Rockstead Knowledge Thread

Blues Bender said:
I believe that the internal construction of the Shin, Tei, and Sai are all similar. However, I am not 100% sure.

I know the Chi is a little bit different. The stingray inlay on the clip side conceals the pivot screw, which is a male screw.

The Tei has a female pivot that appears to be pressed into the aluminum panel under a steel liner.

Chi
View attachment 794316

Tei (not my pic)
View attachment 794317

Tei (not my pic)
View attachment 794318

Based on how the Tei is constructed, I'd bet that all of the models without a pivot screw concealed under stingray are similar. Tei, Shin, and Sai.

Good luck, you can't go wrong with any of these knives!
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Hi B.B.
Did you use heat to get the scalescrews out?
I heard they locktite them hard
 
31077898ef.jpeg
 
My Chi on the other hand was impossible to remove the scales - even with the WIHA torx bit, heat and lots of direct force - though I must admit that I likely did some damage in my 1st attempts to remove with a less quality screwdriver. Ended up returning to Rockstead for the work. Came back yesterday after a full 2 months. Now great detente, newly sharpened edge. I hope to never need to remove the scales again and I caution others not to attempt unless you own the WIHA torx or the equivalent.

Ray
 
Thanks for the hint Ray

I try to get all information there is
to know about NOT getting in trouble
diassambling the shin
when the day comes to regrease
the pivotsystem
I have several CRK’s
and I know it will need new grease someday...
 
tunerblock said:
Thanks for the hint Ray

I try to get all information there is
to know about NOT getting in trouble
diassambling the shin
when the day comes to regrease
the pivotsystem
I have several CRK’s
and I know it will need new grease someday...
Click to expand...

My scales came apart very easily, but each knife is hand assembled so there may some variation.

I almost never lube/grease my Rocksteads. If they get gritty, I flush the pivot with Naptha (lighter fluid) and put a couple drops of TufGlide on the pivot. That's it.
 
Can someone list the relative order of expense in the Rockstead offerings.?
From 'budget' to top of the line?
 
Off the top of my head: Chou, Hizen, Higo, Chi, Shin, Shi, Sai, Tei, Nehan... I've probably missed a few.
 
Has anyone disassembled the Ryo? Was it complicated? As far as I can tell, the screws must be threaded into the display side frame, which seems like it would want to strip sooner or later.
 
This may seem an odd question, but what the hell. Has anyone replaced the thumb studs on their Higo or Hizen? I've owned both before, but sold them both strictly because I cannot get over how awful the thumbstuds are.

In my opinion they are some of the worst functioning and designed thumbstuds on the market. They are not comfortable to use (very smooth and rounded), they stand proud of the thickness of the knife handle making an awkward protrusion through your pocket, and they just plain look weird, sorta like they were an afterthought in the design of an otherwise gorgeous knife.

I've contacted Rockstead and they informed me that the thumbstuds are threaded into the blade, not press fitted. At this point I think my only and best option would be to have them custom made to the correct size since the stock ones leave very little material to thread into towards the spine of the knife, they will have to be very small. I would love to own this knife again, it would have to have better studs.
 
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PinkmagicK said:
This may seem an odd question, but what the hell. Has anyone replaced the thumb studs on their Higo or Hizen? I've owned both before, but sold them both strictly because I cannot get over how awful the thumbstuds are.

In my opinion they are some of the worst functioning and designed thumbstuds on the market. They are not comfortable to use (very smooth and rounded), they stand proud of the thickness of the knife handle making an awkward protrusion through your pocket, and they just plain look weird, sorta like they were an afterthought in the design of an otherwise gorgeous knife.

I've contacted Rockstead and they informed me that the thumbstuds are threaded into the blade, not press fitted. At this point I think my only and best option would be to have them custom made to the correct size since the stock ones leave very little material to thread into towards the spine of the knife, they will have to be very small. I would love to own this knife again, it would have to have better studs.
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The thumbstuds are great, in my opinion. However, I have the Higo-X which might make me feel differently about them. I never owned a standard Higo or Hizen.

You could try to find the thread size and buy new ones on one of the knife making sites. I also believe Steven Kelly makes his own hardware for his (and other makers) knives, so he might be able to make you something up.
 
Blues Bender said:
The thumbstuds are great, in my opinion. However, I have the Higo-X which might make me feel differently about them. I never owned a standard Higo or Hizen.

You could try to find the thread size and buy new ones on one of the knife making sites. I also believe Steven Kelly makes his own hardware for his (and other makers) knives, so he might be able to make you something up.
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Thanks for the info Blues! I'll reach out to him. And different strokes and all that haha. I can't stand them, but I feel like one of the CRK thumbstud haters over here, when I myself find those kind exceptional.

If I ever go through with this plan or find a way to make it work, i'll be sure to post pics here.
 
