Rockstead Knowledge Thread

[bladeninja]

By default, you are required to post pics

Yup. What Blues Bender said...let's see it.

 

[bladeninja]

Hey Sled. Great find! Thanks for the pics. Just gorgeous!

 

[Kase Zome]

By default, you are required to post pics

Yup. What Blues Bender said...let's see it.

I did! It's on the previous page. I think the confusion is that I mentioned my friend's HIZEN ZDP but posted pics of my HIGO DLC.

Here are few other angles:

 

[stician]

^^^nice!! Jade is a nice touch.

 

[Sled]

Hey Shun dudes!

Does Rocky give you a little wrench for disassembly with those knives? As far as I know, only the Hizen and Higo can be disassembled under warranty.

No wrench with the SHUN.

Hey Sled. Great find! Thanks for the pics. Just gorgeous!

Thanks!

 

[JCaswell]

So the RYO-H won't be released until February.

They probably delayed production for a while because of this:

"We have originally produced the concealed clip system to eliminates the uncomfortable feeling of the "clip feel" when gripping the handle.

However, it turns out that a part of the mechanism of this "concealed clip system" conflicts with US patent Nos. 8,112,894 and 8,783,141.

We have been licensed to use these US patents after negotiations with Mr. Joseph Caswell, the US patent owner."

As far as I know, the delay shouldn't have anything to do with this. Licensing was worked out months ago.
I have seen this knife in person, BTW. It is fantastic, just as you'd expect from Rockstead.

 

[Kase Zome]

I just can't stop with this thing... Hopefully the novelty will wear off by morning...

 

[beschcode]

NO wrench with the kou

 

[miso2]

Hi guys,

I plan to obtain a Higo early next year.
As you know, there are two blade material choices, ZDP and YXR, and I am split.
Could you knowledgable Rockstead geeks tell me which one I should get?

I use my knives only lightly.
And my main concern of their knives is the edge retention and how easy to maintain the edge, as I don't think I can sharpen it properly myself.
Which one is better in terms of edge retention, and in the ease of stropping (with their recommended jean stropping)?
Thanks in advance,


Miso

 

[Rob S.]

As long as you're a light user, i would go with the ZDP-189 over YXR7 if edge retention is your main concern.

If you do plan on doing any light impact cutting, go with the YXR7.

The ZDP-189 will chip.

Regardless, should the need arise, Rockstead will sharpen your knife for free.

They will charge you if the blade is chipped.

And being you're in Kyoto, you could hop on the Shinkansen and hand deliver it.

 

[beschcode]

Which Steel would you say is best against rust?

 

[Rob S.]

ZDP-189 would be the choice as far as corrosion resistance.

 

[miso2]

As long as you're a light user, i would go with the ZDP-189 over YXR7 if edge retention is your main concern.

If you do plan on doing any light impact cutting, go with the YXR7.

The ZDP-189 will chip.

Regardless, should the need arise, Rockstead will sharpen your knife for free.

They will charge you if the blade is chipped.

And being you're in Kyoto, you could hop on the Shinkansen and hand deliver it.

Thank you, Rob S.
I like ZDP-189 and would go for it for my purchase.

Yeah, I could get there in 3 h if I want to pay a visit to their factory.
It would still be a hassle......


Miso

 

[The Aflac Duck]

Which Steel would you say is best against rust?

Again, go read page #5 as this was discussed already.

Neither is a good choice if corrosion resistance is a main priority of yours. YXR7 is a carbon steel but has a coating to help with corrosion. ZDP has 20% chromium, but 3% carbon, so even though it's considered a stainless steel, it is very susceptible to corrosion.

 

[Rob S.]

If you're really concerned about corrosion, i would recommend going with a ZDP model clad in VG10.

The ZDP Chi, Tei, Shin and Shun are all VG10 laminated.

The Hizen and the Higo ZDP models are ZDP-189 only, no laminate.

 

[Misanthropia]

Again, go read page #5 as this was discussed already.

Neither is a good choice if corrosion resistance is a main priority of yours. YXR7 is a carbon steel but has a coating to help with corrosion. ZDP has 20% chromium, but 3% carbon, so even though it's considered a stainless steel, it is very susceptible to corrosion.

This ^^^ If I remember correctly, the metallurgy explanation is that because there's no other alloying elements beyond Chromium, most of the Chromium gets taken up in carbides and thus is not "free" Chromium, which provides corrosion resistance. So combine that with the high carbon levels and you have a "stainless" steel that definitely stains.

 

[The Aflac Duck]

It is possible that there could be different variations of those models. Those 4 models do infact come in the clad variations, but I wouldn't guarantee that they always do.

The reason I present this is because of all the different variations they have that are not explicitly stated. For example, the Higo comes in both Shinogizukuri and Honzukuri but Rockstead says these models are only Honzukuri on their website; the same goes for the Tei. Also, their coatings have different variations aswell: from the older titanium-aluminum coating (now phased out) to the DLC (currently in production) to full DLC to partial DLC.

I believe that the spec list on their website refers to what they are currently producing, rather than what they have previously produced. Personally, I believe it is very possible that the 4 said models could have possibly been produced in non-clad variations; I may be wrong though.

Speaking of the models with different grinds, these can be identified by their model names. Higo-JH with H standing for Honzukuri, or Tei-S with S being Shinogizukuri; but not all models reflect this idea. Also, it's best to hope that your dealer understands this too, as I've noticed some of the models being sold as JH happen to come with a Shinogizukuri grind instead. I feel that this is a confusion that comes from the dealer and not Rockstead.

Anyways, this is mostly speculation regarding the clad models. They may or may not have produced these in different variations of clad and non-clad.

 

[The Aflac Duck]

This ^^^ If I remember correctly, the metallurgy explanation is that because there's no other alloying elements beyond Chromium, most of the Chromium gets taken up in carbides and thus is not "free" Chromium, which provides corrosion resistance. So combine that with the high carbon levels and you have a "stainless" steel that definitely stains.

Absolutely correct. Even Sal himself has said this:

...ZDP is probably the least corrosion resistant of our stainless steels. The large amount of carbon eats up much of the chrome forming carbides and there is less than you'd think for corrosion resistance.

I carry ZDP often, but Colorado is a dry climate. Less corrosion resistance just means more attention. Generally "high performance" anything requires more attention.

sal

 

[beschcode]

Iam confused, is the zdp less corrosion resistent then yxr? If I remember correct They say that the yxr is more resistent because of the dlc coating.

 

[The Aflac Duck]

Did you read page #5?

The DLC coating will protect the blade, but it should still be wiped down with something like tuff-glide. Apparently the DLC coating has "dimples" according to Rockstead, and make the blade susceptible to corrosion. I'd imagine the partially coated YXR7 blades require slightly more maintenance.