Howling Rat Fit & Finish

Joined
Mar 22, 2001
Messages
87
After agonizing over between choosing the Bandicoot and HR, I went with the HR as my new "field utility blade." I got it in my hands today (there's a story behind that) and it arrived exactly when Eric told me it would.

Below are a couple of things about this blade that I have not seen brought out here (or the SRKW forum).
1) It's a bit smaller than I thought it would be. This is not a bad thing as I already have a 4.5" 52100 blade by Ray Kirk. The length of the actual cutting edge is right at 3 7/8". The choil is (properly) counted in the blade length. The pics that have been posted just made it look a tad bigger (to me anyway) than it really is.

2) Having said that, this knife is a very handy size. Big enough to be extremely useful, small enough not to be intimidating. The whole package seems to be extremely well thought out.

3) For those who have not experienced the Resperine C handle, you do not know what you are missing. The handle is shaped very nicely and fits my average size hand well.

4) Choking up on the blade using the choil provides an extreme amount of control and is something I instinctively want to do upon picking up the HR.

5) The grinds on the blade are exactly symmetrical and precise. This may not sound like a big deal, but I've paid more money for other knives that were not ground as nicely.

6) The blade is very sharp out of the box.

7) I can locate no stress risers on the blade. I consistently see problems on very highly touted blades and this always bugs me.

8) The balance point of the knife is right where the handle ends and the blade begins.

9) The sheath is a work of art. The rattling problem has been solved (in fact they almost went too far the other way). I have not seen a pic of the new style sheath posted. They have it arranged so it can be worn as either a standard belt sheath, or a drop leg rif with plenty of eyelets for supplemental attachments. They have redesigned the snap to a snap attached to a piece of paracord that wraps once around the handle and then snaps. It can be easily removed or just snapped out of the way if desired. Again, the sheath is extremely well thought-out and well-executed. Very nice quality. I have a local custom maker charging $35 for sheaths very similar in design (but with an extra pouch attached).

10) Eric answered my emails very promptly both on the weekend and tonight.

Things I would change? A little more smoothing/rounding on the edges of the choil and a more gradual transtion to sharp blade directly in front of it. That's all I can come up with.

Get this knife while it's still available. You will not be sorry!

PS. Do a search on my posts. You will not find me gushing over a knife anywhere else. The knife went to the office with me today and I got very little done cause I just kept picking the HR up!

Edited to add: It's hard to convey the feel of this blade using only words. It's a case of the sum of the parts being greater than the whole. The spot-on ergonomics and sizing of the blade combined with a well-designed carry system yield a package that is absolutely outstanding. SRKW went the extra mile on the sheath. And all this in an extremely affordable package! It's nice when a company and product actually lives up to it's billing. :D
 
I've read every Rat-Post on both this Forum and Rat Chat, and I've never seen it said better. But wait'll you finally dull it a bit and try your hand at sharpening. You'll love it even more :D
MtMike
 
Tommy,
Thank you for the kind words.

Great job on the review and I'm glad you like the HR.


Now, get out there and show it some "love" ;):D:D
 
Tommy,

item #3 on your list, I could not agree more....The Rc has a magical feel and can only be described as squidgy! And squidgy in a very comfortable kind of way I might add!

Nice mini Rev mate, I enjoyed reading that!:cool:
 
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