Ontario Rat II Folder OD Green

Folding knives hold a special place in my heart (and my pocket); my late grandfather made pocket knives as a hobby his whole life and he passed that tradition and skill on to me (as well as a LOT of folders). He made knives most similar to Buck brand (style and blade wise). Simple, easy to operate, traditional, and most importantly, SHARP!I’ve recently come across a lot of extra time I’ve been able to invest in evaluating my knife collection and my EDC components.To me, the pocket knife is the cornerstone of the EDC. This brings us to the OKC Rat II....Wow. What a knife. I purchased the OD Green with a black blade.I’m of the school of thought that EDC components should monochromatically match. Aesthetics are almost as important to function, and it seems companies are starting to realize this and produce quality products in more color ways. So often you only find EDC gear in black or metal. That’s great and all, you can’t go wrong matching all black, but adding an actual color gives you extra style points.The OD green grips on the RAT II are beautifuL. The green and black look great together. The grips have all black hardware to match the blade and it looks classy af. The pocket clip is also black to match the blade and while it looks great, I’ve noticed after only 4 days of carrying, the black coloring on the clip has chipped away in several wear points to reveal the silver metal underneath. This doesn’t bother me but should be noted for an honest review. The clip has the company’s logo on it and this is just another small detail that makes this knife great.The blade has ambidextrous thumb flips so if you wanted to switch the pocket clip to the other side you can do so and flip the blade open with either thumb. The blade is all black, has the company’s logo on it with “Ontario Knife Co. RAT Knives” and at the bottom “Model II AUS-8”. Very sharp right out of the box. I shaved a patch of hair off my arm with just the knife weight and it shaved as close as a Gillette razor!The action is also awesome. The blade flicks out with a very satisfying click. It is so fast it feels like it is assisted opening. When you flick it open and feel it click you know that blade is not gonna move at all until you release it and fold it back down. Very well put together.One of the major things I look for in a knife is how much real estate it occupies in my pocket. The RAT II to me is a perfect EDC sized folder. It is small enough that I don’t have to worry about my pockets bulging or being uncomfortable yet it is big enough and sturdy enough that it’s gonna get done whatever I require it to do.What are you waiting on, go buy this knife. It’s a no brainer. You won’t find a better knife at this price point no matter how many Gerbers or Kershaws you look at. Just buy this. I plan on getting every RAT series knife eventually just based on owning this one for a week.

I'm not a knife collector or junky. If you're looking for an expert's option I'm not it. I'm a pretty average Joe when it comes to pocket knives. Actually, this is my first pocket knife as an adult. I did spend a few hours looking into the right knife for me and this hit all the marks.I wanted something that I could best up if necessary but was also a good looking pocket queen. This fits the bill. I'm over 6 foot with medium size hands and this knife if perfecf in size and weight.ProsBuild qualityPriceEasy blade deploymentLight weight in pocket but heft/quality feel in handA beautiful knife4 tapped clip locationsPretty dang sharp. Sharp as I'll ever need my pocket knife.Perfect size for meConsI'm not a knife guy butPeople aren't always crazy about Taiwan made blades. Doesn't bother me after getting hands onThe clip ride pretty well but still wish it was lower profile yetAnyways that's about all I got. Love the knife. Will probably buy more and give them as gifts.

PLEASE NOTE: Before I review this item, I am aware that there are plenty of fakes out there, even here on Amazon. Why anyone would want to fake a $30 knife is a mystery to me... If you plan to buy this knife, please do yourself the favor and look up videos on YouTube that differentiate an original Rat II knife with a counterfeit (some are so bad, they can’t even spell “TaiWan” lol). Fakes can vary but they all Have one thing in common... they are all inferior to a genuine Rat II...With that out of the way, I want to just say that this is a perfect knife for EDC- it is extremely light, super sharp, and available in AUS8 and a higher quality Dat 2 blade (for about $10 more). I got the AUS 8 because I wanted to try the cheaper version to see if it is worth it (And it is!- I’ll be grabbing the dat 2 version very soon). This knife has an adjustable belt clip, so you can choose what side works for you. This is the right grip size for a nice full grip, giving you control of this nice piece. The color is beautiful and the thumb stud’s ambidexterity speaks for itself. This 30 dollar blade contains qualities that not many knives in the $300 + price range have. If you need a quality and inexpensive EDC knife, do yourself a favor and get yourself this bad boy (lookout for them fakes!)

Great light weight knife for the price. The blade came very sharp and went about 6 weeks of light daily use before it started to dull and required some touch up work. I do like the material the scales are made from and it has a nice grip texture. I can easily manipulate this knife with one hand which can be an issue with many locking folders. My only complaint is the finish on the blade is very weak and within 3 weeks of light cutting of mostly cardboard and into plastic bags that hold heating pellets the finish has started to wear off and down to the white of the steel. My only recommendation is if you have the extra money I would go with the upgraded version that is made from D2 tool steel rather then the AUS-8. You will get a better stronger blade that holds its edge for much longer. The only reason I did not was due to extended shipping times and availability from amazon at the time I ordered.

Knives are a hobby for me. I own well over 200 and carry one almost everywhere I go (often this one). For a light-duty EDC at a value price, this is the one I recommend. I have purchased and tested most of the alternatives from brand-name makers and this one comes out on top. I like it so much, I've gifted several to friends and family.The top features I like are:- smooth and easy one-handed blade deployment and retraction- quality steel for the price- durable construction and materials- light slim designYou can buy a better knife, but I haven't found one for this price.