dog father vs. battle rat?

R

rpn

Gold Member
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Mar 17, 2008
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Heya,

I was wondering how these 2 stack up and which one folks prefer? :confused:
 
The DF CG is heavier than the BR, the DF LE is lighter than the BR. The Battle Rat is infinitely better looking than the Dogfather but otherwise it's just a choice in the weight. I've used the BR and the DF CG for some long chopping sessions and I prefer the Battle Rat but not by enough to have any complaints about the DF CG. When I know it's going to be tough going through brush I take my Rat Daddy anyway!!
 
I have both a BR and DFLE. I don't have the DFCG.

Actually, my DFLE is about a half ounce heavier than my stripped BR.

Dog Father………….. = 20.1 ounces; .275” thick; 10” blade; 15.125” oal
Dog Father LE…….. = 17.0 ounces; .250” thick; 10.0625” blade; 15.125” oal
Battle Rat……………. = 16.5 ounces; .250” thick; 9.375” blade; 14.4375” oal


The DFLE has about 0.6875" longer blade.

To me the BR and DFLE are VERY comparable. I would give a small fraction advantage to the DFLE for the extra length giving just a little extra power.
But, I give the BR small fraction advantage for better edge qualities.

For a chopper, they are about a wash.

From reading many other posts and reviews, the extra weight of the DFCG makes it heavy enough to be a slightly more powerful chopper, but also slightly less versatile, nimble and carry friendly.

.
 
If you could, please post some pics. Would really like to see the Battle Rat.
 
I have a Case XX machete from WW2 that is a good chopper but it has no point, just rounded at the end. I bought a RTAK to replace it thinking it was a good chopper, but it was not. Much bigger but too thin. Not enough weight forward. Maybe good in the jungle for that type vegetation but not too good on wood. I tried for months to buy a dog father but either they were too expensive or I was too late for the good deals. I finally saw a battle rat for $210 shipped and grabbed it even though I did not know there was such a knife, as it looked similar. When it arrived, it seemed smaller than I expected. About the size of the Case XX, a little shorter, a little wider blade, but noticeably thicker, but with a point (penetrator tip). It feels heavier. It appears to have a small convex grind rather than V-grind and a slight clip point style. I must say it is a very good looking knife, even with the resiprene handle. It feels very "handy" where the RTAK was unweildy. It turned out to be a great chopper. I don't know if it is better than a dog father but probably will never know as I am not looking for one now. I think the swamp rat steel is better than the scrap yard steel, but that may be hype. I do know there is a video from swamp rat showing the battle rat hacking through a concrete block without the blade chipping.
 
adamlau said:
Ditto. Hard to put something on a wishlist if it has never been seen before :) .
Click to expand...

BATTLE RAT & HOWLING RAT

battlerathr.jpg
 
Great info- thanks! I keep seeing Dog Fathers pop up and one went cheap a couple days ago. I rarely see the battle rat and with my huge loyality to my Camp Tramp, I figure it must be a sweet blade!
 
Here's a thread where I posted some pics of my BR. It's an amazing knife, I'm so glad that I found one. Chopping and splitting wood is really easy, but I would really like to add a DF to my collection.
 
Took my Battle Rat out this weekend and compared its chopping ability to a FBM LE (Battle Mistress) and was surprised that it was not that far behind. The BR brings a lot of chopping power to the table for its size/weight and the Res C handle was very comfortable.
 
VoxHog said:
Took my Battle Rat out this weekend and compared its chopping ability to a FBM LE (Battle Mistress) and was surprised that it was not that far behind. The BR brings a lot of chopping power to the table for its size/weight and the Res C handle was very comfortable.
Click to expand...

This is definitely nice to know, thanks.
 
From DWRW
Actually, my DFLE is about a half ounce heavier than my stripped BR.

Dog Father………….. = 20.1 ounces; .275” thick; 10” blade; 15.125” oal
Dog Father LE…….. = 17.0 ounces; .250” thick; 10.0625” blade; 15.125” oal
Battle Rat……………. = 16.5 ounces; .250” thick; 9.375” blade; 14.4375” oal
Click to expand...


Wow. I guess that I handle the DFLE after handling the DFCG and it feels light, quick like a fighter compared to the DFCG. My BR has never felt heavy but not like a pure fighter. Ever since I got my first one it felt perfect for every task I had in mind for it in the field or around the ole bonfire camp outs in the country. I just picked up a pre-loved Camp Tramp, hmmmm I wonder if it is as good a thrower as the BR and the DFCG. Actually the BR sticks more consistently in harder wood than the DFCG because of the slightly thinner tip.
Boy, I do run on when I get to thinking about things to do with these knives!! :D​
 
I wish there were more BR available..maybe a reissue??!!

Hey voxhog- what do you think of the Swamp SAR??? Give us some scoop please!
 
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