Thanks for the review and buying one! I am actually the lead designer behind all of DRKs tools. You brought up a few really good points but I would like to focus on your biggest critique which was the blade to handle ratio. You'll soon see that the Ridgeback series is not just going to be one blade shape, we actually have another 2 in the works that will fit into this body more completely. But that is not the main reason there is so much of a gap. For this configuration, I wanted a shorter blade that you can choke up on while using the finger choil for accurate and controlled use of the tip, thus the small sheep's foot for tip strength and thicker BTE, while also having the option to have a full size handle for heavy cutting and abuse. If you noticed the handgun realm recently introducing full size frames and compact slides (G45 for example), you'll understand my rational here. Having a super comfortable grip that any hand size can get a full grip on paired with a compact and versatile blade will always result in a mismatch when its closed. And for that, changing its functional design features while in use (opened) for the way it is perceived while useless (closed) didn't seem right for this blade. At the end of the day, this is just the first of many configurations we are rolling out at DRK, each with a unique and tailored use case for all sorts of users preferences. I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing what we have coming out next! It is on us at DRK to better educate people on why we do the things the way we do. Your review highlights how we can get ahead of some questions by providing more info on the product listing, so thank you for that. We've talked about it in the past, just never got around to writing it all out! Thanks again for the thorough review and your support, please reach out if you want to discuss further.
Thanks for the explanation! Great design, and yes, I am looking forward to more! For me personally, the full-sized handle is important. I would love to get that full 3.5 inch blade length with it, but I do like the aesthetics of this first one.
The extra space due to the shorter blade will allow the customers enough space to mod in the missing lanyard hole or will we have to go in through the back spacer like with all the Ferrum Forges ?
They're based out of Grove City, OH. They're like 10mins from my house. The Dead Reckon shop is pretty cool, most or all of them have some kinda of engineering degree as well.
Really intriguing! I like seeing new design concepts like this bearing system and a tight locking button. It's good to get some more competition in the USA made market. The price point is maybe beyond most people's budget, but I agree that considering everything going here, the value is there.
From what I can tell from what I see in the video there are 2 bearings like the ones in the bit driver and the blade goes between them and the pivot goes through them and tightens down on the bearings but the pivot doesn't touch the frame of the knife.
If it is a sealed bearing that is pressed into the blade, it would work similar to a wheel bearing on your car or truck where the axle goes through the bearing and connect to the wheel. They are generally very strong and sealed off from dirt and debris. Pretty cool if so. 👍
Been looking at these and definitely like the design. The only reason I haven't grabbed one is I figured the blade geometry would be on the thicker side. I know it's probably good enough but it's really nice when a folding knife is super thin and cuts really well. Hopefully they do a non flipper version
What I think they mean with sealed bearings, is bearings that are similar to Skateboard and rollerblade bearings etc. Where there is a plastic cap that sits on top of the ball/needle bearings, you see if you look up ABEC 9 bearings (or most ABEC bearings in general). There are of course exceptions where some are partially sealed, but generally they are usually fully covered so no dust or sand gets in.
right? my skate bearings always got wrecked eventually. Would. dust and pocket lint be able to get into anything important? Seems like typical pocket sand would eventually grind down to be a nuisance.
@@omdesigned I don't think pocket lint etc would get in. If it's modern closed bearings (depending on grade and quality). But it's hard to know without seeing or even better knowing the exact bearing they use. Would probably take a long time to wear down, but most bearing will eventually wear out or need to be taken apart and cleaned or swapped. Hopefully, they can show a picture or list the manufacturer and model/part number of the bearings being used.
@@SeanBernstein7it has to be one of the most unique ano colors I have seen and the light plays beautifully off of the machined textures. Overall an amazing combination of ano and handel texturing.
Handle could easily be made shorter without sacrificing feel. Pocket would be more 'deep carry' which is HUGE bonus points for me. Well balanced design when open!
Its definitely really cool and some of those models with the milling are look very good can't wait to see if they start to do different blade shapes and the way that button clicks in i don't think I've seen anything like that plus the price is definitely a good thing great video man 👍
@@SeanBernstein7 I am sure i will with all input that you are getting :) Already followed you on insta! Hope to see more of your knives on the future! Bye from France!
