC. I find the size is both useful and comforting, having a full size handle makes a huge difference in a knifes performance. Some may balk at the AUS 8 steel but the heat treat is great on these and it really really sharpens well and takes a wicked edge. I have not ran into any situation where the AUS 8 did not hold the edge long enough to finish tasks. I think you can some up knives basically it two categories on one side you have steels that take a better edge but does not hold it as long. On the other side you have knives that take a decent edge and holds it longer. These knives are great because they are cheap and are easy to get wicked sharp. You cannot go wrong with this knife. Read more