# Knife Review: Ontario Knife Company's Ranger RD Tanto



## subwoofer (Apr 4, 2016)

This Ontario Knife Company RD Tanto review is the first of a three-knife review series featuring the Blackbird SK-5, RD Tanto and RTAK II. (See - OKC Group Review.)








The RD Tanto is one of the 'Ranger series' of OKC knives, a heavy duty high performance range of knives designed by Justin Gingrich.






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Author's Statement for Transparency and Disclosure
The test sample/s featured in this article have been provided for technical testing and review by the manufacturer. Test samples are retained by the reviewer following publication of the completed review for the purposes of long term testing and product comparisons.

All output figures and test results published in this review are the sole work of the reviewer, and are carried out independently and without bias. Test results are reported as found, with no embellishments or alteration. Though best endeavours are made to maintain the accuracy of test equipment, the accuracy of these results is not guaranteed and is subject to the test equipment functioning correctly.
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*The Blade and Handle Geometry:*

Most knives specifications have a basic description of the blade geometry, but in this section I will be taking a more detailed look at geometry and balance.







Using a set of gauges and precision measuring equipment including a Vernier protractor, callipers, fixed radius gauges and the unique Arc Master adjustable radius gauge (the one that looks like a crossbow).





These measurements have been tabulated and are presented along with a few reference blades (8" Chef's Knife, 5.5" Santoku and the popular Fallkniven F1).

Key aspects such as the primary bevel angle, grind type, blade depth, blade thickness, length, weight are detailed, along with balance information.







The 'Balance relative to the front of the handle' tells you if the knife will feel front heavy, or if the weight is in your hand (a positive value means the weight is forward of the front of the handle). The 'Balance relative to the centre of the handle' indicates how close to a 'neutral balance' the knife has in the hand.






In the case of full convex grinds the approximate centre of the grind is used for the primary bevel angle estimate. This table includes the parameters for all the OKC knives in this series of reviews.






The blade is made from 5160 steel.




*Explained by the Maker:*
_The reasons for certain design choices may not be clear when simply looking at an object, so this section is intended to give an insight into the thinking behind a design by speaking to the designer themselves._

Though no longer directly involved with OKC, Justin Gingrich was happy to talk to me about the RD Tanto, how it came into being, and some of the design's details.

For this section, please see the Exclusive Content at Tactical Reviews, but remember to return to this forum to discuss the review.



*A few more details:*

Ontario Knife Company's standard knife box.






Inside the box the knife has a cardboard protector over the blade, and the knife is not fitted into the sheath.







The first view of the RD Tanto - Heavy Duty! (Any marks on the blade are due to there being a waxy protective film on the blade.







Before going back to the knife, a quick look at a few details for the sheath. Metal eyelet holes are provided for a leg tying point.







An expanding pocket is kept closed with a plastic snap-buckle.







Opening the pocket shows a fixed elastic strap keeps the pocket neat and tight onto whatever is held in the pouch.







Two straps with popper closures are used to secure the handle when in the sheath.







Both the knife retention straps are adjustable to allow the user to tighten or loosen the grip on the knife to suit.







A kydex liner is provided in the sheath. Due to the thickness of the blade, the fit is snug.







The back of the sheath has PALS webbing (MOLLE compatible).







Enough of the sheath, back to the RD Tanto. Each slab handle is held in place with three screws.







The RD Tanto has an exposed pommel with thumb-grip jimping. You can also see the texture and layers in the micarta handle slabs.







The Ranger Series handle around which this Tanto was designed.







A finger choil allows you to choke up the grip for finer work.







With the 1/4" blade stock and V-grind, this tanto has a very strong point.







Another look at the grip hook. Here you can also see the micarta handle slabs extend slightly beyond the tang.







At the front of the handle is a similar hook forming the finger guard, and in front of that the finger choil.







Jimping on the thumb ramp is coarse but effective.







There is slight rounding on the plunge line. You can also see some evidence of the water-jet cutting used to create the basic blade shape.







A closer look at one of the handle bolts and the raw sanded surface of the micarta grip.







This is a HEAVY DUTY blade!







Next to the sheath for an overall view of the RD Tanto and the front of the sheath.







Flipping both over to check the other side.







Due to its thick blade stock, the RD Tanto rubs all the way in when inserting into the sheath.







With both straps closed there is no chance of this knife coming loose.







We will see more comparisons of blade thickness in other reviews in this OKC series, but here is a comparison to the RTAK II. The RD Tanto is substantially thicker.







Placed pommel to pommel, the RTAK II and RD Tanto compared again.










*What it is like to use?*

With a seriously heavy duty knife such as the RD Tanto, before looking at what it is like to use, it is important to consider your expectations for a knife like this and what it will give you.

There is little finesse in a knife of such heavy build - it is a bruiser and unashamed of that. Built for those jobs you would balk at using a knife for, but you want to be prepared for and can only justify carrying one knife/tool.

So if you want to do some delicate whittling and sophisticated food preparations but still want to be able to breeze through a fire door or release someone trapped in a vehicle, you will be disappointed.

For everyday tasks this knife is vastly over engineered and will disappoint most with its cutting characteristics. But, this is NOT why you choose a knife like this.

Look at it next to the Fallkniven F1 and a Spyderco UK Pen Knife. This photo doesn't do justice of the heavy build in relation to those other knives.







Having put aside the notion that this might go on your belt or pack for 'normal' knife work, we can move onto its more serious purpose - Heavy Work.

My hands take XL sized gloves and the grip fills my hand well. When you are really going to be beating a knife the last thing you want is a slim grip, so a good handful makes for a solid grip.







As penetration is a Tanto's strong point (pun intended) the thumb ramp combined with deep hooks on the grip gives you a great power behind the thrust.







You can either hammer on the exposed pommel or in this case give something a good pounding with it.







Taking the DR Tanto out for a few woodland tasks it was surprisingly capable, but does feel heavy. One of the comparisons I made to the other OKC knives was in putting a point on a stick. Due to the steep edge bevel, the RD Tanto had a tendency to slide off the stick and this resulted in a long point which was formed like this due to the cutting action tending to push away from the centre of the stick. The edge itself is sharp and cuts cleanly but needs to be angled far more 'into' the material than most.







Will you want a knife like this? If you want to be prepared for all eventualities, then yes I would say you do. It would not be my every day choice, but it is a choice I want to have and a knife I continue to grab when preparing for certain situations.

To date I've not had any doors to demolish, or vehicles to gain entry to, but can tell you this is a tool I would happily take for the task. During some severe weather, which was threatening structural damage to buildings, the tool I kept within arm’s length at all times during the threat was the RD Tanto, and it gave me confidence to know I had it.





*Review Summary*

For this section, please see the Exclusive Content at Tactical Reviews, but remember to return to this forum to discuss the review. (Not posted here due to conversion issues.)


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## subwoofer (Apr 4, 2016)

Reserved for updates...


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