REKAT CTD/Dead?..what now?

Runs With Scissors

Runs With Scissors

Joined
Dec 3, 2000
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I'd read in another thread that REKAT seems to be givin' off a disturbing death rattle, if they haven't already gone for thier dirt nap. So, if this is true, (and I see little reason to doubt it) this brings a few questions to mind.

First one, is that the sheath for my Pocket Hobbit is in need of replacement. Is there any sources y'all could suggest that would have 'em available? if not I'd imagine I could have one made, but I'd really prefer to stick with factory, if at all possible.

Secondly, What do you think is likely to happen to the value of the REKAT knives we own? are they gonna plummet due to the lack of available customer service, or perhaps go up a bit due to the comarative uniqueness of them, and the folks (like me) who still want a few more?

Thirdly, if you had to take a guess on why they are/ will be no more, what would it be? We all know that the knife business can be pretty tough, and only those at REKAT know the true reasons, but if you had to take a total wild a$$ guess, what would you think?

And finally....I've always admired the style of alot of REKAT's but never gotten around to picking up the ones I want (SIFU, another Pocket Hobbit, full size carnivore, pioneer, neck knives, etc.

So, any suggestions on who would have them available? I found the Savant, and smaller sized Carnivore at 1sks but that's about all I see, any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
 
I think REKAT has unfortunately died. I sincerly hope that I'm wrong, but all indications seem to point in that direction. I'm uncertain how that will affect the resale value of their products. I have several REKAT's myself, a few Pioneer II's, a couple of Carnivore Cub's, a Bladeforums Carnivore, and a Pocket Hobbit. I like all of them for different reasons, the secondary market value isn't very important. If you are looking at knives for speculation and hope to make money, then I think you are missing the point.
 
From what I've read here on the forums REKAT has closed down. Most of the usual places that I shop at on-line no longer have them listed. It's to bad, because the Sifu and Carnivor were great knives. (Glad I got my three Sifu's when I did) :)

If you are looking to purchase a REKAT knife I would guess your going to have to buy used. You may want to post on the want to purchase forum see if anybody has a knife that you want.
 
I think the Sifu will at least retain it's value. It might even get more expensive to buy one since it is a very popular knife.

In my opinion REKAT just didn't put out the effort that was needed to make their company successful. They seemed to think that promoting their products was more work than it was worth.
 
If this is true, I am not saying it isn't but I haven't gotten any confirmation, my question is...

what happens to the rolling lock?
 
I have read somewhere around here that a major company (I can't remember who) got the rights to the lock. I don't know if someone did or not but it would be nice if someone picked it up.

So, the Sifu might go up in price? Humm....that would be nice:D
 
I was informed by a friend of mine who is a big Benchmade collector that Benchmade bought the rights to the Rolling Lock. Now I can't confirm this, but the other things he has let me in on before the official release have proven true. I don't really know about this one though, he is known as a prankster, I might be falling for a joke.
 
I fail to see why Benchmade would buy the Rolling Lock since they already have the Axis lock. The Axis has proven to be more reliable and can stand up to the dreaded spine-whack test.

As to the death of REKAT, it has been a long time coming. People have been predicting it for months but someone always pops up to say, "Oh no, they're not dead. Keep waiting." I think it's Spark who keeps saying that they have new products coming out which will supposedly wow us all. I’ll believe it when I see it.

The forum dying was one thing, but the lack of production and the disconnection of their phone line (according to another thread) speaks volumes.

Actions speak louder than words, and REKAT has only been surviving on words for a couple months now. They need to act rather than talk.
 
when ya boast of having the strongest lock in existance, if ya have anything else but a rolling lock your in the 18th century (there words not mine) and your knives have probs w/the lock, imho you are in trouble.

then, rather than addressing the prob (which imho involved mostly the sifu it seems) ya blame the buyers for abusing/modifying/etc the lock when they have probs, make it look like its the owners fault, they messed the knife up, rather than earnestly try and find out the prob/fix it, you are on a recipe for disaster, or bankruptcy

then, when a REKAT fan from the forums, buys 6-8 of the knives, sifu's, and has probs, blame it all on him, he's imagining things/modified knife/abused knife, tell him to stick the knives, the guys a jerk, we aint gonna help him, he spent a grand or more, but poo on him, he has no right to be angry, how dare he call on sat morning expecting help, its early still-- that imho, is the end, finis, game up.

a good idae which never really came to fruition imho, the rolling lock, evidently they require a lot of fitting/etc on a big bladed knife like a sifu to work right. and they were not willing to put the extra work into them to make them right from the factory

sure they would fix the defects, but who wants to spend $25 or so on shipping on top of the price of an already expensive knife to get it 'right'?? not me, too many other good brands around, who not only will make the knife right the first time, BUT they also appreciate there customers! imagine that! even low end co's like CRKT!!

pat crawfords site says the rolling lock rights are fixing to expire, why doesnt he renew them?? hmmmm

in my humble opinion they didnt appreciate there customers enuff to even participate in there own forum, not enuff time i guess, bet they have some time now!! i wonder if christina still has a job w/them?? she was so friendly i must admit........

a lesson i learned in biz 101A, the customer rules/is always right. i dont think they ever learned this, and it reached up and bit them on the a$$

why BM would want the rolling lock is beyond me, they have the axis, about 110% better imho, and prob easier to manufacture too. imho they were lucky to sell the co like they did (if in fact they did sell to BM) if i was CEO of BM i wouldnt be interested at all - really one cool knife, the sifu, and thats it.

imho a good lesson in how NOT to run a biz........


greg
 
The fact that BM might have purchased the rights to the Rolling Lock is really rumor (possibly true, possibly false). However, quite often a company will purchase the rights to a directly competitive mechanism, or item, just to keep that competition out of the market.

