A few months ago I purchased this interesting knife for just over $40 online. Initially it was purchased as a novelty knife, so my expectations of it weren't by any means high, but it has since surprised me.
The Rothco Ramster Survival Kit Knife is a Taiwanese clone of the Buckmaster 184. The Buckmaster 184 has some pretty interesting history behind it that's worth looking into if you're interested, but the short version is that it was designed with the US Navy Seals and produced by Buck Knives. It was fielded and tested by the Navy Seals, but never formally adopted. However, the design shares a lineage with the M9 Bayonet, which was the ultimate result of feedback from the Navy after having tested both the Buckmaster 184 and later the 185 which was a full tang design.
The Buckmaster 184 consisted of a 7.5" clip point 440 stainless steel hollow ground blade with two separate types of saw teeth on the spine designed for cutting through rope and even sheet metal attached to a hollow stainless steel handle by a threaded bolt, held in place with a nut and a generous amount of epoxy. Although such designs are thought to be inherently weak, the Buck 184 is not known to have any issues regarding separation of the blade from the handle. In fact, those spikes on the hand guard were -- according to the patent -- designed to allow the knife to function as a Grappling Hook capable of supporting up to 600 pounds of weight. However, Buck themselves openly advised consumers against use of the Buck 184 as a Grappling Hook for obvious reasons, and has stated that they were ultimately intended to be used as anchors to help the Seals resist ocean currents while remaining in fixed positions. Regardless, the knife is obviously built strong.
Forgive me for mostly speaking of the Buckmaster 184, but being a clone, the Ramster shares most of these specifications in common. The only real differences between the two is that the Ramster has thinner blade stock and the exact composition of the steel is unknown, as it isn't listed anywhere in specific, not on the box, not on the blade, nor even on Rothco's website, but I suspect that it's something cheap like 3CR13 or 420J2.
I've wanted an authentic Buckmaster 184 Survival Knife since I first laid eyes on one, but unfortunately they've been out of production since 1997, and they tend to be rather expensive on the used market. Some say that you can find one for cheap if you shop around long enough, but I'm not quite devoted enough to search as long as it takes to find one that's 100% complete that isn't $400+ and in decent condition. Plus, if I were to obtain one, then I wouldn't really be comfortable using it for anything.
The Rothco Ramster, while obviously not on the same level of quality as the original Buckmaster 184, is actully a functional knife. Granted, I didn't buy it with any intensive or practical uses in mind to begin with, but if I'm going to buy a knife, then I want it to be able to function as one, not merely as a paperweight. The Ramster has an MSRP of $57.99, but generally goes for closer to $40, with my example costing a mere $41.99 on Amazon. For $50ish, my overall experience with the knife has concluded that it's worth it. The knife is sharp right out of the box, feels sturdy, and the overall fit and finish is good. It's well machined, the bead-blasted finish is even, (although it appears to have worn a bit around the edges of the hand guard due to the loose packaging allowing the knife to shift around inside of the box) and everything is tight as it should be.
My only complaint is that the blade grind is extremely uneven at the tip, so much so that at a glance I actually thought that the tip was bent because the grind is so slanted on one edge compared to the other that if it went any farther then it would be a chisel grind. Regardless, it still cuts well, and for the price, I really can't complain too much.
In addition, the sheath is of good quality as well, although it's all plastic and nylon, (just as it was for the genuine Buckmaster 184) so it's nothing spectacular to begin with. The accessories that make up the kit are also pretty good, but again, they're all just inexpensive odds and ends.
There are some videos on YouTube by a channel called Survival on Purpose which has tested both the Rothco Ramster and the original Buckmaster 184, and the Ramster appears to be a decent alternative to the Buckmaster 184 (for lack of anything better) based on those tests.
Some may think that this knife is silly, and not without merit, but I personally think that it's really cool. (Well, except for the name, that
is silly -- sounds like a cross between Rambo and Hamster.) Of course, I grew up in the 90s and I'm a shameless fan of 80s/90s Action Movies and Video Games, so I have no issue admitting that I find it awesome. So if folks want to make fun of me for it, then have at it, I'm a grown man, I like what I like.
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