Which Rockstead folder for heavy use?

Nick H. said:
have to have a Rockstead, no ifs or buts.
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Actually this is what you said.

I don't care if you get a rockstead, they are nice knives. Not the best choice for a camping and biking blade, but that's up to you. Not trying to start a fight with you, but it was the way you worded it that started the cascade of replies.
 
Cryptyc said:
What's with all the trolling? I usually wouldn't even bother commenting, but it is ridiculous. So the guy wants to take a rockstead, that's his business. Just leave it be and give him some advice or share your experience.
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I was wondering the same. He probably said it must be a Rockstead because he didn’t want 50 people coming on and suggesting something different, which they have done anyway. Not sure why it’s necessary to reply if you don’t want to offer any specific advice that would actually assist the OP.
 
unwisefool said:
I don't think it's trolling, he stated that he basically needed a rockstead for the trip, so that got many of us curious as to why that seemed to be a requirement for a bike trip. If he had stated he was looking to get his first rockstead and using the trip as an excuse to justify it, most of would have probably not even posted or done so differently.
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I think he said I must be a Rockstead because it’s what he wanted and didn’t want to listen to a thousand other recommendations. I’d also bet English isn’t his first language and sometimes translations don’t translate well.
 
Well, since he's splained himself a bit more I get it. I too didn't get the cynicism in the original post, it sounded like a newb posting as he was asking about the differences in the steel and I think it was his 1st post on BF so.......

Sometimes I to long be free of material encumbrances but have chosen a different path so have the wife, farm, animals and kids. Like I said before we all create our own space and we each should appreciate or at least be fair to those who chose differently.

Nick, I respect your choices and wish you the best in everything. It takes a different kind of person to 'break away' from the norm and live the lifestyle you chose. Life isn't a straight path but it's nice to be going the direction that our heart directs. Enjoy the journey, we only get one shot so make it what you desire and don't let me or anyone else furrow your brow ;)
 
Nick H. said:
I've been lusting after a Rockstead for ages, but the prices put me off. It seems to me they're in a class of their own. I've been wanting a 'knife for life' for years but nothing I've bought before has ever fitted the bill. I won't list the knives I've owned (or the machetes and saws and multitools) because that would be bowing to the peer pressure here to justify a Rockstead, and I refuse to do it! I'm amused by the assumption by some people that a Rockstead would be wasted on someone who isn't 'a knife guy'. And presumably you can't be a knife guy unless you have a big collection and go to shows and have thousands of forum posts. Honestly, that's such horseshit. Far better not to have a big pile of knives doing nothing, and put your money into one of the best instead of having 5 middle ranking purchases in a drawer. You get the same argument with watches, bicycles, shoes, pens, cars, computers, motorbikes etc. People want to feed the consumerism monster by building collections. It gives them a sense of identity I suppose. There's a lot of peer pressure to buy a house and fill it with stuff. But there's another way to live - on the road, with a bicycle and a tent. If you pack anything you don't use it soon gets posted home or given away. Power leads get chopped in half. Some people cut the handle off their toothbrush. There's one famous guy who gave up his Thermarest mattress in favour of a sheet of bubble wrap. The decluttering is very relaxing. The bike is your mobile home and it contains everything you really need. The self-sufficiency and simplicity melt away the stress. If you haven't tried it you have no idea what you're missing. One thing I'm certain of is that 140 grams of Rockstead would most definitely earn its keep. And finally I can afford it.
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Yes, do what you want. Buy what you like. Collect or use, or both.
I personally will buy the best I can afford for my purposes. Not that price always reflect real value, but if you want a $15000 user and you can afford it, I say go for it. Some people feel that certain of their knives are too pretty to use and that's fine too.

I also agree that it's good to word your posts plainly and in detail when asking for advise.
:cool::)
 
Twindog said:
It does, and with a Rocky the skill level needed is much higher (virtually impossible) because the acuity of the edge (no angles on a convex edge) varies from the back edge (near handle) to the tip [on the HONZUKURI edge, as Blues mentions]. Rockstead used a special sharpening apparatus to form the variable-acuity edge. The company recommends only hard-backed denim stropping to keep the edge sharp for the first two or three years, which seems highly optimistic to me, and highly unlikely for a hard-use knife.

