Rat trap?

F

Finn-lander

Joined
Apr 12, 2008
Messages
100
Hi All,
My first time in the Swamp Rat forum. I recently saw a post on the internet that had a comparison pic of the Swamp Rat Rat Trap alongside the Blade Tech Pro Hunter Magnum. Is the Rat Trap still in production? If not, is there a comparable model? Anything you can tell me about this knife would be appreciated. Thanks.

Finn-lander
 
Nopers, all the secondary market...figure $250 and up- I think
 
Made out of S30V, some sterile while others logoed. GREAT folder, GREAT warranty, and not too bad on the price. If you do find one for under $250, don't spend time debating whether you should get it as it may disappear very quickly. IMHO, anything under $300 is likely worth it unless it is severely abused.

If you are dying for one and prepared to pay those prices, put up a thread in the WTB (wanted to buy) sub-forum here and bump your thread once every 72 hours until you find what you are looking for. Good luck.
 
I think there's one available still in the for sale section with Voxganzas summer sale...
 
rpn said:
I think there's one available still in the for sale section with Voxganzas summer sale...
Click to expand...

Didn't even see that one there. I wonder how long it will be available??? :foot:;) I certainly would not mind having two!!!:eek:
 
Finn-lander, if you can't find a Rat Trap, you may want to consider the Blade-Tech Pro-Hunter you mentioned. My EDC for the last several years has been the Wegner Pro-Hunter S30V version. I recommend it very highly. Mine has served me well and seems to re-sharpen quite well on a diamond-encrusted sharpening steel.

I had a Rat Trap for a while, but sold it in one of my closet-cleaning rampages. I liked its size and shape, but could never quite bring myself to use it. It somehow seemed too nice to use. The Pro-Hunter was a beater for me right out of the box. Not sure why, since they have pretty much identical steels, handle materials, etc. It may be that the Rat Trap had that really pointy tip and the Pro-Hunter has more of a drop-point tip, which is my favorite user-beater tip shape since I am less fearful of snapping it off than the pointy-tipped knives I've owned.

Best of luck on your hunt to acquire a fine folder, whichever one you eventually carry.
 
The Rat Trap is a beautiful thing, but not a brute. It is for light to medium duty in my opinion, although some will say they beat on theirs. Don't be afraid to use it, but don't expect it to chew through cement blocks or baton its way through car doors. It is a very well thought out knife but some controversy was had between the lovers of tip up vs. tip down carry.

It does have a "Gentleman's" feel about it, and is one of the classier looking and smoothest working knives you will find.
 
Rokjok,

Funny you should mention that. Yesterday, I just won a Blade Tech Pro Hunter on that big auction site. I posted a question on the "General Discussion" forum about this knife. It was listed as a NIB hollow ground S30V blade in olive green. Blade Tech Wegner Professional Hunter BT01-GPEGR. I couldn't find anything about this particular model. All of the current stock is labelled as full flat grind and has a Magnum or Magnum Extreme classification. Any idea what knife I bought?

As mentioned above there is one for sale but at over twice the price I paid for the PH. I think I may let that one go for now, but keep my eye out in the future. The knife fund is running pretty low as I also just bought an Ocelot last week to try the Wegner design. Thanks.

Finn-lander
 
It was listed as a NIB hollow ground S30V blade in olive green. Blade Tech Wegner Professional Hunter BT01-GPEGR.
Click to expand...
I called Blade-Tech re: this knife, since they are just up the road from me a bit. Either the hollow-ground grind designation or the steel/part number is incorrect. Per the mfr only their 440C steel Pro-Hunter models were hollow-ground.

According to the mfr, the part number indicates an older model S30V flat ground, plain-edge (hence the PE in part #), green handled (GR in part #) Pro-Hunter.

The "Wegner design" as used on the PH is IMHO a great all-around choice. Works well for daily chores, hunting/skinning, and self-defense carry.

HTH.
 
You were looking at theese;)

First RatTrap, than two Pro-Hunters. Both are (older) S30V versions. Blades are flat ground and are thinner than on (newer) Magnum Pro-Hunter versions.

Factory box says BT01-GPEOR for orange version, so I belive the one with OD handles would be BT01-GPEOD ...that is the knife you will recieve i guess.


trapandbt10.jpg

trapandbt09.jpg

trapandbt07.jpg


They look similar in construction
trapandbt06.jpg

trapandbt03.jpg
 
Wow! Awesome replies so far.

Rokjok,
I am hoping that the "hollow ground" label is wrong. From the pics supplied, I am pretty sure I can read S30V on the blade and I am reading the model number right off of the box. If it is full flat grind, that will even be better. I was thinking if I didn't like the hollow grind, I could send it off to Mr. Krein to do his magic.

Patknives,
You are cruel! Yeah, it was your pics that got me going on the Rat Trap. I love that first pic. The knife I just bought looks EXACTLY like your olive drab PH. All the same blade markings. As far as the blade not being as thick as the magnums, that is fine with me. I never put my knives thru hard use. I already have more knives than I could ever use up in my lifetime. This one will likely ride in a pocket in my hunting jacket/pack. I should have the knife in a couple of days as it is coming Priority.

Anyone ever make a belt sheath for one of these?

I am out of control, I have already used up the years knife budget and it is only August 31st. ha. (and I know I will buy more :))

Finn-lander
 
If you can't find one go with a Spyderco Military.I looked close at the Trap I had and it looks to have all the same parts as the Military.The liner,screws,pivot and G10 all looks just like the same stuff Spyderco uses in the Military.
 
U812,
I actually bought a Spyderco Military in BG-42 about a year ago. I messed up, because I usually buy light users so I am not afraid to use them. This one was NIB and so it still sits in the knife drawer. Crazy, but I am actually looking for a user, just so I can EDC one to see how good it is.

Does anyone have a comparison pic of the Rat Trap, alongside of a Military (or even better alongside both the Military and a Pro Hunter)

Gravelface,
That is SOOOOOO wrong on many levels! Awesome pics. Do you still have all of them?

Finn-lander
 
Only lucky #98 still stays with me....it was meant to be........I sold it then about 10 months later, she came back.

I just wanted to get the different versions......coated sterile clip, coated logo'd clip, plain silver clip....2 different "Swamp Rat" style logos. Never got a large choil proto...if I did, I would have to get all the versions again.

Half the fun is just seeing "IF" you can get them.
 
one of my favourite EDC... foldin cook knife ))
handled Bladetech MLEK lately and wished that Rat lock was as much thicker
 
I ordered a Rat Trap, about 15 seconds before the Swamp stopped making them. So it has slept soundly in its wooly sleeping bag awaiting some future trade, methinks. On the other hand, I have a PHMagnum, with serrations ground by Mikey V. himself, and I'm much more comfortable using it, because it's replaceable, and I don't know that it really loses anything useful, to the Rat Trap. I can't recommend it highly enough, though none of my comments are meant to detract from the Rat Trap. :)
 
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I still have Rat Trap #25. It is out of rotation for a while, but If I winter in florida this year I will be using it for my weekend camper knife.
 
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