EDC Knife Review: The Ontario 8846 RAT Folder

by Juan Evail

The Ontario Knife Company is located in the Southern Tier area of New York state and produces one of the largest lines of cutlery with a wide variety of types, sizes, and price-ranges. They are not only a worldwide supplier, but they are also a major contributor to the U.S. military and other government agencies.

Ontario has a reputation for crafting quality knives from high-grade materials and the RAT 8846 is no exception. Besides being a good sturdy all-around folder, it has an exceptional blade style with a choice of finishes. It is simply the best EDC knife under $30 in its price range that we have seen in a while.

The Ontario 8846 RAT folder knife has an open structure which makes cleaning easy. Its length closed is 4.5” and the nylon made ergonomic handle has gimping on the spine which helps in its great control. The knife features an AUS-8 blade with a full flat grind and is 0.120″ thick. The blade is 3.5” and comes in a nice black finishes. There is a thumb nut at the base for easy single-handed deploying.

The blade also has a toughness of 55-56 HCR. There is an easy to use liner-lock type locking mechanism that can also be used one-handed. The RAT folder also has a 4-position pocket clip and lanyard hole for dual carry options. Liner Lock locking mechanism. The overall weight is about 5 ounces making it light, but not so light that it feels like there is no substance.

The Ontario 8846 RAT folder fits the hand well. It feels substantial and the black satin finish blade especially looks sleek and stylish. The price and performance make it an ideal everyday carry knife. It is set up well to open easily with one hand after just a little practice and the locking mechanism is also quick and easy to use. We especially appreciated the four-way clip which provided several options for convenient carry.

The construction is very solid, but there was a small amount of play side-to- side when open. The blade was razor-sharp out of the box and continued to take an edge later when sharpened. An ultra-fine diamond stone is recommended for sharpening this blade as well as other blades of this hardness. The grip is good, but the scaling on the Nylon handle sides could be a little deeper for better grip. The serrated version of the blade is excellent. That short section of serration makes cutting things like rope a snap.

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The Ontario Knife Company 8846 RAT folder gets a four out of five-star rating. Aside from some small problems this knife is simply a great all around EDC folding knife. The size of the Ontario Knife Company and their variety of products must be the reason they can produce such a good quality knife for such an inexpensive price. The RAT folder can be found at most places for a little under $30, and that is rather unbelievable for the quality you get. There are, of course, higher qualities, more expensive knives on the market, but unless you have certain specific needs this knife should perform perfectly for you.