Liong Mah/Reate Collab: SDC

Save yourself $50 and order directly from Liong's website :) ;)

Edited to add: Liong said that he is basically putting his reputation on the line with this knife and has full faith in David's expertise. Functionally I think the knife will be exactly what we've come to expect from Reate; bold. The 'slim" comes from how wide the knife is from spine to back of handle, when closed. As far as it being too slim to flip....have you ever seen a Brad Zinker??

I agree that 3 1/4" or so would have made more sense, but as I start using bigger folders, the smaller ones **cough cough Mini Bo** are just that, small. I've been eyeing this knife for the last week and only need to water the money tree before it's mine. Anybody wanna buy some knives?!
 
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Blues: relevant to my earlier post, I never had the urge to buy a sebenza, despite the hype. Would you advise this one instead, put them on equal footing, or consider me wrong for not getting a sebenza? Please keep in mind, I own well over 300 knives BUT my only $300 plus knives are true customs, and I have never sold any knives so I tend to be stuck with what I buy. Your input would be greatly appreciated.
 
katanas said:
Blues: relevant to my earlier post, I never had the urge to buy a sebenza, despite the hype. Would you advise this one instead, put them on equal footing, or consider me wrong for not getting a sebenza? Please keep in mind, I own well over 300 knives BUT my only $300 plus knives are true customs, and I have never sold any knives so I tend to be stuck with what I buy. Your input would be greatly appreciated.
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These two knives are really apples to oranges.

If you like the vision of the Sebenza (a trusty sidekick that can easily be serviced) then that's what you should get. The Reate is more of a new and trendy design that wets the whistle when you already have too many knives:D
 
OK, my bad for poor question. :o The simple lines of the sebenza appeal to me, but I really don't care about the .00016 (or whatever) tolerances. This knife seems to have the simple lines (except for the saber? grind) but a certain "je ne sais quoi" of it's own. I've been looking for something new, and the sebenza is the only one that seems fitting EXCEPT, it does not seem worth the price to someone not into extreme fit in a production knife. Sooo, please pick one for me based on your experience (which I value) and I will give it a shot. NO responsibility toward you, I'm asking. Thanks :)
 
katanas said:
OK, my bad for poor question. :o The simple lines of the sebenza appeal to me, but I really don't care about the .00016 (or whatever) tolerances. This knife seems to have the simple lines (except for the saber? grind) but a certain "je ne sais quoi" of it's own. I've been looking for something new, and the sebenza is the only one that seems fitting EXCEPT, it does not seem worth the price to someone not into extreme fit in a production knife. Sooo, please pick one for me based on your experience (which I value) and I will give it a shot. NO responsibility toward you, I'm asking. Thanks :)
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Not a poor question at all my friend!

If you're going for aesthetically clean lines, they are both fitting, but I think the Reate has the slight edge aesthetically. The tight tolerances of the Sebenza are to be appreciated if you are constantly getting your knife dirty and disassembling multiple times. I can't imagine this Reate being as easy to take apart as a Seb'. Also, I'm confident that warranty service is 10x better from CRK. A Sebenza will still be "all that" in 10 years, this Reate is just a "flavor of the day" knife. Something fun to put into my rotation.

Based on looks, you can't go wrong either way. However, functionally the Sebenza is a better knife when looking at the entire package (i.e. warranty, iconic brand, ease of disassembly, etc..).

I think you need to ask yourself "will I carry this knife a lot, or will I just carry it once a week?". I own a Seb' and a 'Zaan and don't carry them that often. But...when I know I need the most dependable knife for a day's work, I reach for my CRK's. No bearings to get dirty, no need to worry about stripping a screw and waiting for some dude in China to send you one, and if I drop it in mud/water it will be easy to clean:thumbup:

For me, the Reate will get carried for a week straight, then go into a state of quasi-edc. I probably won't carry the knife unless I go for a while without it. My CRK's actually play a role in my collection, hard and dependable user knives.

Look at it this way, do you want to have a one night stand with your Reate, or do you want a wife that will treat you well under any circumstance (cough..cough...Sebenza...)? Anyways, that's just my (long) take:D
 
While waiting for Blues Bender's video review here's one by GP Knives.

I think at $300 it's definitely worth it. There are some Liong Mah designs made by Reate going for $350-$400 that personally are not worth it.

Some questions on the Liong Mah SDC Slim Daily Carry:

  • How well does it carry (concerned about width)?
  • How well does the low-profile flipper tab work?
  • How well does it flip (detent, etc.)?
  • How practical is that blade shape/grind?


[video=youtube_share;IuSD5ouo-a4]http://youtu.be/IuSD5ouo-a4[/video]
 
The blade grind and ramp reminds me of the Spyderco Rubicon.

spyderco-rubicon-pin-c187cfp-large.jpg
 
RamZar said:
While waiting for Blues Bender's video review here's one by GP Knives.

I think at $300 it's definitely worth it. There are some Liong Mah designs made by Reate going for $350-$400 that personally are not worth it.

Some questions on the Liong Mah SDC Slim Daily Carry:

  • How well does it carry (concerned about width)?
  • How well does the low-profile flipper tab work?
  • How well does it flip (detent, etc.)?
  • How practical is that blade shape/grind?


[video=youtube_share;IuSD5ouo-a4]http://youtu.be/IuSD5ouo-a4[/video]
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Thanks Ram. I think I'm going to have to pick one of these up.
 
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