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jftman said:
Can someone list the relative order of expense in the Rockstead offerings.?
From 'budget' to top of the line?
Click to expand...
They don’t really make anything even remotely budget friendly. I think they make a rather small and simple kiradishi or whatever it’s called for s couple bills
 
Hi everyone! Its been awhile since Ive been involved in the BF community. Honestly, Ive missed this family a lot but now something's have changed for me and now.....I'm back. Over the past few weeks..Ive read this entire thread, front to back and it has only strengthened my resolve to get a Rockstead. These knives have been among my top 5 for many years and hopefully in a few days....Ill be on the hunt for my 1st Rockstead. I wanted to thank everyone who has provided: pics, comments, stats, stropping & light sharpening technique's, ect. My wife made me a custom bib from all the drooling that Ive been doing. Blues Bender should definitely be a spokesperson for Rockstead. From his knowledge alone is really helping me in my choice of cutting steel. My edc for past few years have been Shiros (particularly the Shiro F3 because it fits my hand very well in size) Keep posting pics of yalls Rocksteads and sharing your personal experiences.
Thanks,
Don
 
rooster68 said:
Hi everyone! Its been awhile since Ive been involved in the BF community. Honestly, Ive missed this family a lot but now something's have changed for me and now.....I'm back. Over the past few weeks..Ive read this entire thread, front to back and it has only strengthened my resolve to get a Rockstead. These knives have been among my top 5 for many years and hopefully in a few days....Ill be on the hunt for my 1st Rockstead. I wanted to thank everyone who has provided: pics, comments, stats, stropping & light sharpening technique's, ect. My wife made me a custom bib from all the drooling that Ive been doing. Blues Bender should definitely be a spokesperson for Rockstead. From his knowledge alone is really helping me in my choice of cutting steel. My edc for past few years have been Shiros (particularly the Shiro F3 because it fits my hand very well in size) Keep posting pics of yalls Rocksteads and sharing your personal experiences.
Thanks,
Don
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Glad to have you back, Don. Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad my posts have been able to help you. The Chi is one of my go-to knives, it's even in my pocket as I type this.

Let us know when you pick up a Rocky, I'd love to hear about how you like it.
 
Blues Bender said:
Glad to have you back, Don. Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad my posts have been able to help you. The Chi is one of my go-to knives, it's even in my pocket as I type this.

Let us know when you pick up a Rocky, I'd love to hear about how you like it.
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Hi! You're more than welcome. The knowledge Ive picked up personally has been extremely helpful. My concern is the handle size due to the size of my hands. Big but not freakishly large. I really like everything about the Chi and if in my price range, Ive found a Higo X-RW-DLC in YRX7. I really like the one you have in ironwood but their on back-order at every place Ive checked. Ive already priced next day shipping from 2 places here in the U.S. to me. I always carry an EDC and looking forward to handling a Rockstead personally. Between the ergonomics, DLC coating, YRX7 steel for working / cutting, ect...I'm already sold. all that's left is to place the order. I'm a research nut and I'm very confident this choice of tool will be the best for me. Keep sharing the info & pics.
Thanks again!
 
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rooster68 said:
Hi! You're more than welcome. The knowledge Ive picked up personally has been extremely helpful. My concern is the handle size due to the size of my hands. Big but not freakishly large. I really like everything about the Chi and if in my price range, Ive found a Higo X-RW-DLC in YRX7. I really like the one you have in ironwood but their on back-order at every place Ive checked. Ive already priced next day shipping from 2 places here in the U.S. to me. I always carry an EDC and looking forward to handling a Rockstead personally. Between the ergonomics, DLC coating, YRX7 steel for working / cutting, ect...I'm already sold. all that's left is to place the order. I'm a research nut and I'm very confident this choice of tool will be the best for me. Keep sharing the info & pics.
Thanks again!
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What are some knives that fit your hand size? I can take some pictures of the Chi near a tape measure to give you an idea on size. Better yet, I might have some knives that you own and can take some side-by-side comparison pics. Let me know!:cool:

The overall handle size isn't much smaller than a large Sebenza 21. The blade on the Chi is a work of art, it's a Tanto grind that is done "the right way" in my opinion.

Between the Chi and Higo-X, I'll try and answer any questions you have. They cost a lot of money, and I'm more than happy to help you decide if they are right for you or not.
 
Blues Bender said:
What are some knives that fit your hand size? I can take some pictures of the Chi near a tape measure to give you an idea on size. Better yet, I might have some knives that you own and can take some side-by-side comparison pics. Let me know!:cool:

The overall handle size isn't much smaller than a large Sebenza 21. The blade on the Chi is a work of art, it's a Tanto grind that is done "the right way" in my opinion.

Between the Chi and Higo-X, I'll try and answer any questions you have. They cost a lot of money, and I'm more than happy to help you decide if they are right for you or not.
Click to expand...

Your help would be awesome! The knifes I normally EDC are the Shirogorov F3 Carbon fiber, Gavko & Ferrum Forge corroboration a few years ago, Emerson CQC-8 (full size). I had an Sebenza 25 that fit me perfectly. The regular Sebbie was too small for me. I had a custom L51 by Andre Thornburn that was made for me but even that was too small. I do like the Chi but I really dont have experience sharpening that style blade. I have nice Spyderco sharpening setup with the xtra rough stone and sapphire rods. I'm sure Ill be able to handle the edge & stropping from the vid's you've shared too. Sharpening & stropping is relaxing for me. Thank you for the advice!!
 
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