becker or swamp rat

I have a question. Of course you don't have to answer it. I counted seven different people saying to go with the Rats and 2 saying Becker and one "other" I tried not to count anyone double, just one vote per person regardless of how many times they contributed to the thread. That is a BIG difference in the favor of Swamp Rat yet, you choose Becker. I wonder if your mind was already made up? Is it a money thing? I don't own a becker, but I know someone who does and have handle his knife. IMHO, it is NOWHERE near the quality of the Swamprat Camp Tramp. Anyway, I'm just rambling now. I would vote for the Swamp Rat. I'm sure that you will enjoy whichever one you choose. It's strange that someone has already posted things to do to the Becker to make it better, but the Swamp Rats are good from the git go. Just my 2-cents. Before anyone gets mad, it was a thread asking for opinion and I stated mine.:p
 
The Rats are good to go but as someone pointed out the edges on these are thicker. I believe Cliff actually thinned out the edge on one he tested to make it more comparable to the Becker. (Can't remember this for sure) Anyway, it is easier to sandblast the removable Becker scales than to reprofile an edge. Overall I believe the Becker offers more utility as a knife, barring chopping. Yes, no knife is perfect but you would be hard pressed to find a more perfect knife than the Becker Crewman, CU7 or Becker Bowie in a heavy use fixed blade under $100.00.
 
I've never seen or touched a swamp rat, but I can offer a hard use recomendation for the Becker. I've had my CU/7 for nine months or so now. It's been on 2 long(ish) adventures, as well as being put to almost daily use around my place (yesterday I was using it to scrape paint).

It's chopped kindling wood, been used as a digging stick, normal kniufe stuff like preparing food and even cracked the bead on a truck tyre. I'm fairly gentle on my gear and am definetly not abusive to my knives, so am always reluctant to lend them to people who are not so carefull. I've cringed on a couple of occasions when I've seen what one of my mates did with it, but it always came back without serious harm.

I've even been taking it on Sea Kayak trips because the durability of the edge more than makes up for the exra care I have to take to keep the rust off it.

I've never owned a seriously top end knife so I don't know how much better they would be. But I reckon they would have to be bloody good to beat this thing.

I don't get the slippery handle thing either. They look like they would be slippery when wet, but I've had no problem and haven't altered the handles slightly.
 
averageguy :

The Rats are good to go but as someone pointed out the edges on these are thicker.
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Yes, but they are of similar angles which is more critical, and the Swamp Rats have other cutting advantages such as a dropped handle and more edge curvature.

I believe Cliff actually thinned out the edge on one he tested to make it more comparable to the Becker.
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That was Andrew.

-Cliff
 
Your question was:

"what is a better buy and will last me longer through choping wood and what is a more durable combat/utility blade, witch one is all around made better, or are they kind of the same"


Swamp Rat- Better steel & heat treat, better design, better warranty.

Becker- Cheaper.


So why did you decide on Becker?
 
I've never held a becker but I'm sure it's a fine knife. I do own two rats and can't see how anything can be improved upon. I feel like I got more than my moneys worth.
 
Ming65 :

[I've had my CU/7 for nine months or so now]

I don't get the slippery handle thing either.
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It isn't a concern with the smaller knives, but it is an issue with the large ones when chopping. I find the Becker Combat Bowie ok, but a little problematic due to the slick grip, and the Patrol Machete needed grip tape to be functional. You can of course just squeeze the handles harder to increase retention, but this will increase the fatigue rate significantly.

-Cliff
 
I don't have a Becker, but I do have a Swamp Rat. The Swamp Rat is very well made and ergonomic and I plan to buy more of them in the future.
If you're not going to get a SW because of the price, but want something with superior chopping ability, you should grab one of these for <$100 shipped:
5-5-3ak.JPG
 
I own a BK&T BK9, and a Campanion. I also own a Swamp Rat Howling Rat. Although I don't know nearly as much about knives as most of the veterans here, I have this to say about the two brands.

BK&T : The Campanion is a stout knife. Very thick, seems to be made for abuse. The handles fit me, though I wouldn't mind them slightly textured. I have medium/large hands. No corrosion on my blades (I tuffcloth wipe every knife I get immediately, and after prolong use). Coating has begun to wear slightly on my Campanion (though I did stab it to the hilt into a (mostly) dead tree). BK9 has seen no practical use, but it scares me some. I feel a sense of power when I handle it, like God must feel when he's holding a 9" blade... The Campanion came with a kydex sheath that had some cosmetic damage, but otherwise functions well. The BK9 sheath was kydex lined cordura (or nylon). The utility pouch with elastic velcro cover is a nice touch. BK9 rattles when shook in sheath.

Swamp Rat : The Howling Rat exudes quality. It is a solid knife, whose meek appearance belies its inner purpose. Respirene C (the handle material) is awesome. However, I find the Swamp Rat handle to be slightly small for my hands. I don't know if the handles are the same ergos/size throughout the entire Swamp Rat line. The Swamp Rat steel is known to be better for most applications. Crinkle coating is well done, also. Sheath is a snug fit, with an awesome double velcro tab, so you don't have to remove your belt to attach the sheath. I am not a fan of the "button on a string" method of securing the knife (nylon patch with a button secured by paracord to wrap around hand, then snap onto front of sheath), and much prefer the button/strap on the Becker sheaths (hope this makes sense).

If you are planning on having a custom sheath made (as I am) the sheath points become rather moot.

Conclusion :

Will I buy another BK&T? Yes, I will probably own a Crewman before my knife collecting days are done.

Will I buy another Swamp Rat? Yes, I will probably buy a Camp Tramp before my knife collectin days are done.

My overall recommendation is, if you have the extra money to spare, without question buy the Swamp Rat. If that extra money needs to be spent elsewhere, buy the Becker. Understand that the Swamp Rat warranty will pay for itself if you ever require it..."No questions asked" is very difficult to beat, IMHO.

Those are my experiences with both knife brands.

From personal experience, I can say that Eric Isaacson from Swamp Rat is an excellent person to deal with.

Will Fennell from Camillus/Becker has very high regard on these forums, from what I have read as well.

I'm not sure you can really go wrong with either of these excellent brands. For the money, they are both bargains.


Hope this helps in some small way (if you haven't already purchased the BK&T. If you have, I'm sure you'll enjoy it!)


Regards,

Shaun.
 
Yes, the bigger Swamp Rats have bigger handles. Same design, just scaled up.
t1mpani
 
If you are looking at the issue strictly from the point of view of cash, pick up the Becker 7 or 9.

I have no doubts about the quality of the Swamp Rat knives. But compared to Becker, they are also twice as expensive.

If you are just going to chop some wood, the difference will be marginal. Then, I say pick the one that costs slightly less. But if you are a true knife collector or lover of good blades, chances are in the end, you will own both brands of knives.

That's why it's so much fun! :D
 
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