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

5-6 knives is an incredibly small sample size. Especially to make “conclusive” statements that one brand is better than others.


I'd put my money where my mouth is. I'd put said metaphorical money on 6 Reates turning out, at the very least at face value, superior to 6 Striders or 6 Hinderers.

Loser buys all of the knives.

Sorry.
 
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Emerson, Strider, Hinderer - heck, even Chris Reeve all have prices that are well out of proportion with their build quality and/or materials. It's nothing new. They've been outgunned by other companies well before the influx of Chinese manufacturers putting out unique designs and collaborations.

What they have, though, is reputation, style, and, most importantly, niche markets (within the already niche market that is quality folding knives). You can get a mechanically superior knife for less, and you can get a knife with better materials for less, but you can't get their knives for less. Their knives are iconic and have avid fans - you won't find many (if any) people that will tell you that a XM-24 is a more practical choice than a Reate, but arguing for practicality goes out the window once you break the $250 mark on folding knives and hit that point of notably diminishing returns. Once you step out of a certain price range, you're paying for the style, reputation, and/or perception of the knife.

Materials and build quality can be had for cheap. I have a S35VN-bladed knife with a titanium framelock (+ steel insert) that runs on ceramic bearings with a ceramic detent ball. I paid $60 for it on the exchange. It's smoother than any Emerson, Strider, Hinderer, or Chris Reeve that I've ever owned. It's perfectly centered, has flawless lockup, and flips like a dream. That said, I still pine for a double-thumb-lug Large Insingo with snakewood inlays because the feel and design of the knife speaks to me in such a way that I would toss the aforementioned flipper in the garbage without a second thought if I had the disposable income to justify buying that Sebenza. If my tastes were different, that same sentiment would apply to some certain Hinderer/Strider/Emerson/etc.

TLDR: They persist because people want them. Nobody is arguing that their knives are an objectively superior value - they would instead argue that value is subjective.

I read it and I wholeheartedly agree in many ways but there is a definite misconception within the community to an extent, as many people do believe Striders and Hinderers to be some of the absolute best in every arena. I know this as I originally fell pray to such ideology until I was left dissatisfied.

I merely wanted to draw attention to said companies in hopes that such shortcomings would be better noticed and addressed.

Like Hoback and Curtis manage
 
5-6 knives is an incredibly small sample size. Especially to make “conclusive” statements that one brand is better than others.
Speaking as a statistician, yes, small sample size. BUT, seriously, only a knife knut would make it past reading "5-6 knives" without stopping and asking who would want 5-6 knives, unless they are a matching set of steak knives :)
 
I'd put my money where my mouth is. I'd put my metaphorical money on 6 Reates would bet that these would turn out, at the very least at face value, superior to 6 Striders or 6 Hinderers.

Loser buys all of the knives.

Sorry.

Define “better”?

What if my four ZTs (0550, 0562, 0566, 0609) are each perfectly centered, ground, etc? How do we then differentiate quality between them and your Reates? Do we go to material, giving the figurative edge to the 20CV of the 0609? Do we go to value for the dollar, purchased brand new?

Do we go to use? If so, I’ll take the .12” of 20CV on the 0609, and walk away smiling.

What are we really doing here?

Based on my personal experience, as well as anecdotal indications over the years, I think you’d have gotten little more than high fives and fist bumps if you said, “Reate QC seems more consistent than Hinderer’s”. The reputation of Hinderer detents would likely carry that to a win.
 
I dunno, looks like 7 and a half oz's of ugly imho.:eek:
reate-district-d9-a-bronzed-cm-large.jpg
 
I'll agree. Havent read many posts, but I assume its a bunch or fanboy flame. Every reate I have touched has been damn near perfect. I wish they made lighter knives with thinner blade grinds, but as far as quality, fit and finish, they are top notch, above pretty much anyone.

I'm curious, given that Reate is "above pretty much anyone", why bother wanting a Small or Large Sebenza in Honduran Rosewood or Cocobolo? Just buy a Reate and call it a day? I mean, they're above pretty much anyone, right?

:)
 
I'd put my money where my mouth is. I'd put my metaphorical money on 6 Reates would bet that these would turn out, at the very least at face value, superior to 6 Striders or 6 Hinderers.

Loser buys all of the knives.

Sorry.

