SYKCO 511 vs ratmandu

Shotgun

Shotgun

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Feb 3, 2006
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I've held a ratmandu so I know what that's like but was hoping someone could compare the two. A side by side pic would be pretty awesome too. Are they basically the same except a slightly different choil and res-C?
 
The ratmandu handle is near perfect for me where as the 511 is significantly smaller. I had a 511 but it was too small to be comfortable so I sold it. I wear a large glove. I guess my hand size is medium to larger for sure not huge. Rodent 4 is close in size to the ratmandu handle. The mudder handle might be the best of all or the original Basic.
 
The ratmandu is a better knife. The 511 is one of the few busse kin knives Ive had that I just didn't really like.
 
Here are some side by side pics. Personal preference is RMD.
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I kept the 511 for my wife due to the compact handle. The Ratmandu just instills much more confidence when handling and using.
 
I would have to agree, while the 511 is fantastic for the weight and for the money, the RMD is better by a pretty wide margin. Put the RMD against a mudder S5 or S5LE and you'd have a harder decision to make.

If you have small or youth hands, the 511 would pick up a lot of ground. Mine are pretty big and the others fit me better.

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Shotgun said:
I've held a ratmandu so I know what that's like but was hoping someone could compare the two. A side by side pic would be pretty awesome too. Are they basically the same except a slightly different choil and res-C?
Click to expand...
The differences you mention are actually quite dramatic in hand as others have described.
I have medium/small hands and also prefer the longer RMD handle and finger-sized choil. That beak or spur on the 511 pommel restricts hand placement even bare-handed (forget with gloves) and the choil isn't really large enough for a finger to allow easy choking up as on the RMD. The RMD's micarta handle fills the hand better than the 511's in any grip, great ergonomics, although I really like the feel of the Res-C. IMHO the RMD sports a superior design well worth the extra $... unless your hands are quite small?
Has anyone ground down their 511's pommel or widened its choil yet?
 
chiral.grolim said:
The differences you mention are actually quite dramatic in hand as others have described.
I have medium/small hands and also prefer the longer RMD handle and finger-sized choil. That beak or spur on the 511 pommel restricts hand placement even bare-handed (forget with gloves) and the choil isn't really large enough for a finger to allow easy choking up as on the RMD. The RMD's micarta handle fills the hand better than the 511's in any grip, great ergonomics, although I really like the feel of the Res-C. IMHO the RMD sports a superior design well worth the extra $... unless your hands are quite small?
Has anyone ground down their 511's pommel or widened its choil yet?
Click to expand...

This is my 511 with the choil opened up.


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Hooker, is that finger choil large enough to keep your finger from kissing the blade. Looks like it might benefit from a little deeper choil. Personal preference issue, most likely.

@volundoftheforge: No videos. Last thing I need right now is another hobby. Videography and associated hosting, potential editing (to meet time restraints) and so on is not in the cards right now. Congrats on your LE.
 
They are both great blades and it all comes down to personal preference. I say get both and then decide. ;)
 
chiral.grolim said:
The differences you mention are actually quite dramatic in hand as others have described.
I have medium/small hands and also prefer the longer RMD handle and finger-sized choil. That beak or spur on the 511 pommel restricts hand placement even bare-handed (forget with gloves) and the choil isn't really large enough for a finger to allow easy choking up as on the RMD. The RMD's micarta handle fills the hand better than the 511's in any grip, great ergonomics, although I really like the feel of the Res-C. IMHO the RMD sports a superior design well worth the extra $... unless your hands are quite small?
Has anyone ground down their 511's pommel or widened its choil yet?
Click to expand...
The choil is the thing I hate about the RMD. I personally have no idea why it's there. Maybe it's useful to some but I find it to be a waste of blade. Even on large heavy blades I find choils useless. Everyone's different I guess.

Need2Know-Thanks for the comparison pics. I was hoping the 511 was an RMD with smaller choil but I guess it's not. I think I'll keep looking.
 
Need2Know said:
Hooker, is that finger choil large enough to keep your finger from kissing the blade. Looks like it might benefit from a little deeper choil. Personal preference issue, most likely.

@volundoftheforge: No videos. Last thing I need right now is another hobby. Videography and associated hosting, potential editing (to meet time restraints) and so on is not in the cards right now. Congrats on your LE.
Click to expand...

Fits me fine, and allows a forward grip.
 
Shotgun said:
The choil is the thing I hate about the RMD. I personally have no idea why it's there. Maybe it's useful to some but I find it to be a waste of blade. Even on large heavy blades I find choils useless. Everyone's different I guess.

Need2Know-Thanks for the comparison pics. I was hoping the 511 was an RMD with smaller choil but I guess it's not. I think I'll keep looking.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm one who appreciates the RMD's choil, allows a knife with greater reach (where a choil is no hinderance) to become a choil-less smaller knife for finer work with a mere shift of the hand - 2 knives in 1! :thumbup:
But shrink the choil a bit (like on the 511) and I just can't figure it out - too small for choking-up to make it vanish, overly large for sharpening purposes... :confused:
But I'm not giving up on the 511, a great price for quality materials (love that ResC) in a design I might modify as Hooker did above or eventually gift to one of my daughters or a friend with smaller hands *shrug*

Good luck on finding the knife you want. The Swamp's smaller Rodent Solution has the regular minimal choil, but I'm not sure what all the qualities are that you're looking for.... Gonna go custom? Maybe a Fletcher Delta-Foxtrot?


Nice work, btw, Hooker :thumbup: Are you happy with where you cut, or would you recommend going a little lower into the guard, maybe even taking some ResC out to save on blade-edge? Also, any plans to round the pommel-spur off or does it fit your hands decently well?
 
Personally I love my 511 and use it as a small edc... Cuts everything, even pried a few things with it. Gets dull- work sharp, stone, strop, back in the kydex for tomorrow. But there again i think the RMD is about a perfect knife, fits in the hand like it was made for me. Like Josh said, get both. Ok, guess I didn't help the decision a bit.;)
 
No I agree the RMD is perfect if not for the choil. I had one and sold it to my buddy. Everytime I sharpen it for him I wonder why I sold it. Then I stare at the choil and hand it back to him. :D
 
chiral.grolim said:
Yeah, I'm one who appreciates the RMD's choil, allows a knife with greater reach (where a choil is no hinderance) to become a choil-less smaller knife for finer work with a mere shift of the hand - 2 knives in 1! :thumbup:
But shrink the choil a bit (like on the 511) and I just can't figure it out - too small for choking-up to make it vanish, overly large for sharpening purposes... :confused:
But I'm not giving up on the 511, a great price for quality materials (love that ResC) in a design I might modify as Hooker did above or eventually gift to one of my daughters or a friend with smaller hands *shrug*

Good luck on finding the knife you want. The Swamp's smaller Rodent Solution has the regular minimal choil, but I'm not sure what all the qualities are that you're looking for.... Gonna go custom? Maybe a Fletcher Delta-Foxtrot?


Nice work, btw, Hooker :thumbup: Are you happy with where you cut, or would you recommend going a little lower into the guard, maybe even taking some ResC out to save on blade-edge? Also, any plans to round the pommel-spur off or does it fit your hands decently well?
Click to expand...

Happy with the size. No larger than neccessary, to allow a forward grip. Didn't consider cutting into the handle. Have modified Res C before with the War Dog., but the 511 feels comfy with the rounded corners, just compact.
 
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