Swamp Rat Ratmandu ongoing review.

[DeadboxHero]

Nice bro. Hope you snag a buck.
Cool pics.

 

[cut it out]

Thanks. I really enjoyed your A1 review. Nice job

 

[bdmicarta]

4 monthes have past and I've finally received my Ratmandu

I wanted one of these but they are a little hard to get. In the process I was reading what I could find and it seems that the grind is pretty thick behind the edge. So my question is this-
If I understood, you mention reprofiling to 50 degrees inclusive and you imply that it cuts much better. If you reprofiled to 40 degrees inclusive, or put a full convex edge on it, would it slice as well as more common knives? Would this have a significantly detrimental affect on the toughness of the edge?

 

[chiral.grolim]

Yes, it cuts very well when brought to a more common geometry, indeed the same as knives with the same geometry The coating can cause drag, stripped models (which do exist) are much better slicers. Here's a post from a review I did comparing my RMD to some other knives:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...anDu-Cattaraugus-225Q?p=12575557#post12575557

And here is a video from nuts4knives who has also made (ground) his own designs - he thinned out the primary on the RMD and demonstrates its maintained strength:

[video=youtube;pH2xKkAMi6w]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH2xKkAMi6w[/video]

 

[Boggs]

Another good review and explains why this is one of the most popular knives from the Busse Family

 

[jonnyt16]

Yep more good stuff from DeadboxHero. I'm also an owner of both a Fallkniven A1 and an RMD. I am going to be honest though and say that the RMD will never replace the Fallkniven A1 as my number one camp/survival knife. My Ratmandu is actually the Prototype version because I wanted the full flat grind and the slightly longer blade. However, I have a few problems with the RMD and I'll explain:

- If you notice in the second photo, the RMD is actually longer than the A1 but yet has less cutting edge! This is of course due to the choil (which I don't mind) but, its still a win for the Fallkniven.

- Handle. There are few handles that inspire more confidence than the Fallkniven's in my experience. Unfortunately, the prototype version of the Ratmandu only came in the black paper scales. While very aesthetically pleasing, they offered very poor grip in terms of traction. In fact, they felt so slick I ended up wrapping them in camo tape. It was a quick and easy fix and to be honest I kinda like how it looks. The actual ergonomics of the RMD though is phenomenal I agree.

-I don't know why Busse and other manufacturers do this, but they will round off the spine of the blade making it completely useless to use with a firesteel. Contrast this to the A1 and its 90 degree spine which produces sparks like its the Fourth of July. The spine of the RMD is rounded (or "melted" as they like to call it) but in the pouch of the Spec-Ops sheath that it resides in I keep a striker with the firesteel so its not a huge deal.

Don't get me wrong, the Ratmandu is an awesome knife and its been riding on my hip for the last 3 or 4 deer seasons. I like the ergonomics and yes SR-101 steel is very impressive. I just think the Fallkniven A1 is a better thought-out design overall and thus it sees a lot more use by me. I have a feeling though once I get my Gunner 12 from Blackheart Knives it will replace both of these. Stay tuned for that review in about 6-8 weeks when I receive it.

 

[DeadboxHero]

Great stuff guys. The more the merrier.
Love it.

 

[Tim the Wizard]

Thank you for the review. 25 dps is still pretty thick. When I have the heart to grind on INFI. again I will try to knock the RMD down to 20 or so per side. Anyone using INFI or SR at or below 40 degrees inclusive?

 

[chiral.grolim]

Thank you for the review. 25 dps is still pretty thick. When I have the heart to grind on INFI. again I will try to knock the RMD down to 20 or so per side. Anyone using INFI or SR at or below 40 degrees inclusive?

I don't go thicker than 40-inclusive on any cutting implement, my axes included. Here's a modified RMD with the final bevel ~30 inclusive:

It planes seasoned oak just fine, no problems.

My Rodent 9 is also 30-40 inclusive at the edge:

If you're curious what it can handle:

[video=youtube;iCphmLgvaV4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCphmLgvaV4[/video]

 

[DeadboxHero]

Made a quick trip to a park in a riparian forest area. The ground was marshy and the deadwood littering the forest floor was wet to the core.


I found a standing stave of cottonwood about wrist thick. The perfect size for a 5in blade to tackle.


Getting a purchase on the back section of the knife I began to chop at the stave. The green soft wood was chipped away. I was actually quite surprised how effective this blade could chop for its size.






Cutting this small tree actually was was really quick. It took longer to take the pictures then to cut it down.




The ergonomics are great, there is a slight downward curve at the rear of the knife that helps retain the knife awhile swinging. Impact




A lanyard braid would give a nice full grip.

Personally I'm not a lanyard guy.
My grip strength is solid.
But I'm sure starvation and fatigue could change that.




"Bucking" or sectioning the tree. I'm amazed at the power that can be delivered by such a small knife.




Near the thinner top of the small tree.

Massive wood chips, very impressive. Tons of fun. No discomfort from handle.

Time to craft a baton and test the carving ability.




The chest lever grip feels better when choked up in the choil.
Chest lever cuts are powerful, safe, precision cuts that remove alot of material with the full power of the upper back muscles.

The closer the hand to the edge the more effective.





While more comfortable. Griping the handle for chest lever cuts is not as effective with a large finger choil creating a large gap between the edge and the hand.

