For EDC I am looking for a knife on the lines of the Rat rc-4, but cheaper, I don't need a $100 knife ($170 after postage and duties). Any advice?

not sure what you mean by "similar"- size, hilt, steel, sheath, function, so will start with generalities.

Mora make many many solid knives starting at $10.00-15.00
solid, many handles, many steels. Not a big fan of most sheaths

Cold Steel has several (such as the Finn Bear) at 12.95 with Cordura Sheath. Good brand, good reliability overall.

Columbia River Knife and Tool has a great variety under 50.00

No affiliation blah blah- but knifecenter.com has large selection, reasonable prices. Go to fixed knife section (http://www.knifecenter.com/knifecenter/index/hunt.html) and hunt-

either by brand, type, or steel type (steel or carbon)

I never said "similar". I said "on the lines of the Rat rc-4" That is a knife of equivalent size, shape, blade thickness, width and length as the RC-4. Moras are thinner and narrower than I need (I have 3 Moras). I've bought several knives from knifecenter, (last one a Gerber paraframe, which I got on Monday) but I can't find any knife that will fit the bill in their website. Thanks for the advise though.

When I have time, I look for knives on eBay. I don't have a specific model to suggest, but there are over 100,000 knives from many countries listed there right now. You are sure to find something you like, but watch the shipping charges.

Take a look at the SOG field pup or the buck vanguard.

You may want to try-smkw.com,also known as Smoky Mountain Knife Works.If you have the time to surf this site,that is,As It's Huge,to say the least! I have NO Affiliation w/ this co./site,but have been a Satisfied customer for Many yrs.!Good Luck with the Search!

It might be a bit out of your price range but the Spyderco Bill Moran drop point is a very good field knife for the money

I was going to suggest a Cold Steel Master Hunter as a cheap alternative but holy crap they got expensive. I can't tell how thick the Kershaw Bear Hunter II is, but it might be a dirt-cheap decent alternative. I can't speak personally for either of those though.

there are lots & lots of good quality 4" knives out there.
most are similar price range to the RC-4, tho...
check out Grohmann #X107SD Outdoor Knife, factory second for $36 Canadian: http://www.grohmannknives.com/pages/clearance.html
It doesn't have the flash sheath of the RC-4, is SS instead of CS, but maybe will do what you need.
No affiliation other than being a satisfied customer (I bought 4 of 'em!)

I've been looking at knives all through the week-end (lousy weather). It appears to me that the Becker BK2 would fit my bill. The blade is an inch longer which is a plus for me.
Has anyone tried this knife or heard something about its quality?

I'm not sure how close this is to the RAT4, but please take a look at the Benchmade 515 Rant in D2. I think it's a great design, and at under $60 a great value, as well.

Blade length is 4.5, thickness is 0.175.

You can find them at knifeworks.

Bear

I already have knives similar to the Rant. I'm looking for a sturdier, wider and thicker blade with a full tang and slab grips. Thanks for the info though.

There are 40 reviews of the becker BK 2 on amazon.

Just go here.

http://www.amazon.com/Ka-Bar-Becker-BK2-...1170&sr=8-1

Dave Canterbury of Wilderness Outfitter/the Pathfinder school - who will soon be in a Discovery Channel series - had an unfortunate experience with one of his becker knives. The handle slabs kept unloosening.

Be a little careful with the Becker BK2 ... though I like Beckers, the BK2's blade is 1/4" thick!! That a massive knife.

I much prefer thinner blades. If I want to chop I bring an axe.

In general I find the thick massive bladed knives just too heavy to carry around comfortably.

I have the Becker BK10 and that is closer to the thickness I prefer (though still a little thick for my taste), but I'm not sure if Kabar has rolled that one out ... yet.

That's exactly what I'm looking for, a thick massive bladed knife. Weight does not bother me. I have plenty of slim bladed knives, now I'm looking for a chopper, as I can't carry an ax.

Hmmm, consider the BK9

Only knife I carry, work or everyday, is my SpyderCo Assist with a bright orange handle. Unlikely to be construed as an offensive weapon (blunt tip) while being a perfectly functional knife.

I've got one that size, a custom job by a local knifemaker. Now I need a shorter blade, as I'm planning a horizontal carry. I'll be driving and walking a lot for several weeks in the countryside and a long knife is uncomfortable when you sit in a car.

Yeah, I have a Fehrman Knives Peace Maker for the horizontal carry role. The Fehrman Last Chance may fit your needs. If you aren't familiar with CPM-3V, it's one of those steels that is seriously tough but still takes and holds a keen edge. Good stuff.

Seems to be a great knife and it should at $240!!! I think I am going to go with the BK2. It's pretty much what I need and the price is reasonable.

The BK2 is a good choice. I like what Ka-Bar has done with the Becker line of knives.

If you get the BK2 please let us know how you like it. wouldn't it be a little heavy and thick though, for horizontal carry? Esp. if you leave it on whil in a car?

I'll let you know how it worked. Weight is not a concern. I carry a Para Ordnance .45 and two spare mags, so braces are a must if you don't want your pants around your ankles. I'd rather deal with the weight issue than forget my knife in the car. It happened last trip and I had to rely entirely on my OHT (which is a great little knife, BTW).

I bought one a year+ ago, and there was a discussion about blade thickness on this forum. Here is what I posted then about it:

"I field tested a Becker BK-2 last winter back in the woods. It is a foot long knife with a very heavy 1/4" thick blade. Don't get me wrong, it's a great knife, and it worked well for lopping off small branches and light chopping. You would be able to chop through ice and pry up rocks from the frozen ground with it. I thought the blade thickness made batoning through 4 inch branches to split them for kindling more difficult. I had to hit the knife so hard with a log to move it, that eventually my arms got tired and I bashed my thumb. I think a thinner blade would have cut through more easily"

It is a well made knife in a form-fitting Kydex sheath (unlike the larger Beckers which have woven nylon). There is a lot of 'handle' on this foot long knife, and this makes the blade feel too short for it's weight and thickness. Because of this, I have not found that it is particularly useful for me to carry on my belt. It's more of a light chopping, digging, and prying tool than an EDC knife for me, so I just keep it in my truck. I would recommend either a longer blade or a thinner one than the Becker BK-2 has.

Becker makes good knives in all sizes. You might also want to check the Ranger RD-4.

TOPS makes some good tough knives. some are a little over the top with the tacticool thing going on bu they have some nice low profile and more simple knives out there.

I got the Becker last Monday. I like it a lot except for the handle which is too big for my hand, so I'm planning to have a new pair of grips made and maybe grind an inch off the pommel. Probably I'll get a leather sheath from a local source too. I'll let you know how that works for me.

So I'd seen this thread and was thinking I need to get a decent fixed blade to carry. I dug out the buck I had from high school. It is a Vanguard! Perfect. Going back into service.

roberttheii, Great knife.