I promised if you were patient, you would understand and I think you will, so here's the deal:

The first production run of the Doug Ritter RSK Mk1 folder will be of 100 serialized knives marked as "First Production" with the serial number laser etched on the reverse of the blade. That's a very short run and a 10th to 20th of a typical Benchmade first run. That may not mean diddly to most, but for some of you who collect or can appreciate that sort of thing, I expect it will. (Serial number 001/100 will be raffled off to benefit the Equipped To Survive Foundation at some later date.) The First Production knives are being sold at list price of $134.95. No special premium or anything.

All the information about the new knife is at: http://www.equipped.org/rsk_mk1.htm

My closest friends and family have had first opportunity, as I'm sure you can understand, and now I'm letting the members of this forum in on the serialized First Production knives before the general public, as my way of saying thanks for your support. It's strictly first come, first serve and you're only getting a 24 hour head start, or perhaps less if word leaks out. So, if you're interested, I suggest you jump on this ASAP. And, I'd appreciate it if those of you reading this don't immediately go passing this around the net <img src="images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> and give your fellow ETS Survival Forum members a fair chance at these, especially those situated on the left coast. Saturday you can tell the world, and I encourage you to do so. <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Click here to go to the hidden First Production order page (NOTE: IGNORE the coupon code thing)

Now, because of the screw-up by Aeromedix.com's IT guy, some of you have already ordered the non-serialized knife. You can change your order, if you want, not problem. Either put in an order for the First Production serialized knife and then call (toll-free 888-362-7123 and ask for Mike) to cancel the original, or just call. I recommend the first strategy to get the lowest serial number.

For those who just want a darn good knife that's an incredible value, or perhaps one to use while the First Production knife remains in the drawer, hopefully appreciating in value, <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> there's a link at the bottom of the www.equipped.org RSK Mk1 page above.

>>For even quicker opening or closing, you can manually pull the AXIS Lock bar back and with a quick flick of the wrist, open or close the blade. This can be a handy trick at times. <<

Would this cause a knife with such a capability to be classified as a "gravity knife?" Those are illegal in many locales, which might make EDC a little risky.

Nope, not a gravity knive because you have to manipulate the lock - at least in most locals

No!!!! It meets all legal requirements, even the absurdly strict California regulations.

Thanks Doug for the clarification.

Whenever I pull out my Wave or any other knife I'm carrying and others are watching, I always try to make it look as cumbersome as possible to open - you need both hands, and several distinct motions in order to get it open and locked - the last thing you want to do is convince someone that you're carrying a "switchblade" that you can whip out at any moment and wreak havoc.

One of the things that makes me comfortable with using something like a Wave is that despite whatever a cop may think, or however proficient I am at opening the thing in the blink of an eye, there is substantial case law demonstrating that it is not a "switchblade" or anything like that. And we all know that in law, case law (i.e. what somebody decided previously, for whatever reason) takes precedence over common sense.

This is exactly the knife design I have been looking for. I am very very glad that Mr. Ritter has twisted someone's arm to get a practical and inexpensive design like this one made. Knife designs have been following too much of a fashion/fad thing for me in the recent past. All I wanted was a good lock and a good blade with a comfortable grip and this one has all of these.

I own a few folders and these have been acquired in my search for the right knife.

A Benchmade titanium handled frame lock is the closest so far, but it doesn't lock up tightly due to a poorly designed pivot. The other thing I don't particularly like is the recurved blade. It does not have a straight line on it.

Gerber makes a very comfortable knife, the Gator ATS34, but it is a backlock and not a one hand opener. Otherwise it is a very nice knife for suburban carry. It is too bulky for urban carry in its balistic nylon type sheath, there is no clip on the knife itself.

I currently carry an Outdoor Edge Paragee. It is very convenient to carry for urban use, it has a strong lock up with its frame lock, but it still has the recurve blade which seemed to be rather fashionable and it is a tad small.

I have considered the Benchmade Griptilians, but another so so knife blade material didn't inspire me to open my wallet. So this one with this nice steel and nice blade shape all adds up.

Thanks Mr. Ritter for this very helpful website and forum, and thanks for helping to get this knife to market.

Doug,
Could you tell me what kind of finish is on the blade, it looks like a bead blasted finish or some type of satin finish. Could you elaborate on the finish?

Adam

It's what is known as a "stonewashed" or "tumbled" finish. The blades are put into a bin with hard media, not sure what Benchmade uses, that's proprietary information, but think of it as pebbles, if you will, and then the whole thing, blades and media are tumbled around for a while. This is similar to how they polish stones for jewelry, but there the difference in hardness between the stone and the media is higher so it actually wears away at the stones. The resulting finish is somewhat mottled in appearance. It is subtle and doesn't photograph well, at least with the digital camera I have. Benchmade tried a number of media types before we found the right one that created the appearance I wanted, a bit more apparent than they have done before.

It is a subdued finish, but not as dull as a beadblasted finish, but much more attractive, in my opinion. It has a certain "luster" to it, especially in the right light. Unlike beadblasting, which tends to open the pores of the metal, stonewashing tends to seal it up, more like a polishing, so it adds a layer of protection. It will scratch, just as will any natural finish on a steel blade, but it is fairly resistant to wear.

Hope this answers your question.

Ah, thanks Doug it does answer my question. I was worried that it was a bead blasted finish. But I should have known better <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Doug--

While the exact composition may be proprietary with BM, from what I've seen at manufacturing trade shows, the "stones" for "stonewashed" are a ceramic medium somewhat akin to ceramic knife sharpeners.

An engineer friend of mine took me to several trade shows with him, because of my interest in tools & gadgets (go figger!). The polishing devices I saw could only be described as vibratory polishers on steroids! If any of you are reloaders & are familiar with the small vibratory polishers sold by Dillon & others, simply imagine the same thing, but with a bin from 4 to 6 ft in diameter.

The triangular ceramic media I saw demonstrated was used to debur parts, and imparted a stonewashed finish. Size, compostion, & shape of media were variables that could be altered to give desired results.

Just my $0.02.

David