My survival knife

After looking for almost months for a outdoor/survival knife, I finally found one that pretty much has everything I wanted in a survival knife. It is the Benchmade Rant dpt model # 10502. This is the Rant with the full sanoprene molded handel. I just bought this knife and so far it feels very reliable and strong.
Does anyone else have this knife, or have any comments about it?
Here is the link to it:
http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=10502

Nice looking knife. Grats!

I don't own one of those, but it looks good.

It looks handy,
not too big, not too small,
not too cheap, not too expensive.

Looks like a nice choice!

It looks all wrong to me, If I send you my address I'll look after it for you.

On the other hand It looks like a really nice tool.

I think it is also one of Doug's fixed blade recommendations.

The drop point version looks especially nice, I don't think you could go wrong with it. Very close to Scandinavian knives, should be an excellent cutter and just the right size for most tasks.

I agree with you, a very useful, practical knife; I could see myself using one.

Welcome to ETS Forum!

Mike

As long as you got the straight edge and not the serrated, I think it's a great choice. As Doug says, a survival knife will be needed to carve many things, and the serration is in the wrong place on most knives for detail work.

MDinana was also looking at this knife as one of his choices to upgrade his primary survival knife. I wonder if he ended up getting it.

This knife shares many similar characteristics with the Fallkniven S1 forest knife. At half the price and made in the USA it will definately make it into the list for knives I recommend.

Cheers,
~L

Looks very practical. Somewhat similar to the buck vanguard.

There's only one vendor for the knife on ebay - $63.75 and free shipping.

Can't find it on amazon.

I'd buy it from the New Graham store and not take my chances using eBay. New Graham is a great place to buy from. Only $56.25 for this knife.

http://newgraham.com/store/product/4654/Pardue-Rant-MDP-BM10502/

After seeing this thread, I may have to go out and buy me one of these things. Not like I really need another knife. But this one looks well designed, very useful size, and it is nice to look at too!

Heck yeah, looks like a lot of knife for the buck. Sexier IMHO than Fallkniven and a whole lot more cost-effective.

Another knife that Doug recommends for a low-cost alternative, is the Gerber Big Rock.

As I recall, he also pointed out that the owner would get very familiar with sharpening the blade since he'd have to do it a lot ... in comparison to the S30V steel on his blades.

I wish the blades on the Rant and Fixed Griptilian (not Doug's Mk3) didn't have the spine angled near the tip. I know its for better insertion (stab, stab), but I'd rather have it flat for batoning (not that I baton - I use an axe for that).

The Rant blade seems a bit thick (0.175) for my taste. The Fixed Grip is a bit thin (0.119"). I like Doug's MK3 thickness of 0.14. I suspect I'd prefer the Fixed Grip's thinner blade versus the Rant's thicker blade.

Big difference in weight too - Rant=11.8 oz, Fixed Grip=4.6 oz. Doug's Mk3=5.7 oz.

The Big Rock knife is 6.3 oz. and has a 0.16" thick blade.

In general I don't buy the whole "survival knife" thing. When things go wrong and I find myself at nature's mercy, the knife I'm carrying will be my "survival knife". 99.9% of the time I carry Doug's Mk1 mini. It will do whatever I need it to do - so long as I don't try to pry open steel doors or shatter concrete with it.

Ken

Very nice knife. It looks great. Although, like Ken pointed out, it´s a pity that it possesses the false edge.

I have both a Fallkniven and a Benchmade and I'm not entirely sure that the comparison is fair.

The F1 is designed for North European conditions. It's one of the toughest production knives ever made. It's also somewhat smaller than the Benchmade. When asked for advise I always recommend Fallkniven. If it's within the asker's means.

Having said that: I also recommend the the Benchmade to people who are on a tighter budget. It's 44oC steel, which under most circumstances I would personally considerer a no-no steel. But, this is Benchmade 440c tempered. Sharpens easily and keeps an edge. Its full tang (I checked with Benchmade) and has a decent low slip handle.

And I would stay away from Gerber. Their steel is a PTA bad joke to sharpen.

+1 with Leigh's comments.

