- Joined
- May 23, 2004
- Messages
- 1,175
Received my Rat Trap LE #63 today via USPS, crikey Ive been waiting for this one to arrive, waiting, waiting, in eager anticipation, since they hit the pre-sale market in late September 04. This basic review on the Rat Trap and the Swamp Rat Knife Co is strictly a collection of my first impressions, based and biased by my personal requirements, likes and dislikes. This is my first purchase from Swamp Rat.
Likes:
Blade Shape and grinds Flat ground, wide bellied with a nice fine tip. Not Spyderco sharp out of the box, shaves but not scary, took a tickle up on the Sharpmaker to bring it up to my expectations. An excellent slicer and seems ideally suited to my EDC requirements. Primary edge angle set at just under 40 degrees and will take some work to reprofile to a 30 degree primary to work in with the Sharpmaker.
Handle Nice grippy G10, same texture as my Manix and Paramilitary, thin in width, yet deep and contoured to fill my hand. I feel the grip, in my hand, makes the Rat Trap better suited to slicing than stabbing. Stabbing is not a prerequisite of mine so this is not an issue for me.
Handle to Blade Ratio Excellent, the Rat Trap maximizes the length of cutting surface available, nearly half an inch more edge than the Manix, which I consider big.
Smoothness of opening Silky smooth straight out of the box and should only get better, if this is possible. The oval hole allows easy, fast and controlled one handed opening.
Pocket Clip position Tip down and positioned high up the scales, reversible but not tip up. This is one of the main reasons for my purchase, this large folder hides inside my pocket, the matt black clip doesnt seek attention.
Carry Comfort Surprisingly good for a knife this size, I like to carry my main EDC clipped to the inside of my pants or jeans, with the clip predominately hidden from view by my belt. Thats were its been all day and I havent noticed it their, a real pleasure to carry, no rough edges or sharp corners to grab you.
Weight Quite light for such a large folder, yet still feeling solid enough to effectively perform the duties I require from a folder.
Fit and Finnish Blade centres in the middle, the liners are recessed flush into the G10 slabs. The edges are nicely rounded off. Simple, not fancy, but effective ( a bit like myself ).
Carry Case Arrived in a wool lined soft carry pouch, like a sunglass case, a nice touch.
Dislikes:
Thinness of liner lock This is probably just a personal observation but the liner lock thickness seems on the thin side. Only time will tell if this has any bearing on the performance of the locking system, for my usage I doubt it will cause a problem. Those who put their folders through spine wacks and white knuckling tests will possibly have concerns.
Warrantee This is yet to be confirmed. Swamp Rats unconditional warrantee on their fixed blades was part of my decision to buy the Rat Trap. If amendments are going to be made, and probably will be, it would have been a more thoughtful for them to state this prior to sale.
Lack of communication I think Swamp Rat would only enhance their outstanding reputation by increasing their correspondence with their customers, keeping them informed as to delays, despatch dates or postage tracking numbers. It is wrong of me to expect a manufacturer to provide the same degree of service as a retailer, and by dealing direct with the end user helps keep their pricing to a minimum, but a little more correspondence would be nice.
Postage and Handling cost A set fee of $25.00 for a parcel that cost $8.60 to post is a bit steep, I am sure SR have their reasons for this, but I still feel this is a little too much when compared to many other companies that I have purchased from.
Conclusion:
After the long wait, I am more than pleased with my Rat Trap. I paid the extra $10.00 to obtain a numbered LE model, so if I was not totally satisfied, I could always sell or trade with little effort. This is an excellent, large EDC folding knife, good value for the price paid and a knife that will be a pleasure to use for many years to come. Please excuse my lack of concise information contained in this review, it is really just a brief summation of my personal views after 24 hours of taking ownership.
Congratulations Swamp Rat on producing your first folder, hopefully the Rat Trap will compliment your range of exceptional products and I look forward to my next purchase from your company.
Likes:
Blade Shape and grinds Flat ground, wide bellied with a nice fine tip. Not Spyderco sharp out of the box, shaves but not scary, took a tickle up on the Sharpmaker to bring it up to my expectations. An excellent slicer and seems ideally suited to my EDC requirements. Primary edge angle set at just under 40 degrees and will take some work to reprofile to a 30 degree primary to work in with the Sharpmaker.
Handle Nice grippy G10, same texture as my Manix and Paramilitary, thin in width, yet deep and contoured to fill my hand. I feel the grip, in my hand, makes the Rat Trap better suited to slicing than stabbing. Stabbing is not a prerequisite of mine so this is not an issue for me.
Handle to Blade Ratio Excellent, the Rat Trap maximizes the length of cutting surface available, nearly half an inch more edge than the Manix, which I consider big.
Smoothness of opening Silky smooth straight out of the box and should only get better, if this is possible. The oval hole allows easy, fast and controlled one handed opening.
Pocket Clip position Tip down and positioned high up the scales, reversible but not tip up. This is one of the main reasons for my purchase, this large folder hides inside my pocket, the matt black clip doesnt seek attention.
Carry Comfort Surprisingly good for a knife this size, I like to carry my main EDC clipped to the inside of my pants or jeans, with the clip predominately hidden from view by my belt. Thats were its been all day and I havent noticed it their, a real pleasure to carry, no rough edges or sharp corners to grab you.
Weight Quite light for such a large folder, yet still feeling solid enough to effectively perform the duties I require from a folder.
Fit and Finnish Blade centres in the middle, the liners are recessed flush into the G10 slabs. The edges are nicely rounded off. Simple, not fancy, but effective ( a bit like myself ).
Carry Case Arrived in a wool lined soft carry pouch, like a sunglass case, a nice touch.
Dislikes:
Thinness of liner lock This is probably just a personal observation but the liner lock thickness seems on the thin side. Only time will tell if this has any bearing on the performance of the locking system, for my usage I doubt it will cause a problem. Those who put their folders through spine wacks and white knuckling tests will possibly have concerns.
Warrantee This is yet to be confirmed. Swamp Rats unconditional warrantee on their fixed blades was part of my decision to buy the Rat Trap. If amendments are going to be made, and probably will be, it would have been a more thoughtful for them to state this prior to sale.
Lack of communication I think Swamp Rat would only enhance their outstanding reputation by increasing their correspondence with their customers, keeping them informed as to delays, despatch dates or postage tracking numbers. It is wrong of me to expect a manufacturer to provide the same degree of service as a retailer, and by dealing direct with the end user helps keep their pricing to a minimum, but a little more correspondence would be nice.
Postage and Handling cost A set fee of $25.00 for a parcel that cost $8.60 to post is a bit steep, I am sure SR have their reasons for this, but I still feel this is a little too much when compared to many other companies that I have purchased from.
Conclusion:
After the long wait, I am more than pleased with my Rat Trap. I paid the extra $10.00 to obtain a numbered LE model, so if I was not totally satisfied, I could always sell or trade with little effort. This is an excellent, large EDC folding knife, good value for the price paid and a knife that will be a pleasure to use for many years to come. Please excuse my lack of concise information contained in this review, it is really just a brief summation of my personal views after 24 hours of taking ownership.
Congratulations Swamp Rat on producing your first folder, hopefully the Rat Trap will compliment your range of exceptional products and I look forward to my next purchase from your company.
