Bark river bravo series vs. swamp rat rodent 6 and RMD

adinb114

adinb114

Joined
Feb 25, 2011
Messages
651
Hi all,
I'm looking to get a new knife because, we'll, I want a new knife.

I've narrowed it down to the bark river bravo 2 or 1.5 in 3V, or the swamp rat RMD or rodent 6.

I haven't handled any of these, and I'm looking for the advice of those who have. I'm mainly looking for comparisons between bark river and swamp rat here, and comparison pics would be fantastic. Basically, tell me your preference between the two companies and why.

Keep In mind, I'm not a big fan of thumb ramps or double guards, so once I get the knife those will be removed by way of custom shop or belt grinder.

If you have any recommendations of other blades along similar lines in the $200 or below range, that would be great as well.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
 
I would take a Swamp Rat over a Bark River any day of the week. The RMD is so popular for a reason it really is as good as people say it is. To me the fit and finish is better than handle is more comfortable and I like the steel (52100) more than I do Bark Rivers 3V.

Keep in my the Swamp Rat will need to be thinned out some (you can have the shop do this for you when you order) and the Bark River will need a thicker edge.

Joshua over at the Swamp (Hindsight here on the forums) is as nice a guy as you will ever meet and will go above and beyond to make sure you are happy with your knife. Same can not be said about Bark River (look around the forums for examples), the Swamp will also never blame you for your knife failing.
 
Ditto on the Swamp not letting you down and the bad press on the Bark River. The reason I have not bought a Gunny is the bad press. Granted they are two different size companies and I am confident that the Swamp is a less "complicated" business model so I understand some of the issues with BR may be growing pains. The Swamp has not scaled up like BR has so I believe they are closer to their customer which lends for better customer service.
 
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Do not let the bad press on BRKT influence your decision. Both choices are great.
 
PatrickKnight is spot on :thumbup: For me, that RMD handle is itself a major selling point. If you want a satin blade, custom-shop RMD's (which also tend to have superior thinner geometry) can be found on the BF exchange (there is a special section for bussekin HERE)

I will add that the Swamp Rats don't come with sheaths from the factory. You mentioned the RMD and Rodent 6 but not the Rodent 5 - handle preference? Keep in mind that the R6 is notably thicker/bulkier than the RMD while also larger (pic ganked from bushcraftusa user Treehorn):

Swamp001.jpg


I don't have comparisons between all the knives requested, but here is a review (with pics) comparing the BRKT Bravo 1, Swamp Rat HRLM (same handle as RMD), and a Survive! Knives GSO-4.1:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...comparison-to-BRKT-Bravo-1-amp-Swamp-Rat-HRLM

Survive! Knives has other models comparable to the ones you're looking at, but they're more expensive, though I'm not sure why you set a $200 limit as I cannot find a Bravo 1.5 below that... I'll write a review comparing the RMD, SYKCO 511, and GSO-5.1 as soon as the latter arrives at my door.

Have you checked into any of the other well-known brands or custom makers?
 
swamp rat is just better you should go with them, i own one of their hawks but i ive held others and the ergonomics matched with the following attributes puts them a step up. you cannot go wrong with the swamp. good people and great customer service with high quality steel with awesome heat treat , its a no brainer. good luck with the hunt sir,



luke-
 
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RMD all the way. Absolutely fantastic knife. I promise you that neither the knife nor the company that makes it will let you down. Do your homework on Bark River before shelling out any money, there's a lot more than "bad press" you gotta watch out for.
 
Thanks for the input everybody! I think it's gonna be a custom shop R6 at this point.
No top guard, 3/8" stock (if thats an option), and convex edge. Any other options I should consider?
 
chiral.grolim said:
PatrickKnight is spot on :thumbup: For me, that RMD handle is itself a major selling point. If you want a satin blade, custom-shop RMD's (which also tend to have superior thinner geometry) can be found on the BF exchange (there is a special section for bussekin HERE)

I will add that the Swamp Rats don't come with sheaths from the factory. You mentioned the RMD and Rodent 6 but not the Rodent 5 - handle preference? Keep in mind that the R6 is notably thicker/bulkier than the RMD while also larger (pic ganked from bushcraftusa user Treehorn):

Swamp001.jpg


I don't have comparisons between all the knives requested, but here is a review (with pics) comparing the BRKT Bravo 1, Swamp Rat HRLM (same handle as RMD), and a Survive! Knives GSO-4.1:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...comparison-to-BRKT-Bravo-1-amp-Swamp-Rat-HRLM

Survive! Knives has other models comparable to the ones you're looking at, but they're more expensive, though I'm not sure why you set a $200 limit as I cannot find a Bravo 1.5 below that... I'll write a review comparing the RMD, SYKCO 511, and GSO-5.1 as soon as the latter arrives at my door.

Have you checked into any of the other well-known brands or custom makers?
Click to expand...

Great review, it's was the tipping point for me. I meant a rough $200 dollar limit. I've shopped around, swamp rat and bark river are where it's at for me.
 
Just a heads up bud the R6 is only in 1/4 inch thick stock. Also most all of the Swamp Rats come with convex edges.
 
I have the Bravo 1.5 in 3V rampless. The 6 inch blade is great size that is not hard to control and it batons wood well. If you're not going to baton with it why get this size? For chopping get a bigger 8"+ blade.

I realize that there has been some bad press on this company. However considering the amount of knives they sell there is a relatively small percentage of feedback that is negative.

Personally I've found their 3V steel to hold up nicely. I smacked the belly of the blade into a porcelain tile while trying to make feather sticks indoors. This caused a micro roll which easily came out with some abrasive paper. It hit pretty hard but there was no chipping. My only gripe was that I found the grind geometry to be fairly fat as the bevel starts about 1/3 down from the spine. It still can pop hair.

Have those people who say to avoid Bark River ever even owned one?
 
Wild Soul said:
I have the Bravo 1.5 in 3V rampless. The 6 inch blade is great size that is not hard to control and it batons wood well. If you're not going to baton with it why get this size? For chopping get a bigger 8"+ blade.

I realize that there has been some bad press on this company. However considering the amount of knives they sell there is a relatively small percentage of feedback that is negative.

Personally I've found their 3V steel to hold up nicely. I smacked the belly of the blade into a porcelain tile while trying to make feather sticks indoors. This caused a micro roll which easily came out with some abrasive paper. It hit pretty hard but there was no chipping. My only gripe was that I found the grind geometry to be fairly fat as the bevel starts about 1/3 down from the spine. It still can pop hair.

Have those people who say to avoid Bark River ever even owned one?
Click to expand...

I have had an A2 Bravo 1 and a Swamp Rat RMD my suggestion comes from my personal experience with the two.

Btw the Swamp will not do custom stock thickness bud but they will do just about anything else.
 
A good friend has a few bark rivers including the bravo 1 and while i do find it to be a nice knife i would say RMD all the way. I have never had a more comfortable blade in my hands. It just works! And the best bet is to just email the swamp and ask what you can and cant do in the custom shop, there is bunch of options.

01jm.jpg
 
The Bravo 2 is more comparable in size to sykco 711 or rodent 7, while the rmd is probably closer to the bravo 1.5. A couple of comparison pics.......

Bravo 2 and 711

hYd3Kbu.jpg


And some 711's with an RMD (Sorry no 1.5 in hand for comparison)

gZeTlQe.jpg
 
This is all food for though. I'm still leaning towards a custom shop R6, but who knows, I might end up with both, and decide that way. :)
 
Bark Rivers are good but Swamp Rats are better in pretty much every way. Especially the QC and Customer Service side of things.
 
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