Opinions on the Real Steel T-109 Flying Shark

[Nalapombu]

Hey all,

I don't keep up very much with all the makers and what's out there and such. I had no idea about this company until a few minutes ago when I saw it mentioned in another thread where someone was asking for recommendations on a lower cost knife. I looked at it cause that's what I am looking for, a lower cost carry knife with assisted opening or a flipper.

I saw REAL STEEL mentioned and I had never heard of it so I went to their page to check them out. They've got some nice knives and a lot of them are priced where they won't break the bank.
One that caught my eye is the T Series, T109 Flying Shark. Really nice looking knife to me and I like the specs. It's a bigger knife at a 4.05" blade, but I don't mind it.

Is there anyone out there that can give some opinions on this model or at least the company and it's products overall?

If you too are unfamiliar, here's a link to the model that I am asking about. Check out their stuff and see what you think.
http://www.realsteelknives.com/index.php/t-series/t109-flying-shark.html

Any info you can give would be appreciated.

Thanks all.
Larry

 

[fishface5]

I have a Sea Eagle which - aside from the mediocre blade steel - is one of my favorite knives ever. It's no Sebenza but its quality punches WAY above its price point.

 

[Hackenslash]

I've been mostly a fan of RealSteel knives.

Their first models were unremarkable ports of existing SanRenMu knives so the designs weren't great and they were frankly overpriced. When they began offering original designs, starting with the H6, I began to take notice. Their initial knives were really great values and offered F/F better than most at a similar price. The H6, H5, Griffin, Sea Eagle and others were great options for a $30-50 EDC. One of my all time favorite EDC knives is the H6-S1. It's kind of a RAT killer at a similar price to the D2 version.

Lately they've seemed to loose track of their roots. They are making new knives that really have some interesting designs but they all seem large and heavy. They're consistently making 4" blades that weigh well over 6 ounces. That just doesn't fit with my carry. Although the Flying Shark doesn't appeal to me from a functional standpoint, it does look attractive, and if typical of other RealSteel designs it will be well made. My problem with this and other recent RS designs is the price vs. the materials. For a few $ more you can get into a Kizer or WE grade of knife and trade a heavy steel handle for titanium or real G10 and upgrade your blade from Sandvik to S35VN. This knife really needs to be around $20-25 cheaper to make sense to me.

 

[Nalapombu]

Thanks for the info.

Hackenslash....I don't know about the different steels and what's better than the other. I also don't keep up with all the different knives and models available. In looking a bit last night I found the Flying Shark for about $10 less than the MSRP on their site. I don't mind a bigger knife as I have been carrying a Spyderco Endura for the last 10+ years. I have wanted a Spyderco Police in stainless with the Spydie edge for years, I just don't want to pay the $120 for one.

You mention other options and knives that would be a better choice than the Flying Dragon. Would you care to list some of them or PM me with the details? I'd like to make the best decision I can with the money I have to spend. I would really appreciate your help.

Thanks all and have a great week!

Larry

 

[Hackenslash]

Here's some offerings from Kizer and WE that might be better knives, but that's also based on my subjective opinion. If you're OK with the size and weight of the Flying Shark you'd probably be fine. All these are taken from BladeHQ so you can get more info there if curious. I'm not saying that the Flying Shark is a bad knife, I'm only trying to show you some options you might like better in the $70-100 price range.
Kizer Vanguard Sovereign

Kizer Vanguard Gemini

Kizer Vanguard Dorado

Kizer V3 Flipper

Kizer V3 Vigor

WE Knife 706

WE Knife 703

 

[Icehawk]

I have wanted a Spyderco Police in stainless with the Spydie edge for years, I just don't want to pay the $120 for one.

The Spydie is $40 more, amortize that over the time you will own the blade.... or imagine how much use you could have gotten if you had bought it years ago. Sometimes to justify what seems like an expensive immediate purchase you have to look at the long term cost. That's the only way I can justify things like the expensive sunglasses or headphones - they will last years and that bit of extra money earlier on will give me more enjoyment the entire length of ownership.

Of course a budget is a budget but maybe I can give you a friendly push

 

[Schwifty]

Kershaw has a solid line-up of assisted flippers, they basically own the market there. Plenty of options like the Dividend or Link.

 

[ThePeacent]

Kershaw has a solid line-up of assisted flippers, they basically own the market there. Plenty of options like the Dividend or Link.

+1 if you stick to well known models of the brand you'll get an excellent assisted or flipper for $20 or so, fun and sturdy, from a reputable and long-in-business brand

My personal picks would be the Chill, OSO Sweet or Skyline
otherwise, SRM, Enlan and other Chinese brands offer very nice flippers and A/O folders at a fraction of Real Steel's prices (HARNDS Nyx being my favorite...)

 

[ATJ999]

You will be able to find Real Steel knives much cheaper, at least 15- 25 bucks cheaper at an online knife store. I bought my Sea Eagle at knife center. That knife definitely punches way above it's price point. I am carrying mine right now(along with my Ferrum Forge) and am planning on getting another. They actually do a great job with their 14C28N! Good HT for it, holds a decent edge, and the SE has great blade geometry. That is all I can say about Real Steel, I have never owned another model of theirs. Very impressed with the SE though!