Very impressive knife that I almost pulled the trigger on but I do put my thumb on that pivot way too much. That is a deal breaker. Also, I have to be able to disassemble my knife. I hope in future versions they make that pivot not free floating, stop the void warranty with disassembly, lengthen the blade, and ensure the clip is flush to the integral handle.
A few people who complained about the pivot captive to the blade adjust their grip very easily. It is like with any new tool, just takes a minute to get used to and then it's natural. The disassembly voiding the warranty has to do with the tight tolerances involved with our interference fits. We use special tools to put these together and use sealed bearings so that people wouldn't have to take it apart for maintenance. It is a wild concept, but we stand behind that claim. I understand that people love to see what is going on inside, but to have a mechanically sound and rock solid lock up, the assembly and tolerances have to be perfect for integral button locks. If you take it apart, it will not go back together as tight due to the press fit nature of the pin to the blade. This isn't us trying to keep the sauce secret, it is a mechanical property of forcing two components to fit perfectly and permanently once, not twice. We have different blades already in the works with longer lengths and shapes, stay tuned! The clip is not flush to the body due to the preferred shorter length. This is not an oversight, but a thoroughly tested distance that I spent several weeks on with all sorts of different pockets and garments (I have a graveyard of failed clips). Given all of my shorts and pants have some sort of seam of varying thicknesses, we set the gap to always grab on the seam, not just touch the body. This allows the clip to flex over the seam without tearing it to shreds. The clip can easily be adjusted in or out to accommodate your preferred garment type, but we set it to work best in work pants or jeans from the shop. They don't grab my booty shorts very well, but they grab it's waistband perfectly for an appendix carry. When designing machined clips, you're damned if you do or don't, so we at least made ours tunable for all garment types. Not trying to change or invalidate your preferences at all, just wanted to explain why we do what we do. Reach out if you have any other questions, concerns or feedback, I'm an open book and love to share the experience behind building the Ridgeback.
I love the design. I would prefer to not be a flipper. I actually like the blade ratio. I have often wondered why we care so much about that. Having a comfortable full grip is my main objective. Also so many knives that have a very close ratio bite into my palm when letting the blade swing shut.
We are currently throwing around the idea of a non-flipper of this blade shape, but I have another blade that is similar but thinner that won't be a flipper. You'll see soon!
Man I promise I hate to always have the complaint, but this being a new company, why can't companies plan better.? They would probably have my money if this would have been released when all the options are available. I guess it doesn't matter to them because they sell out regardless.
I hope you can see that this isn't just us trying to mess with people to get more sales, we are actively trying to take users feedback and turn it into the next variant for this knife series before we move to the next. Big companies can probably pull off what you're wanting, but that ain't us. We're a small team with a few fancy machines in Ohio just trying to make the best tools we can with what we know. I got a lot of requests for a Wharnecliff (ended up with more of a WharneCleaver actually haha) style blade, and that is next one coming out (currently being milled out now). I got other requests for blades without flipper tabs and to be a bit longer with a more traditional blade shape, got that coming too. Hopefully that makes sense! If you are curious on what all goes into iterating a new variant, reach out, I'm more than happy to share!
interesting addition to the knife world.... unfortunately not for me.... seems like its relatively popular... theres only 2 variants still available... unless its been out for a while already
We just got started late this year! We have a few more variations of the Ridgeback in the works. The goal is 3 blade shapes and 3 body patterns for this series, then on to the next!
I won’t buy a knife that I can’t take apart. I was pretty excited about this one until that one. And that blade ratio is no good. They’re getting close though!
I have a Kizer assassin, a few civivis that have button locks that failed… I saw a video on a Qsp penguin button failing , petrified fish failing… that’s why I don’t trust them… what is the difference in the dead reckon knife… I was cut by my Kizer assassin, cutting a length of rope.
@@lymedog3176it has a pin or something and it notches into the blade. That is why it clicks when it opens. U can see it in the video. They built it specifically to be super reliable and not fail. Its a tank
![Who Wrote a Short Story That Seriously Disturbed a Teacher? | Dirty Laundry x Smosh [Full Episode]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bvHAy_rKoEI/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks for the review and buying one! I am actually the lead designer behind all of DRKs tools. You brought up a few really good points but I would like to focus on your biggest critique which was the blade to handle ratio.
