That's one of my big concerns, that the prices for their Rangers will actually be higher. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I could be wrong though. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />



I think I'll just stick with my tried and true SR77 Scrappers. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

I hear you there. I've got 4 knives from the Yard, 2 from the Swamp, and only 1 knife from Ranger Knives. I blame this on the Busse way of business (not really, I'm just joking). I kept holding off on buying much from Ranger Knives because they were readily available, while Busse kin knives weren't. Well, now if I want a production Ranger knife, it'll be made by Ontario instead of Justin. Oh well, I guess I learned my lesson there. Buy as many knives as fast as I can! I'll probably just save a bit more money in the future and have Justin do some customs for me, rather than buy knives from Ontario.

Exactly the same feelings here. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I had contacted Justin about a modified RD knife and found him to be be quick and helpful and, especially despite the fact of that I live so far away in Australia, was very interested in my project, which is now very unlikely to go ahead. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I wish him much luck in the future. Lets hope he doesn't need it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

better get my Ranger Little Bird while i still have the chance.

Um... I was in the same boat as you guys, but realized that I might still buy an RD or two from Ontario. The way I see it, Justin is still tied in with Ranger Knives, so I have the option of not buying from OKC and as a result, not supporting Justin, or supporting both OKC and Justin. Ultimately, I feel that by turning away from Ranger knives I would be turning away from Justin, too (who I think is a great guy to deal with). For those who may be wondering, you might want to send Justin an email to see if he can custom make an RD for you. It's worth a shot to ask. I've already sent a few messages to him about a custom or two and despite the knives being custom, they are still very reasonably priced. Aside from the whole RAT/OKC fiasco, I'm willing to wait and see what the new production line of Ranger Knives is like before I turn my back on them. I figure Justin is a pretty smart fellow and will make sure that nobody, including the customers, gets the short end of the stick in this whole Ontario/Ranger deal.

Here is something to think about. The Rangers I have bought from Brigade Quatermasters have been a bit rough. Handle slabs not flush with the tang, edges a bit crude and such. My Ontario/RATs have actually had better fit and finish. The satin finished Rangers that I have bought directly from Justin have been much nicer. So I would not expect that the standard Rangers offered by Ontario will necessarily be of lower quality than the standard Rangers we have been getting.

Interesting note, Horn Dog. The two knives that my brother and I bought as gifts for my sister (an RD9 from B.Q., and an RD4 from Justin) seemed to have perfectly fine fit and finish. My Afghan, which does have custom G10 handles on it, has perfect fit and finish, too. That could be due to the custom order of it directly from Justin. Like I said earlier, I'm willing to wait and see what OKC Ranger knives are like before deciding whether or not I will turn my back on those knives. I'm glad that they will still be 5160 though.

There could be a custom Ranger in the future, we'll see.

cloak: justins quality control is pretty good, as far as he doesn't have many knives slip through HT or anything...
they just aren't finished that great sometimes.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
I hope justin doesn't change too much, but maybe the finish will be a little better on the knives now?

Hey, if anyone is interested, here's what Jeff Randall from RAT Cutlery had to say about the Ranger/Ontario merge:


"All,

I'm getting emails about this merger asking what we think about it. I think we have been pretty clear in our other posts but I thought I would start a new thread to sort of give an "official" statement.

Justin is a very good friend of ours and he's one of the most stand-up guys you will find in this industry. We support Justin and Ranger Knives. We truly wish him and Ontario the best in their new venture. In fact, I think you will find that Ontario Ranger will become bigger than Ontario RAT ever was. And we wish Justin every bit of the success he deserves.

As we have said from the beginning of this whole ordeal, we are not asking anyone to boycott Ontario. We had (have) our problems with them but those will eventually be resolved, whether it's through the lawyers or by a judge. Supporting Justin does not mean you are screwing over RAT Cutlery - at least not in our eyes. In fact, once they get production going, I plan on buying some Ontario Ranger knives and use them on some trips.

So, for those who have emailed asking RC's official stance on this, well, now you have it.

Thanks,

Jeff"

While I'm sure some of this statement is to keep things professional, the fact that Jeff says he plans on buying some Ontario Rangers says a lot to me. Anyway, I just thought I'd throw this out there and see what you all think.

______

Read this this morning. Jeff/RAT Cutlery are stand-up in my book.

My only observation on this is I bought an Ontario SP Navy which was supposed to be 440A and used it in my (in)famous salty water test.. It reacted more than SR77 and on a par with a old naked 1095 Kabar, makes you wonder if they accidentally used the wrong steel stock really.. Hope they have got their stock inventory better sorted these days!

I hope all goes well for Justin, I emailed him once and he was very helpful and informative.