eisman
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2009
- Messages
- 6,903
Another thread on inexpensive knives got me to thinking about this nice little (3 5/8") Stockman pattern I recently picked up. It's made in China, clamshell packed, from a brand name I hadn't seen before; Ruko (corrected - thanks JC57). The packaging (since thrown away) stated they had been making pocket knives since 1957.
It's fairly well built, extremely inexpensive, and has several features I very much miss seeing in current production knives more frequently mentioned in this forum.
The bolsters are nickle silver, the liners are brass, and the blades are "surgical steel". While the polishing is not a mirror finish, the lines are clean and sharp, something I find I prefer to those softened by too much polishing.
The scales are bone (it think) and feel synthetic, but look nice, though their fit is the one thing I do have to complain about. It could be better. But the grind and polish is clean with no gaps in the construction.
But look at the lines of the main blade. I love these long clips! They sit low, slice very well, and that long thin point comes in handy. Likewise the punch is clean and sharp, and sits at a good angle to actually use. It's nice to see a Stockman with a punch; they're a rare find these days.
The punch does sit a bit high when closed, but that will be fixed in a couple minutes with a stone to the kick. The design makes it easy to drop lower and still have a good edge to lift it out by.
All in all, this is a pretty darn nice knife for just over $5 new. 200 years ago it was the British and Germans wreaking havoc in the cutlery world, Asia is just getting started.
It's fairly well built, extremely inexpensive, and has several features I very much miss seeing in current production knives more frequently mentioned in this forum.
The bolsters are nickle silver, the liners are brass, and the blades are "surgical steel". While the polishing is not a mirror finish, the lines are clean and sharp, something I find I prefer to those softened by too much polishing.
The scales are bone (it think) and feel synthetic, but look nice, though their fit is the one thing I do have to complain about. It could be better. But the grind and polish is clean with no gaps in the construction.
But look at the lines of the main blade. I love these long clips! They sit low, slice very well, and that long thin point comes in handy. Likewise the punch is clean and sharp, and sits at a good angle to actually use. It's nice to see a Stockman with a punch; they're a rare find these days.
The punch does sit a bit high when closed, but that will be fixed in a couple minutes with a stone to the kick. The design makes it easy to drop lower and still have a good edge to lift it out by.
All in all, this is a pretty darn nice knife for just over $5 new. 200 years ago it was the British and Germans wreaking havoc in the cutlery world, Asia is just getting started.
Last edited:
But seriously -- I agree with you about the clip blade. My Case medium stockman has a California clip, first I have ever owned. I wasn't sure if I liked it at first, but I quickly learned to like both the looks and the functionality. 