Bad Experience with a Ruike - Should I try again?

Mo2 said:
The problem is low hrc. Super easy to sharpen. Here's a real Steel in 14c28n... Real Steel and ruike are made in the same factory. They are basically the same...

You may want to re think your theory on Knife. Steels being better than one another. If the ht isn't great it's not gonna be better than something else. Stick with something like a civivi they have pulled off a good ht on there 9Cr18MoV iirc.

But regardless, look past steel names and look more at heat treatment and geometry. I mean for $30 you'll be hard pressed to find a knife with a good heat treatment .. Acceptable maybe.
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I get it. The type of steel is just one part of the equation. I didn't know that Real Steel was running their 14C28N that soft. It might be the same factory but has anyone tested the Ruike knives? Some websites say 58-60 for Ruike but I'd be glad to see some independent testing. Beyond that, does heat treatment have a noticeable effect on corrosion resistance? That's another place where 14C28N is a little better than 8Cr13Mov.

BTW, I'm also advocating Civivi as a budget winner here. I've got a Naja in my pocket right now. :D
 
Cosmodragoon said:
I get it. The type of steel is just one part of the equation. I didn't know that Real Steel was running their 14C28N that soft. It might be the same factory but has anyone tested the Ruike knives? Some websites say 58-60 for Ruike but I'd be glad to see some independent testing. Beyond that, does heat treatment have a noticeable effect on corrosion resistance? That's another place where 14C28N is a little better than 8Cr13Mov.

BTW, I'm also advocating Civivi as a budget winner here. I've got a Naja in my pocket right now. :D
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To be honest, I would also prefer 14C28N over 8cr13mov. But if these steels were tested in real life conditions, given good heat treatment for both knives. I would wager that the difference would be around 5-10 cuts on rope :)

Trust me, I am not a fan of 8cr. I want all manufacturers to move to a better steel, even in their budget models. I'm just saying the practical difference may not be as great as you may think.
 
Cosmodragoon said:
I get it. The type of steel is just one part of the equation. I didn't know that Real Steel was running their 14C28N that soft. It might be the same factory but has anyone tested the Ruike knives? Some websites say 58-60 for Ruike but I'd be glad to see some independent testing. Beyond that, does heat treatment have a noticeable effect on corrosion resistance? That's another place where 14C28N is a little better than 8Cr13Mov.

BTW, I'm also advocating Civivi as a budget winner here. I've got a Naja in my pocket right now. :D
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I edited my post to add the link. But yes they are the same, real Steel, ruike, and Senmenru are the same factory. All three of them advertise 14c28n as 58-60hrc but all the ones tested are around 55. I know your hoping otherwise but, it's true.

Heat treatment can affect corrosion but that steel has alot 14% c. So it's not going to be easy. But it's called stainless, not stain never. Also the blade finish can cause corrosion to accelerate, ie bead blast, stonewash etc. This is due to water or humidity to pool rather than run off. In any case you can read Larrins articles on corrosion. Basically depending on the holding temp and temper temp can affect the corrosion resistance. But I've not had a problem myself, just keep the blade dry. You can oil it if you notice any issues using mineral oil, just apply a little and wipe off with a towel.
 
Dogdrawz said:
Dern it, now the Atmos itch is here. But to which color...hmmm. Green looks nice.
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IMO, the standard black Atmos looks the best, but that's a matter of personal opinion.

BTW, I am more and more impressed by the Atmos. I took it apart today just to lubricate it and clean it, even though it didn't really need it. Just wanted to see how it works and hopefully make it a bit better. I used some rubbing alcohol to clean the bearings and the pivot, then added just a bit of knife oil on the bearings and the other innards. And when I put it back together, it was perfect. 40% lockup, no blade play, perfect centering, and the same great action. And I am not a genius at disassembling knives. I can honestly say this is a quality knife.
 
rogatsby said:
IMO, the standard black Atmos looks the best, but that's a matter of personal opinion.
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I'd have to agree, but I plan on some Rit Dye, an etched & tumbled blade & I think the tan or blue would suit that right nicely. Of course blue can only go darker blue or green, so tan it is. Now, I wonder what that neon yellow Rit Dye will do to tan. Hmmm.
 
