Bruce you sure know how to stir up a hornets nest! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

This thread should get all the Rats out into the grass of The Yard.

Me, I think that the performance of my entire Rat collection "A Gen 1 Howling Rat" is just fine! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />
Perhaps it is more expensive than Dans Shock Steel SR-77 The NEW Busse Super Steel but all rats need something of their own don't they?
They do have very nice designs you must agree. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

But like our dear friend Unsub pointed out yesterday the Res-C handles will NEVER stick to your skin in Sub Zero weather. Not a concern for Rainwalker but for him, Bram,C.O. and a host of others it is a very real concern. Res-C handles rule! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif" alt="" />

I love them because they N E V E R slip out of my hands.
Is I am cleaning fish under the flowing water of a stream or using Joy dish soap at home to clean it off I can not make Res-C slip!!

Greatest stuff since sliced cheese! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif" alt="" />

SR-101 .... just not for me I guess. My Rat sharpens up easy enough. It has a Res-C handle. But the OOMF is just not there. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

You know Bruce that "HAND FULL OF STEEL" feeling that all the Scrap Yard knives give to you. Even my new prized Yard Keeper Combat Grade is thin as my Gen 1 HR but for some reason it STILL gives me that "HAND FULL OF STEEL" feeling. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Dans SR-77 is a sick ,sick steel. I have done horrible things to my Dog Father and Mutt and both...like good Dogs should come happily back home sharp and ready for round 2. Or in their case round 369 or so. I have pummeled them both and they are mint. Except for a few scratches in the coating on my Mutt. I removed the CG from my Dog Father. Sorry I did that. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/sad.gif" alt="" />

The Swamp Rats need some steel to call their own. I say let it stay. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

For me I have been and will ever be a faithful Dog. I have said it before and I will say it forever. I would and DO stack my family's safety and their very lives on the quality and perfection of all my Scrap Yard Knives. I have NEVER felt more confident about ANY blade or steel in my entire life. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif" alt="" />

Long live The Yard. And SR-77 for everyone!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Peace.




Great thread idea Bruce! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Is SR-77 really stronger when it's the same thickness as SR-101? Most of my SRs have noticably thinner blades than my SYs, which is why I typically consider SR knives to be superior for small blades (thinner == better slicer). I know that the DFCG lateral strength test was amazing, but that was a very thick blade.

I buy both companies knives, and have been buying from the Yard most often lately, but the Rats have released some good stuff too.

a very thick blade usually has less flexibility actually jim, and they're all about the same size, unless you can notice a .010 of an inch difference or so.
sr77 is a proven tougher steel, if you ask me.
but I think sr101 is plenty tough(especially when diff. heat treated) and probably holds a better edge than sr77.
I think its a great steel and shouldn't be retired, even though I prefer sr 77.

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
if its swamprats steel of choice, than its there steel of choice and we're not going to change that.
they use it for a reason. (IMO)
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

No, SR101 should not be retired. It's a very fine knife steel. In recent months, I have used my Ratweiler quite a bit for chopping branches to burn. The fine edge I put on it months ago is pristine. I would say that the edge holding of SR101 is outstanding. Is SR77 good enough? Yes. In the small knives, that are used mostly for light cutting and slicing, I can't tell any difference. Maybe if I was a big hunter and skinned a lot of animals, I could tell a difference. But my choppers see a lot more wear. I would give a slight "edge" to the SR101 over SR77. I can touch up my DF very quickly and easily after hard use with a ceramic rod in just a few light strokes. I do this routinely to keep it shaving sharp. I am used to doing this often on Tramontina machetes that are much softer steel than SR77, so it is no big deal. I have not had to do it yet on the Ratweiler after chopping quite a bit of firewood. My two cents.

No way, I say the more super steels that are around the better!

ahhhh. true.
but they obviously use it for a reason.
(its better edge holding)
and... what fun would it be if they all used the same steel?
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Let's be practical, Bruce. When any knife maker chooses a steel, he has several considerations and he chooses a steel appropriate to the intended use with the qualities he deems most important. Dan has placed toughness and affordability at the top. With his heat treatment, the S7 shock steel has comparable edge retention to many other quality knife steels with greater toughness. I would guess that to differntially temper a blade in SR101 as Swamp Rat does with their larger knives costs more than it does to make a blade in SR77, even without the added cost of micarta handles. I like SR77 and SR101, but if Dan scores some other quality steels (numbers and letters) that he intends to use on future offerings, I am not worried. I trust Dan to keep top performance at the best possible price his guiding principle.