Soltec
Zuerich, Switzerland

Jul 24, 2009

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Finish, Handle Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Blade Material, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Perfect Knife

Just back from a survival camp, I can tell you that is an absolute super knife. Whether small or large works, the RC 4 masters them all. Great handling and best quality! A knife as it should be!

Ricardo
Belgium

Jun 15, 2009

Pros: Overall Quality, Finish, Weight, Blade Material, Materials, Handle Material, Blade Sharpness, Sheath/Scabbard

Cons: None

The best knife

Last year I bought the RC-4, with grey micarta handle, and used it as throwing knife. As I'm always afraid to lose it amongst the dead leaves when I miss the throw, I wanted to give a try to this orange handle RC-4. From the first throws I've been surprised by the sharpness of the blade, which requires extra protection of my index finger (I use the blade grip to make my throws). It's a great knife, not too big, not too small, perfect for 14 feet throws. I even like it better than the grey one. Does RAT Cutlery produce better knives year after year? I'm tempted to say yes...

Tmenzies
Hong Kong

Sep 14, 2009

Pros: Materials, Blade Material, Weight, Finish, Blade Sharpness, Overall Quality

Cons: None

Nice Heavy Short Utility Blade

At first glance this is a fairly nondescript knife, though in a way this is probably by design as this seems to be the way with all RATs. The knife is well balanced and while the handle is a little on the short side for my large hands it feels good in the hand, with the relatively smooth Micarta providing adequate grip. When 'choking up' the handle length is not an issue, though the choil could be wider (I am wondering how long it will be 'til I nick my index finder on the blade!). Thickness of the handle is good, even for my big hands - however, this said, is not overly thick so I am sure it would suit most users. For me, the blade is a good length for utility chores. Not a monster for chopping down trees or battoning - but then again what do you expect from a 4" knife?? The blade itself is substantially thick with a flat grind down to the cutting edge. As Noss4 has proved on Youtube, it will take a lot of abuse and keep on going!!. The blade is well balanced, though *slightly* heavy in the hand - this is the trade off you take for a blade you can smack through concrete blocks with a hammer.... (Noss4 again). Gimping is adequate and will prevent your thumb sliding forward - though the gimping could be a bit sharper. Overall quality and finish on the knife is good, and it arrived sharp enough to shave with. The Kydex sheath is good and I like the fact that the snugness of fit can be adjusted by simply adjusting a captive screw. The MOLLE back is surprisingly large when compared to the 'naked' Kydex sheath and so I doubt I will ever use it. In addition to the MOLLE back, the knife also comes with MOLLE locks which provide a more compact way to attach the Kydex to your gear if you are MOLLE equipped! Overall a good knife and well finished for its class. Slightly overpriced - though a chunk of this is likely the inclusion of *both* the MOLLE back and the MOLLE locks. You will need to decide whether these are important/useful to you. One final point. After about 3 weeks in the 90%+ humidity of HK the exposed (sharpened) edge of the 1095 blade has started to show signs of rust. This is not a surprise given the steel used, just a comment and something to note if you will be in a wet/humid area...

Roger L.
Carlsbad, ca

Aug 15, 2011

Pros: Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Weight, Finish

Awesome firewood prep blade

This is my camping, hiking, backpacking & auto emergency kit primary blade, and is so good at preping firewood that I have retired my ax. This is a STRONG STRONG knife with a very low profile kydex sheath allowing a wide range of options to carry it, including in a front jean pocket! The sheath and multiple attachment options should provide a carry method to satisfy virtually every user without resorting to home modification. The sheath can be adjusted to provide a moderate to gorilla grip on the knife. The flat-sided handle makes it easy to rigidly lash the knife to a hiking/walking pole creating a very effective spear. Although it is not as comfortabe for extended use as the standard Kbar leather handle. I'm not a fan of coated blades and opted for the Orange G10 handle so I can spot the thing if I set it in the grass/dirt/leaves. The coating seems to stick more in sappy wood than polished or stainless steel. Clean up requires goo gone and a putty knife. The g10 is very tuff and after hard dirty use can be returned to it's like new color with goo gone and an old toothbrush.

Max J.
Temecula CA

Sep 05, 2011

Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Handle Material

Too Small of a Handle.

I went down to my local ESEE dealer and planned on purchasing this knife. I've read countless reviews about this knife and was very excited to purchase this, however when I asked to look at it i realized how small the handle was. It seemed to be almost like it was a factory defect, but I also looked at two more they had and they were also the same way. I have pretty small to average sized hands so it's not like I'm some kind of giant or anythings like that but it just seemed like the knife was not safe to use having such a small handle. I will be purchasing the ESEE-6 instead. I not trying to knock this company I'm a big fan of their products ,but just was disappointed to see this flaw in the design. If it was just an inch to 1/2 inch longer in the handle it would be very nice or if it had the handle of the ESEE-5 or 6.