You'll soon see that the Ridgeback series is not just going to be one blade shape, we actually have another 2 in the works that will fit into this body more completely. But that is not the main reason there is so much of a gap. For this configuration, I wanted a shorter blade that you can choke up on while using the finger choil for accurate and controlled use of the tip, thus the small sheep's foot for tip strength and thicker BTE, while also having the option to have a full size handle for heavy cutting and abuse. If you noticed the handgun realm recently introducing full size frames and compact slides (G45 for example), you'll understand my rational here. Having a super comfortable grip that any hand size can get a full grip on paired with a compact and versatile blade will always result in a mismatch when its closed. And for that, changing its functional design features while in use (opened) for the way it is perceived while useless (closed) didn't seem right for this blade. At the end of the day, this is just the first of many configurations we are rolling out at DRK, each with a unique and tailored use case for all sorts of users preferences. I'm sure you'll enjoy seeing what we have coming out next!
It is on us at DRK to better educate people on why we do the things the way we do. Your review highlights how we can get ahead of some questions by providing more info on the product listing, so thank you for that. We've talked about it in the past, just never got around to writing it all out! Thanks again for the thorough review and your support, please reach out if you want to discuss further.
Thanks for the explanation! Great design, and yes, I am looking forward to more! For me personally, the full-sized handle is important. I would love to get that full 3.5 inch blade length with it, but I do like the aesthetics of this first one.
Awesome! Thanks for the information. Makes sense to me.
The other thing I like is sometimes when the ratio is so close the blade will bite into the flesh of my hand when the blade swings closed.
@@malcolmholt2010 good point
The extra space due to the shorter blade will allow the customers enough space to mod in the missing lanyard hole or will we have to go in through the back spacer like with all the Ferrum Forges ?
They're based out of Grove City, OH. They're like 10mins from my house. The Dead Reckon shop is pretty cool, most or all of them have some kinda of engineering degree as well.
Couldn’t agree more. Grabbed the black wash and purple anodized variant and freaking love it! Magnacut, integral handle, and USA made for hard use.
Probably the coolest looking knife I’ve ever seen on this channel
Really intriguing! I like seeing new design concepts like this bearing system and a tight locking button. It's good to get some more competition in the USA made market. The price point is maybe beyond most people's budget, but I agree that considering everything going here, the value is there.
Wait till you see what we price our 7075 aluminum bodies at!
Beautiful knife, and an amazing price for USA made. Thanks, Lefty.
From what I can tell from what I see in the video there are 2 bearings like the ones in the bit driver and the blade goes between them and the pivot goes through them and tightens down on the bearings but the pivot doesn't touch the frame of the knife.
Kev, I cannot believe you got me to buy another knife before the end of the year. This checked a lot of boxes. Thanks for the video.
Haha sorry man
Mine is on its way! Must have changed the blade material and added jipping on the flipper tab. Cpm s45vn is what the web sight says 59-61 hrs
Never heard of Dead Reckon Knives. That's a good looking knife, though. I'ma have to check them out. Thanks. 🙂
Thanks for the look!
Hello, Kev. I hope you and yours had a great Christmas. 🙂
If it is a sealed bearing that is pressed into the blade, it would work similar to a wheel bearing on your car or truck where the axle goes through the bearing and connect to the wheel. They are generally very strong and sealed off from dirt and debris. Pretty cool if so. 👍
I'm really impressed. The WE ORPHEUS and the WE Solid are both $400
Dead reckon knives look sweet, thanks for bringing them to my radar.
I’m so looking forward to the USA made Divo Growler. As soon as I see that pre-order link, I’m all over it!!
deadreckonknives.com/
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Thanks for the video. I'm sold! I managed to score the last one in stock as of 12/29 😁
Been looking at these and definitely like the design. The only reason I haven't grabbed one is I figured the blade geometry would be on the thicker side. I know it's probably good enough but it's really nice when a folding knife is super thin and cuts really well. Hopefully they do a non flipper version
We got you covered soon!
