Rodent 6

W

wheatstalk

Joined
May 28, 2013
Messages
8
Hey, I was thinking about picking up a Swamp Rat Rodent 6 as an up grade from my USMC Ka-Bar. I love my Ka-Bar, but I would really like to have something that is more of a "survival knife" with secondary "fighting knife" type features. Can any one give me a short review of their Rodent 6, or some constructive advice of other brands, or models to check out, other then Cold Steel, or Busse? Thanks.
 
R6 has about an inch shorter blade than Ka-Bar. It's heavier, thicker. Better steel. Full tang. Very nicely balanced and good feeling in hand.

If you want something more resembling the Ka_Bar, TOPS knives has made a their version of the USMC knife.
 
elof_alv said:
R6 has about an inch shorter blade than Ka-Bar. It's heavier, thicker. Better steel. Full tang. Very nicely balanced and good feeling in hand.

If you want something more resembling the Ka_Bar, TOPS knives has made a their version of the USMC knife.
Click to expand...

R6 is a great feeling knife and it is way more robust than a Kabar. Carried the Kabar while in the ARMY and I wish SWAMP RAT KW had been around back then.
 
Thank you both for your input. I have had a hard time finding anything other then a table top review for the rodent 6 on youtube, which is disappointing because I really like to see a knife in action. I have a few more questions for you two if you don't mind. Is there anything you would change about your rodent? Have you tried batoning wood, or skinning with it? How well does it hold an edge? How easy or difficult is it to sharpen? If it was some how lost, would you buy another?
 
I had a stock R6 and I passed it on. I'm not in need of a combat knife. But having utility in mind and liking the ergos of the knife I contacted the Custom Shop and got this (with RMD for size comparison):

Would I get another if I lost it? Yes.
I didn't have a chance to use it yet, but it feels great in hand and I really like how SR-101 performs.
 
I just looked at the specs and watched a few videos for the Tops US Combat Knife. Wow! Thank you for the recommendation elof_alv. I'm still leaning toward the Rodent 6 as my Ka-Bar replacement because I think it leans more toward the utility side then the Tops. But after watching some chopping and batoning video reviews on the Tops, I am definitely interested.
 
elof_alv said:
I had a stock R6 and I passed it on. I'm not in need of a combat knife. But having utility in mind and liking the ergos of the knife I contacted the Custom Shop and got this (with RMD for size comparison):

Would I get another if I lost it? Yes.
I didn't have a chance to use it yet, but it feels great in hand and I really like how SR-101 performs.
Click to expand...

Your custom knife looks like R6 with out the finger guards.
 
I'm not familiar with the terms drop point and clip point. What made you want a drop point rather then a clip point?
 
wheatstalk said:
I'm not familiar with the terms drop point and clip point. What made you want a drop point rather then a clip point?
Click to expand...

Personal preference.
On the pic I posted you can see clip point on RMD and drop point on R6
 
Get it and be happy. When I got my Rodent 6, I took it to my backyard and just went to town on it. I chopped down various small to medium sized logs laying in my backyard. It's a nice chopper because of the weight, and it batons like a champ. Then for kicks, I took a mallet and nailed it to a stump. I tried to bend/break it horizontally, but it just didn't budge. Then I had to hammer it against the handle to free the blade from the stump. It just took punishment for breakfast. Aside from some minor scrapes and scratches on the coating, the knife itself was in the same shape as I had received the day before. The best part was that the knife was still sharp. With that knife, I was sold on Busse.
 
I would recommend the soon to be released Taliwhacker CG from Swamp Rat before I'd recommend the Rodent 6 for this application.

It will feature .187" thickness vs .265" thickness of the R6. I believe that 3/16" is a better compromise between strength/cutting abilities while being much faster in the hand than something which is .265" thick.

The Taliwhacker would make a much better fighting knife while still being a great utility knife IMO. The extra inch of blade length would give deeper penetration, especially when combined with the tanto tip. Coupled with the faster handling characteristics, highly slip resistant Resiprene-C handle and lighter overall weight the Taliwhacker would be my choice. My only dislike is the choil, but that is another matter....;)
 
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