Yes, I'm getting a Ratweiler !

[MtMike]

I've had a acouple of sheathorders already for the new Ratweiler, and everyone wants to knowif they have to send their knives for fitting. Answer -- NO I will have a Ratweiller for fitting, so that will save everyone a lotof shipping money --and more time to play with their new Rats
I'm really looking forward to comparing the Ratweiler to my trusty Tramp,

Mike

[paradiggum]

I got mine Thursday. Certainly a solid blade.
If the rain holds off I may take a walk in the woods with this thing.

[paradiggum]

Well unfortunately the weather was decent but the woods were soup. No action shots.
I need a nice day to take some pics. My digicam takes better pics in sunlight than inside. And the knives are happier there.

[MtMike]

Aaaah, you tease us
Did you get a chance to put some swings 'n slices on the new Rat? I'm really curious to hear a first hand report !

Mike

[paradiggum]

No unfortunately all it's done is opened a bag of M&M's. It did do a fine job though.
I hope this weekend the weather is nice enough to hit the woods. A buddy of mine and I are hoping to take his nephews out and teach them how to make snares and start a camp fire.
I'll take my camera.

I will say one thing about this Rat. It's having to grow on me. After using a Steel Heart-E and Natural Outlaw for so long this new handle has caused me to make some adjustments. The first couple of days of just playing with it raised a hot spot on my hand. I wasn't very pleased and thought about immediately selling it. I've now had it since Thursday and although it will never replace my Steel Heart-E (Not much will) it has grown on me. I'll have to use it a bit.
If for some reason it bothers my hand to use it I will rotate it out of daily use to my BOB. I know I can depend on it if the SHTF but maybe it's not made for my hand.
Only time will tell.

Edited to add a pic of my new toy. I had to do a little work on the kydex for the sheath. That's why it's out of the sheath.

[MtMike]

I'm on record as liking the Resiprene handles for daily chores, in fact I've never developed a hot spot using the Res-handled knives. I've liked the look of the textured handles ever since Jerry brought themto the Busse line, but I've never had the opportunity to give one a hard workout. Keep us posted -- as tactical handle the extra grippiness might be a g ood thing, but I'd like to hear moe opinions about how the new handles perform under heavy use. Les and I had this conversation a while ago, but neither of us could give an informed opinion back then.

Mike

[paradiggum]

I like the softer grips on the Rats and older Basics. I do however think that for a survival knife you should at least have an exposed pommel to use as an improvised hammer. Although I'd rather have a hammer I can't imagine the softer material handling the abuse for a long period of time.
I've had no problems with the older ergo line. They fit my hand very well though. The thing about the new Rats is the rear swell on the back of the grip makes it a little thick for my taste. If you choke back on the handle it does fill the hand better. In a regular forward grip it seems to be a little thick. It is growing on me though. The more I play with it.
For an everyday user, unless you have big ole bear paws I would suggest the Camp Tramp.
Don't get me wrong. This is a nice knife. But they make different handles for a reason. Different strokes for different folks.

[SpearHead]

Hey there Mikadiggum... where was that hot spot? Was it caused by the "finger groove" or by the swell at the end of the handle? Just curious.

[paradiggum]

The hot spot was caused by the swell on the rear of the handle. The finger groove is generous and doesn't bother me. I'll find out for sure this weekend. Going to show some youngins fire starting and snare making skills. I'll use the Rat to harvest some wood.

[MtMike]

Mine came on Friday It won't see chopping duty --it's unsharpened, as a model for sheathmaking should be -- so I won't be able to comment on the "hot spots", but I can say that in my large hands it feels great. In fact, even tho I'm sure it's heavier than my Tramp, it feels lighter because of the neutral balance. The Tramp is just a tad blade heavy, which I like, but the RW feels "quicker" because of the extra (Micarta) weight in the handle.
I also like the slight thumb ramp on the RW, tho it could be even better if it were serrated. I expect a bunch of guys will attack this with their small files pretty quickly.
This is a VERY nice step up from the Tramp in terms of looks, and I like the overall feel of it too.
Mike, imagine how your hand would feel if the RW had the more heaily textured handles of the new NO! The RW provides plenty of grippiness, but not the sharp edges of the NO.

Anyone else have both to make a comparison??

Mike