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