Swamp Rat Ratmandu vs Becker Short Trailing Point BK15 - & photo request

worldwood said:
The RMD is NOT overpriced. Go to the custom market, or go look anywhere you want for a similar sized blade made of 52100 with a solid HT and g10 or micarta handle material and find it priced under the RMD.... You will be surprised at how competitively the RMD is actually priced.
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I heartily agree, I would just not personally pay 3 times the cost of the Becker, for what, to me is mostly ....cool factor.
 
It's crazy I have both of these knives and never really put them in the same category. The 15 can take some pretty heavy abuse. If you search I did a post where I opened cans with it, batoned really hard wood (enough to bend it while going through), and other misc. stuff. The rmd is also a great knife. The FFG version being I guess the closest to the 15. The 15 wasn't really meant to do that stuff though so you can't really compare it to the rmd in that way.
They are both great knives but if one of the criteria is batoning then the rmd wins hands down.
They are both priced pretty well for what you get but the 15 wins for just being an awesome value for what you pay.
I still don't think I could put these knives in the same category unless you're talking about general size.
Congrats on the thread necromancy as well.
 
Tankerwolf said:
It's crazy I have both of these knives and never really put them in the same category. The 15 can take some pretty heavy abuse. If you search I did a post where I opened cans with it, batoned really hard wood (enough to bend it while going through), and other misc. stuff. The rmd is also a great knife. The FFG version being I guess the closest to the 15. The 15 wasn't really meant to do that stuff though so you can't really compare it to the rmd in that way.
They are both great knives but if one of the criteria is batoning then the rmd wins hands down.
They are both priced pretty well for what you get but the 15 wins for just being an awesome value for what you pay.
I still don't think I could put these knives in the same category unless you're talking about general size.
Congrats on the thread necromancy as well.
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It's crazy I have both of these knives and never really put them in the same category.

Neither would I, I was just going with the premise

The 15 can take some pretty heavy abuse. If you search I did a post where I opened cans with it, batoned really hard wood (enough to bend it while going through), and other misc. stuff. The rmd is also a great knife. The FFG version being I guess the closest to the 15. The 15 wasn't really meant to do that stuff though so you can't really compare it to the rmd in that way.
They are both great knives but if one of the criteria is batoning then the rmd wins hands down.
They are both priced pretty well for what you get but the 15 wins for just being an awesome value for what you pay.

Yes, it can take heavy abuse...been shown many times over. Yes awesome value.. You're right, but I don't baton....I have a hatchet.


I still don't think I could put these knives in the same category unless you're talking about general size.
Congrats on the thread necromancy as well.

You're welcome, clearly the thread maintained some interest for at least a few of us. ;')
 
Hard Knocks said:
Almost made me break my self-imposed rule of no sarcastic posts!! :D SR101 is awesome, no hype required. If it were stainless......well then it'd be dang near perfect.
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I see you drank the kool aid. Whatever, you may be right....prove it. ;')
 
ichor said:
I see you drank the kool aid. Whatever, you may be right....prove it. ;')
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SR101 = 52100.

There are plenty of excellent, credible, knife makers and users here on this forum and all over the country who have already proven 52100 is an excellent steel.

Simply type 52100 VS 1095, O1, 5160, ETC. into your browser and do some reading. For the price of the steel its hard to beat.
 
ichor said:
I see you drank the kool aid. Whatever, you may be right....prove it. ;')
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Based on your responses --- I take it that you're in the camp of individuals who believe fans/proponents of Busse and BusseKin knives are 'fanboys' and that there's nothing particularly special about INFI and SR-101. If you don't think that -- then please disregard this comment. What's interesting to me is that you reference your needs and knife uses --- you reference these to suggest that the RMD is not a superior knife. Just because someone doesn't fully utilize a tool doesn't mean that the tool in question is not superior. Designs and ergos can often be dismissed as subjective preference. Edge retention, RC Hardness, heat treatment that allows the blade to take massive abuse, performance to weight ratio, and steel composition are categories that are/should be objective evidence for/against a knife. I think if you do 15 min of research -- you'll arrive at the same objective conclusion that the RMD is a superior knife. Your argument is akin to saying that if you had a Ferrari and a Corvette in a head to head comparison/evaluation -- that you wouldn't find the Ferrari to be a superior automobile because you never go past 45 mph. You can easily say that you prefer one knife over the other. However, objectively speaking the RMD trolls the 15. Just my 2 cents.
 
worldwood said:
SR101 = 52100.

There are plenty of excellent, credible, knife makers and users here on this forum and all over the country who have already proven 52100 is an excellent steel.