So Real Steel is running their 14C28N unusually soft. I kinda suspected it based on how my T101 Thor was behaving during sharpening but I'm glad to finally get a confirmation. For the record, my T101 Thor also came with a loose pivot out of the box.
 
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I really don't expect ruike is running it that soft, all their websites say 58-60 ... has anyone tested theirs?
 
dirc said:
I really don't expect ruike is running it that soft, all their websites say 58-60 ... has anyone tested theirs?
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Its that soft. All those websites say 58-60hrc for those same brands in the same factory and when tested shows 55.
 
LuvThem(Kah)nives has a few batches of Chinese knives with hrc test results on Youtoob. Pretty interesting.
 
I’ve just become into this knife hobby recently and been lurking here for a while without registration. Seeing your post, I feel obligated to register and share my experience with Ruike P801.

I purchased the Ruike P801 two weeks ago and it’s still my only “true” knife (not counting Victorinox, utility knives etc) so far (three more on the road). I was absolutely stunned by how well it’s made. Beautiful, blade deadly centered, flipping effortlessly, all the edges are grinded perfectly, and much more.With the blue decorations it’s almost like a jewelry! I don’t know what kind of quality you guys can get from a $500 ZT or Reate, but to me this $30 Ruike is almost perfect already. I cannot think of anything it can be improved further for me! (maybe except it’s not as sharp as my utility knife, yet. I am learning how to sharpen it). Also I love steels and I am not sure all those fancy non-steel stuff (FRN, G-10, Titanium etc.) are more tough than this beautiful full steel Ruike P801. My Victorinox fell from 2nd floor and the red plastic scale shattered, and I believe this Ruike can emerge from a similar fall unscathed. You see I am so impressed I picked Ruike as my new user name!

Regarding your flipping difficulties, actually I had similar problem on the second day. I thought it’s a quality issue but then found out I pressed my finger on the lock bar when flipping. You have to move your finger out of the way from the lock bar. Check if this is the case for you.
 
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I really was hoping that this was not the case with Ruike. I got the Jager a while back. I've been pleased but it hasn't seen any real use yet. (That will happen over the summer.) On a general note, is there an easy way to quantitatively test the hardness?
 
Cosmodragoon said:
I really was hoping that this was not the case with Ruike. I got the Jager a while back. I've been pleased but it hasn't seen any real use yet. (That will happen over the summer.) On a general note, is there an easy way to quantitatively test the hardness?
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Gary Graley in this forum tested Ruike Jager F118 recently using a professional equipment. His result is 59:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/ruike-jager-fixed-blade-model-f118-b.1630685/#post-18637565

F118 has the same steel 14C28N as P801. Also they claim the same hardness range 58-60.

Note he only tested an area much further away from the blade edge. So the true hardness of the blade edge may be even higher than 59.
 
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ruiker said:
I’ve just become into this knife hobby recently and been lurking here for a while without registration. Seeing your post, I feel obligated to register and share my experience with Ruike P801.

I purchased the Ruike P801 two weeks ago and it’s still my only “true” knife (not counting Victorinox, utility knives etc) so far (three more on the road). I was absolutely stunned by how well it’s made. Beautiful, blade deadly centered, flipping effortlessly, all the edges are grinded perfectly, and much more.With the blue decorations it’s almost like a jewelry! I don’t know what kind of quality you guys can get from a $500 ZT or Reate, but to me this $30 Ruike is almost perfect already. I cannot think of anything it can be improved further for me! (maybe except it’s not as sharp as my utility knife, yet. I am learning how to sharpen it). Also I love steels and I am not sure all those fancy non-steel stuff (FRN, G-10, Titanium etc.) are more tough than this beautiful full steel Ruike P801. My Victorinox fell from 2nd floor and the case shattered, and I believe this Ruike can emerge from a similar fall unscathed. You see I am so impressed I picked Ruike as my new user name!

Regarding your flipping difficulties, actually I had similar problem on the second day. I thought it’s a quality issue but then found out I pressed my finger on the frame “flap” when flipping. You have to move your finger out of the way from the “flap”. Check if this is the case for you.
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Flap = lock bar
 
Didn't realize this thread would bring on so much discussion about metal hardness, which is pretty interesting that they falsely advertise an incorrect hardness rating. I watched a YT video of a person who re-profiled their 8CR13MoV edge (On a Kershaw Atmos) to I believe 15 degrees and did a rope cut test with it, and it performed significantly better than they had expected.

