Ranger RD9 Handle Question

M

Mtn Hawk

Joined
Nov 8, 2005
Messages
270
I'm thinking about getting a Ranger RD9. I've done some research and these look like they'd be the best for heavy wilderness use, especially chopping hard, dead wood for firewood and shelters, without getting into megabucks.

I have a Swamp Rat Battle Rat, which has a Resiprene C handle, the best I've ever found or used. Among its other benefits, the handle helps a lot with shock absorption when chopping hard wood for extended periods of time. Unfortunately these great knives are no longer being made.

My question is can an RD9 handle be wrapped with some kind of tape, such as rubber, to help cushion shock? I don't know how efficient or practical this would be in the real world, and I don't want to spend over $120 to find out if I'm completely off track with this idea. I know gloves can be used but I'd rather have a handle that can do the job, plus I like to travel as light as possible in the wilderness.

Thanks.......
 
You can get tennis racket tape from walmart for a couple bucks. I have that stuff on a bunch of knives and swords. Works great.
 
I've done some chopping with a friends RD9 and have had no problems. At the reasonable prices that Rangers come in at, you can contour the micarta slabs to better fit your hands if you find any hot spots and not worry about resale value.

Take a look at the Busse offerings and the huge following they have. All in micarta or similar hard slabs and everyone loves 'em.

With that said, I hope you aren't giving up on the Battle Rat. Its an outstanding chopper. If its the scarcity of the Battle Rat and its potential value that is keeping you from using it, please don't let that stop you from enjoying that knife. You can alway send it off to have it stripped and polished or re-profiled/flat ground by someone like Tom Krein and sell it as a "naked" custom Battle Rat and get some good coin out of it.

HTH,

Chris
 
The RD9 is a good chopper. I don't think you can make the handle as cushy as Res C, but the RD is a good choice. Here are a couple of others you might like, the SY DFLE and the Browning Crowell/Barker Competition.

ChopOff002.jpg
 
Horn Dog, you must have reprofiled your RD9 handle, I have to do that with mine.
I started to but only had my dremel at the time, thats 5160 is some tough!
n517668469_44544_8181.jpg
 
Liam Ryan said:
Horn Dog, you must have reprofiled your RD9 handle, I have to do that with mine.
I started to but only had my dremel at the time, thats 5160 is some tough!
Click to expand...

My older RD9 is not nearly as comfortable to chop with. I asked for a satin one with the new clip point, and it came with nicely rounded scales. I didn't do anything to them. They were sanded flush with the tang right from the factory.
 
Thanks for the replies!

I don't understand why more knife makers and manufacturers don't put shock-absorbing handles on big chopping knives, especially when excellent material such as Resiprene C is available. Maybe because micarta and other hard handles look more "cool" and "tactical".

Dylside-- I'll look for that next time I'm in a Wal-Mart.

Rupestris-- I've never done an extended chopping session with a hard handle knife, so can't say for sure how it compares with a softer handle, but everything in my experience says that the softer handle would be much better for chopping. However, I'll never know for sure about hard handles until I try them.

Nope, I'm not giving up on the Battle Rat. It's a definite "keeper". Actually, I want to get another big chopper to "save" the BR for my longer wilderness trips (if that makes any sense :) ). I agree that the BR is an outstanding chopper. I've seen some new ones for sale that are going for $100 or more than what I paid. That's too much for me but if I run across a used one for a reasonable price, that isn't too beat up, I'll pick it up.

Horn Dog-- Nice pic! I like choils on big choppers, such as on the Dogfather and Ranger. They enable me to choke up quite a bit for more delicate chores. I'd like a Dogfather but from what I've seen they are in limited runs and you have to check the website frequently to get one, which I can't always do.

hatchetjack-- I've heard of that, but had forgotten. Thanks for the reminder.
 
I've really come to like my RD9. It came from Justin with nicely rounded scales, so the handle wasn't a problem. I've done chopping work with it without gloves or any softer wrapping around the handles, and it was quite nice in fact. I do think it would be more comfortable still with something like the Resiprene handles of Scrapyards, but it's good enough for me as it is now. Most often I tend to wear gloves anyway, in impact work, either because it's a bit cold outside or because limbing a tree quickly and carelessly ( :D ) will often see all kinds of small twigs and smaller branches snapping at my hands, and that can be a bit nasty without gloves.

You could wrap the handle, though - some guys have done that. Some even go with just hockey tape. I haven't tried that, but maybe it works.

The RD9 is really much lighter and quicker than it may look. They come with full flat grinds nowadays. With the choil on it, it isn't actually too bad to do some smaller jobs. If you want to do those, though, then you probably have to change the sharpening a little, since at least my larger Rangers have come with a chopping style edge. RD4 came with a hellishly sharp one, though.

I think there was talk in the Ranger forum some time back about getting softer, more shock-absorbing handles for the big Rangers. I can't remember what Justin said to that.
 
I use a bicycle inner tubes which i cut long and slip over the handles and then simply roll the ends to meet in the middle. It is thicker and feels spongy and is anti slip as well as shock absorbent affordable and easily replaced. I put them on all my beckers but only have it on one of my rangers which is the rd9.
 
Mtn Hawk said:
I've seen some new ones for sale that are going for $100 or more than what I paid. That's too much for me but if I run across a used one for a reasonable price, that isn't too beat up, I'll pick it up.
Click to expand...

Mtn Hawk,

I tried to email you, but you've set up so that you can't be emailed through BF. Please email me or PM me. Thanks.
 
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