This is my first post. I've been lurking for a bit and think this is a great community.

I'm not a real collector, yet. But I am looking for the best knife/sheath combo available for about $200. I've decided on the SpecOps Combat Master sheath (thanks to the posts here.) Now I just need a knife and Bussekin looks like the best.

I have to admit that I like the look of the Rodent 6, but the 711 seems more functional and a little more my speed. By that I mean I don't need a combat knife and I think I'll like the comfort of the Res C handle better. On the other hand, the R6 handle looks like it can take more of a beating.

Is there anything I'll be missing by not getting the Rodent 6? For example, is the heat treatment the same on both blades? Are there other subtle differences in quality between the two? There doesn't seem to be a lot of information on the Swamp Rat site about heat treating. If you needed to drive the 711 into something tip first, can you hammer on the non-exposed end of the handle without damaging it?

I apologize in advance if these are common questions. I tried searching the forum looking for old threads, but came up empty. In my research, I did see that many people like the 711 and I'm leaning in that direction. It also seems like the R6 is more suited to the hard survival tasks someone in the military would encounter.

Thanks for any information.

Mike