which rockstead should i pick

beschcode

beschcode

Joined
Nov 2, 2013
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hi forum members
atm i dont have the possibility to handle any rockstead knife since i currently live in a small town in sweden. so iam hoping that the forum members could help me chose which rockstead knife i should buy.
for comparison i have in my current knife collection some spydercos and esee 4.

iam looking for a edc knife that i will carry in my jeans pocket so i dont want the knife to be to big. the two models im intrested in are the Shin and Higo but maybe i should get one of the smaller models, the Hizen and Kou. the different blade lengths doesnt bother me much, im more worried that the handle wont fit my hands.

i would say that my hands are medium/small and these are my measurements: 18cm (7") in height and 10cm (4") in width.
also i was thinking of getting the dlc yxr7 blade, how is this compared to the other steel/coating also in hiding wear and scratches?

since i will be spending this much money on a knife its very important to me that it feels good in the hand and isnt to big or to small for edc tasks.

if any one on the forum would like to sell a rockstead please pm me.
 
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I would get Hizen in ZDP-189,smaller better for edc,zdp steel is stainless compared to yxr-7(excellent steel too,coating will not wear easily),easy maintenance just strop after few times of use.Very high tolerances and fit and finish.Compared to other knives,there is absolutely no wear and tear to inside parts(lock face on the back of the knife,no ware on the knife where washers are),insides are polished too.So knife is pricey but worth the money.Some will argue about duraluminum scales or ZDP-189 steel or sending to Rockstead for sharpening but Rockstead is one of the few rare wonders of a knife design and usable tool as you will.No loctite required either for screws.With Sebenza probably my favourite knife.My opinion only and good luck with your purchase.Cheers.
 
either one is no doubt an exceptional knife. personally I like the higo, but It's really up to what design appeals to you more.

your hand is 4" across the palm? That's an XL glove isn't it?

DLC coatings are tough and scratch resistant, but the polish/satin finish is very nice.

difficult choice, I would choose the Higo. It's all about your personal preferences. I don't think one is better than the other.
 
yeah my hand including the thumb is 4" across the palm, i think thats a size M here in sweden. i like the looks of the dlc coating more because of the black fade. but i agree with rexromic that the zdp-189 steel might be better for edc since its harder. both the higo and hizen seems like a good choice. just need to do some more measuring to see which handle will fit my hands the best.
 
I have the Higo in ZDP. I'd say go for the Shin. The Higo just feels too thin in hand.
 
Easy choice... Hizen is going to be way too small for your hands, get the Higo or Shin. I find that even though the Higo is pretty long, it carries very compact and takes up very little room in the pocket. I have no experience with the Shin, but it's going to be a little bit bigger in hand and in the pocket due to it's build. I picked up the Higo because I liked the looks and I kept it because of how well it carries. It makes itself very handy. Shin has the very nice inlay, which maybe provide and bit more traction in use :)

I can't really say which steel is going to be "better." What I can say is that I've been using the crap out my DLC yxr blade and it has no chips, rolls or scratches of any kind. I don't think you can really go wrong with any of their blades, even if you don't like it you should be able to easily resell it and pick a different one.


EDIT: beschcode, I left you a visitor message, I hope it helps :)
 
i can gladly say that i just recieved the rockstead higo dlc in the mail today :D. its the perfect size for my hands, feels good in the hand and no hotspots. not to big either, its a little bit longer then pm2 but feels smaller in my hands and pocket.

but i thought that the knife would come with a leather and silk pouch. i didnt get any of these with my knife :S, does any1 know why?

im going to try get better lightning before i post some pictures.
 
Congrats! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far :)

As near as I can tell, the silk bags and leather slip sheaths only come with the versions of the knife that DO NOT come with a pocket clip (like the micarta and ironwood liner lock ones). I was expecting one also, but I realized quickly I would never use it :)
 
hey guys got some question about maintenance for the rockstead higo dlc. is it ok to use benchmade blue lube and cleanser for cleaning and lubing the blade? what do you recommend and where can i order?
 
You're gonna laugh at me but all I used was 3-in-1 oil. I use it on all my knives and have never had any problems :) I don't see why blue lube wouldn't work... As far as sharpening, I just made a denim strop like on their website and put some metal polish in it. So far it works great :D
 
yeah i saw that they use denim strops, do you think leather will work just as well? i also saw that they recommend pikal metal polish. gonna see if i can order that later or find something like it at the hardware store. glad to hear that you havent had any problems with that basic oil, have the mirror polish faded or any spots appeared?

i havent been able to get good lightning for pictures yet, waiting for better weather :)
jbob24 said:
You're gonna laugh at me but all I used was 3-in-1 oil. I use it on all my knives and have never had any problems :) I don't see why blue lube wouldn't work... As far as sharpening, I just made a denim strop like on their website and put some metal polish in it. So far it works great :D
Click to expand...
 
someone had mentioned the thinness of the higo. is it thinner than a sebenza? from side shots the two look to be very similar in size.
 
beschcode said:
yeah i saw that they use denim strops, do you think leather will work just as well? i also saw that they recommend pikal metal polish. gonna see if i can order that later or find something like it at the hardware store. glad to hear that you havent had any problems with that basic oil, have the mirror polish faded or any spots appeared?

i havent been able to get good lightning for pictures yet, waiting for better weather :)
Click to expand...

I don't see why leather wouldn't work. I don't know if their recommendation is because the polish soaks into the denim more than just sitting on top of the leather, but it was cheap and easy to do with stuff I had laying around so I just threw one together :) I was gonna order pikal as well but found something that's similar enough for me, I haven't had any problems with the mirror finish fading and I was a stropping fool for the first couple weeks, I still hit it once a week just to keep it up.

ginaz said:
someone had mentioned the thinness of the higo. is it thinner than a sebenza? from side shots the two look to be very similar in size.
Click to expand...


Not sure if you mean the blade or the handle, here a couple (not very good) pics comparing it to a Strider, CRK Um, and XM18... Sorry I don't have an actual Seb to compare it to, I've had several and sold them all, I think it was pretty close to the Um though.
This first one is top down; SnG, XM, Higo, Um

THis one shows the Um back to back with the Higo on the top, it's not a huge difference in the picture, but in hand the thinner handle of the Rockstead is very noticeable
 
nice pics, thank you very much. do you find the thinner handle to be an issue in moderate use?
 
Not at all, it doesn't fill your hand like an xm or a strider but it's very comfortable. I prefer that kind if handle shape to the more blocky and shaped handles of more "hard-use" knives. :)
 
KOU was the one that impressed me, as en EDC size wise
the higo is nice but has an aluminium framelock

most others are large
 
Hi guys I've mailed rockstead with no response and I'm hoping that any of you could answer some questions about my higo dlc.

Is it worth to open the knife for cleaning and brake the warranty? Do I need the warranty if I take care of my knife and send it in later for sharpening? Is the dlc coating on the yxr blade rust resistance and how is the rust resistance compared to zdp-189 and other blade steels? Do I need to clean and oil everyday when i've used it to prevent stains and rust?

Do you think it's a good idea to edc this knife or only use it as a collector knife?

Thanks.
 
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