Small Swamprat

M

mobenzowner

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Oct 17, 2010
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Going to be looking for a small Swamp Rat edc type knife. Main uses will not be heavily abusive, no intend on batoning etc. With that said it could very well see use as a hunting/skinning knife. Therefore slicing ability will take a bit of a priority over toughness. I am looking at the Rodent 3, Rodent Solution, or any other 3" to 3.5" blade length SR that would offer up good capabilities in this area.

I have read the rodent solution is a bit on the chunky side, but the blade length and ergos appear to be exactly what I am looking for.

Is the rodent 3 a slimmer profile and a better slicer than the rs?

Thanks for all the help in advance.
 
I picked up a rodent 3 off the bay for a good price a while back. its a little tank for sure but its not a very thin blade stock.. I dont know what the official spec is but I had to do some major reprofiling on it to make it a better slicer. I love the knife now and carry it frequently in the woods but for me, it wouldnt be the best edc for my uses at least.
 
You can order RS as a hollow grind, it improves slicing ability a lot and makes it lighter than stock model.

R3 can be ordered, or even found on secondary market, as full flat grind which also makes it a better slicer than stock model.
 
Knifehunter has SYKCO 340/375 in elmax which is stainless. I have also heard that the Busse family heat treat on Elmax makes it significantly better than Elmax on most production knives.
 
mobenzowner said:
Going to be looking for a small Swamp Rat edc type knife. Main uses will not be heavily abusive, no intend on batoning etc. With that said it could very well see use as a hunting/skinning knife. Therefore slicing ability will take a bit of a priority over toughness. I am looking at the Rodent 3, Rodent Solution, or any other 3" to 3.5" blade length SR that would offer up good capabilities in this area.

I have read the rodent solution is a bit on the chunky side, but the blade length and ergos appear to be exactly what I am looking for.

Is the rodent 3 a slimmer profile and a better slicer than the rs?

Thanks for all the help in advance.
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farokhsidhwa said:
Knifehunter has SYKCO 340/375 in elmax which is stainless. I have also heard that the Busse family heat treat on Elmax makes it significantly better than Elmax on most production knives.
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I have a Scrapmax 460, big brother to the 340 & 375, and that is the knife to get if looking for a light weight blade built for slicing - nice thin geometry that neither the R3 or RS can compete with. You might want to carve the handle for a more comfortable grip. Otherwise a hollow-grind RS from the custom-shop would be a good option, but the balance will be strange with the heavy handle. The RS is built for heavy use but also works great for hunting/skinning if given an appropriate edge-angle.
 
This Custom Shop RS with added choil and full height flat grind, would make a good skinning knife:

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I have been using the R3 in the kitchen for almost 2 years. It's my second favorite knife. Slices & dices like a charm, despite its blade thickness. Tough as heck. Short handle makes it a VERY comfy EDC (inside the waist band even). Fits my hand (medium to small) perfectly. Love the blade size, great belly on it.

A true winner:thumbup: ..... I've got blue G10 scales ..... Real purdy knife!!!!!

This is a picture when it was almost new...it wears a patina now... Remember, those are not stainless steel knives.

Fuzzy pic. Sorry.
 
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Another option would be Swamp Warden. Small skeletonized, same size edge as R3, but thinner stock and full flat grind. If you'd manage to get the handles for SW it'd make a perfect EDC knife!



Rodent 4 would also make EDC-able knife and not that much bigger than RS.

But if you wanted a slightly bigger knife, and a wicked slicer/skinner from the Swamp... Dog Skinner or Bog Dog, both FFG, D2 steel... just kinda hard to get hold of...
 
I really appreciate all the nice options you all have thrown out here for me. I am very familiar with knives in general, but received my first swamprat yesterday. It is a ratmandu acquired here from the forum. It seems as though many folks here view the ratmandu as the gateway to swamprat, busse, and scrapyard. I definitely like what I see in the rmd and will certainly end up with at least 2 other busse kin's.
 
mobenzowner said:
I really appreciate all the nice options you all have thrown out here for me. I am very familiar with knives in general, but received my first swamprat yesterday. It is a ratmandu acquired here from the forum. It seems as though many folks here view the ratmandu as the gateway to swamprat, busse, and scrapyard. I definitely like what I see in the rmd and will certainly end up with at least 2 other busse kin's.
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You made a great choice. Now order a FFG satin version RMD. Man, they're sweet. I snagged one (satin, blue/black G10) of the exchange because the owner "accidently" put a patina on it with CLP. I carry those around the yard and woods. The R3 (satin/red/black G10) goes about everywhere. I have to say, I've used it to open a crowd of bottled craft beers!
 
So... Anyone open beer caps with their knife? Haven't tried the rounded spine of the RS. But the R3 is my bottle opener. Cuts good too, but never cut me opening a good bottle of beer. I cut the crap out my thumb just unsheathing my Gamza Infidu. Go figure... Excitement of unsheathing (from the paper/net -no less) the blade for a quick look.
 
The back of the spine Brother. Edge of the blade is away. can't hardly cut yourself in a drunken state if you're pushing the cutting edge away.
 
kenash said:
The back of the spine Brother. Edge of the blade is away. can't hardly cut yourself in a drunken state if you're pushing the cutting edge away.
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That's the way I do it too... And most of my users have had the honor.
 
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