fallkniven A1 vs Esee 6 vs Ratmandu

S

SBaker34

Joined
Jun 16, 2010
Messages
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I am looking for a all around durable knife to be able to do a number of things such as skinning, firemaking etc. I have it narrowed down to the fallkniven A1
ESEE 6 and the ratmandu.

The Fallkniven by all means appears to be a very good knife however the edge holding factor I am not sure about.

The RatManDu I like and if its anything like the busses which Ive seen hacking into cinderblocks and still cutting paper then it is nearly bombproof however I think the only color available from the site is green, is that true? and also I heard it pretty much rusts before your eyes. worse then 1095

I have heard nothing but good about the ESEE and people talk like they are the single best knives available but is the 1095 they use really any better then other 1095? Ive had other 1095 and while it was good it wasn't great, besides rusting, for any sort of metal contact or cardboard cutting it would dull nearly instantly I had to cut into a can once and the knife wouldn't even cut paper. Does the ESEE heat treat I keep hearing about elevate them anywhere even near bussekin?

And finally if I were to order the RatManDeux LE how long would I have to wait before it shipped out?
 
The FK will cut the best out of the box with its' convex edge and plastic/rubber handle from a far away land.

The ESEE is a good knife but big and not really good for game prep.

The RMD is American made butter! Holds an edge better than the ESEE and as good as the FK. Has a lifetime warranty like the ESEE and feels like magic in the hand.

If you like tough American products that hold an edge the RMD is a great knife. :thumbup:

Neither knife can come close to the ergonomics of the RMD .... not even close.
 
I have no rust issues with steel from the Swamp.

All solid knives though!
 
All good solid choices.

Fallkniven's VG10 and SGPS stainless steels hold an edge very well and are also very durable.

I'll put my vote with the A1 over the ESEE knives, not because of quality or performance, but because I don't like coated blades, and never cared for the block like handles on my RC4.

Kevin
 
Fallkniven knives are some of the best production fixed blades made, in my opinion. It would be my choice of the three, as I've owned an A1 for over 10 years and it is still my favorite knife. That being said, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the knives you've mentioned.
 
SBaker34 said:
... looking for an all around durable knife
... must be able to do skinning, firemaking etc.
Click to expand...

Unless your a large person in stature, the Fallkniven A1 maybe to large for your requirements. Scaling < back to the Fallkniven S1 may be a better choice.

Fallkniven A1
Total length: 11" (280 mm)
Blade length: 6.3" (160 mm)
Blade thickness: 0.24" (6 mm)
Weight (knife): 12 oz (305 g)
Steel: Lam. VG10

Fallkniven S1
Total length: 9.7" (247 mm)
Blade length: 5.1" (130 mm)
Blade thickness: 0.2" (5 mm)
Weight (knife): 6.7 oz (190 g)
Steel: Lam. VG10
 
All great knives but the RMD gets my vote- great steel, great ergos, great warranty. Going on nothing but pictures, I don't care for the RatManDeux LE- maybe it's the spelling?
 
in all honesty, you've picked out three of the best production knife makers in the game.

any of the options you have listed will give you years of service.

personally, i'd go with the Fallknivens. i have an S1 and a WM1-3G and i simply can't fault them.

the edge holding qualities of both Lam-VG10 and SGPS is truly amazing.
 
Get the Ratmandu; you shouldn't have any problems with rust and you can find some other color choices on the exchange.
 
I'd go with the Fallkniven S1. Its probably my next knife purchase.
 
RMD=my favorite all-around fixed blade. They appear pretty regularly in the Busse, et al. for sale forum at reasonable prices.
 
I cant speak for the RMD but I have an RC6 and an A1. I had high hopes with the RC6 and believe it is a great knife. However my A1 has out performed it in far too many ways that I strongly prefer it over the RC6. The handle is a big factor for the A1 is far more comfortable and substantially more grippy with gloves on or if your hands are wet. The Handle isnt as durable but isnt a slough either. The Grind on the A1 is amazing and very easy to maintain. I also prefer the sheath...many would disagree but after carrying both for sometime the A1 sheath is lighter, smaller, and easier to deploy. But there is the warranty, ESEE has the best and this is a big reason I tend to use my RCs because I have no fear of breaking one. Then again I believe my A1 is a tougher blade and I have put it thru the test time and time again. It is my favorite blade that has performed far better then just about everything else I have had to compare it to. As for the RMD I believe these can be tough to get and expensive...no to mention you will need a sheath. I do like the Choil on it quite a bit and the steel is excellent. Handle...I am not sure for I dont know how well it will stay put during heavy chopping, my A1 is excellent for chopping far better then the RC6. I did a chop off and the A1 hung with the Junglas. In some ways was easier because I did not have to regrip often during chopping. Just my 2 cents..I love the A1 and pretty much all my fallknivens
 
On of the things about the A1 I believe that makes it perform as well as it does is the weighting. The Mass seems to feel forward toward the front. So when you are chopping it helps...my RC6 feels like more weight is in the handle and less in the front.
 
I personally would shift the selections to an ESEE RC-4, Fallkniven S-1 (that is the pilot survival one right?), and the swamp rat howling rat LM. More in the 4-5 inch blade length and .18 to .2'' blade thickness. This would be MUCH better for skinning for instance.

I have only owned a swamp rat (Howling Rat) out of these three manufacturers, and I haven't even put it through the paces yet, but I would not trade it for an ESEE or Fallkniven. As this post shows, Fallkniven owners love their knives, and that says a lot. But I have a hard time believing that its VG-10 stainless out performs the rowen 1095 that ESEE uses and the Swamp Rat's SR-101 steel in terms of holding an edge and ease of re-sharpening (both very well regarded non-stainless steels).

