Ace Sonoma, anyone picked one up?

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Jan 21, 2019
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I've had my eye on this knife, I'm curious if anyone picked one up and what they thought of it.

It looks like it has similar Dimensions to a holt Specter, GM3 or similar style nice longer skinny or blade slicer Style.

Being giant Mouse's first frame lock and one of the first flippers I'm just curious if they executed it well or not.

It looks nice, but it could be a long skinny apple slicer, which I have no use for in my collection.

But if it's a well-rounded knife then it might be something to consider, thanks for any input
 
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I've somewhat regretted selling my GM3, and this looks like a potentially better knife so I'm interested. Hopefully pick one up off the exchange someday... Having a hard time pulling the trigger at the asking price.
 
Is this the one made by Reate? Looks great anyway.
Been thinking about it, but I'd like to see a size comparison first.
 
Is this the one made by Reate? Looks great anyway.
Been thinking about it, but I'd like to see a size comparison first.

Yes it's made by Reate, some of my best knives are Reate.... liong mah and Reate are amazing quality.

This is 3.4" blade with a 4.25" handle, which is in my size preference.

I like 3.25-3.5" blades with 4.25-4.75" handle, frame lock. Only problem is the lack of belly on the blade.
 
It looks nice but is the pocket clip throwing anyone else off? It looks incredibly tall and bulky.
 
It looks nice, but it could be a long skinny apple slicer, which I have no use for in my collection.

It doesn't look like a long skinny, as the blade is 0.140" and not a tall blade, and is flat ground, so not an apple slicer..UNLESS...the behind-the-edge measurement is 0.020" or less, which is very uncommon.
 
I’ll definitely pick one up, at some point. Looks like a really solid offering.
 
I find the stonewashed Ti one boring, not enough contrast between blade and handle, and much prefer the PVD black one but don’t like that bead blasted looking blade. Looks cheap, like a Kershaw to me. If only they had made a PVD satin one or better yet, make the one they have been showing pictures of for weeks; a bronze one with satin blade. Not happy about them switching from Italy to China either, Reate or not.

Undecided and doubtful at this point.
 
I find the stonewashed Ti one boring, not enough contrast between blade and handle, and much prefer the PVD black one but don’t like that bead blasted looking blade. Looks cheap, like a Kershaw to me. If only they had made a PVD satin one or better yet, make the one they have been showing pictures of for weeks; a bronze one with satin blade. Not happy about them switching from Italy to China either, Reate or not.

Undecided and doubtful at this point.

Agreed! That PVD/SW was an odd choice to my eyes.
 
It looks okay. I like that Reate is making them, because they'll probably do a better job than whatever OEM from Maniago was doing the prior models. I would be more enthusiastic about this if it had thinner stock, a longer blade, and a spring clip, though.

The clip looks like a hotspot and is going to be less functional than a regular spring clip while costing more to produce. I really wish the trend towards milled clips would die out.
 
Been mulling these all night and decided hard pass for me. They just didn’t make the right combo for my taste. Would much prefer that antique looking dark bronze and then a satin blade. Since this is an ongoing unlimited knife, perhaps they will branch out and make different finishes later like they have with the the other Ace models.

If you are listening GM, how about that sweet bronze you do?
 
oh this being made by reate makes it much more appealing than their usual source. Thats making me want one a good bit more than i did.
 
I'm a fan of both Anso and Voxnae's designs so I immediately ordered one, the satin blade version. I prefer the dark PVD finished handle but don't care for the bead blast blade, so went with the tumbled handle and satin blade. If I end up disliking the finish of the handle I can easily send it out to have it PVD coated, anodized or whatever. That would be easier and less expensive than buying the PVD handled version and having the bead blasted blade refinished to satin.

Reate's quality is magnificent so I was glad to learn they are the maker. In contrast, I own three knives made in Maniago (by three different companies within the Maniago group) and all have fit, function and finish issues. Making things worse is their customer service which in my experience has been POOR to NON-EXISTENT...all three companies. Very disappointed and because of that I now steer away from Italian manufacturers unless they can offer full-time USA customer service and warranty support.

Reate on the other hand is a pleasure to deal with. Jon is very responsive as well as others with whom I've had the pleasure to correspond.

Fingers crossed, hope my Sonoma is as good as it looks.
 
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My experience with Maniago made knives has been stellar. I have a TOPS folder and a couple of Spydies that are superb. My GM Iona is also great. I don't mind buying a low cost Chinese knife for a beater, but I won't buy a spendy one.
 
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