Using the finger choil is solid and rather comfortable though.

I like it.


For notching, this knife performs much like other saber grinds. I'm sure a 20° per side would increase the performance and reduce the amount of force to notch though.

Baton completed

I'll post more action tonight.

Shawn

 

[SpyderPhreak]

Thank you for the review. 25 dps is still pretty thick. When I have the heart to grind on INFI. again I will try to knock the RMD down to 20 or so per side. Anyone using INFI or SR at or below 40 degrees inclusive?

Yes, on my SR RMD Bowie variant. This is just under 30 degrees inclusive. Hell of a slicer!!! Unfortunately, I did get some edge rolling at that angle when chopping cross-grain on some seasoned Red Oak. Yes, alcohol was involved...

The good news is that it was easy to fix with a smooth steel. :thumbup:

 

[SBaker34]

I was going to say, not at all hating on busse, but holding up well at 25dps is a pretty low bar.

 

[DeadboxHero]

Almost able to baton through.




Batoning to split fuel.



Green wood feathers. Good for catching bigger kindling but not good tinder. Burns hot though.




A strong grip is needed to control the angle and pressure for long curly feathers. It's easier to control the closer the hand is to the edge.


No visble damage, the coating is awesome. No wear.

Still able to shave hair but the "hair popping" sharpness is gone. ( no steel can maintain a hair popping sharpness with use)


[URL=http://s1137.photobucket.com/user/emt-shawn/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20151012_124216611_HDR.jpg.html]

A brief field test for.now. I ran out of time and had to get to work.

Busy, busy,busy

So no fire for now, but soon.

More with time. I'll share more later

 

[DeadboxHero]

Dang Chiral,

Nice reprofiling on that RMD.

It like a fallky now.

Spyder,

Love that matching sheath.
30 inclusive is wayyy sharp.

Baker,
Yeah but shape is function.
I feel most people run there survival knives at these angles.


I was hoping to do a more abuse test but its just not my style.

I think I'll change it to 20° per side in the future for max performance.

We'll see.

Thanks for reading and sharing.

 

[dingy]

really cool test , great job you have done. :thumbup:

i am looking forward to your tests

 

[inkynate]

Nice thread!

I passed on Bussekin for years based on some of same factors noted in the OP. The lack of a sheath and pretty consistent reports of obtuse, poorly sharpened edges made them sound like a poor value and kept me away despite liking many of the designs.

Well, the desire to actually see for myself kept nagging at me and my sharpening and grinding skills are good enough that I figured I could deal with reprofiling and sharpening to my taste without issue, so I finally put in an order for a RMD CG a few weeks ago.

I knew I was in for a long wait, so I figured what better to tide me over than a satin RMD LE off the exchange!

Really love the look and feel of this knife. It has some rust/spotting issues, I assume from storage, so I got it at a good price and have no qualms about making it a user. It came butter knife dull, so I reprofiled to 15dps immediately and put a decent shaving edge on it with little effort. The new bevel is still a little rough, but I will clean it up over time. From what I've seen on this and a Rodent Trail I also picked up recently, the ease of sharpening SR-101 is really impressive. Glad I took the plunge and look forward to getting to know it better.

 

[craytab]

Nice thread!

I passed on Bussekin for years based on some of same factors noted in the OP. The lack of a sheath and pretty consistent reports of obtuse, poorly sharpened edges made them sound like a poor value and kept me away despite liking many of the designs.

Well, the desire to actually see for myself kept nagging at me and my sharpening and grinding skills are good enough that I figured I could deal with reprofiling and sharpening to my taste without issue, so I finally put in an order for a RMD CG a few weeks ago.

I knew I was in for a long wait, so I figured what better to tide me over than a satin RMD LE off the exchange!

Really love the look and feel of this knife. It has some rust/spotting issues, I assume from storage, so I got it at a good price and have no qualms about making it a user. It came butter knife dull, so I reprofiled to 15dps immediately and put a decent shaving edge on it with little effort. The new bevel is still a little rough, but I will clean it up over time. From what I've seen on this and a Rodent Trail I also picked up recently, the ease of sharpening SR-101 is really impressive. Glad I took the plunge and look forward to getting to know it better.

I have the same knife (#99). I agree completely with what you have said. Mine kept getting spotting on the exposed tang of the handle so I put a Vinager patina on that part. Couldn't be happier with the knife. It has seen some hard use. The hype on the ergos of the handle was totally true for me. The thing feels so great in hand. Like you, I also put a new edge on it. It was great to sharpen and the cutting performance has just gotten better.

 

[Czechmate]

Great ongoing review DeadBoxHero!

Seeing the pics of other RMD's makes me want another...

Mine with polished primary grind (getting scratched up LOL) and convex edge:

 

[DeadboxHero]

Thanks guys.

I finally got around to pulling the edge back on my Ratmandu.

reprofiled to around 17 degrees per side



If I could only sharpen on steel for the rest of my life. It would be SR102 /52100

What a dream.



Burr removing is without effort. This steel practically sharpens itself.



Polished great off the 6k king stone.


Screaming sharp.


My kind of geometry. Better for bushcraft

But obviously with the edge this thin that means no batoning bricks or digging holes.

 

[DeadboxHero]

Mirror edge


Splits hais



Cuts unsupported Toliet paper.


But how well will she hold this performance?

We'll have to see in the field.