Swamp Rat Ratmandu use and abuse...

Did you expect the Mandu to fail?

Great knife, a jack of all trades in a good package. Flat top would even be better.
 
fastcamo said:
RMD's are nice... Good stuff... Now play In the dirt some more you have girl hands,
Click to expand...

Thanks, in the interest of science... I'll be happy to bash your hand with a baton to see if it reacts differently. :rolleyes: :)

bodhi_ said:
Did you expect the Mandu to fail?

Great knife, a jack of all trades in a good package. Flat top would even be better.
Click to expand...

No. I did not expect it to fail, but the only other Swamp Rat I've beat is the Chopweiler which is significantly thicker stock, with a longer blade. The Ratmandu is downright petite compared to the 'weiler... so, I will admit that I had my concerns beating the tip of the blade through hard, twisting and knotty mesquite. Not only did it perform that task with flying colors, but it still shaved at the end of the day. Not many knives can boast that type of performance.

It is a 'jack of all trades', just as you say. Not too small for the tough stuff, but not too big for the delicate work. Throw in some 52100 with Jerry Busse's heat treatment and you have an instant classic. :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
kdstrick said:
Thanks, in the interest of science... I'll be happy to bash your hand with a baton to see if it reacts differently. :rolleyes: :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. Now I'm cleaning up the coffee I spit up while laughing at this comment.

Seriously though, great knife you have there. If I didn't just get an RC-5 I'd be looking for one of those or a BATAC. :thumbup:
 
kd looks like you set that guy straight on the hand comment. did your ferhmans come in?i rebeveled the sog to acute but have nothing to cut to test the duratech 20v. i believe it will beat zdp.
 
That looks like a blood blister.

Cool pics!

Thanks for the review. I've been doing some research on this knife. This info helps.
 
I just received mine today! Looks like a great user knife. Edge is not very sharp out of the box but that can be fixed with my edge-pro and a reprofile down to something more usable.
 
Hi Guy's,
With everything I read about the Swamp Rat Knives, I now have a new combo. I have the Ratmandu and the Rodent 9, Thank You for the great post's. It made it easier for me to get this combo, and no regret's.
Paul'ie
 
I just got my RMD CG; it came in yesterday and I already chopped some 2x4 with it... chops pretty good for a small and super light knife. It only feels like its almost ceramic in a way you know what I mean? Maybe it is because it is so light that it feels almost empty inside the steel. Am I crazy or how does it feel for you? I already chipped it as well, I have a nasty habit in hitting knife on knife to see which one is tougher. Well Ka-Bar and RMD both got chipped. I fixed it but, still. The feel is just weird. All in all it chops good, looks good, and feels in hand perfectly... thoughts?
 
Keero said:
I already chipped it as well, I have a nasty habit in hitting knife on knife to see which one is tougher. Well Ka-Bar and RMD both got chipped. I fixed it but, still.
Click to expand...
Looks like you have a promising future as a youtube reviewer. :rolleyes:
 
Keero said:
I just got my RMD CG; it came in yesterday and I already chopped some 2x4 with it... chops pretty good for a small and super light knife. It only feels like its almost ceramic in a way you know what I mean? Maybe it is because it is so light that it feels almost empty inside the steel. Am I crazy or how does it feel for you? ...The feel is just weird. All in all it chops good, looks good, and feels in hand perfectly... thoughts?
Click to expand...

Well, at ~10 oz, the RMD isn't really all that light, and a full-size USMC Kabar is ~11 oz... But that 10 oz is nicely balanced and if you are used to heavier or blade-heavy knives, I can understand how the RMD feels much lighter. A BK2 weighs quite a bit more, a SYKCO 511 weighs quite a bit less... But, yeah, it fits the hand extremely well thanks to the contours along spine & belly :thumbup:

As to your 'knife vs knife' habit, just know that geometry (specifically thickness of the supporting material behind the point of impact) has a rather large influence on the outcome when the materials being compared are so similar. There is a long video somewhere comparing the ESEE-5 and BK2 edge-to-edge, with damage equilibrating to material thickness.

Or were you just checking to see if either knife would fail catastrophically on impact? It sounds like both survived :thumbup:
 
ZOMBIE THREAD!!! BACK FROM THE DEAD>>>>>> :eek:

But 1st and formost, welcome to bladeforums Keero! It is a great place for knife nuts to discuss these matters.


But, no steel is invincible. 52100 is a great compromise steel between edge holding and toughness. I must ask what you did to chip the steel? I've beaten the hell out of mine with no adverse results. What were you chopping on?

When you get a chance I think pictures would be very helpful in isolating the failure of the steel.


Without pictures and more information your post doesn't carry much weight. Especially given your post count of 3 at the time of this posting. In order to gain credibility, please follow the proper decorum as I've suggested.

Thanks again for your participation... :thumbup:

.
 
I know this is an old post but I was just doing a bunch of cutting and batoning this week with a bunch of knives and I'd thought I'd add my $0.02 on the Ratmandus that I was working with. I own 3 RTMDs, 2 in INFI and one in SR-101. The INFIs have a a zero edge, maybe it's a 0 degree convex, verses a saber grind on the SR101 RTMD. For me the INFI edge cuts better (or is just easier to cut with) than the saber grind on the SR101. I also like the G10 scales on the INFI RTMD better than the micarta scales on the standard RTMD. Not only do the G10s look better but they have a better grip than the micarta scales. Regardless of the differences both knives are excellent cutters and work very well batoning small to med pieces of wood. They also fit my hand very well and I absolutely love the choil. The thing that really surprises me is how well the SR-101 holds up, that is keeping it's edge and sharpness. There were no folds after a lot of work on seasoned oak making notches, shavings and batoning. It's also pretty easy to strop/resharpen. If Jerry and crew would make a zero edge Ratmandu I think they would have the ultimate med length, sub $200 knife. I'd also love to see them make the RTMD in INFI as part of their regular production runs.
 
OBX351 said:
I know this is an old post but I was just doing a bunch of cutting and batoning this week with a bunch of knives and I'd thought I'd add my $0.02 on the Ratmandus that I was working with. I own 3 RTMDs, 2 in INFI and one in SR-101. The INFIs have a a zero edge, maybe it's a 0 degree convex, verses a saber grind on the SR101 RTMD. For me the INFI edge cuts better (or is just easier to cut with) than the saber grind on the SR101. I also like the G10 scales on the INFI RTMD better than the micarta scales on the standard RTMD. Not only do the G10s look better but they have a better grip than the micarta scales. Regardless of the differences both knives are excellent cutters and work very well batoning small to med pieces of wood. They also fit my hand very well and I absolutely love the choil. The thing that really surprises me is how well the SR-101 holds up, that is keeping it's edge and sharpness. There were no folds after a lot of work on seasoned oak making notches, shavings and batoning. It's also pretty easy to strop/resharpen. If Jerry and crew would make a zero edge Ratmandu I think they would have the ultimate med length, sub $200 knife. I'd also love to see them make the RTMD in INFI as part of their regular production runs.
Click to expand...


Geometry cuts. Reprofile your RMD and it will cut as well as the INFIdu.
 
I'm actully ashamed to say this is the one swamp rat I should own but don't! I need to fix this one day.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top