- Joined
- Oct 21, 2021
- Messages
- 151
In case my username hasn't already given it away, I'm a big fan of the old Buckmaster 184 Survival Knife. Having been born in the 80s, I have an attraction towards the so-called "Rambo Knives" of the time, that being Sawback Survival Knives with hollow handled used to store survival gear. Their practical application in the field may be questionable, but their Hollywood Movie appeal is unquestionable. They're just cool knives from both an aesthetic and conceptual point of view.
However, for me, it's the sawback blade design that really does it for me. Yeah, it's not nearly as practical as carrying a folding saw, and they generally make for a poor substitute, but they're aesthetically awesome.
Recently I posted a thread on the Rothco Ramster Survival Knive -- A Buckmaster 184 Clone, now we're moving on to the next knife I purchased afterwards, which also shares a common lineage with the Buckmaster, the M9 Bayonet. However, this isn't your standard issue US Army M9 Bayonet, this is the Smith & Wesson SW3B Special Operations M9 Bayonet! Oh yeah!
A few months back, I purchased it directly from Smith & Wesson's website. I've since done some research on it, but only so much information is available... What I do know is that they were made under license by Taylor Brands/Schrade up until Smith & Wesson acquired Taylor/Schrade and it has undergone a total of three revisions since they were first released back in 2003. Note: "Special Ops" is just part of the Bayonet's name, they were never actually adopted/fielded by any branch of the US Military.
First there was the SW1B, then the SW2B, and finally the SW3B. The differences between the models are that the SW1B and SW2B were made in China with 3Cr13 Stainless Steel while the SW3B was made in Taiwan with 420J2 Stainless Steel. In addition, there are some aesthetic changes between the three generations, most notably that the 2nd and 3rd Gen SW2B/3B have more aggressive saw teeth on the spine, reminiscent of the old Buckmaster 184 with which the M9 Bayonet shares a common lineage. Furthermore, the 3rd Generation was also offered in a variation with a bare Stainless Steel blade with an O.D. Green handle. (SW3G)
It would appear that Smith & Wesson is phasing out the SW3B seeing as it is currently on Clearance on their website for 45% Off. Whether this is because it is soon to be replaced with yet another revision (SW4B?) or if S&W is simply done selling M9 Bayonets remains to be seen.
Due to the differences between generational revisions, it's difficult to determine the quality of the Smith & Wesson Special Ops M9 Bayonets, as there are a wide variety of reviews over the years across different websites on each model, most of which are amateur user reviews which aren't particularly well written, and many of which regarding the 3rd Generation SW3B are especially unhelpful as they are written by young men gamers who apparently only bought the Bayonet because it appeared in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive video game, and thusly only cover the aesthetics and cool factor of being a video game weapon. In addition, a number of negative reviews are also arguably unhelpful because they are mostly written by folks who attempted to use it as a Bushcraft Survival Knife, Machete, or Hatchet, and thusly subjected it to a number of extensive tasks which the M9 Bayonet was never designed for in the first place, such as chopping and batoning wooden logs, yet were surprised/outraged that the Bayonet didn't last long being used as an improvised Machete/Hatchet. (There's a saw on the back for a reason, M9s are not full tang blades and thusly aren't suited for batoning/chopping wood and will eventually fail if repeatedly used for such tasks.)
As you can see, they SW3B M9 and Rothco Ramster similar in appearance, with the SW3B being just slightly longer with more contoured sawteeth on the spine. The original Buckmaster 184 had a very thick blade, even more so than the Rothco Ramster which is a clone of the Buckmaster. Due to its all Stainless Steel construction, the Buckmaster 184 was a very heavy knife, so when Phrobis (the designer of both blades) went to work on the M9, they intentionally made the M9 substantially thinner to reduce weight. They also made it with a far lighter plastic handle and redesigned the saw teeth to make them smaller and with sharpened tips, but the SW3B features the classic saw teeth of the Buckmaster 184.
Overall, I'm pleased with it. I haven't really used it for any labor intensive tasks, but it seems to be a good quality blade, despite what it's lower price point and Taiwanese manufacturing might suggest. The Taiwanese SW3B costs $109.99 vs $149.99 for an American-Made MilSpec M9 by Ontario Knife Company, but I can't compare the two because I don't own an OKC M9. Granted, I only paid $59.99 for the SW3B on Clearance, but for that price, I'd say it's a good deal.
The overall quality is significantly higher than the Rothco Ramster in terms of materials as well as fit and finish, because not only does Smith & Wesson actually specify that the SW3B M9 Bayonet is constructed from 420J2 Stainless Steel whereas Rothco doesn't specify what steel the Ramster is made of, (although I presume it's a likewise cheap Stainless Steel like 3CR13 or 420J) but also the SW3B lacks the uneven/lopsided blade grind that my Rothco Ramster has. Although admittedly, the black powdercoat finish isn't very durable and will wear of with repeated sheathing/unsheathing alone, which is less than ideal.
