Sharp for life..? Rockstead Sai ZDP

BIG white hunter

Well-Known Member
Morning,

Opinions please,last night while browsing through the heinnie haynes brochure i found a lovely knife,which a high price tag but a statement i would love to challenge,sharp for life,i use a chris reeves large sabenza for all of my gralloching.

Its a brilliant knife needs stripped pretty regular and sharpened but an epic tool,it also has a large price tag,but could i justify double for the "knife that will not require sharpening in its lifetime"

If they want i would test one for a season,give my poor "reeves" a rest!!



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[h=1]Rockstead Sai ZDP[/h]
 
I have a fixed blade out of Sakai, they make the best steel and sakai steel is just tops if you look into how long the city has been making steel and for what purpose?
i have never sharpened mine but then is in the collection so not used. :rolleyes:
a lot of my handmade knives have Sakai city blades .
 
Hmm,

Like i said,i am doing a lot of gralloching,don't want to be vulgar and give numbers,but i just can't see it keeping its edge even if it is just the tummy of a deer,and this is all i use the reeves for.

So you rate it as possible? sorry i only ask as i would buy one if so?
 
Just interested how you clean the Sebbi ?
i thought of using a small Sebenza for roe but was put off as I don't use folders because of the cleaning aspect.
 
I know Rockstead use high quality steels, and i know they offer a free sharpening service. If you exploit that free service, You will Never need to sharpen that knife. ;) :cool:
 
There will be hundreds of slaughter men out there looking for a knife that never goes blunt
Would like to try one out on a few thousand scotch blackface tup lambs that’s feeding out on turnips all winter taking heads and back foot of .
Cant see it myself .:eek:
 
There will be hundreds of slaughter men out there looking for a knife that never goes blunt
Would like to try one out on a few thousand scotch blackface tup lambs that’s feeding out on turnips all winter taking heads and back foot of .
Cant see it myself .:eek:

+1 on that ....if you can find a knife that never needs sharpened could you send it along my way please :rolleyes:
 
OK for posing but myself I use a cheap, £12 knife with easy sharpen blade. Sharpen it each time I use it, chuck it in dishwasher after use. Suspect I can loose/wear out 10 or more of these and still be in pocket.
 
OK for posing but myself I use a cheap, £12 knife with easy sharpen blade. Sharpen it each time I use it, chuck it in dishwasher after use. Suspect I can loose/wear out 10 or more of these and still be in pocket.

More like about 90 of them and you'd still be in pocket! :D
 
hey there,

the sabenza comes with a allen key grease and a matt to put the knife down on the problem is that there is a small hole for the grease to pass throughout the steel of the blade and it gets clogged up also there are two brass spacers with slots in it,and they also get blocked up,after say thirty grallochs,highly recommend chris reeves but i would say to get the large sabenza,and get the leather pouch it is great and lies parallel with your belt.cheers.
Just interested how you clean the Sebbi ?
i thought of using a small Sebenza for roe but was put off as I don't use folders because of the cleaning aspect.
 
new knife here........mental sharp..

lets see how it is after some reds!!
hey there,

the sabenza comes with a allen key grease and a matt to put the knife down on the problem is that there is a small hole for the grease to pass throughout the steel of the blade and it gets clogged up also there are two brass spacers with slots in it,and they also get blocked up,after say thirty grallochs,highly recommend chris reeves but i would say to get the large sabenza,and get the leather pouch it is great and lies parallel with your belt.cheers.
 
I've had Rockstead knives, and others, in ZDP-189. It's a perfectly good steel but regardless of heat treat and edge-geometry, it's going to need sharpening if it sees regular use.

ZDP is relatively "old news" now; at one time it was the high carbide steel for blades. I still have one pocket knife and one fixed blade in it. I also have knives with steels of more extreme chemistry: K390, K294, M390, CPM-S110v, CPM-Rex121, etc.

They all get used and they all have to be sharpened sometimes.

High-carbide steels may perform very well in tests of edge abrasion resistance under lab conditions, eg CATRA. However, they may blunt through micro-chipping in real world applications.

For my stalking/bushcraft knives, I have almost gone full circle, preferring more humble steels like SF100 and 12c27 that have great edge-stability, sharpen easily and offer good corrosion resistance. H1 is another favourite for a down-and-dirty practical fixed blade.

Some manufacturers tell buyers they need more and more exotic steels for better edge-retention but you rarely get something for nothing in blade metallurgy.
 
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very interesting,and i thank you for this it is going to get worked!! stains are my worry,it already has shown me it don't like blood,but really it will make no difference,its a joy to use.
I've had Rockstead knives, and others, in ZDP-189. It's a perfectly good steel but regardless of heat treat and edge-geometry, it's going to need sharpening if it sees regular use.

ZDP is relatively "old news" now; at one time it was the high carbide steel for blades. I still have one pocket knife and one fixed blade in it. I also have knives with steels of more extreme chemistry: K390, K294, M390, CPM-S110v, CPM-Rex121, etc.

They all get used and they all have to be sharpened sometimes.

High-carbide steels may perform very well in tests of edge abrasion resistance under lab conditions, eg CATRA. However, they may blunt through micro-chipping in real world applications.

For my stalking/bushcraft knives, I have almost gone full circle, preferring more humble steels like SF100 and 12c27 that have great edge-stability, sharpen easily and offer good corrosion resistance. H1 is another favourite for a down-and-dirty practical fixed blade.

Some manufacturers tell buyers they need more and more exotic steels for better edge-retention but you rarely get something for nothing in blade metallurgy.
 
very interesting,and i thank you for this it is going to get worked!! stains are my worry,it already has shown me it don't like blood,but really it will make no difference,its a joy to use.

They are beautiful and well-made tools, Rocksteads. ZDP-189 is good stuff and reasonably corrosion resistant: I'm sure you'll be happy with it so long as you don't abuse it! I had a Phil Wilson custom in K294; amazing cutter (v thin behind the edge) but it would begin to corrode if you so much as showed it a dead deer.
 
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