H9 Takin Real Steel

 By Steve Hanner

As a farmer and livestock man I daily use one kind of cutting tool or the other. Hearing all the talk about the Real Steel brand imported from China, my curiosity got the best of me and I scouted out the Real Steel Knives web-site for a product for my own test. After some serious consideration I chose the Model H9 from the H-Series. I must say I am glad I did. Because of my work on the farm I do like a big knife. Especially during winter when in the cold it sure helps to have something that will work even when you have gloves. The H9 fills that requirement as its the largest in the Real Steel lineup. The knife has an open length of 9.65 inches and an effective blade length of 4.4 inches. The blade is made of 14C28N  stainless steel which is flat ground into a nice modified Wharncliffe or hook bill blade design. The steel is from Sandvik Industries and one of its most recent products. It is a high grade steel offering a combination of excellent edge performance, a functional hardness of 55-62 HRC and good corrosion resistance. This knife is equipped with a liner lock and G10 handle. All in all it does make for an attractive and useful knife.

  
The open knife in the above picture is so big it is difficult to get it all in a picture! It is well designed though and has a rugged yet sophisticated look. The knife is also well balanced and just feels right in your hand. The blade is sharp right out of the box. After two months of heavy use this knife still looks brand new with no signs of corrosion nor chips in the stonewashed blade.

  
  
The blade locking system is quite good  and it holds the blade firmly. There is no blade play or movement.

  
Centering is just a fraction off and quite honestly this might be more my fault as I have used and abused this knife!

  

 Included in my purchase of this $45 -$50 package is a nylon sheath. It is light weight not likely to stand up to rugged use. For myself, I had better use of the pocket clip, which is quite secure. In looking at the pocket clip, it appears small for such a large knife but actually it works quite well.

  
All in all this an outstanding knife. Although I bought the largest available Real Steel knife, they do have many other models that come in smaller sizes. For a startup company in China, it would appear they are  quite prepared to continue in what they have started. Their motto is interesting: Technological know-how, perfect production, elaborate and classy design. For the H9 they seem to have achieved much if not all of that motto.

Contact:

http://www.realsteelknives.com

Where to buy this product:

http://www.thecenterededge.com