Simply type 52100 VS 1095, O1, 5160, ETC. into your browser and do some reading. For the price of the steel its hard to beat.
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I've read this stuff about steel until I'm blue in the face. OF COURSE 52100 is a fabulous steel. And of course the RMD is the better knife. I'm not quite as stupid/ignorant as you guys suggest. The problem here is not my ignorance, its that All you guys missed my point entirely. Which is....The RMD is not worth three times the price, nor perform three times better. As for this: "I take it that you're in the camp of individuals who believe fans/proponents of Busse and BusseKin knives are 'fanboys' " It's hard to deny that this is at least part of the equation. (I've owned both Ferraris and Corvettes and I much prefer the Italian stallion....until it comes time to pay for a part or a tune-up. LOL)
 
Thought you guys might like to know the postman, about 1/2 hour ago, dropped off my brand new Scrapyard SR101 Parkerized Regulator. Jesus, what a beast. I could hack up a school bus with this. Not sure if I could with a BK15. Will one of you send me some Kool-Aid? LOL
 
ichor said:
Thought you guys might like to know the postman, about 1/2 hour ago, dropped off my brand new Scrapyard SR101 Parkerized Regulator. Jesus, what a beast. I could hack up a school bus with this. Not sure if I could with a BK15. Will one of you send me some Kool-Aid? LOL
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You're welcome to stop by the Busse forums any time! We have Kool-aid and treats (Gaanzaa sales events from time to time)! ;)
Now that you have your new SYKCO Regulator, you may want to stop by the Scrapyard website and join the forum there too. Some interesting things a brewing in the junkyard! :thumbup:
 
Muaahahahahahaha welcome.

16097380031_94cdc4c31b_h.jpg
 
ichor said:
Thought you guys might like to know the postman, about 1/2 hour ago, dropped off my brand new Scrapyard SR101 Parkerized Regulator. Jesus, what a beast. I could hack up a school bus with this. Not sure if I could with a BK15. Will one of you send me some Kool-Aid? LOL
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What I like about SR101 isn't so much that the steel is stronger, it's that the edge is so much nicer. Once you put a razor edge on the scrapyard(they don't usually come sharp enough IMO) you'll realize how nice the steel is. Never heard of that model before though. Got pics? :D
 
evltcat said:
You're welcome to stop by the Busse forums any time! We have Kool-aid and treats (Gaanzaa sales events from time to time)! ;)
Now that you have your new SYKCO Regulator, you may want to stop by the Scrapyard website and join the forum there too. Some interesting things a brewing in the junkyard! :thumbup:
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Thx...I intended to do just that.
 
Shotgun said:
What I like about SR101 isn't so much that the steel is stronger, it's that the edge is so much nicer. Once you put a razor edge on the scrapyard(they don't usually come sharp enough IMO) you'll realize how nice the steel is. Never heard of that model before though. Got pics? :D
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Not sure they are still making it but they can be found. Not fancy...down and dirty. Gotta get a practical sheath. The first one on the top.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...zaaaa-2014-Pics-Specs-and-Pricing!!!!-(Page-2
 
Quiet said:
Muaahahahahahaha welcome.

16097380031_94cdc4c31b_h.jpg
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Thanks a bunch. My poor, lowly Regulator can't compete with your beauties, but it goes well with my shitkicker personality. Maybe one day I can afford one of these hotshit Busse Kins. LOL ;')
 
ichor said:
Micarta is much nicer, and prettier, but Ergos of Becker handles is well regarded by 1000's of Becker owners, FWIW. I'm not certain why the blade shape of the RMD is much better than the Becker, seems like personal preference, and the slightly upswept, rather than drop point, is my own preference. The 1095 Cro-Van that Becker uses is highly regarded in the industry and IMHO the SR101 is mostly hype, tho' I will admit my fondness for the greater HRC of the RMD, the practical advantage, to me, is questionable. But, we can certainly agree to disagree. ;')
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If you think Sr101 is hype you should try it yourself. That you say that means you have no experience with it. To think that 1095 with any heat treat could stand up to 52100 modified with a Busse legendary heat treat is absurd.
How about the fact that the one knife Busse was going to make out of 1095 (the trash1), was made in Sr101 instead because no matter how much money it saved it was not able to hold a candle to the performance and capabilities of Sr101.... thus the super cheap trash1 price was honored and it was made out of Sr101.
You can't talk handle comfort with out giving a nod to the res-c handles Busse produces, much more comfy that Becker, kabar, or micarta
 
Even though the original post was awhile ago, I still found it interesting to compare these two knives. I don't really consider them that similar except in blade length.
 
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