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Rockstead knives, why so expensive?

R

ROBB

Joined
Nov 14, 1999
Messages
1,505
I went to the NY custom knife show yesterday and stoped by the Rockstead table. I had previously seen the Rockstead web site but it mostly for Japanese readers also it has'nt been updated in quite awhile. What caught my eye was this Japanese gentleman cutting rope,then chipping away on bamboo, and then slicing paper with one of the folders. They had about 5 or 6 different folders. I checked them out an the fit & finish were high quality. I happen to like one of the two framelock models they had. Then I turned over the small tags with the price on them. Was I shocked - $850 for the framelock and $750 for the inlayed liner locks. Now these are factory made knives. The handles I was told were made of dura-aluminium (?). On the web it says aluminium. The inlayed liner locks had stingray inlays and all of the folders had a black DLC coating.There was a paper that said the steel was YXR7 and explained that the blade shape was adapted from the traditional Japanese sword. It had a picture of a modified convex cross section.
Now I was impressed with the folders cutting ability and I liked the designs but $850 for the framelock with an aluminium or dura-aluminium handle and $750 for the linerlock. You can get some great custom made folders for that kind of money.
Does anyone know anything about this company? I really liked the framelock and I might have considered it if it was $300 or less. And some people think the Sebenza is a lot.
 
FYI there was an interesting thread on Rockstead here in this forum just recently.
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Thanks Dagon. I missed that thread. In the thread there's a link to the 2 framelocks I was looking at. They do have a beautiful finish,with the mirror polish and the DLC coating it gives it a blued like look thats gorgeous.
 
I've played with them. Very nice but so expensive. My fave however was the smaller gentleman knife of which I linked a picture.
 
Hey guys i went to the NY show today and walked out with KOU folder from Rockstead. I was loving the knife until i saw the price. So i walked around a bit and found myself right back at the rockstead table.

The handle looks a little dated but the blade is sharp sharp sharp. They claim 65 hrc. Sharpest i've ever handled.

kou_dlc.jpg


The price, ($800) as you noted, is completely obscene but i bought it anyway. Then i ran out cause i tapped out my budget with that one knife alone!

PS I had a great conversation with mr Purdue. Great guy, Makes great knives.



popo
 
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Too Too expensive for me,i have never held one but it seems way overpriced,and is the resale there.............
 
My guess is that the high price is due to the YXR7 steel. Rockstead is one of a VERY few who use this super steel. From my research YXR7 has better edge holding that S30v or S90v while still retaining corrosion resistance and resistance to breaking that meets or exceeds most other steels.
I don't know why so few use this steel, but my guess is it is not easy to work. The benefits are quite clear though from the demonstrations Rockstead likes to use. I am not aware of a more universally superior steel.
I am a bit confused about the special coating Rockstead puts on. As far as I understand they do it in the name of protecting the steel from corrosion, however, corrosion resistance is one thing YXR7 is inherently excellent at, why does it need more?? Makes it look nice though, perhaps that is why they bother.
 
le0pard64 said:
My guess is that the high price is due to the YXR7 steel. Rockstead is one of a VERY few who use this super steel. From my research YXR7 has better edge holding that S30v or S90v while still retaining corrosion resistance and resistance to breaking that meets or exceeds most other steels.
I don't know why so few use this steel, but my guess is it is not easy to work. The benefits are quite clear though from the demonstrations Rockstead likes to use. I am not aware of a more universally superior steel.
I am a bit confused about the special coating Rockstead puts on. As far as I understand they do it in the name of protecting the steel from corrosion, however, corrosion resistance is one thing YXR7 is inherently excellent at, why does it need more?? Makes it look nice though, perhaps that is why they bother.
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YXR7 does not have good corrosion resistance. Even with the DLC coating that Rockstead applies corrosion can still rear it's ugly head on the blade. It helps to wipe down the blade real quick before you stow it back in the pocket. While YXR7 is both hard and wear resistant it lacks in corrosion resistance. I was trying to talk to the Rockstead owner at the NYCKS last year, but his English is not that great. What I did understand was that he was telling me "No coating, lots of rust. With coating maybe rust, but clean the blade and no rust."

Here's an excerpt from the Rockstead website:

３:The steel material is different.
YXR7 steel is a material that is not easy to make into a knife. However, its high hardness and high toughness make it an excellent choice as a cutlery steel material. Its one fault is that it rusts somewhat easily. However, when it was coated with DLC and given a mirror finish to make up for this fault, the added benefit of a permanent beauty was obtained. The ROCKSTEAD knife is the strongest knife in the world.

On another note, I actually just received my first Rockstead today through a trade. A YXR7 DLC coated Beetle with Stingray inlays. It's a beauty and I plan on using the hell out of it. :D
 
le0pard64 said:
My guess is that the high price is due to the YXR7 steel. Rockstead is one of a VERY few who use this super steel. From my research YXR7 has better edge holding that S30v or S90v while still retaining corrosion resistance and resistance to breaking that meets or exceeds most other steels.
I don't know why so few use this steel, but my guess is it is not easy to work. The benefits are quite clear though from the demonstrations Rockstead likes to use. I am not aware of a more universally superior steel.
I am a bit confused about the special coating Rockstead puts on. As far as I understand they do it in the name of protecting the steel from corrosion, however, corrosion resistance is one thing YXR7 is inherently excellent at, why does it need more?? Makes it look nice though, perhaps that is why they bother.
Click to expand...

Actually XYR7 is similar to M2 in edge retention from what I have read.

Hardly near Steels like S90V and S110V or Carbon steels like CPM-10V and K294.

But then it's a Hitachi steel so real data on the elements and alloy content would be sparse as with the other steels like ZDP-189. But from what I did see it doesn't have enough Alloy to keep up with the High Alloy steels like I listed above. So like ZDP-189 it relies on high hardness (around 65 HRC) for edge retention.
 
I know this thread started 8 years ago. Just wondering what you guys thought of your Rocksteads since your purchase. The question of how expensive they are crosses everyone's mind when they handle or purchase them.
 
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