Anyways, I ended up purchasing the Atmos. The first one I received was off center and appeared to have been a return as there was already minor pivot screw damage and the plastic bag it came in (that's inside the Kershaw box) looked to be pretty scuffed, so I returned that one and exchanged for a second one. The second one looked great, not 100% dead center, favors the clip side just a hair but I can live with this one compared to the first one. Took it apart, sanded the sharp edges of the G10 and sanded some of the sharp edges of the jimping on the neutered flipper tab and now it's just about perfect.

I also recently purchased a CRKT LCK after reading and watching the reviews on it. Hopefully this is another budget knife that I can call a keeper. I'm getting the black reverse tanto blade shaped one, but I don't particularly like the black coating. Anyone ever removed this? Is it paint or is it an actual coating like DLC? Would a sandpaper flap wheel on a Dremel work you think? Or perhaps a SS or brass wire wheel?
 
iareconfuse said:
which is pretty interesting that they falsely advertise an incorrect hardness rating
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Insisting spreading speculation based misinformation and igoring fact based argument (HRC 59 for a similar Ruike product) I presented above, and in the same time detailedly advertising competition unrelated to Ruike topic here, you are risking losing your credibility.
 
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ruiker said:
Insisting spreading speculation based misinformation and igoring fact based argument (HRC 59 for a similar Ruike product) I presented above, and in the same time detailedly advertising competition unrelated to Ruike topic here, you are risking losing your credibility.
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What are you on about? Who said anything about insisting on spreading misinformation and advertised competition? Do you realize that more than half of his thread has been other people talking about the Kershaw Atmos as an alternative?... Speaking of credibility.....
 
iareconfuse said:
What are you on about? Who said anything about insisting on spreading misinformation and advertised competition? Do you realize that more than half of his thread has been other people talking about the Kershaw Atmos as an alternative?... Speaking of credibility.....
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Hey, you accused Ruike of “falsely advertise incorrect hardness rating” as if that’s a fact. Do you have any hard evidence for that, or better circumstantial evidence than mine (Gary’s test referenced above)? If not, that is “spreading misinformation”, if not worse.

As stated earlier in this thread, I picked my user name as “ruiker” since P801 is my first modern knife and I love it. That’s it. If you think that affects my credibility that’s your judgment.
 
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iareconfuse said:
Didn't realize this thread would bring on so much discussion about metal hardness, which is pretty interesting that they falsely advertise an incorrect hardness rating. I watched a YT video of a person who re-profiled their 8CR13MoV edge (On a Kershaw Atmos) to I believe 15 degrees and did a rope cut test with it, and it performed significantly better than they had expected.

Anyways, I ended up purchasing the Atmos. The first one I received was off center and appeared to have been a return as there was already minor pivot screw damage and the plastic bag it came in (that's inside the Kershaw box) looked to be pretty scuffed, so I returned that one and exchanged for a second one. The second one looked great, not 100% dead center, favors the clip side just a hair but I can live with this one compared to the first one. Took it apart, sanded the sharp edges of the G10 and sanded some of the sharp edges of the jimping on the neutered flipper tab and now it's just about perfect.

I also recently purchased a CRKT LCK after reading and watching the reviews on it. Hopefully this is another budget knife that I can call a keeper. I'm getting the black reverse tanto blade shaped one, but I don't particularly like the black coating. Anyone ever removed this? Is it paint or is it an actual coating like DLC? Would a sandpaper flap wheel on a Dremel work you think? Or perhaps a SS or brass wire wheel?
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Great to hear you got an Atmos! I still absolutely love mine. Too bad you had to exchange it once. Mine was perfect out of the box. But I still took it apart and cleaned and lubed it, and I also sharpened it. Even after disassembly and putting it back together, my blade is centered and there is no blade play. And after the sharpening, it is scary sharp.

And after maintenance, the action is even better, and I am getting a perfect 40-50% lockup.
 
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