R.A.T.
Randall's Adventure & Training
- Joined
- Feb 4, 2004
- Messages
- 10,400
This is from a Mad Dog knife user. Let me also add that I have always thought that Mad dog knives were the best in the business. In fact, the Mad Dog Arizona Hunter is my favorite fixed blade knife of any I've owned. I know that Kevin has been a point of debate on these forums, but he has always been nothing less than honorable and a gentleman to me. I consider him a good friend. So, if anyone decides to debate the points of Mad Dog on this thread, please just leave it alone. I can assure you I am a firm defender of his of knives 
I removed the name from this email even though he said we could use this and pass the email along. I do know he is a member here on the forums so we will leave that up to him to post his name to this.
Begin email:
I had this conversation with Mike Perrin a couple months back, and never got around to properly putting a testimonial down for you guys. I have a couple moments so I thought I'd give this a whirl.
I cannot really convey how genuinely pleased I have been with my RC3 which I bought about the end of October/ beginning of November 2008 from a guy on Ebay. Mine is a plain-edge modified (rounded) pommel with a Micarta handle and green liners - I can never tell what color Micarta is supposed to be, since the green, grey and brown always look identical to me if finished the same way. It has a tan sheath and while I'd prefer black, it's not been an issue.
I'm a genuine tried and true Mad Dog knife user. I carry Mad Dogs as general use and personal protection tools. I've spent a bit of time with Kevin in this respect and have the pleasure of being an instructor under him, as well as having been a student of various forms of knife and stick combat for the last twenty years.
As I told Mike, I have found Mad Dog Knives to be about the epitome of the edged weapon and tool and as I'm sure you're aware, the Mad Dog knives can be a little pricey - I really love my Pack Rat, which is a single-edged clip point blade about four and a half inches, but since he quit making them, the replacement value on this particular knife is about $1350, which is just too much to consider on a knife which may be subject to loss.
In November, I got my modified pommel RC3 plain edge and about that time, my entire vision on production knives may have changed.
I immediately decided the best way for me to carry this knife around in an urban environment is just using the clip IWB - I've carried the knife in this fashion under a sweater and winter coat during a blizzard as well as under a Hugo Boss suit or jacket.
Two days after I received this knife, I got a call from a tenant to tell me that her boyfriend had broken up the inside of a rental house we owned, as well as burned down the garage. I went out to look at the damage with an insurance adjuster and at one point, we needed to open a door which had a broken doorknob.
Without really giving it a thought, I stuck the point of the RC3 in the doorframe about an inch and shoved the handle over - about 80 degrees to the right. I then yanked it back so that it passed the zero point and went to maybe 45 degrees to the left.
Somewhere in this process, the little voices in my head got together and began yelling about the blade being maybe a foot from my face and STOP because that blade is going to break!
I agreed and pulled the knife out - upon a thorough inspection, the knife was undamaged - the edge had no fracture, which would have been reasonable given the two-way flex it just endured, there was no set at all the the blade despite the abuse and the only sign at all of this retarded behavior on my part was a little crack on the "stove paint" that RAT puts on the blade to prevent corrosion.
I've since discovered that these knives are built not only for stupid use, but also take and hold a scary edge. I like using either a Norton India stone at about 300 grit or an EZ-Lap hone at either 600 or 1200 grit as they give the knife a very toothy working edge, sharp enough to shave with, but like a little saw. The handle is an ergonomic wonder and the blade has been perfect for any use I've given it, from scraping old paint to cutting up a snack, shaving a door frame or opening the mail.
For a knife of it's size, I've been more than happy with how it has performed in my combative drills and sets. We'd all prefer to have a Panther or a bowie knife in hand if we ever need an edged weapon, but sometimes those are just not practical to have with us. This knife is of a size as to be utterly unobtrusive, but still gives me enough edge to reach most of the vital stuff and it carries very unobtrusively. I do prefer a sheath which rides a little lower in the pants, and may have one made, but as a factory sheath goes, you guys hit a home run. It's even of a size which is legal in most jurisdictions, and is ideally suited as a travel blade.
In fact, I gave Mad Dog one of these for Christmas and that was his first comment as well - it's a perfect traveling knife in that if the TSA snags it, or we lose it, we're out $100, versus some of the other offerings out there,
Overall, you guys have made the best damned value in the knife world and I'm proud to not only carry one of these VERY regularly, I recommend them to everyone who asks about a carry knife for about any reason except saltwater. I'm only carrying three fixed blades these days - a Mad Dog Bear Cat, an RC-3 or a Mad Dog Wombat. It's in excellent company, frankly, and I'm not using much else these days.
