Recommendation? Reate Hills vs Real Steel Megalodon vs Massdrop Loconico Keen

[veritas111]

Hi,

I am looking for a snappy titanium flipper. These knives have similar dimensions and prices. Anyone handled these? Which one do you prefer in terms of action and quality? Or another suggestions under or around $200?

 

[K.O.D.]

I'm gonna say the Massdrop Laconico. I just got the Massdrop FF Gent, and it's phenomenal. Flips a lot like my ZT 0095BLK, but at a smaller size an 1/16th the weight. The quality is stellar. It's just booted my Bailey model 2 geek edition from the #1 spot.

 

[Mo2]

I have a reate horizon d and it's the top of the line knife. Better than most. I don't know how it compares to a keen. But I also have 2 megladon. One from 2017 on barrel pins and the 2018 on bearings. Like them both alot. and it's a good knife.

The keen I don't have much interest in. But do like the blade geometry. I'd rather have a Trevor Burger custom who has a similar blade but it also costs far more.

Wish I had more info on the reate hills. I've hear alot of good reviews but never handled that model. If it's anything like the horizon d I have, it would be my pick of the 3...but alas I cannot say that till I try one.

 

[Mo2]

 

[Stumpy72]

As fate would have it, I’ve got one of each of these three. These are subjective personal reactions to them, but... The Keen is the budget entry and it has a nice smooth action but falls the shortest of the three when it comes to filling my XXXL hand. The Hills also has a nice smooth action, fills my hand the most of the three and a slightly longer blade. The Meg has a really smooth action, falls in the middle when it comes to filling my hand (which it still does quite nicely and very comfortably) and has the longest blade.

For the blade and handle sizes, the Meg is suprisingly lightweight and it feels and carries very nicely. The Hills looks, feels and carries clunky in comparison and the Keen looks, feels and carries what I’d call a bit more delicate. In terms of “pocket pecker size”--which some people get all bent out of shape about--the Meg has the smallest one, the Keen’s is only just barely bigger than the Meg’s and the one on the Hills is really big. I’d rate all three as being roughly equal in terms of “drop shut” action. I haven’t done any sharpening, disassembly, cleaning or maintenance on any of them so I have no insights into those areas.

The Keen and Hills both have S35VN blades but the Meg is M390, which means a great deal to a lot of people.

The Hills was one of the earliest Reates and is out of production, but it’s the last >$200 Reate (and I think the last >$350 Reate) you’ll ever get to grab. The Keen made a big splash when MD dropped it and it has a large, vocal community of lovers here @ BF. I’m sure they’ll be chiming in shortly. I don’t think I’ve seen the Meg get a lot of traction or develop any real kind of following here, and I honestly don’t know why. IMO it should have. I see it as a smoother version of the ZT 0452 with a blade made of better steel (than the standard 0452).

If you have XL to XXXL hands, I think you might find the Keen a bit more finicky to handle. I’m in the XXXL category and I find keeping my big meaty sausage fingers off of the lockbar when I go to deploy it to be an issue. I can work it OK, but it demands more careful finger placement for me.

All this being said--and being an XXXL hand size guy--I like the Meg the best and it’s my favorite of the three. The handle size is for me a nice compromise between the other two, the action is so smooth and easy that it deserves to be called “buttery” and I like that big damn blade. It's what many would probably call a pocket sword so if you don’t want a big blade it may not be best for you. If I had to pick just one out of the three, I’d unhesitatingly go with the Meg. The Hills would probably be my second choice and the only reason the Keen would be in last place is because of the care I have to take with finger placement when I deploy it. The Keen is the cheapest @ ~$140 and the Meg is the most expensive @ ~$210, but the Meg is still my favorite.

Edit: I also have a MD Gent, but it’s vastly smaller and in an entirely different category of knives than the three you asked about. It’s a nice little gentleman’s knife, but comparing it to the three you asked about would be like comparing dogs to horses.

 

[AF]

I have the Hills. It's very well made. The detent break is crisp and it flips well. Lockbar tension is high so there's more friction from the detent ball than on other flippers. It's also not super comfortable to unlock. Certainly not one to play with or your thumb will quickly become sore.

 

[hhmoore]

I don't wholly agree with the above description of the megalodon (pocket sword??? Maybe the megalodon is bigger than I think it is - I have the 2014 version, when it was still Carson Tech Lab's "Boiling")...but it would be my choice of the three.

 

[Banter 247]

If it’s strictly an action buy, the Megalodon 2017 is absurd in that way. Just... ridiculous. It’s a very good all around knife, as I said in the review linked above (thank you, btw).

The Keen is my all time favorite knife. I have two, and rave about them. But... the action of the Megalodon is better in the sense that it kind of glides shut in a light, airy feeling way.

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them, but the Megalodon gets my nod as an action buy.

 

[Mo2]

I got my 2017 megladon on sale for 150$ and 2018 on sale for 180.

You can buy them from 165 to 210 from various vendors.

They also have a version in N690 if you don't need or want m390 for cheaper for around 100.

The boiling mentioned in the post above can be had in s35vn but only through debatable Chinese websites that I would highly avoid.

 

[Stumpy72]

..... I also have 2 megladon. One from 2017 on barrel pins and the 2018 on bearings.....

Mo2 -- just out of curiosity, is there any noticeable difference in the action between the 2017 barrel pin model and the 2018 bearing model?

 

[Mo2]

Mo2 -- just out of curiosity, is there any noticeable difference in the action between the 2017 barrel pin model and the 2018 bearing model?

The 2017 version is now all ball bearings, just so you know. You can only find the barrel version used, assuming the original owner knows which one the got.

They are indeed a bit different. It is a bit more hydraulic. Cause the blade is not riding on the edge of little balls but the sides of barrels. It's interesting to say the least. The opening action is the same force but closing action is different feeling for sure. I do like both.

My 2018 on bearings is drop shut though. But this is more to do with the lock bar tension being less tension on the blade. This varies from knife to knife though.

 

[Stumpy72]

The 2017 version is now all ball bearings, just so you know. You can only find the barrel version used, assuming the original owner knows which one the got. They are indeed a bit different. It is a bit more hydraulic. Cause the blade is not riding on the edge of little balls but the sides of barrels. It's interesting to say the least. The opening action is the same force but closing action is different feeling for sure. I do like both. My 2018 on bearings is drop shut though. But this is more to do with the lock bar tension being less tension on the blade. This varies from knife to knife though.

The owner’s card that came with my Meg is dated 11/17, so I believe I’ve got the barrel version. The action is so smooth and low-resistance that it deploys in an almost cloud-like fashion. It’s in the same league as my Olamic and Shiros. The way it drops shut necessitates my being careful so I don’t get the flesh on the side of my thumbnail nicked (...again...). I guess that (as always) a lot of how it goes varies from knife to knife and YMMV depending on what the luck of the draw dealt to each of us.