Seber RK1500CP Tanto Satin Ratcheting Knife

First off, I bought this knife out of the Amazon warehouse deals section just to see what it was to be honest. I figured I was getting a defective knife that I would have to take apart and fix myself, however I was surprised to find that it works perfectly. Just a minor imperfection that I've still yet to find. It's a wonderful knife. Locks very securely. Extremely sharp. Holds an edge for quite a long time and is a breeze to sharpen. I mean this thing takes a beating. It's been in dirt, mud, chemicals, and many other things that would normally stop a generic pocket knife. But this thing just keeps on going. My one and only complaint is that I have to take it apart and clean it every now and then because the locking mechanism gets gummed up with whatever I'm working in that week. I had been looking for a good knife that I know will stay shut in my pocket or on my tool belt and will be able to handle a hard day's work, and is easy on the budget. I think I finally found the perfect brand. I will definitely be buying more of these in the future. Keep it up Seber. You're doing it right.

very well built knife - reasonably priced. Would definitely buy again. Ratcheting feature makes for a very secure locking knife.

Can something as simple as a different locking mechanism change the entire way you use knives? Yes it can, I know from experience. I ordered this knife through my mother's Prime account to save on one day shipping, and it is amazing. But, to mix things up, lets start with the negative. Its stainless. You can't use it for chopping or hacking without causing the blade to chip, though you all probably already knew that if you were looking at knives in the first place. Stainless=weaker than high carbon. When locking the blade near the closed position, it rachets forward one increment, which startled me at first, because, when a blade locks, it should, you know, LOCK. And if you feel like breaking your knife after buying it because you think it stinks, the easiest way to do so is to lock it close to the closed point, and compress the spine with all your strength. I did the same, and it started to make ominous clinking and metallic straining noises, so I stopped IMMEDIATELY. It also has play, which sounds ominous, but really is not a huge problem if you have static pressure exerted on either the spine or the edge. But enough of that, here is the good stuff.It locks due to a circular racheting wheel, meaning it can lock at 180 degrees, or the normal locking point of a knife, and it can lock at any point lower than 180 down to 0 degrees. Now think of the possibilities. You can poke, you can slice, you can pull, you can push, and you can drag your way through anything from cellophane to heavy duty copper wiring. You can pick an angle lock, any on its axis, and cut away WITHOUT endangering yourself in the process. Got rope to cut? Set it to 30 degrees, slide the lock and pull the rope towards the edge. Got a box to undo? 90 degrees, lock, stab the box with the tanto tip (great for cardboard piercing) and pull down, and you got a wildly simple way to destroy cardboard like a boss. Drywall to score? Set at 20 degrees, lock, hold that baby by the spine and handle in a claw grip, and pull, and it practically cuts itself. The seatbelt cutter also works on cardboard, but I would personally keep it sharp and ready for that outstanding time when you need it most (its difficult to sharpen) and that goes for the window breaker too, though it would be more difficult to harm than the seat belt cutter, as it is a solid piece of either Ultra high strength steel, High speed steel, High strength steel, or tungsten carbide and its many lesser/greater ilk.It has its flaws, which I mentioned, and could probably be solved by a sturdier, more robust and thick racheting mechanism with even more precision locking angles and a foolproof method of not slipping down a degree. I also thought the knife I now have was serrated, but it was not, and that is my fault. But it will do, certainly, all I will ever ask of it. And that is all I ever ask of my tools. To be reliable, within sensible limits, and do what is practical.Everyone needs this, I don't care if you hate knives, you still use them, which means you need this. Just like a sharper tool is less dangerous because it takes less force to use, so is this tools versatility a easier, less dangerous way to do things. Get this beauty, and she will, within reason, serve you for as long as a racheting mechanism this small survives with daily usage. Peace.