Please feel free to share this with anyone whom you feel may benefit from my experience with this knife. I really do think it's one of the finest knives on the market period and I'm really pleased that they are made right here in the USA.
Thanks for a great knife, and tell Mike I say hi!
I removed the name from this email even though he said we could use this and pass the email along. I do know he is a member here on the forums so we will leave that up to him to post his name to this.
Begin email:
I had this conversation with Mike Perrin a couple months back, and never got around to properly putting a testimonial down for you guys. I have a couple moments so I thought I'd give this a whirl.
I cannot really convey how genuinely pleased I have been with my RC3 which I bought about the end of October/ beginning of November 2008 from a guy on Ebay. Mine is a plain-edge modified (rounded) pommel with a Micarta handle and green liners - I can never tell what color Micarta is supposed to be, since the green, grey and brown always look identical to me if finished the same way. It has a tan sheath and while I'd prefer black, it's not been an issue.
I'm a genuine tried and true Mad Dog knife user. I carry Mad Dogs as general use and personal protection tools. I've spent a bit of time with Kevin in this respect and have the pleasure of being an instructor under him, as well as having been a student of various forms of knife and stick combat for the last twenty years.
As I told Mike, I have found Mad Dog Knives to be about the epitome of the edged weapon and tool and as I'm sure you're aware, the Mad Dog knives can be a little pricey - I really love my Pack Rat, which is a single-edged clip point blade about four and a half inches, but since he quit making them, the replacement value on this particular knife is about $1350, which is just too much to consider on a knife which may be subject to loss.
In November, I got my modified pommel RC3 plain edge and about that time, my entire vision on production knives may have changed.
I immediately decided the best way for me to carry this knife around in an urban environment is just using the clip IWB - I've carried the knife in this fashion under a sweater and winter coat during a blizzard as well as under a Hugo Boss suit or jacket.
Two days after I received this knife, I got a call from a tenant to tell me that her boyfriend had broken up the inside of a rental house we owned, as well as burned down the garage. I went out to look at the damage with an insurance adjuster and at one point, we needed to open a door which had a broken doorknob.
Without really giving it a thought, I stuck the point of the RC3 in the doorframe about an inch and shoved the handle over - about 80 degrees to the right. I then yanked it back so that it passed the zero point and went to maybe 45 degrees to the left.
Somewhere in this process, the little voices in my head got together and began yelling about the blade being maybe a foot from my face and STOP because that blade is going to break!
I agreed and pulled the knife out - upon a thorough inspection, the knife was undamaged - the edge had no fracture, which would have been reasonable given the two-way flex it just endured, there was no set at all the the blade despite the abuse and the only sign at all of this retarded behavior on my part was a little crack on the "stove paint" that RAT puts on the blade to prevent corrosion.
I've since discovered that these knives are built not only for stupid use, but also take and hold a scary edge. I like using either a Norton India stone at about 300 grit or an EZ-Lap hone at either 600 or 1200 grit as they give the knife a very toothy working edge, sharp enough to shave with, but like a little saw. The handle is an ergonomic wonder and the blade has been perfect for any use I've given it, from scraping old paint to cutting up a snack, shaving a door frame or opening the mail.
For a knife of it's size, I've been more than happy with how it has performed in my combative drills and sets. We'd all prefer to have a Panther or a bowie knife in hand if we ever need an edged weapon, but sometimes those are just not practical to have with us. This knife is of a size as to be utterly unobtrusive, but still gives me enough edge to reach most of the vital stuff and it carries very unobtrusively. I do prefer a sheath which rides a little lower in the pants, and may have one made, but as a factory sheath goes, you guys hit a home run. It's even of a size which is legal in most jurisdictions, and is ideally suited as a travel blade.
In fact, I gave Mad Dog one of these for Christmas and that was his first comment as well - it's a perfect traveling knife in that if the TSA snags it, or we lose it, we're out $100, versus some of the other offerings out there,
Overall, you guys have made the best damned value in the knife world and I'm proud to not only carry one of these VERY regularly, I recommend them to everyone who asks about a carry knife for about any reason except saltwater. I'm only carrying three fixed blades these days - a Mad Dog Bear Cat, an RC-3 or a Mad Dog Wombat. It's in excellent company, frankly, and I'm not using much else these days.
Please feel free to share this with anyone whom you feel may benefit from my experience with this knife. I really do think it's one of the finest knives on the market period and I'm really pleased that they are made right here in the USA.
Thanks for a great knife, and tell Mike I say hi!
