Best all-around 5" blade: Ratmandu, Fallkniven S1, or Esee 5

M

maximus83

Joined
Nov 7, 2011
Messages
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I'm considering upgrading to a 5" (give or take 0.25") blade as my main fixed blade for camping and bug-out bag. I've narrowed the choices down to these three, and listed some specs and a few known pros/cons that I've heard from others here.

Can guys who have owned one or more of these help me to compare them and get a sense for which is likely to be the better all-purpose blade? I'm interested in the subjective aspects, like your perceptions about the relative comfort of the grips, the balance of the blade, whether they are too heavy (or too light), how well they chop versus other sized blades, etc.

Swamp Rat RatManDu
Length: 10.25
Weight: 9.3oz
Grind: Sabre (convex edge)
Thickness: 0.1875"
Steel: SR101
Handle: Micarta
Comments:
No sheath. Probably the toughest overall steel of the 3 knives here. Gets very high ratings from user community and always sell quickly in online individual sales. Many users who have owned both report this grip is the most comfortable of these three knives. Fixed scales with rivets cannot be removed for cleaning. Some users feel the choil wastes a lot of cutting edge.

Fallkniven S1
Length: 9.7"
Weight: 6.7oz
Grind: Full convex
Thickness: 0.2"
Steel: Laminated VG-10 with 420J
Handle: Thermorum
Comments:
Handle may be less comfortable than the other 2 knives. Extended squared tang useful for hammering. Most buyers feel the included sheath options are poor. The laminated metal is tough but may have a higher tendency to chip than the other 2 knives in hard use situations. Main advantages are this knife is much lighter and a bit shorter than the other 2, plus it is stainless, plus it's a great cutter and light chopper.

ESEE 5
Length: 10.88"
Weight: 16oz
Grind: Sabre (secondary beveled edge)
Thickness: 0.25"
Steel: 1095
Handle: Micarta
Comments:
Has a pointy extended tang (useful as glass breaker, perhaps less useful for pounding). Nice full-sized and comfortable grips. Excellent sheath included. By far the heaviest of the 3 knives, and probably the toughest overall (due to extreme thickness) and best for serious prying, chopping, or splitting tasks. Has a nice blade profile that uses full length with no choil. Some feel the weight is excessive, and while it can be made extremely sharp, it cannot slice as finely as the other 2 knives due to its thickness.
 
maximus83 said:
Interesting suggestion, thanks. I looked at their site a bit, I wish that they would list more of the specs on their blades. I was interested in one of the "lite" models, which has a 5" blade but I cannot tell the OAL, the weight, blade thickness, or the other stuff I'd want to know.

http://shop.jericohblades.com/SEER-LITE-Mk-V-SEER-LITE-MK-V.htm
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i asked the same question over their facebook and he said this.
"The SEER Elmax and the SEER Elmax Lite are the same shape and size, the difference is the SEER is 1/4" thick and the Lite is 3/16" thick. They both have 5" blades and are 10" overall. The SEER series has quickly become one of my favorites to carry with me outdoors and the Elmax steel just makes me all kind of tingly in funky places. I have one of each that I have been beating the snot out of for a while now. I think I've resharpened my SEER once and the SEER Lite which I've had longer twice. Let me know of there are any other questions I can answer, more than happy to talk about knives."

http://www.jericohblades.com/ I love their opinion on knives also. "http://www.jericohblades.com/

No serrations no sawbacks but most importantly they say
"Oh, yeah and don't come to us with an idea for a klingon war blade or some other fantasy bullshit you saw in some anime show. unless of course you like to be told to go choke on a bag of dicks. there's plenty of that shit on ebay" lol
 
I don't have any experience with any of those blades, so I can't help out with direct observations.

It looks like you have a pretty good handle on what is out there and what you are interested in. I would also suggest you take a look at the SYKC 511 (same steel and blade thickness as the RMD), and the Becker BK2.

The Becker BK2 is similar to the ESEE 5 in most ways (.25in thick 1095, ~5in blade length), but with a higher grind (slightly better slicer), arguably more comfortable handles and a extended tang useful for hammering on. It is also much cheaper, but does not come with as nice of a sheath, or Micarta handles. If those are added to the Becker, the price comes out roughly the same.

I carry my BK2 quite a bit out camping, and while it is quite a heavy knife, it doesn't bother me in the least. If I had to choose between taking only my BK2 or only my Mora on a trip, I would take the BK2 every time. It is thick and sturdy, yet still manages to do all of the camping tasks that I require of it.

And pics to keep things interesting :).

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Good luck with whatever you do.
 
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I've handled all three and considered purchasing all three, however so far I only have the RMD. The reason I chose the RMD over the S1... 1) Much better warranty 2) better handle ergos 3) I prefer the RMD blade shape, the reason I chose it over the RC-5 1) I prefer the higher/thinner blade grind yet the RMD is still plenty strong, but will out cut the sharpened pry bar of a blade that is the RC5 (though it is very cool feeling and looking) 2) better handle 3) 52100 has better edge retention. Another I can highly recommend is the Koster Bushmaster which is .2 in thick 5" long blade CPM-3V steel, currently available at a well know online store that ships their knives free.
 
