Chopper: M9 vs R9

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The knife is in Florida and I am in Canada. It will take a while

 

I might just drop the knife in an Ontario RTAK sheath. I saw it fits the FBM.

 

I know what I do with my gear, a first class sheath won't stay nice for long Which is why most of my outdoor clothing is form Army Surplus. (And our $ suck these days, I paid more than I should have for that blade).

Funny thing about shipping, when ordering from Asia, earth's rotation is on your side. I once ordered a knife from http://japanesechefsknife.com/ on a Sunday night (was already Monday morning for them), and got it the same week. That was sweet.

 

I does suck. The extra I paid due to our dollar is what I would've paid for a nice sheath.

Oh well.

I did buy a whole lot of stuff when it was 1.20$USD back in 2007.

 

IT'S HERE!

As I bought the M9 to replace my Bushcraft Series RD9, here is a few comparison pics:



As you see, the cutting edge is a bit shorter, but with 1/4" vs 3/16" for thickness, I know it will chop better.

The handle is definitely longer. I was expecting the scales to be thicker, but it is good. I have small hands. I am surprised about the ergonomics of the handle, it is really comfy in hand.



The coating appears to be a good quality. A little disappointment is that the edge is not completely straight from heel to tip. No big deal as I plan to convex the edge anyway.

Take a last look at this safe queen, because in my hands it will not stay that way. This will be my combo for next summer:



(As you see, the RAT-3 is slightly used)

 

Yeah my RD is an Ontario Bushcraft series. They thinned it to 3/16. It is great for batoning, but too light to chop. The mass center is too close to the handle. I might try to get some steel removed from the handle to bring that balance forward.

I still have a pre-Ontario RD6 that got stripped, convexed and got Kirinite scales added. Kirinite looks good, but gets slippery when your gloves are covered in snow.

 

I tried the Kool Aid, not sure I like it.

The blade look nice, the blade feels nice in the hand.

As I mentioned earlier, the edge is disappointing. It is uneven, and dull. How dull? To be honest I have seen sharper knives at the dollar store. To be fair to Thrill, the knife was as described and the coating was perfect, so it clearly never has been used. So that dull, uneven edge came from the shop.

I tested the blade in the bush a couple of time. The blade has a nice weight that should make it a great chopper, but that dull edge is counter-productive. It doesn't bite in the wood. And yes people made fun of me for paying that much for a dull knife, especially from people with Cold Steel on their belts (which are shaving sharp out of the box, I am not a fan of CS, but their knives sure are sharp). It is pretty bad when Cold Steel owners make fun of you.

My Swamp Rat M9 is by far my most expensive knife, and by far the dullest. Kind of ruins the love story. A knife that expensive should be perfect out of the shop. I could call this one a sharpened prybar, but it lacks the "sharpened" part.

I really wanted to love that knife, but it doesn't stand to its reputation. I know some of you guys will have a different experience, I know you guys love your kins, but I say things as they are. That knife doesn't meet the (high) expectations I had for it.

I don't think I will keep it for long. I communicated with Swamp Rat. They can sharpen the blade for free, but I would have to pay the shipping. From up here that would come up to around 100$ for the round trip. I will not pay 100$ to get a 300$ knife sharp.

Of course I could just sharpen the damn thing myself. My rant is more about principle. An unused knife should not need to be sent back to the shop for sharpening.

 

Grind is still uneven.

I've put some extensive work on my Ontario RAT-3 second. Stripped it, then blued it, convexed it. I don't mind putting some work on a cheaper project knife.

I just expected better from a knife that expensive.

No I won't get a Cold Steel. I was thinking more like a Junglas.

 

Granted, edge can't be "perfect" for everybody and every use. It just puzzles me that a knife going through a quality control doesn't get close to having a half decent edge, and again, uneven. That edge is embarrassing.

I tried to cut a watermelon with the knife. Just with the weight of the blade from maybe 6", it didn't even make a mark on the melon. That's how bad it is.

 

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And I know you are right that with a reprofiling it could become my favorite knife, just pisses me off that it needs to.