Rockstead Knowledge Thread

Blues Bender said:
No problem!

I just realized Knifecenter has them instock too:D They're usually sold out every time I browse, so I just assumed:o
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Do you recommend purchasing new rather than from the exchange? They seem to never come up on the secondary market and Rockstead seems weird with warranty.
 
Ruggdogg87 said:
Do you recommend purchasing new rather than from the exchange? They seem to never come up on the secondary market and Rockstead seems weird with warranty.
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I got my Chi on exchange, but would recommend getting it new. Seems to me, its not worth saving a few dollars. Unless you can be certain the knife has not been altered or abused.

Personally, I dont care much about the warranty. Its a knife with a price tag of around $1k so spending $60-$100 bucks for the spa in Japan is not a big deal.

I did get the Higo new....
 
sshakari said:
I got my Chi on exchange, but would recommend getting it new. Seems to me, its not worth saving a few dollars. Unless you can be certain the knife has not been altered or abused.

Personally, I dont care much about the warranty. Its a knife with a price tag of around $1k so spending $60-$100 bucks for the spa in Japan is not a big deal.

I did get the Higo new....
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That's why I like the warranty. Spending close to a grand on something I want to know that if something goes wrong I can send it in. Not saying it will but we all know how things work.
 
Someone in this thread asked Rocky about warranting a second-hand knife. IIRC, they said they would honor it but will charge you for any work. Sounds similar to their "as new" warranty.

I'd still buy new, I have a hard time trusting people:D
 
Ryo-h on the way back, should have it Wednesday or Thursday :thumbup: How's the action of the Higo compared to say, large sebenzas? As smooth? I don't expect it to be as easy to flick open
 
IronThunder said:
Ryo-h on the way back, should have it Wednesday or Thursday :thumbup: How's the action of the Higo compared to say, large sebenzas? As smooth? I don't expect it to be as easy to flick open
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The action on my Higo-X is about identical to a properly cleaned/lubed Seb-21. However, my Higo took quite some time to break in and feel the way it does now. At first it was pretty stiff, and the pivot and standoff screws can be finicky if not tightened properly.

I can't really flick my Seb or Higo, I usually open them with the part of the blade tang that protrudes from the top. Kinda like a "front flipper" except without flipping. My Chi is more flickable though.
 
Just a few notes on the Ryo-H after rereading that thread complaining about it a while back, and now having one to look at.

The "extra" threaded screw holes on the inside of the scales are NOT unfinished work or just random. A couple are likely hold downs so the scales can be held down during machining, since there are no major through holes like on a normal knife. On the presentation side the ONLY hole is for the button lock. You have to be able to hold the work somehow, and since all sides of the knife are finished this is the best solution. There are some additional holes to allow for the clip mechanism. That's right. I said clip mechanism. It isn't just a simple bit of metal rattling back and forth, there are some mechanics inside to keep it constrained to the right movements. If you look in there carefully you can see that there are pockets inside that the clip rests in. The clip itself is wider than the space between the slabs. There is some overkill engineering going on in this one.
 
DrFish said:
Just a few notes on the Ryo-H after rereading that thread complaining about it a while back, and now having one to look at.

The "extra" threaded screw holes on the inside of the scales are NOT unfinished work or just random. A couple are likely hold downs so the scales can be held down during machining, since there are no major through holes like on a normal knife. On the presentation side the ONLY hole is for the button lock. You have to be able to hold the work somehow, and since all sides of the knife are finished this is the best solution. There are some additional holes to allow for the clip mechanism. That's right. I said clip mechanism. It isn't just a simple bit of metal rattling back and forth, there are some mechanics inside to keep it constrained to the right movements. If you look in there carefully you can see that there are pockets inside that the clip rests in. The clip itself is wider than the space between the slabs. There is some overkill engineering going on in this one.
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There really is some crazy stuff going on. For the clip there are two detent balls on one side and two some sort of cam-looking pieces of metal that pivot in a milled pocket to allow the right movement. Really interesting. Nothing else too extraordinary, the same pivot system with a massive torx holding it all together as per usual with the shin/chi
 
I made a quick video of my Higo, showing how the mirror polish looks after 1 year of ownership and many months of carry. It definately shows a lot of wear, but the mirror is still flawless looking. It's actually hard to see the scratches in person without the right lighting at the right angles.

The car driving by in the background was about 70-80' away.

[video=youtube_share;R85Skug_3Rw]http://youtu.be/R85Skug_3Rw[/video]
 
Man, what a whale of a thread this is. This is my first post here, I've been lurking for awhile and finally committed to a Higo a couple weeks ago.

I actually can't believe it took me this long to do so. Japanese blades are some of my favorite and I've owned several customs that were zero grind tantos. I think, like many others, I was just put off by the price and was convinced in my own head that it couldn't possibly be worth it.

It's built like an $800 knife should be, very solid and confidence inspiring without needing to be heavy to do so. Flicked open easily straight out of the box, but it's very clear there is some break in to be had. Lockup on mine is at 50% dead and has no play.

In my hand, the Higo has great ergos. Sure it's not as filling as some, but the footprint in the pocket is well worth that tradeoff to me. Grip is positive and I haven't had my hand slip at all despite the relatively smooth handle.

The single ding I have for the Higo is the blade centering is a hair off. Not a big deal to me, but I can imagine the line of angry forumites who would be livid with this knife having an off center blade.

Just wanted to post some quick impressions, I'll have more to add as time goes on. One thing I wanted to note, it may have been covered in this thread but I didn't see it; my Higo specifies 7075 for the handle, not 2024. This was a pleasant surprise for sure and I wasn't aware that Rockstead made the switch.

I also wanted to thank the regulars in this thread for their overwhelming contributions!

 
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Very nice! That's a beautiful looking rocky! Also, what is that sweet little lockback you've got there? Custom?
 
marcus52AR said:
Very nice! That's a beautiful looking rocky! Also, what is that sweet little lockback you've got there? Custom?
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Thanks man, just a straight up ZDP Higo.

The lockback is a Ryu Kawamura Jess Horn tribute that I had made to my specs. Here's a much better look at it:

 
Higo is cutting with no hesitation,I do touchups on the denim and really works like a charm.There is no scratches on the handles,no wiggle,no discolouration on the blade,absolutely perfect cutting machine.Love it.
 
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