Real Steel T101

[SmallBlock327]

Well I just purchased a Real Steel T101 "Black" with the 14c28n blade steel and I just wanted to share my opinion about this knife. The last knife I shared a review about, you'd think I went off and joined the taliban from all the kicks & punches I received just because it was made from someone else other than the USA. Regardless of the negative comments I get, this knife is one of the best folders I've ever owned. Yeah I know if it's not S30V or S35VN or some other high dollar steel it's not worth a crap but I know 14c28n steel and what it's capable of and like I said it's one of the best I've ever owned. Ultra smooth open & close with blade centered when closed. Built to last no doubt about that. Some of my other knives like ZT 0566, & Benchmade are nice but in my opinion are over priced. I have to sharpen them just as much as any other knife but with them it takes much longer to get the razor edge I like. With the 14c28n I can get it crazy sharp in a quarter of the time and it holds an edge just as long regardless of what the statistics say! I use my knives everyday and I enjoy sharpening them and it's more satisfying to get that one stroke all the hair gone edge sooner than later knowing how long it's going to last no matter what the steel. The Real Steel T101 is 1/3 the price of my ZT and built every bit as good if not better. So say what you want, I have used both knives equally and I know what quality is and so far this Real Steel T101 is standing with the bigboys! I don give a shit who it's made by, that bullshit don't matter to me because im not looking to buy a name, im buying a quality knife.:grumpy:

 

[marcinek]

1) You should actually read the replies in your last review. No had a problem with the knife being made outside the US. They had a problem with the knife being a ripoff of another company's design

2) A paragraph break never hurts.

3) Nice language.

Thanks for the review.

 

[Hackenslash]

RealSteel knives are (mostly) original designs. The quality is competitive with Cold Steel and Kershaw, but not on par with ZT. If you think the T101 is better than your ZT...you may have a fake ZT

For the price point (around $40) they're a great value and I own several RealSteel knives. You shouldn't get flamed for liking a RealSteel knife, they're a respectable, decent brand. Maybe you're feeling a little defensive?

 

[RevDevil]

Price and value are a matter of individual perception, nothing more. Just because you may find a $200 knife too expensive, others find that below entry level for their own tastes, uses, and collections. Nothing wrong with that of course, but be careful when making broad sweeping statements that do not realistically fit the demographic you are addressing.

As for the Real Steel knives being priced at the point where they are, I have a hard time believing the materials are actually what is stated, and not something else. Short of using a mass spectrometer of some sort to determine the actual materials, you will never know. If you like it, that is all that matters. Don't start crapping on other brands because of your perceptions of value. Especially if you have no experience with them.

One thing to note that some of the companies that produce these off shore made knives run copies/clones/knock offs of existing designs and it is not difficult to have the same company producing various knife models under different names. It doesn't matter to you who made it? Cool, It does in fact matter to other people. Just another bit of shadiness to keep some folks away. In short, you like it, awesome. Enjoy it, and keep the language family friendly.

 

[Hackenslash]

One thing to note that some of the companies that produce these off shore made knives run copies/clones/knock offs of existing designs and it is not difficult to have the same company producing various knife models under different names. It doesn't matter to you who made it? Cool, It does in fact matter to other people. Just another bit of shadiness to keep some folks away. In short, you like it, awesome. Enjoy it, and keep the language family friendly.

This is certainly true for RealSteel. They have some rather shadowy connections to SanRenMu and share some designs and hardware. I've never had a real good warm and fuzzy over SanRenMu given their (probably unlicensed) use of the Axis Lock and I'm not sure how much they're a part of RealSteel.

In terms of materials, the blade steel seems to perform more like the 8CR stuff that Spyderco and Kershaw uses. It just doesn't seem to hold an edge as well as the 14C28N on Skylines and Blurs.

All that being said, ReelSteel seems to be a viable option in the sub-$75 market so long as you can get past their potential to be affiliated with the manufacturers who make the copies and clones. I tend to try to look at current offerings and none of those appear to be copies or clones.