Rockstead or Hinderer? (I Know, Odd Question...)

Charr

Charr

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Oct 8, 2013
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So I recently bought a Rockstead Higo DLC here on the forums and I am very much enjoying the knife, but honestly some of the upkeep on the knife has me a bit worried. While the blade is DLC coated and corrosion is not an issue there, the edge itself is a constant battle against staining and potential corrosion.

Also, though the edge retention on it is amazing, I have no intention of trying to sharpen it myself, and honestly sending my knife out for $65 every time I want to have it sharpened and waiting 2-3 weeks is not something I would be inclined to do.

So, the debate started in my head, and now I bring it to you guys: What is your opinion (OPINION) about selling the Rockstead and moving into a Hinderer. I do choose Hinderer because I very much like the design of the XM-18, use my knife almost every day, and quite a bit if it's my EDC (other reason for concern with the Higo is I never have been able to use it honestly), and I know Hinderers have a good reputation for durability, ergos, and steel choices.

I have several other knives and have never had a Hinderer. I have Shirogorovs, CRKs, have had Striders, and a myriad of production knives other than those, but have never got my hands on a Hinderer.
And yes, I know that ZT has the 0562 and 0562cf. Handled both, and while I like them alot in terms of design, the Slicer grind is not to my tastes I think. I much more like the Spanto

This is honestly just for suggestions and opinions. NO discussion of sales or anything that would violate rules please. I don't want mods comign down on anyone's head. Just want some opinions other than the ones in my head. Thanks in advanc guys.
 
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And yes, I know my signature mentions a Hinderer. That's a different issue; although, I if did get a hinderer, that would likely be the one I went for.
Also, please don't bring up ZT 0550, 0560, 0561, ect... Already had those, and while I enjoyed them, they didn't wuite cut it in some areas I believe the XM-18 excells.
Just saying in advance.
 
For my money, I'd rather have a Hinderer than Rockstead. Rockstead are beautiful, well-built knives and their ridiculous hardness is certainly a unique feature, but I like a knife that I can sharpen myself. Not to mention that I'd always be worried about chipping on something that hard, and probably never use it for anything but the lightest of cutting. I also prefer the ergos of a Hinderer, though they are a bit more overbuilt than I find ideal for daily carry.
 
amg137 said:
For my money, I'd rather have a Hinderer than Rockstead. Rockstead are beautiful, well-built knives and their ridiculous hardness is certainly a unique feature, but I like a knife that I can sharpen myself. Not to mention that I'd always be worried about chipping on something that hard, and probably never use it for anything but the lightest of cutting. I also prefer the ergos of a Hinderer, though they are a bit more overbuilt than I find ideal for daily carry.
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This was pretty much my thoughts as well. I don't mind a heavy-built knife for EDC at all, since I wear jeans and heavy pants everywhere, though I certainly do appreciate the lightweight build of the Higo. I don't like having to baby the Higo, though I also know it can take a beating if it needs to. Just really don't want to have to send it off to Japan if anything does go wrong...I like being able to service my own knives and am not to fond of shipping them long-distance if I can avoid it.

On a slightly less logical note, I've had CRK, Strider, and honestly just really want to try Hinderer too. Not sure if that's a good reason to get one or not though...probably not, though it's just one on the pile of the reasons.
 
I would say go for the Hinderer. You said yourself that you haven't really used your Rockstead. Hinderers are meant to be banged on from day one. At least that's what I've gathered from their pedigree and their fanbase.

I've never owned one.
 
I personally don't own either, though an XM-18 is next on my list right now. But here's my 0.02 anyway.

Between a Rockstead and a Hinderer, if I could only have 1 knife for the rest of my life I would choose the Hinderer. However, if I had to choose between Rockstead and Hinderer but got to keep the rest of my collection I would probably choose the Rockstead. Yes, it would be difficult to sharpen although regular stropping would minimize that. Yes the steel may be brittle and not designed for hard use. However, there is no denying that Rockstead fills a very small niche that most other brands can't, and that is mirror polished, insanly high Rockwell, convex ground blades. That alone would make me want to add one to my collection, simply because they look stunning and have a bit more "specialness".

Also, I would like to say this. It is much harder to obtain a Rockstead (so it seems) than it is to obtain a Hinderer. So myself personally, I would keep the Rockstead as a rare addition to my collection, and get a Hinderer later.
 
oXObsidianXo said:
I personally don't own either, though an XM-18 is next on my list right now. But here's my 0.02 anyway.

