What's up with muskrats?

Comeuppance

Comeuppance

Fixed Blade EDC Emisssary
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
4,765
I don't get 'em at all, never have. Two of the exact same blade in the exact same shape on opposite ends of the same knife?

...Why?

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The "improved muskrat" makes a lot more sense to me, as there are at least two blade shapes in many of the ones with that name, but I don't know if that's a defining feature:

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Please, explain the regular muskrat to me! Expound upon their merits! (Give me a reason to get one!)
...Also, feel free to post a bunch of pictures of Muskrats!
 
Don't own one myself but I understand that they were from back in the day when trappers and the like would be skinning and gutting etc over and over during a days work. In order to save from stopping to sharpen or carry an extra knife.... Just turn the folder around and open the fresh and sharp blade from the other end. Simple. :)
 
pmew said:
Don't own one myself but I understand that they were from back in the day when trappers and the like would be skinning and gutting etc over and over during a days work. In order to save from stopping to sharpen or carry an extra knife.... Just turn the folder around and open the fresh and sharp blade from the other end. Simple. :)
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Yep, that's my understanding as well.

Before I got into traditionals, I met a fellow up in northern Canada who earned his living from trapping for part of the year and guiding boat trips for the other part. Had we met a bit later on, after I knew what a Muskrat was, I'd have asked him what sort of knives he carried -- and it wouldn't have surprised me if a Muskrat was among them! :)
 
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A muskrat is a great pattern. Especially if you use your traditional for food prep. Keep one blade clean and sharp and the other for utility.
 
bluemetalchurch said:
A muskrat is a great pattern. Especially if you use your traditional for food prep. Keep one blade clean and sharp and the other for utility.
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Oooo. I like this idea. I don't need two identical blades for the sake of a backup sharp blade, but a dedicated food prep blade makes a lot of sense!
 
Wouldn't be any more sanitary with one blade dedicated to food prep as the frame/well would be full of gunk from the working blade. If you used it for dedicated food prep, you'd be constantly deep cleaning you knife.

pmew gave a pretty good account of the Muskrat pattern.

This thread just ran as recently as March 2016 about the Muskrat. Very good thread. The "Search" function brought it right up.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1374363-Lets-Talk-Muskrats!
 
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I'm down with the improved muskrat. The RR in smooth tobacco bone is one of my favorite carries. I think I have almost no use for the duplicate blades of the regular muskrat, although I did buy one in armor hide because I like the finish. This is something I will get over at some point, but right now I can binge on pretty, shiny things because they only cost ten bucks.
 
pmew said:
Don't own one myself but I understand that they were from back in the day when trappers and the like would be skinning and gutting etc over and over during a days work. In order to save from stopping to sharpen or carry an extra knife.... Just turn the folder around and open the fresh and sharp blade from the other end. Simple. :)
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 
It must be cause back in the day you'd be pounding through 20+ muskrats on your trap line every day. Ain't no time to stop and sharpen! :thumbup:
 
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