D_CRISIS

First of all thanks to Strycnine for having the contest that I won this from. Comparing it with my normal EDC the Kershaw Skyline and my Kershaw Blur which I also carry fairly often, kicked off the whole knife review bug. This is my first full flat ground pocket knife. I've carried this knife since I received it, opened mail, packages, cutting cardboard, eviscerated a water bottle, opened up bags of sand for my drive way (darn you global warming..), minor food prep, and all sorts of things I use a knife for.

SO HERE IT GOES. First review for 2011 The RAT Model 1

This knife is a liner lock like Leek I have reviewed. The blade steel is 3.6 inches of full flat ground AUS-8. It is 5 inches long closed and 8.6 Inches open. It has an ambidextrous thumb stud, brass bushings, open post construction and nylon handle panels. Pocket clip can be moved to four different locations..once again I like mine tip up. The Blade is stainless steel looking, the steel liners match,and the pocket clip is a low gloss black. As part of the open pillar construction there are six hex screws so you can take it apart if blowing lint out or WD-40 is too low maintenance for you. This knife was made in Taiwan.

Initial impressions comprised of two things. This knife is big and one the heavy for what I guess the intended purpose is, Every Day Carry. It weighs more than my big Gerber Gator I got when I was young and stupid and it's a tad longer. The Gerber gathers dust but this RAT easily prevails over the Gator. This knife came sharp. with out much force it cut a water bottle from top to bottom vey quickly and easily. I did not try cutting through the cap or the portion the cap screws on to. I have to say I'm impressed with the edge holding. I've had change in my pocket slip into between the pillars and rub against the sides of the blade and the edge and I can't find any sign of wear or degradation and this has happened at least a dozen times so far.

Pros: Very good stock edge, good blade steel, smooth blade deployment, easy to clean, strong belt clip, functional jimping on the blade above the stud, ergonomic handle, affordable. So far my reviewed knives all fall around the $30 mark. The Model 1 is no exception..well for y'all at least..mine was free and is more special. This knife can be found at bladehq.com or apparently Walmart. I haven't seen one in person at Wally world, but it's on their website.

Cons: For carrying 24/7 the Model 1 is on the big side. It's almost as long as my Preon 2 light I keep in my pocket and like I've said it's heavy. The model 1 is the heaviest knife to have rode around in my pocket, but I've gotten used to it so it's not horrible and some people like heavier knives I'll admit the weight feels good in hand. I'd like to see a future version hollow out the steel liners I think the weight savings would be noticeable.

For anyone who wants to comfortably carry a larger blade with affordability I would recommend this knife. It's a high quality knife that will server its owner well. I will be keeping in the rotation of my carrying knives for some time to come. I hope those who get one enjoy it and use it as much as as I have and will.

Pics were taken on my Samsung Captivate.