Swamp Rat knives?

Sgt. Art

Sgt. Art

Joined
May 21, 2005
Messages
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Any opinions or input about Swamp Rat knives would be appreciated. I'm thinking of buying one but have seen or handled one. How do they compair to other blades like the Ranger knives and Beckers? It would be for all around outdoor use, probably in a 4 -7" form. Do they make any folders? Thanks.
 
They are awesome. great value for the money with an unbeatable unlimited warranty. They do make a folder- the Rat Trap. I dont have one, but many have said it is the best folder they have ever owned. I have it on my list. You cannot go wrong with any swamprat knife. I dont own any Beckers or ranger knives, so I cant compare them. Ranger and Swamprat are both superior to beckers in many respects, and Swamprat has the best steel of the three.
:cool:
 
I don't own one yet, but I'd like to get a 'hands on' first. From posts and reviews I've seen online, they are sturdy knives with a great guarantee as stated on their website(http://www.swamprat.com/): "LIFETIME WARRANTY... NO QUESTIONS ASKED!" They set out to make a better knife than the 'basics' and have it be affordable to the average military, law enforcement, and search and rescue personnel. I've only been able to afford Becker and CS, which have been excellent knives for me with no problems, so if Swamp Rats are even better, then you can't go wrong. If you order one, their delivery time is estimated at 8-12 weeks. They sell from their website, no dealers. Though you may find someone selling or trading one. If you can afford a Busse, go for it, since their the parent company of Swamp Rat and just another step up, in overall quality?. Ranger's are said to be great as well. Of course if you search around you'll see every make and model has a fan base of support with the occasional fella that must have gotten a lemon :mad: which leads to interesting reading. And there's the other group, that trash a brand which they admit to never having owned or even handled, they just jump on the bandwagon of 'hang 'em high', which also makes for good reading ;)
 
The reason my Rangers don’t get more work is because of my Swamp Rats. The reason my Swamp Rats don’t get more work is because of my Busses.

Swamp Rat make an excellent knife at a very reasonable price. IMO, the fit, finish, and performance is superior to Ranger Knives.

I’m yet to here of anyone who didn’t like their Howling Rat or Camp Tramp.

The Res C handles are very comfortable and absorb a lot of shock.

The blade coatings are durable, and I haven’t had any problem with corrosion.

My Rats hold an edge better than anything other than INFI (Busses proprietary steel).
 
It should be noted that the "8-12 weeks" mentioned above for SwampRat isnt necessarily typical, quite the opposite from my experience. It all depends on where they are in the production cycle- if you order a knife just as they are starting a run, you will have to wait a while- maybe until they finish a run of something else, too. There is also the Swamp Rat company store: http://ratknives.com/
from here they sell limited runs and special stuff. Anything sold at the company store is shipped immediately. I bought a Rat Daddy from the store, and it took only a few days to get here.
I have ordered twice from the regular site, and in both cases, I waited less than two weeks before they arrived. -The disclaimer about 8-12 weeks is a worst case scenario kind of thing. You can post on the swamprat forums here or at their site- I am sure they can answer questions about availabliity.

Also, the Rat Trap is available for purchase at Shomer-Tec-
Shomer Tec
Sorry for the lengthy post.
 
i own the howling rat and the desert jack.

for camping or survival situations, they are the ones i trust most in my "collection". a desert jack or howling rat with a multitool (swisstool spirit) along with a canteen compass and flashlight is all i really need----(then why do i have so many other knives??? :D )

dont know anything about their folder except that its a liner lock. all my folders are lock backs except for my Cuda Maxx. but thats just my preference. YMMV.
 
I own a Desert Tan Camp Tramp, Ranger RD7, and Becker BK7. The Ranger has the thickest edge of them all and the Becker the thinnest. The Becker is also thinner stock then both the Ranger and Tramp which are the same as far as I can tell.

Justin (Ranger Knives) leaves his standard RD series with thick edges to keep them extra tough for abuse. They can be sent back to him to have the edge thinned out or custom ordered with a thin edge and/or flat ground the way you want. This knife feels bomb proof and I've leaned into it while it was wedged into a log to pry it free and I never doubted it. Justin is a great guy to deal with and will make things right for you.

Swamp Rat makes a great knife. My Camp Tramp Res-C handle absorbs most of the shock you would feel with a handle like micarta and makes it more comfortable with impacts. The handle also seems smaller in hand compared to both the Beckers and my Ranger. The edge on this is a little thicker and more robust then the Becker. I have no doubts about the edge with impacts or other things. Not the thinnest edge for slicing, but it still does a great job.

The Becker is a great slicer, but lacks the forward weight of the other 2 for chopping. It has a great neutral balance to it. The handles feel a little bulky, but fill the handle well. If wet, I wouldn't doubt them being slick at all. The sheath I recieved with this knife feels flimsy and is the worst of all the sheaths of the 3. The stock thickness on this knife is ~the same as my Buck Strider large folder. At times when it's been wedged into a log/wood and had weight applied to it I didn't trust it was much as either the Ranger or Swamp Rat and I backed off a little bit, but it has never been damaged at all.

I hope this has been clear, it's been a long night :eek: ;) (damn rum)
If you need any clarifications, just let me know :)
 
If you don't mind becoming addicted to brand of knife and having to buy every model that you can get your hands on from that company then by all means, buy a Busse or Swamprat. You think I'm joking.
 
I owned an INFIcoot (limited INFI version of the Bandicoot) for a short time and it had an extremely comfortable handle. I was very impressed by the simplicity of the knife and the way the handle felt in my hand.
 
Silas said:
If you don't mind becoming addicted to brand of knife and having to buy every model that you can get your hands on from that company then by all means, buy a Busse or Swamprat. You think I'm joking.
Click to expand...
He isn't... I'm already planning my next order.
 
I am not addicted.

After two months of searching I now have five. :rolleyes:

Unfortunately, I highly recommend getting another.....er.....I mean you get your first. :D
 
Terry Newton said:
I am not addicted.

After two months of searching I now have five. :rolleyes:

Unfortunately, I highly recommend getting another.....er.....I mean you get your first. :D
Click to expand...

Denial isnt just a river in Egypt. :D
 
Sgt.,

They also have the Howling Fat which is a 1/4" version of the Howling Rat which may be released soon thru the company store. Just a little heads up :)

Check out the forum over at swamprat.com for other info and good luck with your first. Take some pics and have fun ;)
 
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