I mean I never said that your statement was wrong, but preaching it as a fact is a bit much. I don’t care for the brands that you mentioned, but I am glad you didn’t say anything bad about CRK because I’m not much for gambling;)
 
I read it and I wholeheartedly agree in many ways but there is a definite misconception within the community to an extent, as many people do believe Striders and Hinderers to be some of the absolute best in every arena. I know this as I originally fell pray to such ideology until I was left dissatisfied.

I merely wanted to draw attention to said companies in hopes that such shortcomings would be better noticed and addressed.

Like Hoback and Curtis manage

So, by "misconception", you mean the viewpoint that your opinion is somehow more valid than other peoples' opinion. That is essentially the position you are stating. "People like Striders or Hinderers, but they should like Reate instead". Ok, then.
 
I mean I never said that your statement was wrong, but preaching it as a fact is a bit much. I don’t care for the brands that you mentioned, but I am glad you didn’t say anything bad about CRK because I’m not much for gambling;)

Actually I did mention CRKs in a comment. I mentioned that all of the 6 or so CRKs I've owned were all perfect in terms of fit and finish and is the reason that I didn't mention them in my initial comment.
 
So, by "misconception", you mean the viewpoint that your opinion is somehow more valid than other peoples' opinion. That is essentially the position you are stating. "People like Striders or Hinderers, but they should like Reate instead". Ok, then.

More valid in that I would bet that if we were to purchase 6 Striders and 6 Reates that the 6 Reates, at least at face value, would out preform the materials/fit and finish/price point of the Striders based upon my subjective experience of owning dozens of said knives? I'm okay with that. Sure.
 
Actually I did mention CRKs in a comment. I mentioned that all of the 6 or so CRKs I've owned were all perfect in terms of fit and finish and is the reason that I didn't mention them in my initial comment.

Like I said, “glad you didn’t say anything bad about CRK”
 
I don't think anyone has surpassed CRK yet in terms of the hydraulic feeling of the action. Everyone right now is into fast flippers and "close shutty" action but I have no interest in that. I wish some production company would make a straightforward and simple looking knife with extremely close tolerances and deliberate action like the Inkosi or Sebenza.
 
Speaking as a statistician, yes, small sample size. BUT, seriously, only a knife knut would make it past reading "5-6 knives" without stopping and asking who would want 5-6 knives, unless they are a matching set of steak knives :)

Haha that is a good point. I was just getting at the fact that my sock wouldn’t be blown off if they told me that they’ve had 5-6 “perfect” [insert knife brand here]
Not trying to discredit reate in any way, but 5-6 of anything is a small sample size no matter how you look at it.
 
More valid in that I would bet that if we were to purchase 6 Striders and 6 Reates that the 6 Reates, at least at face value, would out preform the materials/fit and finish/price point of the Striders based upon my subjective experience of owning dozens of said knives? I'm okay with that. Sure.

"More valid"... again, no. Please stop taking your incredibly small sample size, and attempting to argue an objective position. It makes you look bad, and as politely as I can say it, it makes you look not that bright. An opinion stated assertively is still just an opinion. Hinderers* are fine knives, and most people who buy them would never cross-shop them with anything Reate makes, so there are no "misconceptions" that need clearing up with their customers.

As I said before, here's an idea: you enjoy what you like, and stop acting like you're just trying to "clear up misconceptions". You aren't. Your position is clear: "My opinion is more valid than all the buyers of Hinderers and Striders and every other knife except for a few like CRK (which I don't want to talk badly about because I'd probably be banned)." You aren't going to win an argument wherein your position is that soulless cookie cutter Chinese knives are superior to a variety of different American made products, because there's no winning. It's just a bad argument. Exceptional quality and value can be found wherever you want to look on either side of the pond, and most of those qualities are entirely subjective in nature.

Sorry, man.

*I can't stand Strider or their knives, so I am not interested in arguing for them.
 
Define “better”?

What if my four ZTs (0550, 0562, 0566, 0609) are each perfectly centered, ground, etc? How do we then differentiate quality between them and your Reates? Do we go to material, giving the figurative edge to the 20CV of the 0609? Do we go to value for the dollar, purchased brand new?

Do we go to use? If so, I’ll take the .12” of 20CV on the 0609, and walk away smiling.

What are we really doing here?

Based on my personal experience, as well as anecdotal indications over the years, I think you’d have gotten little more than high fives and fist bumps if you said, “Reate QC seems more consistent than Hinderer’s”. The reputation of Hinderer detents would likely carry that to a win.

