Swamp Rats Vs. Becker Knives, what do you prefere and why?

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fausto nasafiaschi

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Aug 6, 2000
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While browsing around I was asking myself which knife would be better value for the money between the smaller Swamp Rats and the Becker Campanion. I like a lot this kind no-nonsense utility knives.
I've never handled a Swamp Rat or a Becker, mine it's just curiosity generated by the fact that these knives are kind of within the same price bracket.
Anybody that knows both products?

Fausto
 
I have never owned a Becker, but I do have a Rat, and for the kind of knife it is, it would be hard to improve on. I like the handles on the Rats better, and I think the steel is probably a little better.

Both are great knives at reasonable prices, but I give the nod to Swamp Rat.
 
I own both a Becker and a swamp rat. However, the two I have are both the larger models than what you are talking about. I will say that I much prefer the handle of the rats to those of the Beckers, and after experience, I feel that both the steal and the coating of the rats are superior to the Beckers (I believe that these qualities transcend the length of the knives). I will say that the campanion is quite a bit thicker than the swamp rat and (I have been told) will not perform as well as a slicer, but may do a better job as a pryer (I read a post here about an EMT (maybe he was highway patrol officer) who’s jaws of life broke and he used his campanion and a hammer to pry the top off of a ford mustang!) Check out the swamp rats, and since you are interested in the no-nonsense idea, pay close attention to their warranty, I think you will be impressed!
 
I bought a Swamp Rat Camp Tramp and I'm VERY happy with it. I'd highly recommend it.

Take it easy,
Bob Scott
 
Both of these knives have blades that are thicker than optimum for cutting purposes. The best justification for buying either is that you want a blade that you can be sure will not break. The Beckers are a little bit harder than I would want for a high toughness blade. The Swamp Rat blades are differentially hardened and have a softer core and spine than the Beckers. I would expect the Swamp Rats to be tougher.

For most purposes I would sacrifice some toughness for better cutting geometry. I would get something like the Camilus Crewman which is thinner than either of these. I would also look at the Cold Steel Master Hunter with Carbon-V blade.
 
I have a couple Beckers and no rats. Ethan hisself has said the Crewman is the better all around knife when compared to the Campanion. I think the Crewman is about $40 while the comparable rat is $90?
 
Jeff Clark :

Both of these knives have blades that are thicker than optimum for cutting purposes.
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For their size, both groups have geometries far more acute than average (the Becker CU/9 and Combat Bowie not the Brute and company), edge angles of ~15 degrees per side with fairly thin edges, 0.035" on the Becker Combat Bowie for example. You can't really go significantly thinner than that without risk of rippling especially on a production knife. The Swamp Rats have similar edge angles but slightly thicker edges.

You can notice the effect of the stock thickness while cutting some materials, but it has to be very deep cuts (the width of the knife at least) on rigid material. Take Howling Rat and Deerhunter and cut a turnip for example and you get a much different performance ratio than if you were cutting some rope or whittling wood in which case the Howling Rat will be very close to the Deerhunter.

What you might want to look at (the original poster) is a very light and high performance cutting knife like the Mora 2000 and supplement it with a heavier knife which gets any prying chores and cutting of very hard objects or anything else where the edge or whole blade gets stressed readily.

I would expect the Swamp Rats to be tougher.
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Yes, while the edge behavior is similar for both in regards to chipping, for bending and heavy impacts on the spine the Swamp Rats are far superior.

-Cliff
 
Fausto,

I have both a Swamp Rat Howling Rat and a BK&T Campanion. They are both very tough knives. Here's my opinion on each.

Howling Rat : Respirene C handles are smaller, and softer than the Becker's, but comfortable. In addition, the handle is sealed around the tang, there is no room for grit, food, blood to hide. Choil is a nice feature on the blade which allows some more precise control. The blade coating wears very well. Howling Rat is significantly lighter than the Campanion. I'm wasn't impressed with the factory sheath (I had a replacement made by OST). Convex edge, with great edge retention. Personally, I've found these harder to sharpen, mousepad or not :( Unbeatable warrant. (literally, a "no questions asked" lifetime warranty).


Campanion : VERY thick stock ("0.230 I believe). Bombproof. Decent coating. Hard ergonomic handles fits well, but I find are less grippy than the Swamp Rat Respirene C. Superior kydex sheath with a number of carry options (heavy blade works best with a drop leg strap, I've found, especially if hiking, it prevents it from flopping around). More edge length than the Howling Rat. Excellent edge retention. A better chopper than the Howling Rat, but still a relatively stout blade, and inferior to almost any longer blade or hatchet. Limited lifetime warranty.

Both of these blades will rust on the exposed edges if not properly taken care of. My Campanion was purchased before the introduction of the Crewman. I would definately consider the Crewman as an alternative. If possible you should handle a Swamp Rat and a Becker before buying to see if their handle ergonomics are for you. They are both excellent knives and well worth the price.

Hope that helps.

Regards,

Shaun.
 
Thanks everybody for advice and opinions.
For their size, both groups have geometries far more acute than average (the Becker CU/9 and Combat Bowie not the Brute and company), edge angles of ~15 degrees per side with fairly thin edges, 0.035" on the Becker Combat Bowie for example. You can't really go significantly thinner than that without risk of rippling especially on a production knife. The Swamp Rats have similar edge angles but slightly thicker edges.
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Mr. Stamp, your analysis/descriptions/tests are the sharpest on the forum!
I do have a mora at home that migrates to/from the kitchen/tool-box. When hiking, I carry a Khukri in the pack along with a smaller knife kept handy for the normal cutting chores.

Fausto
 
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