Rajah I

T

The Whip

Joined
Jan 28, 2007
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1,022
CS,

Can you shed any light on why the Rajah I was dropped from the lineup? It was every bit the "upgrade" from the Rajah II that the polished Espadas are to the G-10 versions. Its thinner profile made it a tad more pocket friendly, too.

Any chance of its return? I would love to see it made available again, and I don't think I'm alone in that desire.

-Steve
 
Cost and lack of sales I suspect. The polished version was perhaps somewhat less utilitarian than the folding Kukri design would suggest too.
 
My guess was that it was more expensive to make. The handle is aluminum and something else (not plastic - maybe G10?) and it is HEAVY. I have 2 and they are prbably the sharpest knifes I own.
 
Freman Bloodglaive said:
The polished version was perhaps somewhat less utilitarian than the folding Kukri design would suggest too.
Click to expand...

Hmm, curious about what you mean by "less utilitarian." Do you mean less comfortable in the hand because of the narrower handles? If so, I agree. But that same narrowness made it a bit more comfortable in the pocket. And the milled aluminum handles were lighter than the steel lined-lined Grivory. I suspect they were comparable in toughness.

Freman Bloodglaive said:
Polished G10 and aluminium.
Click to expand...

Actually, it was matte scales and bolster, which, with its full flat grind, should have made it slightly less expensive to produce than the polished Espadas. This begs my original question: Why are the (arguably expensive) polished Espadas still around but the Rajah I isn't? I suspect that you guys are right about flagging sales, but I think that was unique to the time frame when the Rajah I was introduced. Knife prices were lower, and there was more competition in the "big knife" arena (think Camillus Cuda Maxx 5.5, REKAT Sifu, Lone Wolf Harsey Tactical Folder, etc.). Now knife prices are steadily climbing across the board and all of those big-knife competitors are gone. The only viable contenders, namely the Tatanka and the stray HTM Madd Maxx 5.5 or AXD when you can find them, are much more expensive and can't come close to the performance.

I just think a renewed Rajah I would fare well now. And I'd love to see it offered again.

-Steve
 
Less utilitarian in the sense that when you think of a kukri you're not thinking of a knife made to look good, but to go out and beat on. The aluminium and G10 just looks too good for a kukri.

Some people might like that though.
 
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