I have the 5 and the Howling Rat, the RMD's little brother. For an allarounder I think the RMD is in the top 2 or 3 in the industry. Hands down I'd pick it. The ESEE 5 is a fantastic blade in its own right, but it sacrifices performance for durability, and I think the RMD is plenty durable for an allarounder. The handle is the most ergo thing you'll ever wrap your hand around.
 
PayetteRucker said:
I have the 5 and the Howling Rat, the RMD's little brother. For an allarounder I think the RMD is in the top 2 or 3 in the industry. Hands down I'd pick it. The ESEE 5 is a fantastic blade in its own right, but it sacrifices performance for durability, and I think the RMD is plenty durable for an allarounder. The handle is the most ergo thing you'll ever wrap your hand around.
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I have all THREE!

I would choose the RMD based on what you are looking for in a knife.
 
Ratmandu by a land slide. Its my current all time favorite mid size knife.

All are nice blades but the 5 is just too heavy for its blade length and the handle is not as comfortable. .25 stock for a 5 inch blade is just not necessary and it kills the performance of the knife. 3/16th's is plenty thick, there is no way you could break a Ratmandu even if you tried.

Also SR 101 has much better edge retention than VG10 and 1095 while also being tougher.
 
RMD. No question. The 5 is the only ESEE I don't feel the need to own, and Fallkniven seems overpriced to me.
 
You have a good taste. I own both the S1 and the ESEE. Both great knives, best in their class.

But there are differences as well. The S1 has stainless steel, the ESEE not. The S1 is completely convex, the ESEE has a V-grind. Convex is stronger and better at e.g. woodsplitting. Unfortunately for me it is also far more difficult to sharpen. (The mouse mat method doesn't work for me.) I can do the ESEE simply on my Sharpmaker. Both knives feel comfortable in the hand, but I must admit the S1 looks a bit dull.

Which one I would choose? For me the S1 and the ESEE are on par, even though they have different characteristics. But I must say the RMD looks very good from a distance. But where do they sell it?
 
Evert67, the RMD is sold at the Swamp Rat Knife Works online store (http://www.shop.ratknives.com/main.sc). Currently they aren't in stock, but I've emailed them and they plan to be putting another batch up for sale very soon (weeks). I think they cost about $138 without sheath, so with sheath total cost will be a bit higher than ESEE, but many many users I have heard say that in the end, after trying both they somewhat prefer the RMD.

Note that the if you don't like convex, the RMD is convexed as well though not a FULL convex like the S1. From what I understand, it is just the edge on the RMD that is convexed. So in theory, you could convert it back to a v-grind if you wanted. The knife is already set up as a high sabre grind with the convex edge, so if you convert it, you'll have a high sabre with a secondary bevel at whatever angle you want to put on it. Although many here would probably be willing to help you figure out the convex sharpening thing. If I buy an RMD, I'll just ask for tips on learning the convex sharpening approach.
 
maximus83 said:
What makes you prefer the ESEE? Also, does the weight of it not bother you at all?
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I have and love a BK2 which is very much analogous to the ESEE5. I wear mine crossdraw and the weight is no big deal at all. That style knife is, in my opinion, a fantastic all-rounder. It won't be the best chopper, or whittler, etc. but it will be good enough to do all of the stuff you need done. ESEE's fit and finish is outstanding as is their heat treat and warranty (not that you are likely to need to avail yourself of that).

If you buy one and fail to like it, people seem to have no trouble selling them.

---

Beckerhead #42
 
Thanks Ging. Since you're the main person giving some info and advocating for the ESEE 5, I'll ask you another follow-up about it. Have you personally put an RMD in your hand, and compared the two for grip, balance, weight, or even beyond that, for things like slicing, chopping ability, etc? I would be fascinated to hear if you had tried both and ended up actually preferring the ESEE 5. There's a pretty clear pattern in this and other threads I've seen discussing both knives, where a good majority ends up preferring the RMD. Now, I have yet to hear anybody speak badly of the ESEE 5, almost everyone seems to respect it and think it's a well made knife. But the common consensus appears to be that the ESEE is wonderful quality, but overbuilt and too heavy for the job of a 5" knife, and therefore, it is compromised in some of its "knife-like" tasks such as being a slicer. It's great at being a pry-bar, the argument often goes, but it's not as good (compared to say the RMD, or the ESEE 6) at being a slicer, chopper, etc.

I'm not trying to debate you, I actually WANT to make a well informed decision so am interested to hear all your reasoning for preferring the 5. I get that a majority prefers the RMD, but in this case I may not end up following the majority, there may be something about the ESEE 5 that is a better fit for how I will use it.
 
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