Between a Rockstead and a Hinderer, if I could only have 1 knife for the rest of my life I would choose the Hinderer. However, if I had to choose between Rockstead and Hinderer but got to keep the rest of my collection I would probably choose the Rockstead. Yes, it would be difficult to sharpen although regular stropping would minimize that. Yes the steel may be brittle and not designed for hard use. However, there is no denying that Rockstead fills a very small niche that most other brands can't, and that is mirror polished, insanly high Rockwell, convex ground blades. That alone would make me want to add one to my collection, simply because they look stunning and have a bit more "specialness".

Also, I would like to say this. It is much harder to obtain a Rockstead (so it seems) than it is to obtain a Hinderer. So myself personally, I would keep the Rockstead as a rare addition to my collection, and get a Hinderer later.
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This was also a serious consideration for me, and honestly that's the majority of the debate in my perspective. I really like the unique features of the Rockstead, and its near-perfect fit and finish. That being said, I tend to not hold onto knives I don't use enough, honestly because having them just sit there, to me, feels like a waste of money, and a waste of an exquisite product meant to be a tool.

The Rockstead was the one that really made me stop and think though, because you're excatly right, they are not that easy to come by (though somewhat easier now), and they have some features and qualities that are almost entirely unique to their brand.

Honestly, I consider my Higo to be very similar to my Sebenza, but with a very different thought process involved in its making. CRK makes thier knives to be serviceable in the field, and easy to maintain, though they (in some people's eyes) sacrifice edge retention for it. Rockstead has a very similar idea for fit and finish, and even uses the same bushing system, but they obviously use a different philosphy for their blades.
 
65$ for shipping? I assume that's to the factory in Japan. You could consider having some of the skilled/well-equipped sharpeners/knifemakers on this site do sharpening for you. You'd save on shipping.

Or take a leap and do it yourself. There's nothing that makes a Hinderer more "sharpenable" than a Rockstead.
 
I've had strider, and will have one again, but not at the moment honestly. I like them quite a lot, but don't want to buy one again right away.
Also, I honestly have serious apprehensions about sharpening a rockstead, because of the insanely high hardness, and the fact that they are a complete convex grind that's mirrored
A Hinderer will be at lower hardness, and will have a conventional bevel, which my wicked edge can easily sharpen without issue
 
Have you looked into the more mid-tech/semi-custom offerings? Knives like Robert Carter's F-16, Dave Curtis' F3, Jake Hoback's Kwaiback and Jon Graham's Razel are a few hard users that come to mind that are in a similar price range.
 
NorthernSouthpaw said:
Have you looked into the more mid-tech/semi-custom offerings? Knives like Robert Carter's F-16, Dave Curtis' F3, Jake Hoback's Kwaiback and Jon Graham's Razel are a few hard users that come to mind that are in a similar price range.
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The Kwaiback was a definite consideration, and you know honestly I would certainly say I wouldn't argue its a great decisiion. In regards to the f3, they're a little hard to get ahold of in the right configuration, and honestly the Hinderer is in part out of curiosity about the actual brand and their product.

If I find a Kwaiback that's up in the next few weeks I might have to take the dive on one. It might just come down to which shows up first: Hinderer or Hoback...We shall see.

I've pretty much decided I just don't want to have to deal with the maintanance for the Higo. I love the knife, but I just don't want to have to ship it off and dump the money to get it sharpened whenever it needs it. I am decent at stropping my knives, but I also don't completely trust myself to keep it as it whould be.
 
Now there's two knives I would be itching to use... and at the same time I'd be babying it too much to use for real.
rockstead-don-zdp-mirror-fixed-large.jpg
RSKONZDPa.jpg

...I use my tools, what is this? So conflicted.. I'd better stay away.
 
I had an XM 18 3.5 with flat carbon fiber scale; it was a heck of nice knife, almost too nice if you will... ;):thumbup:

I couldn't bring myself to use it but it was overbuilt and would definitely hold up to hard use. Ended up trading it away and often lust after a Rockstead TEI, I guess you could say it's kind of a grail knife for me. :thumbup:
 
Those $2000 fixed rockstead blades are something special. Handled one and it was fantastic.
 
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