Man, that RD4 is soooo fricking cool! You gotta stop posting pics! Great comparison!!

Thanks man - you should just give in and get one!!

I should have added the Ontario RAT5 to the mix as well. Its probably the most comfortable for me in the grip department (just because the DM has such a short grip), very well suited for cutting, but probably won't have near the lateral strength that the RD4 and DM have. I'm really fond of those 3 knives though - its going to be painful deciding with "pair" to take to the woods next time. DF/DM, RD9/RD4, RTAKII/RAT5 - luckily I don't have a little INFI companion for the CGFBM yet - but I'm sure I will eventually! Life is full of too many decisions...

The new issue of Tactical Knives has a letter about how great Justin is to deal with and a big story on The RTAK 2. The Rtak 2 is probably the closest competitor to the DF and it does have some nice features. We were just talking on another thread that the tang protruding through the butt would be cool. I much prefer RES C to micarta though. The blade is 10 inches long and 2 wide and made of 1095 3/16th of an inch thick.The DF is exactly the same size and shape but better steel. This new one is designed to be more of a chopper than the original.
The RTAK1 was designed to replace a machete and big knife in the jungle. The balance is not as far forward as the DF. Personally I like the RAT knives especially the RAT 3 which was the knife that convinced me to switch from folders to a small fixed blade for EDC. Thankfully though I got a SS4 instead and I think Scrapyard knives are much better. I still recomend the Rats to people who don't like the way you have to buy knives from the yard though.

I love my RTAK II. For machete work, it beats the Dog Father, and still chops very well. They are really very different knives. The RTAK II is bigger and lighter. The DF is more of a heavy duty camp/survival chopper. For a day of chopping or batoning, I'd take the DF. For a trip in the jungle, I'd choose the RTAK II. Here you see the RTAK, RTAK II, and Dog Father.

Good pic Vic. The RTAKII looks considerably larger in person than the DF, even more so than the pic. But, its also much thinner. I've done some extreme chopping with both. The RTAK II shows an ever so slight "wave" in it, pretty much impossible to see but I can feel it when I run my finger down the side of the blade, and it may just be that I'm nuts - and I wish I would have paid more attention to see if it was like that before I used it - but it concerns me ever so slightly. I'm not concerned about it failing really, but I have realized that it isn't meant for heavy duty chopping - but it can do it if called on. No question that the DF is the superior chopper. Both are great knives with very different strengths, as Vic pointed out.

Those are sweet!!