Hi,
This is my second review on bladeforums and it just so happens to be another Reate one. This time I’ll be talking about the Crossroads.
IMG_20190129_110044 by horzuff ., on Flickr
First some general info:
The Crossroads is a Kirby Lambert design based on the custom knife of the same name. It’s almost a direct translation where the only things changed is the lock – a bolster lock instead of Kirby’s liner lock – and when combined with Reate quality, fit and finish it really is an awesome knife.
IMG_20190129_103356 by horzuff ., on Flickr
Design:
The Crossroads is a mid to large size folder with it’s 3,6” blade and 8,4” overall, however due to the titanium and G10 used the weight sits at a pretty acceptable 5,3 oz. This is helped some more by the simple yet effective 3D milled titanium pocket clip which holds the blade securely in Your pocket so it doesn’t flop around. This has a downside too, as the clip is so secure, that it’s sometimes difficult to pull it out of the pocket, especially in case of training pants etc.
IMG_20190117_194137 by horzuff ., on Flickr
The knife is a bolstered framelock or bolsterlock with smooth beadblasted-like handles, where the bolster is an integral part of the frame made of titanium (6Al4V) and the scales are made of olive-green G10. All the screws are made of titanium anodized blue with gold highlights and the pivot is a real nice custom one (the downside being it requires T15 torx, unlike the usual T6 and T8).
IMG_20190118_074817 by horzuff ., on Flickr
The Crossroads has a floating titanium backspacer with gold-anodized titanium spacers which is a rarity even in the mid tech market, more so in a production knife. It also has a lanyard post that, unlike a lanyard hole, doesn’t take away from the overall design. As an added bonus, the lanyard post is the exact same dimensions as the stop pin, so if You ever need to replace Yours, You can just switch it around and be good to go.
As for the blade – a nice drop pointish piece of steel with a compound-ground swedge and a half-height small-diameter-wheel hollow grind. The grinds are vertical machine-satin while the flats are horizontal hand-satin finish. The flipper tab is middle sized with perfect jimping and a couple sharpish edges that some people might not like. In the open position it offers some additional protection for the hand, however the handle gives You plenty of traction by itself with it’s two well spaced finger grooves, at least for my large hands. And as we’re already at the handle I should definitely mention that it’s perfectly contoured and the hump fills my palm just right, lending itself to heavy or prolonged work.
IMG_20190119_135417 by horzuff ., on Flickr
Action:
The Crossroads run on single row ceramic bearings with a ceramic detent to boot with a detent ramp milled in the blade tang to lower friction while closing the blade. There are also hardened steel washers in the handle, so that the bearings don’t run on soft titanium. What’s more, the handle scales over the locking spring allow You to grip the knife securely without putting too much pressure on the detent. All this along with perfect the fit give a genuinely fluid action – the blade drops by itself even though it’s not too heavy, the flipper is in just the right spot to make opening the knife pure pleasure and the blade snaps open with little effort and always locks securely with a satisfying thwack.
Cutting performance:
As mentioned before, the blade has a pretty low and severe hollow grind that terminates on a medium thick cutting edge. This makes the knife plenty robust and as long as You keep away from thick and hard materials it works really well, especially with the very well heat treated M390. It would work really well at taking down cardboard boxes and similar tasks. You could also stretch it to some kitchen work as the blade is not too pointy-stabby, so long as You don’t plan to use carrots and other hard veggies. On that note I wouldn’t pick this blade for woodwork or cutting up sweet potatoes, that’s just not it’s jam. But if You need a dauntless Cardboard Killer with quite a bit of style then You need not look any further, the Crossroads fit the bill perfectly.
IMG_20190120_112249 by horzuff ., on Flickr
Comfort:
The handle is nicely contoured, the finish is real smooth, the clip doesn’t create any hotspots and the finger grooves fit my hands just right. The only snag that I’ve found in this perfection is the pointy bit at the tip of the lockbar – in the open position it sometimes digs into my index finger but nothing too serious. Other than that the handle is really decent – it allows You to put in quite some force into Your cuts and the grip doesn’t tire out Your hand.