To even have a chance to make stropping keep a well-used knife sharp that long, you'll have to strop with a high level of skill after each use.

As Evilgreg said, you can use a rod or stone to keep the last portion of the edge sharp -- basically creating a V-edged micro-bevel.

If you want to keep the original edge geometry, you'll have to send it back to Japan for sharpening after stropping no longer does the trick.
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You can convex anything if you're motivated and patient, there is no magic to it.

Every knife has an angle at the very apex of the edge, convex or not. On a perfectly shaped convex edge the angle varies constantly as you proceed away from the apex, but at any point (e.g. the apex) there is an angle.

Just like you can draw a circle or parabola or whatever using only straight lines, like you probably did in school using graph paper like this:

aid5583818-v4-900px-Draw-a-Parabolic-Curve-%28a-Curve-with-Straight-Lines%29-Step-7.jpg


So you can definitely return the apex sharpness of a convex edged blade without losing the convex shape altogether (assuming you can approximate the angle at the apex, of course). You'd have to remove a fair bit of steel before you'd lose the overall convex shape's advantages and need to reshape it.

That said, I'm sure that if you spend the money and wait the time, the Rockstead folks will deliver you back a knife with a really well sharpened and polished edge--I've yet to hear of anyone complaining that their Rockstead arrived with anything but a beautifully sharpened edge.
 
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GermanyChris said:
I think he said I must be a Rockstead because it’s what he wanted and didn’t want to listen to a thousand other recommendations. I’d also bet English isn’t his first language and sometimes translations don’t translate well.
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Actually written English is my trade! But the subtleties of British English are usually misunderstood by speakers of American English.
 
Nick H. said:
Actually written English is my trade! But the subtleties of British English are usually misunderstood by speakers of American English.
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Have you decided on model yet? Are you planning on carrying it in your pocket while biking? Just curious, I had a hard time selecting one for mountain biking before finally settling on one.
 
I haven't decided and I wouldn't have it in my pocket while riding - it would live in my bar bag with my other valuables.
 
Nick H. said:
I haven't decided and I wouldn't have it in my pocket while riding - it would live in my bar bag with my other valuables.
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Good move. I go on shorter rides and carry my knife in my pocket as I try to travel as light as possible. The pocket clip would be a factor if you were for obvious reasons.

I have a Shu in ZDP189 which developed some rust after opening some pool chemicals so, even though I have no first hand experience with it, I would recommend a knife in YXR7 due to the following reason from Rockstead's website:
There is one draw back to the use of this steel however, which is that being a high carbon steel, it has a lower tolerance to rust. The way we address this issue with our Rockstead knives, is through our specular polishing process. We are covering the blades made from YXR7 steel with DLC coating. But for the better cutting ability coating in the tip of the blade is removed. So we recommend the blade to be wiped with the cloth after use.​
Another factor to consider is the ease of disassembly if you're inclined to thoroughly clean your Rockstead. If that is something you would consider important I would recommend either a frame lock model such as the Hizen or the Higo or a liner lock such as the Tei. The button lock is a solid locking mechanism but is rather complicated to put back together again due–especially–to the spring loaded detent rod as seen below.
9uOW8jW.jpg
 
Thanks, good info.

I don't like pocket clips. If I bought one I'd remove it. When I'm off the bike I think the knife would go in a neck or leg pouch along with my passport etc. I'm going to the home of the world's best pickpockets!
 
Nick H. said:
Actually written English is my trade! But the subtleties of British English are usually misunderstood by speakers of American English.
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Oh I wouldn't say "usually misunderstood". There a lot of people addicted to Brit TV. There's even Britbox. Some Americans can even understand the Scotts and Welsh accents w/o subtitles! :)
 
When people talk about chopping, as in "a ZDP189 knife is too brittle for chopping, you might chip it", what kind of chopping are we talking about? Sticks? Trees? Tomatoes?
 
Nick H. said:
When people talk about chopping, as in "a ZDP189 knife is too brittle for chopping, you might chip it", what kind of chopping are we talking about? Sticks? Trees? Tomatoes?
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Most likely a tree branch or something similar but most folders are too small to be of much use chopping
 
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