Reate productions on par with high-end mid-techs?

I just purchased my first Reate, a Jack and waiting for the lambert crossroads to arrive. And it's true the build quality and action of their knives are amazing, no doubt high mid tech standard ( better than my CRKs)
However it's not perfect and it failed in some unexpected areas.
Their metal machining parts were faultless, but I find their carbon fiber work to have some issues. (many example of voids and tear marks on their K1s , which a few YouTube reviewers have already commented on it),
My jack was perfect upon initial examination, but within 2 days, it start to develop a tiny void (which are a little bigger after a week, and I've only fondle it a few times and carried just once) and many more even smaller voids are starting to appear as well. I believe this is common with marble carbon fibers. Any one having similar experiencs with any of their CF works?
The inlay is very good but still not as seamless as CRK inlays, i also noticed one or two very small chippings on the edges of the cf inlay.

Just my experience with mine jack, im sure for their all ti knife, it must be all but perfect. ( so I've bought a torrent as well, together with the lambert crossroads,)

But all in all, if anyone have any doubt about the brand, Don't be, at the quality and price level ( which in South Africa it is cheaper than microtech ultra tech and above, all CRK folders, Medford and even limited edition ZTs)
 
I’ve been lucky enough to be able to afford good knives and have most all of the usual suspects.

My Horizon C is an impressive knife in every respect. I can’t say it’s better than the big name expensive mid-techs and customs. But on the other hand I think the Reate has reached a level of parity with virtually any knife I have, regardless of the price.
 
If you like the Horizon C you should check out one of their more recent releases. The C lacks internal milling. Still a great knife.
 
My two complaints with Reate are related to size.

First, they continue to make really thick, beefy blades. Even one of their smaller offerings, The Wave, isn't a great cutter.

Second, I really wish they'd make a light, 3" bladed knife with Reate quality. I have so many 3.75" and longer knives that just don't get carried much in a downtown office environment.

If it weren't for bad blade geometry and lack of smallish knives, I'd put Reate at the top of the bunch for import "mid-tech" knives. Until they make knives that actually cut well and fit my needs, they can't really be in the top spot.
 
I have only one Reate (ti/cf Horizon D). The quality and fit&finish of it is one level up of ZT, so is its price. One thing that I am not high about of recent Reate models is the weight. For example, with a ~3.5" blade the new torrent is 6+ oz thats too heavy.
 
miltmaldo said:
Name me a sub $300 Reate . You can't compare Reate to ZT , Spyderco or Benchmade price is to big of a difference . The only ZT that's over 300 is the 0850 and that knife is pretty awesome very smooth excellent fit and finish . I don't own I Reate that said they do look well made .
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They have the Horizon and District series of knives for around $200, don't they?

Plus Spyderco is more than happy to put a $300+ sticker on their knives, just because the bulk of their offerings are in the $100-$250 range doesn't mean they have nothing to compare in the high end arena. Look at the Drunken, for instance. Same for ZT and their less expensive (than Reate) but similarly constructed line of framelocks. Those two are production companies that don't perfectly synch up with Reate's target market, but that doesn't mean their build quality should be spared from a critical examination.

Benchmade sells their framelocks for $100 more than the less expensive Reate offerings, I don't see how it is unreasonable to compare them either. If anything, their boring vanilla framelocks cost an inexcusable amount when compared to the similarly priced and similarly vanilla Reate knives.
 
Quiet said:
Sure thing, "dude". Embarrassingly subjective now equals "absolutely fair", got it.

Seriously, what is with people today? They can't enjoy things without tearing down other things? This post from you is absolutely trolling nonsense. Oh, right, you have a "stellar reputation" so clearly your opinion equals "facts". Nope, just another Reate fanbag.

Oh, (snaps fingers) by the way, can you please post up some pics of your Olamic knives you owned? You know, the ones you owned that you used to make your hilarious nonsense "objective" assertion? Thanks, my dude. :)
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Is there some reason you are so belligerent? Is there some reason that this forum has such wildly subjective rules for acceptable content and decorum?

It seems like posts get locked in moments when people like you show up to denigrate Chinese-made knives, even though the only conflict is between people trying to chat about a given subject (Reate quality in the context of other midtech makers) and people here to disrupt an otherwise on-topic conversation.

Why don't you respond to this with another barrage of weird and unprovoked hostility?
 
SeppukuSamurai said:
I purchased my District 9 on the forums here for about $175.

I mentioned in an earlier reply that I should've restricted my statement a bit. Spyderco, Benchmade, and ZT make a lot of admirable models in the sub $150 range.
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Everybody reading this thread understands what your original post was about, you never compared Reate to sub-$200 production knives. Your post was clear and everyone into this hobby understands the difference between the midtech collector quality market and the utilitarian production market.
 
NG VI said:
Is there some reason you are so belligerent? Is there some reason that this forum has such wildly subjective rules for acceptable content and decorum?

It seems like posts get locked in moments when people like you show up to denigrate Chinese-made knives, even though the only conflict is between people trying to chat about a given subject (Reate quality in the context of other midtech makers) and people here to disrupt an otherwise on-topic conversation.

Why don't you respond to this with another barrage of weird and unprovoked hostility?
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Is there some reason your reading comprehension skills are so poor?

"People like you". I rest my case.

I made my position as clear as possible back when this thread first started. If you really don't understand my point, I don't know that anyone can help you at this point.

P.S. The reason this thread wasn't locked is that I broke no rules in my comments. Whether or not you like my tone doesn't concern me in the slightest. Have a great day.
 
SeppukuSamurai said:
Nicer than most other productions as well.

Am I delusional or what? I've owned like, 6-8 Hinderers, always expecting the next one to be "the one that isn't crappy", alas, 'tis not the case. They have the absolute worst action. They weigh around 10lbs and they fit the hand like a brick. To be fair, I've had one XM24 that was pretty sweet. That's it though.