That concludes my lengthy yet informative write-up on the Smith & Wesson SW3B Special Operations M9 Bayonet. You may not find it particularly interesting, but hopefully it will help some folks out there scouring the internet for information on this blade, because I found very little on my own when I first purchased it.
However, for me, it's the sawback blade design that really does it for me. Yeah, it's not nearly as practical as carrying a folding saw, and they generally make for a poor substitute, but they're aesthetically awesome.
Recently I posted a thread on the Rothco Ramster Survival Knive -- A Buckmaster 184 Clone, now we're moving on to the next knife I purchased afterwards, which also shares a common lineage with the Buckmaster, the M9 Bayonet. However, this isn't your standard issue US Army M9 Bayonet, this is the Smith & Wesson SW3B Special Operations M9 Bayonet! Oh yeah!
A few months back, I purchased it directly from Smith & Wesson's website. I've since done some research on it, but only so much information is available... What I do know is that they were made under license by Taylor Brands/Schrade up until Smith & Wesson acquired Taylor/Schrade and it has undergone a total of three revisions since they were first released back in 2003. Note: "Special Ops" is just part of the Bayonet's name, they were never actually adopted/fielded by any branch of the US Military.
First there was the SW1B, then the SW2B, and finally the SW3B. The differences between the models are that the SW1B and SW2B were made in China with 3Cr13 Stainless Steel while the SW3B was made in Taiwan with 420J2 Stainless Steel. In addition, there are some aesthetic changes between the three generations, most notably that the 2nd and 3rd Gen SW2B/3B have more aggressive saw teeth on the spine, reminiscent of the old Buckmaster 184 with which the M9 Bayonet shares a common lineage. Furthermore, the 3rd Generation was also offered in a variation with a bare Stainless Steel blade with an O.D. Green handle. (SW3G)
It would appear that Smith & Wesson is phasing out the SW3B seeing as it is currently on Clearance on their website for 45% Off. Whether this is because it is soon to be replaced with yet another revision (SW4B?) or if S&W is simply done selling M9 Bayonets remains to be seen.
Due to the differences between generational revisions, it's difficult to determine the quality of the Smith & Wesson Special Ops M9 Bayonets, as there are a wide variety of reviews over the years across different websites on each model, most of which are amateur user reviews which aren't particularly well written, and many of which regarding the 3rd Generation SW3B are especially unhelpful as they are written by young men gamers who apparently only bought the Bayonet because it appeared in the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive video game, and thusly only cover the aesthetics and cool factor of being a video game weapon. In addition, a number of negative reviews are also arguably unhelpful because they are mostly written by folks who attempted to use it as a Bushcraft Survival Knife, Machete, or Hatchet, and thusly subjected it to a number of extensive tasks which the M9 Bayonet was never designed for in the first place, such as chopping and batoning wooden logs, yet were surprised/outraged that the Bayonet didn't last long being used as an improvised Machete/Hatchet. (There's a saw on the back for a reason, M9s are not full tang blades and thusly aren't suited for batoning/chopping wood and will eventually fail if repeatedly used for such tasks.)
As you can see, they SW3B M9 and Rothco Ramster similar in appearance, with the SW3B being just slightly longer with more contoured sawteeth on the spine. The original Buckmaster 184 had a very thick blade, even more so than the Rothco Ramster which is a clone of the Buckmaster. Due to its all Stainless Steel construction, the Buckmaster 184 was a very heavy knife, so when Phrobis (the designer of both blades) went to work on the M9, they intentionally made the M9 substantially thinner to reduce weight. They also made it with a far lighter plastic handle and redesigned the saw teeth to make them smaller and with sharpened tips, but the SW3B features the classic saw teeth of the Buckmaster 184.
Overall, I'm pleased with it. I haven't really used it for any labor intensive tasks, but it seems to be a good quality blade, despite what it's lower price point and Taiwanese manufacturing might suggest. The Taiwanese SW3B costs $109.99 vs $149.99 for an American-Made MilSpec M9 by Ontario Knife Company, but I can't compare the two because I don't own an OKC M9. Granted, I only paid $59.99 for the SW3B on Clearance, but for that price, I'd say it's a good deal.
The overall quality is significantly higher than the Rothco Ramster in terms of materials as well as fit and finish, because not only does Smith & Wesson actually specify that the SW3B M9 Bayonet is constructed from 420J2 Stainless Steel whereas Rothco doesn't specify what steel the Ramster is made of, (although I presume it's a likewise cheap Stainless Steel like 3CR13 or 420J) but also the SW3B lacks the uneven/lopsided blade grind that my Rothco Ramster has. Although admittedly, the black powdercoat finish isn't very durable and will wear of with repeated sheathing/unsheathing alone, which is less than ideal.
That concludes my lengthy yet informative write-up on the Smith & Wesson SW3B Special Operations M9 Bayonet. You may not find it particularly interesting, but hopefully it will help some folks out there scouring the internet for information on this blade, because I found very little on my own when I first purchased it.
