- Joined
- Oct 2, 1998
- Messages
- 1,874
Marlboro men, have I found the knife for you. My new REKAT Pioneer (drop-point) is the strongest folding knife Ive ever seen. Period. All of the cliches that are usually associated with something strong (built like a Mack truck, chiseled out of a solid piece of granite, etc
) dont do the Pioneer justice. To say this thing is overbuilt would be a tremendous understatement. Everything from the scales to the blade right down to the pocket clip is built much stronger than Ill ever need. The REKAT website says that it is built to last several lifetimes. I have no doubt that this is true.
I received my new REKAT Pioneer a few days ago. When I first opened the box I said, my first impressions were, Huh hmmm uhhh gee well I wasnt exactly sure what to think of it.
Let me give you some background thatll help you understand where Im coming from when I evaluated the Pioneer:
In the six months that Ive been collecting knives, Ive leaned towards quality small folders. Since buying my first S&W S.W.A.T., Ive bought a BM mini-AFCK, small BM Ascent, Chris Reeve small Sebenza, BM 3500 Pardue auto, and a BM 875 Sentinel. My daily carry is the Sebenza, along with a Micra for smaller chores. So, for the most part, they all have smooth actions and are very nicely finished. With the exception of the Ascent (Zytel) and AFCK (G-10), I tend to go easy on my knives. This is one sucker that I wont baby. I wouldnt hesitate to throw it in my pocket with my keys, Micra, or coins. If I drop it on the concrete, I think the concrete will be the loser. Scuffs and scars really will be character marks on this baby.
Having said that, here are some nitpicks:
The Pioneer is pretty crudely finished. The G-10 scales, steel liners, and ATS-34 blade all show tooling marks.
The thumb stud itself needs to be ambidextrous (when are makers gonna learn this???) and could use some type of checkering. Between the smooth stud and the fact that its not centered in the finger groove, its not as easy to open as it should be.
Also, a knife intended for such hard use really should come with a grippy thumb ramp. This one doesnt have one.
I was initially disappointed in the blade sharpness (of course, comparing anything to my benza is gonna be disappointing.) After using it though, it did a good job going through fairly thick stacks of copy paper (who needs a shredder?
) It also handled cardboard with ease. I suspect that its best use will be with those chores that absolutely abuse other blades. I haven't had time to get around to any abuse - yet. It also appears to be a good pryer, for those of you so inclined.
Its gonna take a while to get used to the lock. A small pivoting unlocking bar juts out of the top (pivot) end, between the scale and liner. To close the blade you push the unlocking bar forward with your thumb and use your forefinger to close the blade. When the blade is open, the stud is slightly in the way. The lock spring is heavy, and the small bar does a pretty good number on your thumb after a few hundred open/close
cycles. I think that using some sort of thumb mechanism, travelling along a groove in the scale itself (maybe something like the new Cuda opening disk) would be a better way to go. Regardless, I doubt that the lock is going to break, even under unusually difficult circumstances.
Note to all knifemakers KEEP THOSE LOCK INNOVATIONS COMING!
With all of its faults, Im still enamored with this knife. I cant seem to put it down its hard to explain. I think it has something to do with the ruggedness. This knife has completely changed what I thought I knew about knife strength. I also applaud REKET. They seem to be creating their own niche instead of trying to copy the big boys. So far, they seem to be doing a great job with this philosophy. Ill give the Pioneer some time and a few good workouts and let yall know how its doing later.
Heres the Pioneer page at REKATs website:
http://205.246.6.69/roundeye_99/webdocs-new/catalog/pioneer.shtml
Hope this helps.
Kelly
[This message has been edited by Senator (edited 04 December 1998).]
I received my new REKAT Pioneer a few days ago. When I first opened the box I said, my first impressions were, Huh hmmm uhhh gee well I wasnt exactly sure what to think of it.
Let me give you some background thatll help you understand where Im coming from when I evaluated the Pioneer:
In the six months that Ive been collecting knives, Ive leaned towards quality small folders. Since buying my first S&W S.W.A.T., Ive bought a BM mini-AFCK, small BM Ascent, Chris Reeve small Sebenza, BM 3500 Pardue auto, and a BM 875 Sentinel. My daily carry is the Sebenza, along with a Micra for smaller chores. So, for the most part, they all have smooth actions and are very nicely finished. With the exception of the Ascent (Zytel) and AFCK (G-10), I tend to go easy on my knives. This is one sucker that I wont baby. I wouldnt hesitate to throw it in my pocket with my keys, Micra, or coins. If I drop it on the concrete, I think the concrete will be the loser. Scuffs and scars really will be character marks on this baby.
Having said that, here are some nitpicks:
The Pioneer is pretty crudely finished. The G-10 scales, steel liners, and ATS-34 blade all show tooling marks.
The thumb stud itself needs to be ambidextrous (when are makers gonna learn this???) and could use some type of checkering. Between the smooth stud and the fact that its not centered in the finger groove, its not as easy to open as it should be.
Also, a knife intended for such hard use really should come with a grippy thumb ramp. This one doesnt have one.
I was initially disappointed in the blade sharpness (of course, comparing anything to my benza is gonna be disappointing.) After using it though, it did a good job going through fairly thick stacks of copy paper (who needs a shredder?
Its gonna take a while to get used to the lock. A small pivoting unlocking bar juts out of the top (pivot) end, between the scale and liner. To close the blade you push the unlocking bar forward with your thumb and use your forefinger to close the blade. When the blade is open, the stud is slightly in the way. The lock spring is heavy, and the small bar does a pretty good number on your thumb after a few hundred open/close
Note to all knifemakers KEEP THOSE LOCK INNOVATIONS COMING!
With all of its faults, Im still enamored with this knife. I cant seem to put it down its hard to explain. I think it has something to do with the ruggedness. This knife has completely changed what I thought I knew about knife strength. I also applaud REKET. They seem to be creating their own niche instead of trying to copy the big boys. So far, they seem to be doing a great job with this philosophy. Ill give the Pioneer some time and a few good workouts and let yall know how its doing later.
Heres the Pioneer page at REKATs website:
http://205.246.6.69/roundeye_99/webdocs-new/catalog/pioneer.shtml
Hope this helps.
Kelly
[This message has been edited by Senator (edited 04 December 1998).]
