Ratmandu at its finest!

bpiatt

bpiatt

Joined
Jun 17, 2010
Messages
644
I originally posted this in the General Knife Discussion section, but am reposting here by request. I just got this blade this past friday and its amazing. I sent my payment on Tuesday and the knife was in my hands on Friday. Special thanks for SRKW for the awesome blade and super speedy shipping. This is the blades first workout. Expect more pictures of it performing different tasks this weekend when I have some more free time from work.

Also, I am in the market for a budget sheath. Would really prefer leather for this one but am open to kydex also. Trying to stay around 50 bucks. And no the tear in my jeans didn't come from the knife :P I tripped and got caught up in this really mean barb wire fence that did not want me to cross over it.

Knife Specs:

-Blade Length 4 3/4"-
-Tip to edge of scales 5 1/8"-
-Overall Length 10 1/4"-
-Stock thickness 3/16"-
-Steel SR101-

Enough text lets get to some pics. Without further adieu, I bring you the Ratmandu.

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First things first, I had to chop down a small sapling to make myself a baton. Knife chopped better than I hoped, took nice deep bites and make quick work of this task.

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Next my wife, daughter and I walked a trail in search of the perfect dead tree. I found this small tree that was about 4.5 inches in diameter and went to work. Thank my wife for snapping this horrible picture of myself.

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A few taps of the spine and massive chunks were in the air. Loving this knife!

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Knife easily handled what I've handed it so far. Not a single bit of the blade coating has scuffed or flaked yet. Everything about this knife is made to work. The paper micarta handles held up getting beat on as well.

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This is what the blade looked like immediately after the job was done. A little dirty but the edge is still perfect and hair popping sharp.

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Here it is all cleaned up next to my Bark River Necker 2 for size comparison to those who may be looking to get one of these fine blades.

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I have medium-large hands and it fits my hand like a glove. Definitely the most comfortable knife I own for my hands. I will be adding a lanyard though, it did seem to want to slip a little when chopping. I am super happy with my purchase and recommend this to anyone who is on the fence debating on this knife or another. The finger choil is the perfect size and totally functional. More pictures and tests are to follow. Im going to put this knife through hell and enjoy every minute of it.

If anyone owns this knife let me know what you think of it, or better yet, post some pics of what you've done with it.
 
Nice post...almost forgot I have the same blade. It sure is a fine design.:thumbup:
 
CongRats! The RMD is one of my favorite small Rats, well chosen!

I just finished an extra RMD sheath, no pics yet but it looks just like this one.
bossbrown.jpg
 
Cool pics bpiatt! I just ordered my first RMD and am eager for it to arrive. Nice paper micarta!
 
I went with the howling rat instead of the ratmandu, but I have the same sort of sentiments about the knife. You can immediately tell that the swamp rats are an extraordinary tool. Glad I chose it over some of the others I was considering (the usual suspects). When I get a big chopper, I MIGHT go with a Busse for the INFI (but a chopweiler certainly has my attention), but for a smaller bushcraft knife, it looks like the swamp rat and its SR-101 is going to be hard to beat.
 
The RMD is an outstanding knife. In regards to a sheath around $50, armoralleather and chuddybear come close to the $50 mark with awesome leather sheaths. Also, I believe the short SpecOps sheath will fit the RMD.
 
leatherman said:
CongRats! The RMD is one of my favorite small Rats, well chosen!

I just finished an extra RMD sheath, no pics yet but it looks just like this one.
bossbrown.jpg
Click to expand...

I sent you an email, I am definitely interested!


2TONYB said:
The RMD is an outstanding knife. In regards to a sheath around $50, armoralleather and chuddybear come close to the $50 mark with awesome leather sheaths. Also, I believe the short SpecOps sheath will fit the RMD.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the heads up, talking to leatherman at the moment.


I appreciate the kind words everyone!
 
Cool review of an awesome rat. Now all you need is a RAT MASTIFF CHOPPER! :thumbup:
 
Excellent, i was hoping this would turn up here. The RMD is possibly the perfect all around fixed blade, just love it.

-- Adam
 
I have to agree that the RMD is an exceptional knife. My RMD is the only fixed blade I carry camping anymore. It batons well, holds its edge, and tackles kitchen duties. I will not hesitate to get another SRKW blade in the future.
 
Great review bpiatt! I'm another HUGE fan of the RMD. It is an exceptional field knife that is easily in my top 5 rats.


Kirk_Ferentz said:
When I get a big chopper, I MIGHT go with a Busse for the INFI (but a chopweiler certainly has my attention), but for a smaller bushcraft knife, it looks like the swamp rat and its SR-101 is going to be hard to beat.
Click to expand...

Don't be so quick to pass up the big rats. My favorite chopper so far remains the Satin Battle Rat. And I've either owned or tried most of the Busses, old and new. I admit though that I haven't yet tried a Bushwacker Mistress, but I'd be surprised if I like it better than the SBR.

I'm looking forward to your future posts and pics of the RMD. Keep up the great work. :thumbup:
 
How much was the knife? Was looking around the site, saw the big rodent on the front, just exploring looking around to see if I can find it.
 
PoorGuy said:
Great review bpiatt! I'm another HUGE fan of the RMD. It is an exceptional field knife that is easily in my top 5 rats.




Don't be so quick to pass up the big rats. My favorite chopper so far remains the Satin Battle Rat. And I've either owned or tried most of the Busses, old and new. I admit though that I haven't yet tried a Bushwacker Mistress, but I'd be surprised if I like it better than the SBR.

I'm looking forward to your future posts and pics of the RMD. Keep up the great work. :thumbup:
Click to expand...


Oh they definitely aren't out of the running. I just wonder if INFI, which seems to be a little softer and more malleable than the SR-101, might be a little tougher on a big, long blade (and less prone to chipping when you are chopping away?). It definitely wouldn't hold an edge as long as the SR-101 from what I have read. I think it was some sort of busse battle mistress that they tested on that knife torture test website, and it looks like it was the toughest knife they had ever tested ... but then again, aren't they like a third of an inch thick? I don't know if I want a blade THAT thick! Also, I don't think they have tested a swamp rat ;-) I will have to do some research before I cross that bridge.
 
The Fat Fusion Battle Mistress is 5/16" thick and saber ground. Over kill, but that is what Busse is all about with those special blades.

The Standard Fusion Battle Mistress is 1/4" thick, same as the Rats and a lot more usable under normal conditions.

The Bushwhacker Mistress is way under 1/4" thick, and one of the more popular lately as they are more available,

I hope this helps a little
 
LittleSpartan said:
How much was the knife? Was looking around the site, saw the big rodent on the front, just exploring looking around to see if I can find it.
Click to expand...

The knife is roughly 138.00 dollars plus 12 dollars shipping. If you want to get one hurry up and order it because im sure they are going fast. Eric Isaacson is an awesome guy. He instantly responded to all of my emails and made sure my blade was out the door quickly. You can check out the exchange forum and find one used for around 120-135 dollars but i suggest you go to: http://www.shop.ratknives.com/product.sc?productId=208&categoryId=1 and get a brand new one before its too late.

I wanted to let you guys know that I now have a video camera as of today so my next post will include video. Im not sure if I can get the video to play on the forum, but worst case scenario it will be a link to youtube. Im hoping for some good weather this weekend, but rain, snow or shine, im making a video of this baby in action =) It will be my first ever video production, but it cant be that bad because its going to have a Ratmandu in it
 
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