As far as your concern with 1095, it sure sounds like the rowen heat treat that ESEE gives its knives makes the most of 1095 steel, and most ESEE owners say that it holds a great edge, although the SR-101 is almost unanimously regarded as better in this department.

Fallknivens are also very tough due to their laminated blade, and the kraton or kraton-esque handles are tougher than some may think (don't leave them by the fire though!). Also, I have a very similarly designed knife, and I can attest to a kraton handle being grippy even when wet and shock-absorbing and comfy, even though it is a lot cheaper than the micarta handles that you would get on the other knives.

Another thing is that a lot of the people in this post are talking about chopping ... I'm not sure that is really what you want. If you are getting a blade for both chopping on wood and also skinning an animal and doing more fine work with wood, I think you are going to have to make compromises and get an in-between type of design. I personally just use a wetterlings hatchet when I start chopping on wood. Maybe someday I will get a busse for that, or just pick up a much cheaper becker. I'm not typically going to lug a big chopping knife with me when I am on the move--I want something more in the 3''-5'' range.

I personally would go with the RMD, or, if I could choose, the swamp rat howling rat. The handle fits the hand very well and its weight is distributed very well. The micarta is near indestructible. I haven't given it enough use to say whether I have had any problem with rust, but it has a great coating on the blade, and I don't mind a little pitina. To me, that just comes with having a good carbon steel. I may pick up something like an S-1 one day, but it will be to serve as a stainless steel knife if I am in a wet environment or something. For the rest, I'll pass on the stainless.
 
Floks who claim that the SR 101/52100 in the Ratmandu rust easily must live near salt water. I have had absolutely no rust issues with this steel either coated as in my RMD or uncoated as in my custom chopper from Tad Lynch. Though the chopper does have a patina.

In those three I'd definitely go with the RMD. Check the exchange if you can't firnd the color you want as there are several available there.

The only thing I don't like about the RMD is the choil, and that isn't enough of an issue to me to cause problems.

For a general use knife, especialy one that will be used on processing gme the Fallkniven S1 may be a better choice due to it's lack of a choil (less tendency for the blade to get hung up on the hide, tendons, tissues etc) while still being relatively deft in hand.

Either the HRLM from Swamprat or the F1 from Fallkniven would be a better choice for handleing game. But the 5" blades will do it. Over that in length and skinning etc. becomes a much clumsier chore.

I convexed the edge on my RMD and it improved its overall cutting performance by a good bit.
 
By the way, if you want to try out 1095, pick up a $10-$15 mora knife and see how you like it. My sharpening skills are nothing to write home about, but I can get it very sharp, very easily, and it holds an edge very well. It will get pitina going very quickly when I am working with moist materials, but that isn't a problem. Just make sure to get it as dry as possible afterwards and rub some olive/vegetable/linseed oil on it before you put it away.
 
Just to be clear, the RatManDu is different from the RatManDeux LE, and I don't think the RMDx LE has started shipping.

I think that the pre-order for the RatManDu is still open, which means that you can contact Swamp Rat and specify the color combo you want. Or, you can order one of the in-stock combos from the store, which changes based on what they get... http://www.shop.ratknives.com/addtocart.sc.

Edit: Here's an updated thread... http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=793284
 
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Kirk_Ferentz said:
I personally would shift the selections to an ESEE RC-4, Fallkniven S-1 (that is the pilot survival one right?), and the swamp rat howling rat LM. More in the 4-5 inch blade length and .18 to .2'' blade thickness. This would be MUCH better for skinning for instance.

I have only owned a swamp rat (Howling Rat) out of these three manufacturers, and I haven't even put it through the paces yet, but I would not trade it for an ESEE or Fallkniven. As this post shows, Fallkniven owners love their knives, and that says a lot. But I have a hard time believing that its VG-10 stainless out performs the rowen 1095 that ESEE uses and the Swamp Rat's SR-101 steel in terms of holding an edge and ease of re-sharpening (both very well regarded non-stainless steels).

As far as your concern with 1095, it sure sounds like the rowen heat treat that ESEE gives its knives makes the most of 1095 steel, and most ESEE owners say that it holds a great edge, although the SR-101 is almost unanimously regarded as better in this department.

Fallknivens are also very tough due to their laminated blade, and the kraton or kraton-esque handles are tougher than some may think (don't leave them by the fire though!). Also, I have a very similarly designed knife, and I can attest to a kraton handle being grippy even when wet and shock-absorbing and comfy, even though it is a lot cheaper than the micarta handles that you would get on the other knives.

Another thing is that a lot of the people in this post are talking about chopping ... I'm not sure that is really what you want. If you are getting a blade for both chopping on wood and also skinning an animal and doing more fine work with wood, I think you are going to have to make compromises and get an in-between type of design. I personally just use a wetterlings hatchet when I start chopping on wood. Maybe someday I will get a busse for that, or just pick up a much cheaper becker. I'm not typically going to lug a big chopping knife with me when I am on the move--I want something more in the 3''-5'' range.

I personally would go with the RMD, or, if I could choose, the swamp rat howling rat. The handle fits the hand very well and its weight is distributed very well. The micarta is near indestructible. I haven't given it enough use to say whether I have had any problem with rust, but it has a great coating on the blade, and I don't mind a little pitina. To me, that just comes with having a good carbon steel. I may pick up something like an S-1 one day, but it will be to serve as a stainless steel knife if I am in a wet environment or something. For the rest, I'll pass on the stainless.
Click to expand...


Just a quick clarification: The F1 is the pilot survival knife, the S1 is the forest knife.

My experience with Fallkniven's VG10 and ESEE 1095 is that ESEE does a great job with their 1095 and it does sharpen a bit easier, but Fallknivens VG10 has better edge retention.

Kevin

PS. my RC4 is convexed so the edges are similar.
 
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