As for Strider, it's as if their motto is "We're going to ignore just about every advancement in technology and continue making the same knife for twenty years." No bearings, no lockbar insert, and 50/50 fit and finish. I've had freaking awesome Striders with early lock up, smooth opening, and overall pretty good quality, yet, I've had a considerable number of total duds.

These are 4-600 dollar knives, guys.

My District 9? A boss. Perfect fit and finish and lightning fast deployment. The three Kwaikens I've owned? Bosses. All of them perfect. Literally perfect. Wtf?

What's going on?
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What's a midtech?
 
Quiet said:
Is there some reason your reading comprehension skills are so poor?

"People like you". I rest my case.

I made my position as clear as possible back when this thread first started. If you really don't understand my point, I don't know that anyone can help you at this point.

P.S. The reason this thread wasn't locked is that I broke no rules in my comments. Whether or not you like my tone doesn't concern me in the slightest. Have a great day.
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:thumbsup: It seems to be a necro fight he is after.

I’m interested in the Benchmade vanilla framelocks he talks about above. I know they make ‘em, but it is hardly their speciality. Just a line to keep in step with the current Intafads, I suspect. :rolleyes:
 
My Reate jack looks perfect but it doesnt flip like a rocket it opens good but not with any huge authority.other than that its well made and one of the nicest integrals for the money. I had the We Tyche integral; loved the handle but that blade was absolutely ugly.I wound up selling it.I also saw someone selling one on the exchange and that ano ,as nice as it looked wore off by the flipper area. If it wore that easily from a finger rubbing on it, id hate to see it 6 months down the road...
 
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MolokaiRider said:
I don’t own any Reate, Kizers, or WE knives. I wouldn’t mind checking one out though. Any suggestions on a model that would be a good worker?
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Kizer might be the way to go for a nice user, they tend to be perfectly machined but generally benefit from a concerted break-in period that includes cleaning out the pivot before you threadlock it. Sometimes they'll show up a bit off center, but it's usually easy to correct with them, and the build quality is otherwise quite good. And they are often on sale for great discounts, and when a given model gets old the retail price ends up falling towards the $100-125 mark, where they are extremely competitive if you like framelocks. The Corto, T1, Envoy, Mini Shoal, Guru, and Velox2 are the Kizers I like the most. Their plain looking handles are contoured in a way that many other manufacturers just don't or can't do.

For WE, I think their best values are the collaborations they have been doing with different designers and a specific non-traditional retailer. The Crux, Buc, Dogtooth, and Falcon (if you like the Dragonfly, the Falcon is your huckleberry for sure) are all superb knives. The Buc and Dogtooth have the most refined actions of the ~10 I have had, but they also have a very distinct appearance and not everyone will like them. If you don't do slim framelocks, for instance, you probably won't like them. Also the M390 Practic looks like a real winner.

I don't have any Reates, but the earlier models like the Hills and Horizon knives look like the best values and I'm hoping to get one of them at some point.

gazz98 said:
Reate products > Strider nail?
https://www.knifecenter.com/item/STRLN/strider-knives-ln-nail-fixed-s30v-black-blade-kydex-sheath

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lol why would that weird little melee shank be made of S30V? I guess any steel would be fine as an expensive shiv, maybe it's wrong to criticize Strider for using leftover steel to make murder weapons
 
NG VI said:
Is there some reason you are so belligerent? Is there some reason that this forum has such wildly subjective rules for acceptable content and decorum?

It seems like posts get locked in moments when people like you show up to denigrate Chinese-made knives, even though the only conflict is between people trying to chat about a given subject (Reate quality in the context of other midtech makers) and people here to disrupt an otherwise on-topic conversation.

Why don't you respond to this with another barrage of weird and unprovoked hostility?
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Maybe you should ask the moderators if you have such a problem with the way the site is run?
 
NG VI said:
They have the Horizon and District series of knives for around $200, don't they?

The District is a Brick with a blade . Why spend your money on that when you can get a ZT 0562 CF or a G10 for a even better bargain . Don't get me wrong Reate has some nice stuff but we can't compare it to ZT . The $250 to $200 market in my opinion no other company can compete with ZT .
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I have a very high regard for Reate; their first knives,Horizon B and District 9 were pretty nice knives right out of the gate at a decent starting price. And the early D9 had a crappy pocket clip that was quickly changed to a much better one. They have made huge strides in a short amount of time.Gotta respect them for that.
 
Hostility aside, it has been interesting seeing this thread return after a few months. In that span of time, I’ve had the opportunity to check out many Reate products, Hinderers, CRKs, CKFs, Olamics, customs, etc.

I believe @Lapedog commented months ago that Reate and WE were nailing execution, but not design, and that he felt their best work was collaboration with noted designers. I’m inclined to agree with that. Reate’s work with Nadeau, Begg, Isham, Laconico (by way of Alliance Designs), Liong Mah, Tashi Barrucha, etc is amazing. The Wave and Jack seem to be their most successful in-house designs, if Solo is considered in-house.

With regard to the original sentiment presented, I’d say this:

Reate is executing design as well as, or better than, just about everyone. I emphasize that piece because it’s not the same as saying they’re better than everyone else. Often, the distinction appears to be in which designs are brought to the table. For example, the Reate Jack vs the Massdrop x Laconico Keen. Which is better? They’re far apart in terms of price. The designs are wildly different. The execution? 100% dialed in on each. I could not argue that either does a better job than the other of executing the design. So, which is a better knife depends on three things:

1. Design
2. Materials key to function
3. Execution (fit & finish, adherence to design)

With that in mind, it’s very difficult to make broad stroke statements about brand.
 
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