Ratmandu vs Sykco 511 vs Safety Mutt and maybe a sleeper

[tigercasual]

Hello Everyone,

I'm looking for a great all around 5' knife capable of doing a little heavy work as well as work around the camp. I keep going back and forth between the three knives listed above. Essentially, I'm looking for opinions and comparisons between the three. However, I'm not opposed to a sleeper candidate... as in... a knife that is just as good/less expensive or a knife in the same price range that you feel is better.

Okay... any thoughts?

 

[rpn]

Here's a link to a thread where one of the guys at the Yard compared these and a few others.

I really liked the Scrapper 5 personally, thought it was a great blade. The War Dog is also a cool knife. And, I'm also a fan of Survive knives.

 

[ManOfMisery]

The Ratmandu is a fantastic knife and for a great price. I prefer my Survive! GSO 5.1 to it though.

 

[Hard Knocks]

Unless you have very small hands I would not go with the 511. It feels very different than the Ratmandu.

 

[chiral.grolim]

You've probably read it, but I made a review focused on the GSO-5.1 that included the Ratmandu and SYKCO 511. I didn't include the Mudd Mutt but I do in fact own all 3 of those mentioned: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...n-to-SYKCO-511-SRKW-RatManDu-Cattaraugus-225Q

Of those 3, my favorite is the RMD. However, the Mudd Mutt and 511 are noticeably lighter and still very capable. The Mutt is quite a bit thinner than the 511 and will be a better slicer when you get the edge-geometry where you want it. But the 511 is much stronger for lateral-stress if you intend to pry with it. As mentioned above and in my review, the 511 handle is small, Mutt handle is better suited to even medium-sized hands. I modified my Mudd Mutt to give it a finger-sized choil, also modified the 511 and brought down the edge-geometry so it slices well on shallow cuts. Of the two, i now prefer the 511 because it is more compact. The Mudd Mutt is closer in overall size to the RMD, and i prefer the RMD hands-down. That's my $0.02, I'll upload pics here tonight if desired.

 

[chiral.grolim]

Here's a couple older pics for your consideration:

 

[AntDog]

Man I swear I'm gonna wear out the file for this picture yet....



Ratmandu! Ratmandu! Out of the 3 you mentioned I would go with the RMD, hands down. No contest. I've never owned any of the Survive! knives though. I doubt my opinion would change much even if I did, just from looking at the pictures of them.

 

[BladeScout]

You've probably read it, but I made a review focused on the GSO-5.1 that included the Ratmandu and SYKCO 511. I didn't include the Mudd Mutt but I do in fact own all 3 of those mentioned: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...n-to-SYKCO-511-SRKW-RatManDu-Cattaraugus-225Q

Of those 3, my favorite is the RMD. However, the Mudd Mutt and 511 are noticeably lighter and still very capable. The Mutt is quite a bit thinner than the 511 and will be a better slicer when you get the edge-geometry where you want it. But the 511 is much stronger for lateral-stress if you intend to pry with it. As mentioned above and in my review, the 511 handle is small, Mutt handle is better suited to even medium-sized hands. I modified my Mudd Mutt to give it a finger-sized choil, also modified the 511 and brought down the edge-geometry so it slices well on shallow cuts. Of the two, i now prefer the 511 because it is more compact. The Mudd Mutt is closer in overall size to the RMD, and i prefer the RMD hands-down. That's my $0.02, I'll upload pics here tonight if desired.

Thanks for link.
Excellent review, info & pics. Thanks for taking the time.
Being a huge fan of the Cattaraugus 225Q (I have a handful), I read your impression of that knife with interest.
Having recently had the chance to handle a Survive knife, I must say, that I really like the quality and ergos.
Im a fan of the knives from SYKCO & Swamp Rat as well (Regulator and Ratmandu for me, pls).

Having recently had a chopper made with a handle to my specs and being very impressed with the result in regards to (lack of) fatigue and strain, I also read your opinion of ergonomics in regards to handles as well and not agree more.

 

[Dingle1911]

I don't have a Ratmandu, but I do have a 511, Mud Mutt, and a Safety Mutt. The Mud Mutt is my favorite because of the thin blade and the mudder handles. Next I would choose the Safety Mutt which is the same as the Mud, but with bright orange handles and thicker blade stock. I typically prefer thinner blades because I don't use knifes for chopping or prying, I have hatchets and pry bars for that task. The 511 is a good knife too I just like the mudder handles better. You probably cannot go wrong with either choice. I do have a Rodent 3 which is a great knife, but it is very heavy for its size, I would imagine that the Ratmandu is heavier than the Mutts as well, which could be good or bad depending on your requirements. Let us know what you decide.

 

[tigercasual]

Thanks everyone, Great Info! Particularly chiral.grolin for going so in depth. So... Am I right to assume that the Safety Mutt is somewhere in between the 511 and the Ratmandu?

 

[chiral.grolim]

Thanks everyone, Great Info! Particularly chiral.grolin for going so in depth. So... Am I right to assume that the Safety Mutt is somewhere in between the 511 and the Ratmandu?

Yer welcome (to BladeScout as well).

Safety Mutt is same overall length and thickness as the RMD but lighter weight with more forward balance (due to the tang), more cutting edge but not as easy to 'choke' due to smaller choil... and the orange/black configuration is all you'll get aside from bladeshow specials, whereas the RMD is fairly customizable. I prefer the RMD handle but appreciate lighter weight.

Here are pics of my group (511 & Mutt modified choils):

 

[tigercasual]

Thanks guys... I picked up the Ratmandu. Great knife but not exactly what I was looking for. Now I'm thinking of trading for a Sykco 711, if I can find one.

Cheers,
TC

 

[Hard Knocks]

Keep hounding the exchange, you'll find one before long tigercasual. The 711 is a great knife.

M9LE, 711, RMD