IMG_20190129_103356 by horzuff ., on Flickr
Security:
The blade is held open by decently sturdy bolsterlock with a hardened steel insert. There is no play in any plane and the lock shrugs off spinewhacks with ease. The insert doubles as an overtravel stop and the handle scales add another layer of protection so there’s virtually no way to bend the lock out. The grip is also very secure – the finger grooves keep Your hand in place and if that ever failed then there’s the flipper tab that creates a nice finger guard. So if ever in an emergency You can stab the knife into something with some real force without fear for slipping and cutting Yourself.
Fit and finish:
This section probably won’t surprise You in the slightest as Reate got us used to perfection in this department and the Crossroads aren’t any different in this department. Starting from the tip – the hand rubbed satin is perfectly even, so is the belt satin on the grinds. The grinds themselves are 100% symmetrical and the edge is nice and even the whole length of the knife. Even the tang and lock area are finished nicely, no spot is left untouched. The finish on the handle is also perfect, the bolster/overlay execution is completely seamless, You an barely even feel the transition with Your fingernail. The beadblasting is exactly the same on all the titanium. Also the screws are anodized perfectly as well.
Summary:
The Reate Cossroads is a really interesting proposition. You get a nearly perfect rendition of the custom, with almost legendary Reate quality, top notch materials and that for under 400$. Of course that’s no small change but in my opinion it easily competes with most of the midtech market, and there’s pretty much no real competitor in the production tier. So if You are in search of an all-round high end EDC or want to add a really nice piece to Your collection this one is a no-brainer. Yet if You are looking for ultimate cutting performance, extreme light weight or compact (and law compliant) blade then look elsewhere as this is quite a big and beefy knife.
IMG_20190119_143647 by horzuff ., on Flickr
Thanks for reading,
Jerzy
This is my second review on bladeforums and it just so happens to be another Reate one. This time I’ll be talking about the Crossroads.
IMG_20190129_110044 by horzuff ., on FlickrFirst some general info:
The Crossroads is a Kirby Lambert design based on the custom knife of the same name. It’s almost a direct translation where the only things changed is the lock – a bolster lock instead of Kirby’s liner lock – and when combined with Reate quality, fit and finish it really is an awesome knife.
IMG_20190129_103356 by horzuff ., on FlickrDesign:
The Crossroads is a mid to large size folder with it’s 3,6” blade and 8,4” overall, however due to the titanium and G10 used the weight sits at a pretty acceptable 5,3 oz. This is helped some more by the simple yet effective 3D milled titanium pocket clip which holds the blade securely in Your pocket so it doesn’t flop around. This has a downside too, as the clip is so secure, that it’s sometimes difficult to pull it out of the pocket, especially in case of training pants etc.
IMG_20190117_194137 by horzuff ., on FlickrThe knife is a bolstered framelock or bolsterlock with smooth beadblasted-like handles, where the bolster is an integral part of the frame made of titanium (6Al4V) and the scales are made of olive-green G10. All the screws are made of titanium anodized blue with gold highlights and the pivot is a real nice custom one (the downside being it requires T15 torx, unlike the usual T6 and T8).
IMG_20190118_074817 by horzuff ., on FlickrThe Crossroads has a floating titanium backspacer with gold-anodized titanium spacers which is a rarity even in the mid tech market, more so in a production knife. It also has a lanyard post that, unlike a lanyard hole, doesn’t take away from the overall design. As an added bonus, the lanyard post is the exact same dimensions as the stop pin, so if You ever need to replace Yours, You can just switch it around and be good to go.
