Reviewed 04/25/2012 by Connor
Overall
Quality
Ergonomics
Value
-Price Paid: $95.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 6 months
Comments:
The Ontario RTAKII has gotten a bad rap for the videos going around youtube showing breakages. You have to remember that these are 2 in about over 1000 made. I decided to pull the trigger and get me an RTAKII. It came in a good box, but the sheath was lackluster. Balistic Nylon, so it'll dry quick, but thats about it. It has a plastic insert, 2 snap closers, and a pouch that dosen't seem to usefull. Pulling the blade out, I was impressed. At over 16", its not a small blade by any standards. Made of 1095 steel, its not especially rust resistant, but a little WD40 or TUFcloth will take care of it. Full flat grind with a modified drop point, its one hell of a chopper. The balance point is a good 1"-2" beyond the handle, so it has some momentum behind it. Micarta handles give it good ergonomics, and it feels right in the hand. Another plus side of the micarta is that its got good grip. Although a lanyard is recomonded when swinging it among camp buddies, it is possible to grip it back without feeling like its gonna slip. The green powder coating helps keep some of the rust off, but it does wear off. Now you could blame that on bad build quality, but as with all coatings, its only a matter of time before it wears off. It looks awesome as well, in case I forgot to mention. After 6 months of pretty hard use, it has stood the test of time. The only problem I had was trying to split hickory. So the first day I got it, I decided to throw it right into use. I got a 24" wide peice of hickory and went to town. It had been raining all that day, so the wood was soaked, only adding to the density of the wood. One crooked knife placement and a good 10 whacks with a baton later, the tip had bent roughly 10 degrees. This proved to be no problem whatsoever, as I put it in a vice and applyed enough pressure to bend it back into place. All in all a fantastic knife. A beefy blade for a chicken price. Oh, and the sheath is an easy fix. Chestnut Ridge Knife shop sells RTAKII Kydex sheaths for around $60, which is cheap for kydex. I would highly recomend this blade to campers and backpackers.