This being my first purpose bought knife, I had a lot of deliberation over exactly what I was really after. Definitely had to be a folder, so as to reduce space & protect the blade. My 1st priority wasn't a knife that just looked 'cool', or cost a fortune because of materials &/or brand name, when at the end of the day, it is little more than a blade & handle, but was going to be about functionality.Build Quality & ergonomics:The knife is built very solidly. There is no skimping on the amount of material used in the structure, indeed close inspection of the liners, shows no hollowing. This is a heavy-ish knife, weighing in at 208g (7.3oz) according to my digital scales. The total handle length is 130mm. The liners themselves are full length with no spacers required due to their bulk and how they join with the outer steel scales. The handle construction is held together by numerous torx bolts, which are counter sunk for a near flush finish. The pivot adjusters are an inverse notch type that might be difficult to adjust without a special tool. The liners and outer scales are a combination of stainless steel (unknown type (possibly 420 or 440A (You can see the difference in steel grades between the handle & blade.)), and G10 countersunk flush mouldings. The overall handle feels full but ergonomic and sculpted to hold, with the bolster curving under the palm. The finish is also nicely defined, with all joins being flush and sub-millimetre precise. With the blade extended, the knife feels well balanced. When folded inside the handle, its alignment is fairly well centred, with ample spacing between the liners, thus no scuffing of the blade against the inside.This knife is primarily designed for utility & multi-function, as the bolster accommodates a strap cutter with a well shielded blade, a lanyard hole, and a glass breaking stud in the pommel.The top side of the handle has no jimping, as seen on most other folders. However the knifes' handle is designed such that slippage will be at a minimum, due to the bolster shape and curved choil incorporated into the handle bow. The G10 is also textured to aid grip. Lastly there is a belt clip on the right side of the handle attached at the bow end running rearwards.Blade and Pivot:It is the business end of the knife and its pivot, which is of most interest of course. The RK1500CP has a plain (non-serrated) satin tanto drop point blade, made from 8CR13MoV (8 = 0.8% Carbon, CR13 = 13% Chrome, MoV = molybdenum (0.15%) and vanadium (0.1%). It is has been annealed to 58-60 HRc. This is similar steel to AUS-8 but with a higher carbon & MoV content, thus it probably sites somewhere between AUS-8 and 440C in overall performance. The blade is 82mm in total length from tip to handle choil, the cutting edge being 80mm, and is already very sharp straight out of the packaging. The blade has a left sided opening assist thumb-stud that is lightly jimped, and well positioned away from the handle when the blade is closed so that a proper thumb purchase can be made. The blade is generously forged, being 3mm wide across the spine. The primary bevel is lightly concave hollow ground on both sides, leading to a V secondary cutting edge. This grind profile is matched on the tanto section. All in all it is a fine and strong cutting instrument.The pivot is what makes this knife so special and genuinely unique amongst folding knives. Rather than employ a simple liner-locking mechanism, Brett Seber has designed, patented and brought to market what is so far the only dual direction and lockable ratchet blade folding knife. The ratchet mechanism allows for the positioning of the blade across a 180 deg sweep, dividing by 36 notch positions. According to the patent, the ratchet utilises duel sprung ratchet teeth rockers for extra anti slip support. The tang of the blade is specially forged to encompass the teeth of the ratchet cog around which the blade pivots. As for the seating of the blade, it is extremely solid. There is a very slight amount (sub-millimetre) of vertical play, due to the ratchet mechanism. This `backlash' is apparently deliberate and essential in a ratchet mechanism, so as to allow the ratchet and pawl teeth to fully `bed in' when pressure is applied. That being said, the play is so slight it is unnoticeable during use. The blade easily survived a spine whack testing with no evident strain on the ratchet. Similarly, applying considerable squeezing force against the blade & handle when locked in various semi-open angles felt solid as though it were a single piece of metal. Horizontal play and twist (torque)is absolutely non-existent, with the blade feeling extremely well held. Despite the resistance from the ratchet, the blade can be `flicked' open, but requires considerable whipping to do so, and in any case this is not really what the knife was designed for. The `any angle' blade locking allows for using the knife in ways that no other knife can accomplish, by maximising the mechanical advantage of how the hand, wrist and blade are positioned.There is a Youtube video that illustrates this: [...] .Criticisms are few. Whilst Seber offers a `lifetime' guarantee, only months and years of repeated use will really demonstrate how sturdy and fail-proof the ratchet mechanism is. (Considering the patent was only filed in 2009, the jury is in all honesty out, as too little time has passed.) However it does feel like it is built to last.From a marketing perspective, the packaging does let the knife down somewhat. It comes in a heat-sealed tough plastic `display' package, that gives the impression of the knife being `cheap' & mass market. Whilst these might be true to a certain degree, I feel Seber should be capitalising on the `uniqueness' of the knife more, which it truly is, by packaging in a proper box with full instructions that give suggestions on alternate uses and techniques that are not possible with a normal knife, as well as elaborating on the clever ratcheting mechanism. - Just look how hard Cold Steel market themselves. (However cheesy their videos might be? ;-) ), Seber likewise has a VERY unique product here!I know this knife is made in China, but it seems to be made by the same company that manufactures the knives for Boker, Browning, Kershaw (some blades), etc. These are companies who protect & want to attain a certain reverence with their brand, thus they've chosen to use a very good manufacturer (for the price), to preserve that. This knife & its similar ratcheting companions have been custom built especially for Seber following their design. Thus Seber should be praising & promoting the qualities more themselves. This being said, it does not take anything away from the knife itself.All in all this is a top notch cutting instrument. Definitely worth 5 stars. - Go buy one!