What I think they mean with sealed bearings, is bearings that are similar to Skateboard and rollerblade bearings etc. Where there is a plastic cap that sits on top of the ball/needle bearings, you see if you look up ABEC 9 bearings (or most ABEC bearings in general). There are of course exceptions where some are partially sealed, but generally they are usually fully covered so no dust or sand gets in.
right? my skate bearings always got wrecked eventually. Would. dust and pocket lint be able to get into anything important? Seems like typical pocket sand would eventually grind down to be a nuisance.
@@omdesigned I don't think pocket lint etc would get in. If it's modern closed bearings (depending on grade and quality). But it's hard to know without seeing or even better knowing the exact bearing they use. Would probably take a long time to wear down, but most bearing will eventually wear out or need to be taken apart and cleaned or swapped. Hopefully, they can show a picture or list the manufacturer and model/part number of the bearings being used.
Yes I’m all in on this! Like you said exactly what we have been asking for.
LOVE this thing. Holy sht.
100% gonna buy one
Ordered one thanks for posting
I picked up the aqua color way and it’s very impressive. Dead nutz centered and solid as hell.
Yeah that coating blew our minds in the shop when we first saw it. Glad you grabbed it!
@@SeanBernstein7it has to be one of the most unique ano colors I have seen and the light plays beautifully off of the machined textures. Overall an amazing combination of ano and handel texturing.
Handle could easily be made shorter without sacrificing feel. Pocket would be more 'deep carry' which is HUGE bonus points for me. Well balanced design when open!
Its definitely really cool and some of those models with the milling are look very good can't wait to see if they start to do different blade shapes and the way that button clicks in i don't think I've seen anything like that plus the price is definitely a good thing great video man 👍
I've got a Wharncleaver in the works :)
That's sweet.
Wow that's a good looking knife! Sad it's sold out
The locking mechanism is super super cool!!! Not fan of the design, but worth keeping an eye on them! Very very promising!
We're really proud of our lock up, hope you'll enjoy some of our new designs coming out next!
@@SeanBernstein7 I am sure i will with all input that you are getting :) Already followed you on insta! Hope to see more of your knives on the future! Bye from France!
Looks just like the hfb crow folder.
You're fortunate, Kev. If I whack it "quite a bit" my left eye crosses and stays that way for several days.
🤣
Very impressive knife that I almost pulled the trigger on but I do put my thumb on that pivot way too much. That is a deal breaker. Also, I have to be able to disassemble my knife. I hope in future versions they make that pivot not free floating, stop the void warranty with disassembly, lengthen the blade, and ensure the clip is flush to the integral handle.
A few people who complained about the pivot captive to the blade adjust their grip very easily. It is like with any new tool, just takes a minute to get used to and then it's natural.
The disassembly voiding the warranty has to do with the tight tolerances involved with our interference fits. We use special tools to put these together and use sealed bearings so that people wouldn't have to take it apart for maintenance. It is a wild concept, but we stand behind that claim. I understand that people love to see what is going on inside, but to have a mechanically sound and rock solid lock up, the assembly and tolerances have to be perfect for integral button locks. If you take it apart, it will not go back together as tight due to the press fit nature of the pin to the blade. This isn't us trying to keep the sauce secret, it is a mechanical property of forcing two components to fit perfectly and permanently once, not twice.
We have different blades already in the works with longer lengths and shapes, stay tuned!
The clip is not flush to the body due to the preferred shorter length. This is not an oversight, but a thoroughly tested distance that I spent several weeks on with all sorts of different pockets and garments (I have a graveyard of failed clips). Given all of my shorts and pants have some sort of seam of varying thicknesses, we set the gap to always grab on the seam, not just touch the body. This allows the clip to flex over the seam without tearing it to shreds. The clip can easily be adjusted in or out to accommodate your preferred garment type, but we set it to work best in work pants or jeans from the shop. They don't grab my booty shorts very well, but they grab it's waistband perfectly for an appendix carry. When designing machined clips, you're damned if you do or don't, so we at least made ours tunable for all garment types.
