Ontario Knife Company 8667 Rat-5, Plain Edge with Black Nylon Sheath, One Size

This knife is not for sissies!! It was shaving sharp out of box. I polished it on 4000 ceramic then 12000 ceramic. I stroped it on green coated leather. Wow it shines and is so sharp. It is an industrial strength full flat grind. The canvas micarta scales are very grippy and the jumping on the spine allow a choke up grip for finer work. The knife is heavy and has full belly. The black coating on the blade is a little rough but that's okay since it is a rugged knife. I feel good about this knife. The sheath is nylon and it is nothing to brag about. It has a plastic insert to keep that sharp blade from cutting through the sheath. It's important to keep the blade from banging into the 1095 steel. That dulls your edge. Very good knife. For what it's worth I recommend buying the knife.

I was in the market for a medium sized fixed blade knife. I looked at Esee but at 1/4" at the spine thought they were too thick, trying to be too much of a splitting maul/hatchet/machete and not enough knife. This one is thinner at 3/16" but still a thick stout knife that will handle all but the most ridiculous of tasks better suited for a saw or hatchet. OKC changed the steel from 1095 to 1075 in January 2023 so until they change the description here, it incorrectly lists 1095. The metalsmith responsible wrote a blog explaining the change and used a lot of fancy words but the sum of it was that they changed the heat treat so the result was a tougher blade with edge retention the same as 1095 without some of the disadvantages of 1095. It might be true and he might be trying to baffle us with BS to justify using a cheaper steel. I don't know. I do know that OKC was shut down and its parent company sold the trademark and remaining inventory because of not being profitable. So.. I just got this knife and it seems pretty nice, but your mileage may vary.

Recently received the Ontario Knife Company 8667 Rat-5 from Amazon.com - on time Prime delivery and in perfect condition as usual - who needs retail???? Especially when one lives in the country.This is my first purchase of an Ontario Knife Company product and I am very, very pleased. I will definitely consider them again for future knife purchases. Typically I am a Cold Steel/Spyderco/CRKT fan. The Rat-5 is simply one solid and great handling fixed blade knife. Its more than a knife its a farm tool.Out of the box the blade is dull at best and consistent with other reviews I read on the Rat-5. This should not deter anyone from getting the Rat-5. I get the legalities of sending a razor sharp knife to consumers and the need to sharpen any new knife blade purchased now days. Its the litigious society we live in especially in California. So about 15 minutes of sharpening, and honing the edge and WOW what a knife!The feel, weight, grip and balance is simply amazing. I have been looking for an every day carry knife on the farm for - harvesting, pruning, box cutting, trimming suckers, cutting zip ties, rope, twine, weeding, pry bar, etc. etc. Looking for an all around tool I can carry with me and multi-task in the vineyard/farm without having to go back to the barn or shop for a tool. I realized I needed a fixed blade knife despite the high quality folding knives I have. While I also carry a Leatherman Skeletool CK and use it every day, the knife blade on this slim down multi-tool is limited to just over 2 inches.I have tried multiple folding knives in this role but none worked the way I wanted them to especially on the harvesting, weeding, pruning farming tasks - not a big enough or heavy enough blade to do the job. I bought the Rat-5 based on the reviews on Amazon, Midway USA and an internet search and at just over $50 and no state tax it was worth a try. I also bought a leather horizontal draw sheath for farm carry: "Custom Made Ontario Rat 5 Horizontal Knife Sheath Made Out of Water Buffalo Hide Leather" on Amazon.com sold by: Carl J. Thomas, Jr. This is an outstanding leather sheath and fits my application and farm use perfectly. (The nylon sheath included with the Rat-5 is mediocre at best and not practical for working/carry as other reviewers noted.)After proper sharpening the Rat-5 has performed all the tasks noted above (and more I have probably used and forgotten) flawlessly and therefore my 5 star rating. This is one solid knife/farm tool and I hope to keep it sharp and doing its job for years to come. Finally I found my all purpose carry "farm-tool". Highly recommended along with the Carl J Thomas Jr sheath.