What are "Northern European conditions"?

Cold, wet, windy. -20 to + 5 celcius. Open tundra to pine forest. Think Tutenborge Forest in Germany.

440C steel has a rep for going brittle at low temperatures. Which is why I personally think that a Fallkniven VG-10 laminated blade is the better choice.

You mean the Teutoburg forest (historical battlefield where Arminius destroyed the Roman legions)? I'm not sure that's a good comparison to Scandinavia. Also, tundra has very little in common with boreal forest.

Anyway, I live in the temperate zone but the temperature range you've just described is typical for our winter. I've never seen anything that would indicate 440C is any more brittle at low temperatures than any other stainless steel.

I'm sure the Fallkniven F1 would be a good choice for the Northern European environment or any other place with a cold climate and lots of forest. So would a Mora (at a fraction of the price), the fixed-blade Benchmade or even a Kabar if you need something closer to a tough sharpened prybar that still makes a good knife.

IME, if there is one truly indispensable survival tool in the North European (or equivalent) environment it's a good axe. Probably even more important than the knife. No matter what kind of knife you have you need an axe to make a decent shelter, fell trees and split logs in the cold, snowy coniferous forest zone. Without that capability your chances of survival drop rapidly.

The Rant looks like a great choice. I too have toiled for a couple of months over which knife to purchase and I just received my new benchmade fixed grip last week. I chose the fixed grip over the rant mainly for the obvious full tang handle that extends slightly past the actual grip so that in a pinch if I had to use the handle end as a hammer I may have a little more success. Now this may or may not ever happen, but just having the option swayed my opinion. On the other side of the coin, I read where someone suggested the handle of the fixed grip be uncomfortable due to the metal protruding on the top and bottom. I can see how this may be the case, but I have not used it long or hard enough yet to see if this is really an issue. I also like the sheath of the fixed grip much better than the rant and will have many more options as it is MOLLE compatible.

On the price side, I bought the fixed grip online for $62(plus ~$7 shipping) so price wasn't really a deciding factor between the two; price certainly did deter/prevent my from purchasing a falkniven or something more expensive though.

Mike

Since nobody has asked so far, why not get the Ritter fixed blade? The dimensions are about the same.

Which one is better and why?

For some the show-stopper is the cost of the Ritter Mk3. In my view it is actually a great price considering its a semi-custom with high-end steel and handle material. My advice would be to skip the lower-cost blades, save your pennies, and go with the Mk3.

Better blade shape - in my opinion - I like the fixed Rittergrip's wider (deeper?) blade shape better ... ever since I got my first Mk1 many years ago.

Better blade finish - the stonewashed finish looks real nice - kind of 3D-ish. Doug says it adds corrosion resistance too. Sweet!

Better blade steel - will stay sharp much longer - some say the S30V is hard to sharpen, but that has not been my experience, at least not with my Spyderco Sharpmaker.

Better handle material - G10 is abut the toughest handle available - the machined surface provides excellent grip without being rough on hands.

I like the sheath better, but others might not agree.

PLUS, part of the cost goes to support the ETS Foundation.

I have an MK3 and have been happy with it.
I'm glad you were able to add the details to this topic.
Thanks

Actually, I didn't. I kind of got onto a Mora kick after the suggestions on my thread. Played around on RagweedForge for a few weeks. Finally bought his Brusletto Kniven. http://ragweedforge.com/brus-k.jpg I also got a 5" Mora that I'm going to throw a handle on next month.

I figured, like some mention on this thread, that the Mora knife has evolved for arctic/northern environments. Since my initial thread was aimed at a knife for Alaska, I figure I'd stick with it (though the Ulu is interesting). It's in my luggage right now.

Having said that, I'm moving to Virginia in a few months. When my salary starts climbing, I can hopefully still pick one of the BM's up, since it does look like a great knife. Plus, not really arctic down south there, y'know? I might find that that blade profile isn't the most ideal.

No arguments about the axe and a decent saw. 440C simply describes the type of steel used. Of equal importance is how its forged and tempered. And there are some pretty dire 440C blades out there.
Hence my concern.