snwbrdr202
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2009
- Messages
- 3,993
Evening gents! I was fortunate enough to recently pick up a 2nd generation Ratweiler from a generous forum member. Due to the fact that the scales aren't half as gorgeous as my Rat Mastiff's, I decided she should certainly be a user! I can understand why so many Swamp Rat fans consider the Ratweiler a grail knife: great ergonomics, classic saber grind bowie shape, differentially tempered SR-101, and that old school Busse flair!
Spring time is just around the corner, and there is a TON of work to do around my house. My landlord had a ton of felled bamboo that needed to be split and trimmed, as well as a couple of tree limbs that had fallen from the last storm. I couldn't have asked for better weather today (Sunday the 7th), so I got right to work.
The Ratweiler's ergonomics made splitting and trimming the bamboo a breeze. The trigger looking finger choil & handle made for very comfortable "choking up" on the blade in order to trim, and yet the swell at the end of handle made for increased leverage when chopping. SR-101 is notorious for staying sharp and although I used the Ratweiler with the stock edge, it held up very well through the continuous slicing & chopping. I could even chop through a 1'' thick piece of bamboo with one swipe. I imagine with a freshly convexed edge, it could easily chop through two 1'' thick bamboo stalks.
I next wanted to try the Ratweiler as a straight chopper. I found a 4'' or 5'' thick limb that needed to be split and moved from the yard. She made quick work of the limb, taking 1 or 2 minutes to get through. Once again, with a freshly convexed edge I would imagine it would chop even quicker. I have to say however that for extensive chopping, the Chopweilers handle is more comfortable IMO. The removal of the smaller finger choil from the handle allows for full utilization of the handle swell. That being said, the smaller choil DOES allow for more versatility.
I even took the time to baton through a few firewood logs. As one would expect, batoning posed no problems for the Ratweiler. The SR-101 heat treat is second to none. I find batoning with any kind of micarta/g-10 grip to be very hard on the hands & wrist, and the Ratweiler was no exception. For batoning or long chopping sessions, the Resiprene-C handles are superior. Res-C DEFINITELY dampens a hell of a lot of impact vibration transferred through a blade. Regardless, the Ratweiler excelled above & beyond expectations and proved itself by working its way though numerous knots with no edge damage.
All in all, I am extremely happy with my Ratweiler. Survival type bowie knives initially attracted me to this forum in the first place. For me, this knife is the ultimate survival knife; a true jack of all trades. The only improvement I could think of would be to make a Ratweiler out of a more corrosion resistant steel. SR-101 is an incredible performer, but it does rust easily as most of us know. An INFI or 440C Ratweiler would be the ultimate grail knife in my mind, as it combines the versatility of the Ratweiler with the superiority of top shelf steel. I hope my review has been of some interest, and I will try to follow up with a Battle Rat review shortly! Take care and thanks for taking the time to read.
Spring time is just around the corner, and there is a TON of work to do around my house. My landlord had a ton of felled bamboo that needed to be split and trimmed, as well as a couple of tree limbs that had fallen from the last storm. I couldn't have asked for better weather today (Sunday the 7th), so I got right to work.
The Ratweiler's ergonomics made splitting and trimming the bamboo a breeze. The trigger looking finger choil & handle made for very comfortable "choking up" on the blade in order to trim, and yet the swell at the end of handle made for increased leverage when chopping. SR-101 is notorious for staying sharp and although I used the Ratweiler with the stock edge, it held up very well through the continuous slicing & chopping. I could even chop through a 1'' thick piece of bamboo with one swipe. I imagine with a freshly convexed edge, it could easily chop through two 1'' thick bamboo stalks.
I next wanted to try the Ratweiler as a straight chopper. I found a 4'' or 5'' thick limb that needed to be split and moved from the yard. She made quick work of the limb, taking 1 or 2 minutes to get through. Once again, with a freshly convexed edge I would imagine it would chop even quicker. I have to say however that for extensive chopping, the Chopweilers handle is more comfortable IMO. The removal of the smaller finger choil from the handle allows for full utilization of the handle swell. That being said, the smaller choil DOES allow for more versatility.
I even took the time to baton through a few firewood logs. As one would expect, batoning posed no problems for the Ratweiler. The SR-101 heat treat is second to none. I find batoning with any kind of micarta/g-10 grip to be very hard on the hands & wrist, and the Ratweiler was no exception. For batoning or long chopping sessions, the Resiprene-C handles are superior. Res-C DEFINITELY dampens a hell of a lot of impact vibration transferred through a blade. Regardless, the Ratweiler excelled above & beyond expectations and proved itself by working its way though numerous knots with no edge damage.
All in all, I am extremely happy with my Ratweiler. Survival type bowie knives initially attracted me to this forum in the first place. For me, this knife is the ultimate survival knife; a true jack of all trades. The only improvement I could think of would be to make a Ratweiler out of a more corrosion resistant steel. SR-101 is an incredible performer, but it does rust easily as most of us know. An INFI or 440C Ratweiler would be the ultimate grail knife in my mind, as it combines the versatility of the Ratweiler with the superiority of top shelf steel. I hope my review has been of some interest, and I will try to follow up with a Battle Rat review shortly! Take care and thanks for taking the time to read.
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