Hey Pitdog! It was YOU that got me hooked on SRKW! I remember at one point I was looking for a Chopweiler, and you were singing its praises. How you been bro?
I just wanted to chime in with the M9/Mastiff enlightenment. I have an old school Rat Mastiff, a Battle Rat, and a M9, and they all feel really different in hand. The M9, as Adam has already said, is definitely more of a jack of all trades. Its handle isn't the best/safest for heavy chopping (IMHO...of course), and even with a saber grind the weight isn't too far forward. However, the handle is EXTREMELY comfortable and balances perfectly with your index finger in the finger choil. Think of it as a longer Chopweiler with a bowie profile instead of a drop point. On the other hand the Rat Mastiff is a dedicated chopper! Very noticeable forward weight, which makes for heavy, biting chops, and the handle has a massive swell towards the butt of the knife; I found this really helped with chopping. I like to choke down on my blade as far as possible in order to really get a good "snap" before I make contact with whatever I am chopping. You might not be able to tell from the photo...but they really are two completely different knives. Excuse the crappy picture, as it does not do my SRKW bowies justice!
BRING THE NEW RAT MASTIFF CHOPPER!!!
Show Off! hahaha! Now send me that Mastiff for xmas and i'll forgive you.
Bring on the Rat Mastiff!!! :thumbup:
RAAAAT MASSSTTTIIIFFF!!! :thumbup:
