Thank you for the very concise review Nick. The E77 was a knife that set a standard for us with budget knife making, a very 'no thrills’ but extremely reliable knife in our opinion, that is why it is still going strong today. Realsteel Team
On the issue of QC. I've bought around a dozen or so Real Steels so far, some for myself, some for my friends and colleagues. The only issue i had was with an early H5 where the (unnecessary) thumbstud was crooked. Not trying to convert anyone, just trying to add to the sample size :)
I have a few of their 14c28n models and never had any QC issues, they make some really good budget knives and were 1 of the first companies to use 14c28n on sub $50.00 knives and helped start the demise of 8cr13mov and I'd like to say Thank You for that Real Steel .
Glad to see you gave real steel another chance and a fair shake. Not my favorite knife from them, I have or have had 15+ of their designs, but have generally found their quality to be on par with Ruike and Bestech. There has been an occasional flaw, but nothing like the trouble you experienced. Perhaps they are learning, as we all do. Not sure I like their new collaborations much though.
I can confirm, not a bottle opener, first thing i tried with the one you sent me (this one? If so this video sat for a while haha) the action is super compelling for the price.
I own this knive and can confirm most of your points. It is a good cutter but not so good for pushing through hard stuff due to its odd handle shape. Overall it is a very good knive for the price but I would rather buy other models from the real steel lineup.
A couple of years ago scored two for $12.99 each from Boker USA. Money well spent. They flip well and even in my large hands fit perfectly, three fingers plus one at the back.
I'm not sure, but they might have added locking hole to more recently produced models. Mine is a few years old and doesn't have it, but my friend got his half a year ago there is a hole in the blade.
The ugliest part about it is that the base version of the Rat II is actually "a thing," which Walmart happens to stock (and currently sells for $23). Speaking of which, I have a rant. On the one hand, seeing a Rat II or Tenacious or Resilience or Leek or Fraxion at the local Walmart (which I have seen) SHOULD have a tremendous impact on the advocacy of inexpensive, quality knives and obliterate gas station knife sales. On the other hand, these are *all* sold in blister packs, frequently stashed behind a locked case manned by no employee, and so often not demo-able in any reasonable way. Unlike the Zombie. Hunter. To which I ask, where is the justice in this world?
The rat 1 in my Walmart is sold in a box and sits in a case where you can get an employee to let you play with it. Sadly the employee sits there and tells you bad information about knives while you are trying to play with it 🙄
I actually prefer thumb studs and that's one of the reasons this interested me. Thumb studs require less space to open, so you can open them more easily in more cramped spaces like chairs and cars. You don't need any more space than you would need to hold it, as long as you have enough room for the blade to open, you're fine. And the pocket pecker thing is completely avoided if it's solely a thumb stud design. Yes, there's the ones with holes instead, but those really, really turn me off. I don't really get the "cutting path" thing. Unless you're chopping straight down on something that's bigger than the knife, it's never going to be an issue.
Hey nick. Just wondering what you think about the e77 Vs the honey badger. The e77 is a bit cheaper, but I see you've reviewed them both, so would be keen to see your thoughts!
I believe the thumb studs are there for slow deployment if you happen to be in technically knife legal area but not necessarily knife friendly area. Just my 2 cents. Interesting knife and great review.
Tangram Santa Fe recommended by Cedric & Ada. Significantly better steel, full flat grind, and doesn't have most of these issues for another $5. Surprisingly good knife.
I have this knife, the all black version, and it's been my first knife (if you don't count Swiss army knives). The only issues I have with it is that most of the time I can't flip the blade out using the flipper without adding some momentum with my wrist, o i do end up using the thumb stud sometimes. It's also annoying to sharpen in a whet stone, but doable. Doesn't hold an edge for too long though. An the last thing is that the screws are som sort of star shaped thing I don't know the name. But it's still a great little knife :)
Hate to tell you man, but if you really get into buying more knives, you will find out that pretty much all knife companies use torx screws with the exception of Emerson knives.
@@xKaidoh Thanks for the heads up and for the name of the screws! I should probably get a set of them, it's just that the ones for the clip are very small :) At least they aren't proprietary ones.
