Esse 5, 6, or Ratmandu

PayetteRucker said:
I find most of this the exact opposite. The 5 is .25 inches thick, versus the RMD, which is .175 inches thick. Both are sabre ground, and both come with about a 60 degree inclusive grind. The RMD is more of the slicer, and the 5 is more of the abuse knife. SR101 DOES get crazy sharp, but took me about 8 hours to convert the factory grind to the point where it WAS crazy sharp. That steel is hardly easy to sharpen-if you're doing any type of material removal you're in it for the long haul-break out the Band of Brothers, stay consistant and by the time you hit episode 10 you should be good to go. Forever. Once the knife is sharp, it stays that way, that's for sure. Again, it's 3/16ths versus 1/4th thick, so the RC5 is significantly thicker than the RMD.
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Yep, that was my bad. I was typing 5 and meant 6. Good catch I fixed it. I have never reprofiled SR101 but as far as standard sharpening goes, it's a piece of cake. I had a user that was one of the original run and had more of a convex edge that was perfectly profiled for me and not like the recent run. I just hit it with the paper wheels and it was like a laser and rarely needed to be resharpened. :thumbup:
 
Another vote for the RMD. I like the handle ergos the best and for me it's the best size. Much as I like ESEE the 5 (IMO) is too thick for that size blade, at least for anything I could imagine doing with it. The 6 is just that bit too big without being that great a chopper. Also, the angle at the guard is a bit sharp for me on the ESEE's handles.

While both are good steels, I think SR101 is the "better" of the two- the only area 1095 beats it in is easier to sharpen.

You can get a very good kydex sheath for the RMD from azwelke for $28 (lots of others too, but I believe he's the cheapest and it's a good sheath).
 
Of the three, I only own the ESEE-6, but I've been beating the crap out of it and the worst I can do is slightly dull it.

For hunting, I think all three of your choices are too large. I would go with something like the ESEE-3 or 4, personally.
 
PayetteRucker said:
Sr101 is an extremely fine grain. My arkansas stones wouldn't touch it, whereas with the RAT 1095, they are very efficient sharpening tools. Edge retention is better, though unless you plan on using daimond or wet and dry sandpaper to sharpen, RAT takes the ecake for easier maintenance. Due to SR101's very fine grain, it takes a hair slicing edge better, and tends to keep it that way. I haven't put my Howling Rat through enough hard use to be able to say it's on par with ESEE's toughness (I got the blade last week) though I can tell it's going to take more than usual camp tasks to do any significant damage to the tip or the edge of this blade. I'd compare edge retention thus far with the 154CM Pardue Auto made by Benchmade that I sharpened for a lawyer buddy a few weeks ago, though not nearly as prone to fracturing/chipping. If you want a fair comparison of destructive tests of the RC5 and 3/16ths SR101, check out knifetests.com. They do a pretty good job of comparing blade toughness through controlled destruction tests.
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As far as I know they haven't tested a Rc5 or any Sr101. I was just curious. I'm not worried about breaking any knives. I haven't even broke an Izula with the stuff I do. I was just going to put a knife on my B.O.E. How do the handles compare on the Rc5 and Swamp? Thanks
 
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The RC5's handle is probably twice the diameter of the RMD. It is THICK. It depends if you like big or small handles. I have average sized hands and like thick handles-I think it's easier to give more support for hacking and such. I find both handles to be very comfortable and sufficiently sized-both are grippy, durable and hot spot free. The RMD's handle is more contoured for a 'perfect' fit-the palm swells in the middle and the gentle sweep to the handle really set it off. The RC5's grip is more squared and blocky by comparison, but the edges are rounded and it is not uncomfortable. Ergonomics are really a matter of preference I guess, it's like comparing bike seats or handguns.
 
Yeah those Rmd handles look sweet. I was just trying to get an idea of the 5. Alot of ppl complain on how bulky and heavy it is. But I don't think that would apply to me or my likes. My hands are one callus. :)
 
Yeah, it's not fair to compare it to other knives with similar dimensions-it betrays the true size of the knife. Once you have one in hand you'll be awestruck at the indestructability of it. Even if you do get hands on with both of these blades I think you'll be hard pressed to make a decision-both are such nice blades... all I can say is the RatManDu is on its way out and the ESEE5 will be in production for the forseeable future. So... if you think you may get both, I'd pick up the RMD first.
 
For me (medium sized hands) the RMD was by far the more comfortable. If breakage isn't a concern, why give up the better slicing ability of a thinner blade? Not that the RC5 isn't a heck of a knife, but for anything but prying my preference would be RMD, RC6, and then RC5.
 
MVF said:
For me (medium sized hands) the RMD was by far the more comfortable. If breakage isn't a concern, why give up the better slicing ability of a thinner blade? Not that the RC5 isn't a heck of a knife, but for anything but prying my preference would be RMD, RC6, and then RC5.
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I would feel as comfortable prying with the RMD as I would with the ESEE5. I have big hands and the RMD is a very nice fit for me as well.:thumbup:
 
shotgunner11 said:
I would most likely go for the RMD. Great knife, great steel, perfect length and a great thickness.

Now if there were a ESEE with the same configuration (ESEE-5 with a thinner blade) I'd go with that.

But at the same time, I love my 6. It's just that the length limits my ability to carry it regularly (5.5 inch max legal length here in Tx.).
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Isn't in crazy, I can carry a gun but not a 6 inch blade.
 
imaginefj said:
Isn't in crazy, I can carry a gun but not a 6 inch blade.
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oeser said:
I have to say that if we can only carry one I'm glad it's the gun.:D:thumbup:
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I can carry a 6 inch blade (or bigger if I want) BUT not a handgun. :o:grumpy::mad::(



ETA: I need a 5.
My current SHTF blade is the Dumpster Mutt.
DSC00485.jpg

AWESOME blade BUT I like the choiless 5.
 
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RMD is a good knife , I have owned 3 or 4 and moved them along , ESEE knives work great for me & my Budget .
If you can find you a RMD try it out or grab the ESEE Knife that you like the best .
RMD's are not rare you just need to be johnny on the spot when RMD's hit the store
just factory in the cost of the knife and then add atleast $30 or + for a sheath
 
I got the RMD! For 140 bucks I felt like it was just too special of a knife to pass up. I don't think I'm going to need another medium fixed blade for a long long time :)
 
Yeah, it's amazing. I'm facing a similar debate right now with the Martin BT or T3 SERE-identical blade profile, slightly different handle, but the T3 is 5160 at .2 inches and the BT is 1095 at .175 inches. I have no knowledge if the Rockwell hardness is different, but... tough choice.
 
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