I'm working on my BOB/Hiking knife combo and am looking to pick between three great knives for my big chopper. This blade will live in my BOB/Pack.

The contenders are the SR Battle Rat, the SY DogFather CG and the SY DogFather LE. I have a CG FBM but it is (1) heavy and (2) doesn't have a flat spine for batoning so it is out of the mix.

If you could pick one, and only one, to handle chopping/batoning duties for your BOB/Hiking BIG knife, which would it be and why?

Which would you pick? single choice
	SR Battle Rat
	SY DF Combat Grade
	SY DF LE
Votes accepted starting: 04/16/08 07:59 PM You must vote before you can view the results of this poll.

I choose the Battle Rat for my all-round-use backcountry use knife. The coating is nice to have (while it lasts) for corrosion resistance, the size is perfect for batoning through thick wood for making fires/traps/snares/tools/etc, the steel holds an edge for a ridiculously long time, and it's not too heavy to carry comfortably. Perfect.

Well I've not handled the battle rat but I do have both DFs. Of the two the DFCG is better suited as a "chopper" if that is what your looking for.

I've never handled either but I think the BR would chop just as well as the DFCG even though it is thinner. I think the thinness of the BR would make it a better overall knife to use, too.

Both have Rec-C, so comfortability isn't a problem.

Not really to sure about the edge retention but the BR might be better due to a the differential heat treat (edge of 62-64 I believe? )

Do you have a BR Satin?

I went with the battle rat over the DFCG because it is lighter, a lot quicker in the hand, better edge holding, and I like the choil a lot better. I've never handled a DFLE.

the DFLE is only slightly heavier than the BR, and from what I hear, not quite the chopper.
well... idk actually.. but I've heard it doesn't chop as good as the cg.
and if you are looking for a chopper, I think the DFCG is it.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
but an LE would be great for an overal great knife.
and their easier to sharpen, (well they're easy to sharpen and at 64 rc i don't think a battlerat would be too easy, but I'm not really sure) which is a plus over edge holding in an emergency, I think.
JMHO
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Eh?


What emergency?

I have both a Battle Rat and a DogFather, and I can't tell that one is harder to sharpen than the other. The Battle Rat is noticeably lighter, though.

Some additional information...

Weights - The BR wins for portability, the DF CG wins for chopping heft. This is a "carry while hiking" blade so weight is a consideration but 4.5 oz is not enough to kill the deal either way
BR 16.6 oz
DF CG 20.1 oz
DF LE 17.1 oz

Grind - I have heard that Sabre is better for durability (is that true?) but the flat grind of the DF LE would be easier to baton through wood
BR Sabre
DF CG Sabre
DF LE Flat

Choil - BR is more comfortable if you had to choke up on the blade
BR Round
DF CG Square
DF CG Square

Blade length - DFs win and that extra 3/4" could be VERY useful when batoning wide blocks of wood
BR 9 3/8" (3/4" shorter)
DF CG 10 1/8"
DF LE 10 1/8"

Corrosion resistance - Not sure here, I believe
BR - coated but more susceptible to rust
DF CG - coated with more resistant steel therefore most corrosion resistant
DF LE - uncoated with resistant steel

Toughness - I think the DFs win; note that I batoned through a HUGE stack of hard wood this past week and my BR received ZERO damage to edge. Not sure if the top notch differential heat treatment on the BR overcomes the inherent toughness difference between SR and SY steel.

Sharpness retention - I think the BR wins but the DFs would probably be easier to sharpen in the field.

Spine is thicker on the DFs, all spines are flat

Keep the opinions coming. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Oh on the rounded spine, I think it is actually better for batoning.

This is due to the physics of a round surface. The round edge will actually divert the force of the baton more downwards as it hits the spine. The energy transfered from the baton is absorbed by the rounded edges. You will get more force per inch due to the lower surface area.

The flat spine, however, because it is flat, will divert the energy more side ways, Actually making the stroke of each baton worse. On impact much of energy from the baton is lost. Also larger surface area means less force per inch.

My RMD works much better compared to my CSK. Both have the exact same blade shape and thickness but the slope of the RMD is more rounded.

Think of it as hitting one of those Small Punching Bags (you see on Rocky, etc) versus hitting one with a flat surface. If you think about it, the one with the round surface will travel farther due to the concentrated force you're applying to the rounded bag.

But, please correct me if I'm wrong because this is the way I see it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/paperbag.gif" alt="" />

Actually on the punching bag part, think of it as hitting the bag with a flat surface rather than your fist ( i didn't want to say slapping cuz that just sounds bad <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/paperbag.gif" alt="" /> )

The Battle Rat is nice and I'm sure would work great, but based on my experience and what I have, the DFLE is my choice.