I won't argue with you that Z
Define “better”?

What if my four ZTs (0550, 0562, 0566, 0609) are each perfectly centered, ground, etc? How do we then differentiate quality between them and your Reates? Do we go to material, giving the figurative edge to the 20CV of the 0609? Do we go to value for the dollar, purchased brand new?

Do we go to use? If so, I’ll take the .12” of 20CV on the 0609, and walk away smiling.

What are we really doing here?

Based on my personal experience, as well as anecdotal indications over the years, I think you’d have gotten little more than high fives and fist bumps if you said, “Reate QC seems more consistent than Hinderer’s”. The reputation of Hinderer detents would likely carry that to a win.

I'd be very hesitant to bet against ZT when it comes to fit and finish. I just agree that most every ZT I've owned was perfect. Roughly 10-12. I still have two in my current EDC.

More specifically, I was attempting to compare my experience in regards to two of the most popular and expensive mid-techs, Strider and Hinderer with a typically cheaper Chinese alternative.
 
With all this enthusiasm about Reate and other Chinese made knives, it certainly sparks interest in the newer knife companies. But, alas, my current collection consists of CRK, ZT, Hinderer, Strider and Spyderco which have excellent customer service. I've found that if you use your knife, sooner or later you'll need to contact their C.S. for various reasons. For me, that's worth it's weight in gold.
I'm happy with the knives I have and have no desire to change my current collection. So, if Reate is superior to the knives I have, I can live with that. I did go out on a limb a get a few Shirogorov's, knowing I'll have to send one to Russia for service makes my skin crawl. I can't imagine having other knives to send out of the country for repairs.
BTW, how long has Reate been in the U.S. market ??????
I think the other brands mentioned have been in the U.S. market for a long time and have been time proven.
How is the resale value on Reate ????? I've actually sold a couple of CRK's that have increased in value. Come to think of it, have you seen the secondary market on Striders????? Why are they so over priced ???? I guess it's because people are willing to pay the asking price.
 
"More valid"... again, no. Please stop taking your incredibly small sample size, and attempting to argue an objective position. It makes you look bad, and as politely as I can say it, it makes you look not that bright. An opinion stated assertively is still just an opinion. Hinderers* are fine knives, and most people who buy them would never cross-shop them with anything Reate makes, so there are no "misconceptions" that need clearing up with their customers.

As I said before, here's an idea: you enjoy what you like, and stop acting like you're just trying to "clear up misconceptions". You aren't. Your position is clear: "My opinion is more valid than all the buyers of Hinderers and Striders and every other knife except for a few like CRK (which I don't want to talk badly about because I'd probably be banned)." You aren't going to win an argument wherein your position is that soulless cookie cutter Chinese knives are superior to a variety of different American made products, because there's no winning. It's just a bad argument.

Sorry, man.

*I can't stand Strider or their knives, so I am not interested in arguing for them.

I don't think I have anything to argue with you. Every Hinderer I've ever owned would have certainly preformed everything I could've ever asked it to, without a doubt. Was more or less trying to draw attention to a few aspects of some of my personal favorite manufacturers that couuld be addressed, that would make them more appealing in my eyes. My opinion, surely. I just find it irritating that another company can accomplish said aspects at a lower price point.

I carrying Spyderco, ZT, Hoback, Emerson, and Reate weekly. 4 of the 5 being American made.
 
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I'll agree. Havent read many posts, but I assume its a bunch or fanboy flame. Every reate I have touched has been damn near perfect. I wish they made lighter knives with thinner blade grinds, but as far as quality, fit and finish, they are top notch, above pretty much anyone.

Well, you know what they say about assumptions... :rolleyes:

In all seriousness, I haven't really seen any quantifiable effort to discredit the quality of Reate. I don't own any and so I really do not have any sort of canine in this shuffle (pardon the expression). The point that some folks here are taking issue with is the opinionated assertion that Reate is infallible, which is simply untrue. No one is infallible.
 
Well, you know what they say about assumptions... :rolleyes:

In all seriousness, I haven't really seen any quantifiable effort to discredit the quality of Reate. I don't own any and so I really do not have any sort of canine in this shuffle (pardon the expression). The point that some folks here are taking issue with is the opinionated assertion that Reate is infallible, which is simply untrue. No one is infallible.

No one is infallible, surely. Just, some are more consistent than others.
 
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