As for the blade – a nice drop pointish piece of steel with a compound-ground swedge and a half-height small-diameter-wheel hollow grind. The grinds are vertical machine-satin while the flats are horizontal hand-satin finish. The flipper tab is middle sized with perfect jimping and a couple sharpish edges that some people might not like. In the open position it offers some additional protection for the hand, however the handle gives You plenty of traction by itself with it’s two well spaced finger grooves, at least for my large hands. And as we’re already at the handle I should definitely mention that it’s perfectly contoured and the hump fills my palm just right, lending itself to heavy or prolonged work.
IMG_20190119_135417 by horzuff ., on FlickrAction:
The Crossroads run on single row ceramic bearings with a ceramic detent to boot with a detent ramp milled in the blade tang to lower friction while closing the blade. There are also hardened steel washers in the handle, so that the bearings don’t run on soft titanium. What’s more, the handle scales over the locking spring allow You to grip the knife securely without putting too much pressure on the detent. All this along with perfect the fit give a genuinely fluid action – the blade drops by itself even though it’s not too heavy, the flipper is in just the right spot to make opening the knife pure pleasure and the blade snaps open with little effort and always locks securely with a satisfying thwack.
Cutting performance:
As mentioned before, the blade has a pretty low and severe hollow grind that terminates on a medium thick cutting edge. This makes the knife plenty robust and as long as You keep away from thick and hard materials it works really well, especially with the very well heat treated M390. It would work really well at taking down cardboard boxes and similar tasks. You could also stretch it to some kitchen work as the blade is not too pointy-stabby, so long as You don’t plan to use carrots and other hard veggies. On that note I wouldn’t pick this blade for woodwork or cutting up sweet potatoes, that’s just not it’s jam. But if You need a dauntless Cardboard Killer with quite a bit of style then You need not look any further, the Crossroads fit the bill perfectly.
IMG_20190120_112249 by horzuff ., on FlickrComfort:
The handle is nicely contoured, the finish is real smooth, the clip doesn’t create any hotspots and the finger grooves fit my hands just right. The only snag that I’ve found in this perfection is the pointy bit at the tip of the lockbar – in the open position it sometimes digs into my index finger but nothing too serious. Other than that the handle is really decent – it allows You to put in quite some force into Your cuts and the grip doesn’t tire out Your hand.
IMG_20190129_103356 by horzuff ., on FlickrSecurity:
The blade is held open by decently sturdy bolsterlock with a hardened steel insert. There is no play in any plane and the lock shrugs off spinewhacks with ease. The insert doubles as an overtravel stop and the handle scales add another layer of protection so there’s virtually no way to bend the lock out. The grip is also very secure – the finger grooves keep Your hand in place and if that ever failed then there’s the flipper tab that creates a nice finger guard. So if ever in an emergency You can stab the knife into something with some real force without fear for slipping and cutting Yourself.
Fit and finish:
This section probably won’t surprise You in the slightest as Reate got us used to perfection in this department and the Crossroads aren’t any different in this department. Starting from the tip – the hand rubbed satin is perfectly even, so is the belt satin on the grinds. The grinds themselves are 100% symmetrical and the edge is nice and even the whole length of the knife. Even the tang and lock area are finished nicely, no spot is left untouched. The finish on the handle is also perfect, the bolster/overlay execution is completely seamless, You an barely even feel the transition with Your fingernail. The beadblasting is exactly the same on all the titanium. Also the screws are anodized perfectly as well.
Summary:
The Reate Cossroads is a really interesting proposition. You get a nearly perfect rendition of the custom, with almost legendary Reate quality, top notch materials and that for under 400$. Of course that’s no small change but in my opinion it easily competes with most of the midtech market, and there’s pretty much no real competitor in the production tier. So if You are in search of an all-round high end EDC or want to add a really nice piece to Your collection this one is a no-brainer. Yet if You are looking for ultimate cutting performance, extreme light weight or compact (and law compliant) blade then look elsewhere as this is quite a big and beefy knife.
IMG_20190119_143647 by horzuff ., on FlickrThanks for reading,
Jerzy
