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- Feb 12, 1999
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- 1,048
Here's a rare one. No trades. Shipping via USPS ground and insured, preferred payment via PP GandS, Venmo, Cash, etc. Whatever works for you. ALL COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH DMs ONLY! I WILL NOT BE CONTACTING YOU THROUGH EMAILS OR TEXTS OR OTHER METHODS FOR PAYMENT INFO. If you need other pics or more info, just let me know. Thanks for looking!
Remote Survival Company RS-1 Folder: Made by a Vietnam vet in the 1970's, this was probably the forefather of the modern tactical/survival folder. Since describing this isn't the easiest to do, here's the advertising information when they were released.
The RS-1: A Survival Tool
"The RS-1 has been designed for the strict purpose of survival under the most adverse conditions possible. Its an ultra heavy-duty survival tool and is therefore not considered in the same category as that of a normal hunting knife.
The blade is a fill quarter inch think, specially designed to perform all survival tasks with optimum efficiency. Alloy is 440-C Stainless. Heat treatment begins with an annealing operation and follows through with a cryogenic (Deep Freezing) process and tempered to a hardness "C" 58 - 60 in a vacuum atmosphere furnace. These blades will hold their edge longer than most other knives and are easier to sharpen because of their hollow-ground design that tapers to a thin, yet strongly reinforced cutting edge. This means that the RS-1 blade can maintain it's cutting efficiency over a longer period of time and be quickly sharpened using a small pocket stone or sharpening steel. This very important necessity is often over-looked in survival knife designs.
The RS-1 can be opened and closed with one hand, even while wearing heavy gloves or mittens. This feature can be important should you sustain an injury to one of your arms in a plane crash or during a survival situation.
The Saw
The RS-1 is unlike any other survival folding knife in the world, because it contains a 16" wire saw that coils around a 5/8" diameter spool within the rear handle.
The saw is currently used by the military in survival kits. It can saw through a 2" limb in 45 seconds. It can also saw through harder materials, such as bone, ice and thin-gauge Aluminum such as found in aircraft fuselages.
The RS-1 saw can be brought into instant action by it's pull bar, and is re-wound inside of 20 seconds. For extended survival use, the saw can be detached immediately in the field without tools for construction of a regular bow saw."
Also, I started a thread on the Levin forum here trying to find more information, as well as close-up pics. The thread is chocked full of information, from the original paperwork to a link to the US Patent Office that has a copy of the patents the knife held, as well as the name of the maker: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/70s-era-tactical-survival-folder.2038931/#post-23102215
Pricing wise on these it's very difficult to nail down. There's one on ebay with all the original paperwork and accessories going for over $3000. There have been a couple of prototype models, one with an ironwood handle currently available at over $500 and another with micarta that was sold a couple of years ago. The condition of this one is unused, without the sharpening stone or firesteel or the "survival capsule" that it was shipped in originally, but does have the original Allen key and sheath. As seems to be common with these, the wire saw has disconnected from the spindle that wraps it up in the handle. The saw can be reconnected, as it's a small eyelet with a crimp that connects the saw to it. You could either keep the original saw, or replace it with a new wire saw. It's a standard SAS type wire saw that's still available.
You'll probably never see another one. SOLD
Remote Survival Company RS-1 Folder: Made by a Vietnam vet in the 1970's, this was probably the forefather of the modern tactical/survival folder. Since describing this isn't the easiest to do, here's the advertising information when they were released.
The RS-1: A Survival Tool
"The RS-1 has been designed for the strict purpose of survival under the most adverse conditions possible. Its an ultra heavy-duty survival tool and is therefore not considered in the same category as that of a normal hunting knife.
The blade is a fill quarter inch think, specially designed to perform all survival tasks with optimum efficiency. Alloy is 440-C Stainless. Heat treatment begins with an annealing operation and follows through with a cryogenic (Deep Freezing) process and tempered to a hardness "C" 58 - 60 in a vacuum atmosphere furnace. These blades will hold their edge longer than most other knives and are easier to sharpen because of their hollow-ground design that tapers to a thin, yet strongly reinforced cutting edge. This means that the RS-1 blade can maintain it's cutting efficiency over a longer period of time and be quickly sharpened using a small pocket stone or sharpening steel. This very important necessity is often over-looked in survival knife designs.
The RS-1 can be opened and closed with one hand, even while wearing heavy gloves or mittens. This feature can be important should you sustain an injury to one of your arms in a plane crash or during a survival situation.
The Saw
The RS-1 is unlike any other survival folding knife in the world, because it contains a 16" wire saw that coils around a 5/8" diameter spool within the rear handle.
The saw is currently used by the military in survival kits. It can saw through a 2" limb in 45 seconds. It can also saw through harder materials, such as bone, ice and thin-gauge Aluminum such as found in aircraft fuselages.
The RS-1 saw can be brought into instant action by it's pull bar, and is re-wound inside of 20 seconds. For extended survival use, the saw can be detached immediately in the field without tools for construction of a regular bow saw."
Also, I started a thread on the Levin forum here trying to find more information, as well as close-up pics. The thread is chocked full of information, from the original paperwork to a link to the US Patent Office that has a copy of the patents the knife held, as well as the name of the maker: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/70s-era-tactical-survival-folder.2038931/#post-23102215
Pricing wise on these it's very difficult to nail down. There's one on ebay with all the original paperwork and accessories going for over $3000. There have been a couple of prototype models, one with an ironwood handle currently available at over $500 and another with micarta that was sold a couple of years ago. The condition of this one is unused, without the sharpening stone or firesteel or the "survival capsule" that it was shipped in originally, but does have the original Allen key and sheath. As seems to be common with these, the wire saw has disconnected from the spindle that wraps it up in the handle. The saw can be reconnected, as it's a small eyelet with a crimp that connects the saw to it. You could either keep the original saw, or replace it with a new wire saw. It's a standard SAS type wire saw that's still available.
You'll probably never see another one. SOLD
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