I carry a knife every day. There are always boxes to open, ropes to cut, carpenter’s pencils to sharpen, and a host of similar tasks.
Recently, I had the opportunity to test the Bear OPS Rancor II Pattern 400 as an everyday carry (EDC) knife. I found it sharp, light, easy to open, with a comfortable and nicely textured grip, and a secure locking mechanism. It is made in America by Bear & Son Cutlery of Jacksonville, Alabama. With a manufacturer suggested retail price of $104.99 and availability from various online vendors for around $70, it is an attractive and reasonably priced option. I like it a lot.
Initial Impressions
The knife arrived from Bear & Sons via FedEx Ground in a USPS First-Class package. Inside the shipping box, wrapped in bubble paper, was a nice Bear OPS product box.
The product box informed me that the knife is “Made in USA”. It also advised me to “Handle with care! Products are sharp!” It is sad to live in a society that is so litigious that a knife manufacturer feels compelled to warn customers that their products are sharp.
Inside the product box, the knife was in a black satin bag with red drawstrings. The overall effect was very nice, but it revealed that I am a grumpy old man. I like product boxes to be sturdy enough to safely contain the product while being inexpensive enough to avoid diverting resources that should be focused on making the product better. To my curmudgeonly eyes, the satin drawstring bag represented a victory of style over substance.
The Rancor II’s black G-10 handle was a very comfortable size and shape. Over the course of the testing period, I found the texturing on the handle to provide excellent grip characteristics under a variety of weather conditions.
A hole at the base of the handle provides a place where a paracord or other type of lanyard can be inserted.
I am not sure of the exact nature of the black finish on the blade and other metal parts of the knife. I only know that it is attractive, and that I found it to be durable during the testing period.
The blade comes equipped both with thumb studs and with a rapid opening lever. The blade pivots on ball bearings, making opening unusually fast and smooth. A liner lock holds the blade in the open position until released.
The blade passed the shave test right out of the box, but not as smoothly as I had hoped. After a couple of sessions with my AccuSharp Diamond Pro 2-Step Knife Sharpener, the knife passed with flying colors.
The blade is made of CPM-530V steel. This is an American-made carbide steel created especially for knife blades. The metal is rust and corrosion resistant.
The blade is 3.25 inches long. The overall length of the knife is 4.5 inches closed and 7.75 inches opened. The knife is quite light for its size, weighing in at just 4.5 ounces.
Testing
Prior to testing the Rancor II, my preferred everyday carry knife was actually a multi-tool, the Leatherman Skeletool. As a result, it was natural to compare and contrast the two tools over the course of the testing period.
The Rancor II is lighter than the Skeletool. It clips into my pocket more comfortably, and its G-10 handle is more comfortable to hold than the somewhat angular steel grip of the Skeletool. I also liked the plain edge blade of the Rancor II better than the part plain, part serrated edge of the blade on the Skeletool.
Since it is a multi-tool, the Skeletool offers much greater versatility than the Rancor II. I was occasionally faced with tasks during the testing period that called for a screwdriver or pliers. With the Skeletool, I would have been fully equipped for those tasks. With the Rancor II, I had to go find the necessary tools.
Since the Rancor II is a little thinner than the Skeletool, I experimented some with inside-the-waistband carry. It eventually became uncomfortable, so I switched back to carrying it clipped inside the back corner of my left front pocket. It rode there very well.
Mother’s Day Eve found me making a custom Mother’s Day card for my wife. I had trouble sharpening colored pencils for the task with the only pencil sharpener that I could find. I switched over to sharpening with the Rancor II instead. With care, I was able to get better results with the knife than with the pencil sharpener.
I also found the back of the blade to be useful for prying the ends of cotter pins to the point where they could be grasped with a pair of pliers, or for prying the head of a broken screw out of a board.
The front of the blade did a great job at tasks like cutting pieces of cardboard to make a palette for mixing JB Weld, or for making a “Glue Drying” sign.
Some Interesting Details
Bear OPS is the tactical knife division of Bear & Sons Cutlery. Bear & Sons Cutlery is an American knife company. By “American knife company,” I don’t mean an American company that imports knives from overseas. I don’t even mean an American company that assembles knives from internationally sourced components. I mean that the components that Bear & Sons Cutlery uses to make their knives are manufactured and assembled in their Jacksonville, Alabama factory. They offer an impressive assortment of models at a wide variety of price points.
They also offer a sharpening service for their knives at no charge, other than return shipping.
“Ehud’s” Knife Notes
My friend “Ehud” is a true connoisseur of fine knives. Damascus steel and exotic woods are a joy to his heart. I have nicknamed him Ehud in honor of the Biblical judge of the same name, who made a knife for himself and used it effectively to complete the task that God had given him.
I am a user of knives. I view them as tools. Ehud is a connoisseur. He views them as objets d’art. Our difference of perspective was highlighted when I handed Ehud the Rancor II and asked for his observations. Ehud asked what I had done with the knife thus far. Among other things, I mentioned that I had used it to cut some cardboard. Ehud very earnestly but kindly and patiently informed me that a knife should not be used to cut cardboard, because paper is hard on the blade. I did not say this to Ehud, but my first thought was that one of the major reasons that I have knives is precisely so that I can do tasks like cutting cardboard.
In any case, Ehud was kind enough to take the knife and put it through its paces. In light of the fact that the knife was destined for use by a Philistine like me, Ehud put it through a harsher testing regimen than he might otherwise be inclined to carry out. He needed to know if the knife was up to the challenge of a feckless owner.
One of the features of the knife that Ehud liked the best was the handle. He found the scales to be comfortable and easy to grip. He was also impressed by the sturdiness of the handle, which could easily handle more than 100 pounds of pressure.
Ehud was also impressed that the top pin of the knife is magnetized to help hold the blade closed. He found the knife to be very light for its size, and that the blade was still shaving sharp after extensive usage. He also noted that the blade was easily able to slice through multiple layers of cardstock paper (I guess that I am a bad influence on him).
One drawback of the knife in Ehud’s eyes was that the blade opens quite easily on its bearings. I feel that this is a feature rather than a bug, but the rapid opening lever did catch on the edge of my pocket while I was taking the knife out to hand it to Ehud, causing the blade to deploy prematurely. He also noted that a minute examination of the blade following heavy usage revealed some small chips on the edge of the blade.
His overview was as follows:
A good, sturdy knife. Comes with a good edge on it. It opens a bit easier than I’d like (could come a little tighter with the opening mechanism). I do like its magnetic pin though. It is definitely a good cutter, and has a good handle construction and overall weight to it. It definitely feels good in the hand, even after extensive use. The edge held up well to carving.
This is definitely a very well-built knife. Even after batoning a piece of wood, the blade remained sharp enough to shave. I would recommend this knife to anyone looking for an easy-to-use, sturdy knife that is built to last.
Conclusions
The Bear OPS Rancor II Pattern 400 is an excellent option for an everyday carry knife. It is light, well shaped for comfortable carry, easy to sharpen, holds an edge well, is easy to open, has a comfortable and nicely textured grip, employs a secure locking mechanism, and is reasonably priced. It represents great design and quality workmanship by a fine American company. Anyone looking for a good EDC knife would be wise to give the Bear OPS Rancor II Pattern 400 serious consideration.
Disclaimer
Bear & Son Cultlery was kind enough to provide me with a sample of their Bear OPS Rancor II Pattern 400 knife for testing and evaluation. I tried not to allow their kindness to influence my evaluation of the knife, and believe that I have succeeded in remaining objective.
I did not receive any other financial or other inducements to mention any vendor, product, or service in this article.