My BM Axis lock knives seem much stronger and better quality than my REKAT SIFU Rolling Lock. However to the average consumer (of which I might be one) they look and act in a similar fashion (along with the SOG version). It might be a smart move for BM to purchase the rights just to keep it out of the hands of a potential other competitor.

Again: This is all just talk and speculation. If REKAT is finished, I am sorry to see them go. I have liked their unique designs and their customer service department always treated me fairly and politely. Of course I always treated them politely also. It is a two way street.
 
I just picked up my first Rekat, a carnivore cub, and if these rumours are true I'm really sorry to hear it. Comparing the Cub to my other knives I came to the conclusion that it was comparable to my Emerson Raven in quality (and price) but was just a touch below in fit and finish. Haven't really had to much time to test the rolling lock yet. Overall I thought Rekat was really a pretty good "niche" knife and was looking forward to trying some of their other knives.
 
I heard the Benchmade-Rolling Lock rumor too, from a dealer who I presume heard it from a Benchmade rep.

It doesn't make a lot of sense to me either. The Rolling lock is a great deisgn though, and might still have possibilities that Benchmade can imagine, and I can't.
 
Or maybe Benchmade bought it to make sure no one else uses it. :confused:
 
If Benchmade did buy the rights to the rolling lock just so nobody else can use it, I can promise I will never buy or use another BM product, for any reason.

Crap like that seriously pisses me off to no end.

I can't stand companies that will gladly benefit from the innovations of others and yet try to deny use for others. It's even more reprehensible when a company tries to do this with someone else's ideas.

Thankfully, there is only one other company that I know of that does this in the knife world, which says volumes about the knife industry and it's major players and innovators.
 
mikemck: Please note that I know absolutely nothing about BM's plans or REKAT's situation. This is all just nonsense talk about possibilities. None of it is based on fact, or reliable info. Just silly speculation.
 
Oh yes, I won't be jumping the gun, so to speak. I always make very sure before making any difficult decisions, and would contact Benchmade for confirmation.

Of course I hope the speculation in not true, because such behavior, with notable execptions, is the very antithesis of the standards found in the knife world.

That is my opinion on the matter...
 
I'm actually gonna miss REKAT bein' around. I very much liked the style of the knives, thier ruggedness, and the fact that they were pretty unique designs...Sifu, Hobbits, Carnivore..they all had a pretty unique design that I'm gonna miss.

All things told I coulda taken or left the controversial rolling lock. Yeah, it was kinda cool, and I never had a bad one, but I'd have like d 'em just as well with a plain ole liner lock. I guess it's kinda cool if a lock can take two tons of weight, but personally I just haven't found any reason to suspend any of my automobiles from the handle or blade of my knife. Nonetheless IF IF IF HYPOTHETICALLY a company were to buy the rolling lock just to bury it, I would be disappointed. Variety is a good thing, ya' know?

As to the reasons they may be going away, I pretty much concur completely with what "SIFU1A" stated. Can't help but to believe if they took a path more like for example Spyderco they could still be alive and well, but...once again pure speculation, hell, if i knew what i was talkin' about i'd be makin' knives myself instead of armchair quarterbackin'.

regarding the value of REKAT knives, I can hardly venture an uneducated guess. I just recently paid a painful $180 for a Hobbit Warrior, but they are pretty hard to find, and I had to jump on it. No regrets though, absolutely love the knife. dunno how many more folks feel the way I do though.

Anyone else that's lookin' for REKAT's I found quite a few at "cheaperthandirt.com" or somethin' like that. forget who posted that link in a different thread yeaterday, but I'm glad they did.
saw hobbits, carnivores, sifus, pikuni, poineers,Savants, etc. although I've no idea whether they are actually in stock or not. Might be worth a shot though. My wife's fallen in love with my Pocket Hobbit, and I may have to pick her up one of her own so I can carry mine once in awhile.
 
If REKAT knives is in-fact "dead", I'd say it's not much of a suprise, although it IS a disappointment to me.:(.

...No web-site, no catalog, no forums presence, no "800" phone number, many un-answered questions...It's pretty hard to stay in business that way.

BTW...I'm THINKING about trading-off my REKAT folders (Sifu, Carnivour, Carnivour Cub, old-style Pioneer) for maybe a Spyderco G-10 "new-style" Police, a FRN Native, and a Gryphon M30-A1.:).
 
Guess I shouldnt have sold BF SIFU #7 of 25 ..Poo...Guess I'll go check on my Enron stock..oh wait.. poo
 
>So, any suggestions on who would have them available? I found the >Savant, and smaller sized Carnivore at 1sks but that's about all I >see, any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

I found one the other day at NDS Products. Ordered it (a Pioneer II) and they claim they shipped it, so I guess they have some in stock. If it doesn't show up, I'll follow up on this message. I have zero experience with this merchant; they just came up via a Google search. Try here to see if they have what you want:

http://www.ndsproducts.com/roundeye.html
 
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