Talk Me Out of a RatManDu

after reading this....i might need to stop going on bladeforums, you guys keep making me save up and by nice sharp pointy things!
 
There is no possible way I could NOT recommend this knife. What a monster. I will agree that factory sharp...is not exactly what I would call sharp, though I like hair popping blades.

With that being said, I just took mine with me on a short 3 day excursion to the Red River Gorge in Daniel Boone Nat'l Forest. Ratmandu was such a pleasure to work with. The sheer practicality of it's size, weight, and durability surpassed any alternatives I own atm (ESEE/Spyderco/Benchmade/Buck/SOG/Kershaw).

I was trying to decide between a Bark River Bravo 1/Aurora and the RMD. I don't think I would have been dissatisfied either way, but the working with this knife over an extended period assured me I made the best decision. The handle texture, size, and ergonomics were unparalleled. This is not the worlds greatest chopper, in fact, save yourself the time...but you make up for it in it's ability to baton through deadfall. Carving was a breeze...the choil is perfect size and detail work is no issue while using it. It was a little wet when I was in the backcountry and determined a lanyard is necessary as I did feel some slippage during my attempts at chopping.

I've heard people make the claim that this blade rusts "just by looking at it" on youtube...I'm here to tell you this is farse. A little lube goes a long way.

BUY THE KNIFE, DON'T THINK ANY LONGER!

Cheers.
 
I have a RMD and a scrapper 5 and I love the scrapper 5 I think is is one of the most overlooked knives on the market and I like my RMD even more!!! Everyday I have to talk myself out of buying another one ,the only reason I can do it is I can`t think of any way I could break or wear out the first one. Buy the RMD if you use it any you don`t like it wait a year and sell it for more than you paid for it.
 
Someone say RMD...

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Great knife, but there are two things I didn't like. First is the edge grind. It's a bit too thick in my opinion for the size of the knife. This sure can be adjusted to any angle with some elbow grease. Second is the choil. Again, just a personal preference. I like the way choil is done on HRLM a lot more. It is a bit smaller on HR and a lot closer to the handle. Hump on top also makes the choil grip a bit awkward. Well, there is also blade coating that I'm not a fan of. I still like the knife, might pick it up again sometime, but probably will customize it to fit me better.
 
SR101 steel of SW knives are more susceptible to patina and rust than I expected. I really like them, especially the satin ones like the RMD LE and M9 LE, but keeping them well-oiled is a must. You could opt the coated ones, although personally I am not too fond of coated blades.

I haven't used my SWs for really heavy tasks, but they are fairly easy to sharpen and are decent cutters. Fällkniven A1 might be a good alternative.
 
Made up your mind yet? Get one while you can.:)

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Insipid Moniker said:
I've been looking for a good, strong knife with an, approximately, 5 inch blade that's not overly thick. I'm itching to pull the trigger on a RatManDu and I've read almost overwhelmingly positive things about it and Bussekin in general (it would be my first Bussekin). Anyone with real negative experiences/major criticisms of the blade? I'm open to suggestions for an alternative, but keep in mind about 4.5-5.5 inch blade, not too thick, with fairly acute tip. Thank you all for the help.
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The RMD is an awesome knife, I just got mine and it is one of those knives that begs to be used if you know what I mean. I don't think you will have any issue with your RMD being dull and if it is you'll know who to point the finger at. Mine had a nice edge great job Alan.

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Well, you guys totally failed at talking me out of the RMD. I just went ahead and placed the order. Thank you for all the input!
 
I ordered the RMD 2 weeks ago for my son. I picked up the RatManDeux LE for myself. After seeing and feeling his RatManDu, I just couldn't resist ordering one for myself. Just a real comfortable, well balanced knife... I ordered yesterday. Eric is great to deal with, they ship fast also. Get a RatManDu,, you won't be disappointed. The only downside is no sheath, but that give's you options to get exactly what you want in a sheath.
 
Brian1095 said:
The RMD is an awesome knife, I just got mine and it is one of those knives that begs to be used if you know what I mean. I don't think you will have any issue with your RMD being dull and if it is you'll know who to point the finger at. Mine had a nice edge great job Alan.

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Is that the Black canvas Micarta, with the sage blade? That's exactly what I ordered yesterday.. My son has the tan micarta, with black blade. It looks real good..
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Well, you guys totally failed at talking me out of the RMD. I just went ahead and placed the order. Thank you for all the input!
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Good for you. You'll like it.

I've got one myself. It doesn't get nearly as much use as my Busse Comp. Finish SJTAC, but it's one of my favorite knives.
 
Mat_890 said:
The only downside in my opinion, is that far more people recommended them then could possibly have extensive, hands on, hard use experience with them. Thats entirely my opinion from searching through pictures, reviews, and videos that highly reccomend the knife, yet have zero signs of wear. I know someone is going to jump on me and post a bunch of hard use reviews but I know they exist and the knife does great, there is just a lot more talk then actual proof. Again just my opinion based on personal observations, feel free to entirly ignore it.

That said I have also been looking into one, they look amazing, are competitively prices, and slightly more 'exclusive' which I like. I'm torn between getting a RMD or the Swamp Warden which would serve as my 'tester' with swamprat products.
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So your major criticism of a knife you don't own and haven't used is that those who do own and recommend them don't use them enough? :rolleyes:

I recommend you get a RatManDu and use it hard as you want or dare to, and base your opinion on that experience. As for the Swamp Warden, I suggest looking at the ScrapYard Scrapivore that's being offered at this time. Basically the same materials & dimensions as the Swamp Warden (and made by the same people), but it has a much better finger guard to prevent blade slippage. The Scrapivore is also being offered as a bundle with a kydex sheath, which will save you some money over a separate sheath purchase.

Just to be clear, I'm not dissing the Swamp Warden... I have 2 myself. I just like the finger guard of the Scrapivore better. I EDC another small fixie that has a similar deep guard, and find this suits me much better than the Swamp Wardens's handle.
 
>>> Is that the Black canvas Micarta, with the sage blade?

That knife is black canvas micarta with a tanker gray blade.

Also, regarding sharpness... Jerry Busse posted a while back that there were some issues with bad edges, and that the problem was being fixed, which is why you now see the "sharpened by" stickers. If you ever get a Busse/SwampRat/ScrapYard knife from the factory that you aren't pleased with, don't even waste time complaining about it here, just contact the appropriate person, and they'll take care of you. That said, if you contact the appropriate person before you order (in the case of the RMD, Eric Isaacson), they'll help you get what you need from the start.

That said, my RMD came paper slicing sharp, but with a thick edge grind. That I've been fixing on my own. My 2 HRLMs came shaving sharp, but one has a thinner, slightly higher edge grind than the other. All 3 knives were purchased before the "sharpened by" stickers.
 
Insipid Moniker said:
Well, you guys totally failed at talking me out of the RMD. I just went ahead and placed the order. Thank you for all the input!
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Just an fyi... since you're located in Ohio, you might want to keep tabs on which knife/gun/etc. shows that Busse Combat attends. This way, if you can attend one, you'll get to check out some of the models that you wouldn't otherwise get to see.
 
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