REKAT/Round Eye Knife and Tool questions?

K

KBar666

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Jul 1, 2011
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recently read the book "The Warrior Path" written by Michael Janich. (for spyderco, comes with Spyderco's version of the Warrior knife)

It speaks alot about Randy Wanner, Bob Taylor and Michael D.Echanis. All individuals. I'd like to learn a bit more about(Echanis I've been able to find several sources of som info)

Anyway one of things it talks about is Bob Taylors company he started called REKAT. Which closed sometime ago.

After looking at what I could find of the knives, look and sound great.

Some I'm just curious if someone can shed some light on some of this stuff.
Like supposedly REKAT had and interesting story to why it closed, but I can't really find any info.

Thanks in Advance.
 
IMO made some of the most desirable and innovative knives available. They were unfortunately not the best business men and had poor customer service. Their "world's strongest" Rolling lock was a bit hit and miss with plenty of failures reported including my Sifu. Even with it's lock failures my Sifu is still one of my favourite folders and I wouldn't part with it. I still fantasize about some one taking their folder designs and making them in frame or axis lock.Trivia, Round Eye Knife & Tool , Round eye- a derogatory term used by native Americans when refering to whites.
 
I too am/was a big fan of REKAT. I still carry a Carnivore Cub from time to time. I also have a full size Carnivore. Both knives are heavily used and never once failed in any way. The Cub might be one of the most over built folders I've ever seen. Maybe I was just lucky, as some people did have problems. I never had to deal with their customer service.
I think that a combination of their business sense and the fact that some of the people that experienced problems were VERY vocal is what did them in. There must be some satisfied customers out there. Although they didn't produce a huge number of knives, they sold plenty and almost never do I see one come up for sale.
 
I had a Sifu, and was real happy with it.
I eventually sold it after the prices went up a lot as collector items.
 
i remember when they made the folder version of the famouse al mar warrrior ("hobbit"?). it was still too big and mean looking for me but it had a cool original lockup.
anyway, i worked at a boutique gun store at the time that sold high end knives too and all the hottest latest stuff came through us and me and my boss always cherry picked and would get our hands on some cool stuff.
that being said, i owned an early one with the original lockup, had no problems with it. even came with a cool kydex sheath since it had no clip. havent seen one like it since. a while later the locking button was more of a slider type on the handle. not like the original metal lever that came out along the blade.
i remember hearing about him saying that he didnt have a patent yet and worried someone was gonna steal the original design. maybe that's why it was changed later.

Yeah i sold it long ago. Yes i regret it, i'm an idiot.
 
Yeah, I so the Sifus. Really wish I could get one now. I would actually use the thing if I had though.
 
i cant remember what i paid exactly, 100 or 150 around?

but i saw a later version hobbit with the handle slider (to unlock the blade) on that online auction site a few years ago, it went for around 350 iirc.
i dont even want to think what the original version is worth now.
 
I love the big SIFU. My daily edc is a SIFU with a Tom Krein re-grind...........

IMG_3851.jpg
 
I've carried the Pioneer II for about fifteen years but I did buy myself a Carnivore Cub when Round Eye Knife & Tool went out of business...had to have a back up.To be honest I don't think it's the most overbuilt knife, thick steel liners though rest assure it's solid as hell. Lone Wolf's backspacer and all screws concealed construction I think makes them tied...REKAT reminds me of a Strider or Emerson or vice versa.But I love that Rolling Lock though and it's not a pre-Benchmade era Axis Lock,utilizes a completely different engineering design.
 
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The Sifu is so badass. wish they were still around.

I the pocket hobbit was cool too.

I have heard rumblings that Spyderco is kinda working stuff out with Bob Taylor to possibly do some of the REKAT designs, of course spydie-ized
 
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