Not trying to change or invalidate your preferences at all, just wanted to explain why we do what we do. Reach out if you have any other questions, concerns or feedback, I'm an open book and love to share the experience behind building the Ridgeback.
i have 3 button locks that have zero detent lash i got 2 with very minimal lash
Thanks bro
That acid stonewash 🤤
Very interested but the no disassembly thing might be a deal breaker.
I love the design. I would prefer to not be a flipper. I actually like the blade ratio. I have often wondered why we care so much about that. Having a comfortable full grip is my main objective. Also so many knives that have a very close ratio bite into my palm when letting the blade swing shut.
Good points
We are currently throwing around the idea of a non-flipper of this blade shape, but I have another blade that is similar but thinner that won't be a flipper. You'll see soon!
Also, you're spot on. What is the point of having a Ferrari if you're going to put crap tires on it?!
Excited to see what you say about the detent.
One of the better button lock detents ive felt. Also, its for sale if you’re interested..
“Disassembly voids the warranty” absolutely sucks. That kills it for me.
U cant disassemble it 🤣
@@LeftyEDC
_You_ can't disassemble it. Anything can be disassembled.
@@CNYKnifeNutu can technically but its a press fit pivot. They are changing it though because of all the feedback I hear.
I just had this in my cart and someone beat me to it LOL!!!
Gonna sell this if ur interested. Just not my style. Awesome knife nonetheless. Leftyedc88@gmail.com
$440 base price is impressive???
Man if it was anything but a button lock id buy it in a heartbeat. Just burnt on button locks
It feels a little different if that helps. Most solid button lock ive handled
i dont get that choil. thatll be a huge smile after a couple sharpenings.
Damn the budget prices have now reached a month of food.
Its not budget haha
You're right. It's a "reasonable price," as said. Lol. Still love your videos. You should make a "reasonable price " video.
@@brandonsanchez9043i have a bunch, check out my last rapid review video. Those were like $30 knives
Man I promise I hate to always have the complaint, but this being a new company, why can't companies plan better.? They would probably have my money if this would have been released when all the options are available. I guess it doesn't matter to them because they sell out regardless.
I hope you can see that this isn't just us trying to mess with people to get more sales, we are actively trying to take users feedback and turn it into the next variant for this knife series before we move to the next. Big companies can probably pull off what you're wanting, but that ain't us. We're a small team with a few fancy machines in Ohio just trying to make the best tools we can with what we know. I got a lot of requests for a Wharnecliff (ended up with more of a WharneCleaver actually haha) style blade, and that is next one coming out (currently being milled out now). I got other requests for blades without flipper tabs and to be a bit longer with a more traditional blade shape, got that coming too. Hopefully that makes sense! If you are curious on what all goes into iterating a new variant, reach out, I'm more than happy to share!
At $425 to $499 U.S. a bit too pricey for my tastes. Lots of options for half the price, though admittedly not all made in the USA.
And not integral in titanium
@@LeftyEDC :- True fact!
Wait till you see our pricing in 7075 aluminum :)
interesting addition to the knife world.... unfortunately not for me.... seems like its relatively popular... theres only 2 variants still available... unless its been out for a while already
We just got started late this year! We have a few more variations of the Ridgeback in the works. The goal is 3 blade shapes and 3 body patterns for this series, then on to the next!
I won’t buy a knife that I can’t take apart. I was pretty excited about this one until that one. And that blade ratio is no good. They’re getting close though!
I like... :-) Peace, Stiletto :-)
Man I really wanted one of these until you pointed out the blade length issue. Now that is a head scratcher… WHY?!?!?
they need a spacer liner.. that gap is a crater lol
Did you say poon spoon?
Yep
Wish it wasnt so ugly...
Great looking knife , but button locks are too unreliable!
In what way? This has a different lock system its solid as it gets. Not failing it
I have a Kizer assassin, a few civivis that have button locks that failed… I saw a video on a Qsp penguin button failing , petrified fish failing… that’s why I don’t trust them… what is the difference in the dead reckon knife… I was cut by my Kizer assassin, cutting a length of rope.
@@lymedog3176it has a pin or something and it notches into the blade. That is why it clicks when it opens. U can see it in the video. They built it specifically to be super reliable and not fail. Its a tank
@@lymedog3176Stop buying trash and they wont fail.