"Escalator" to Gunting?

DAYWALKER · #1

Aloha ALL,

Boy what a difference in names for this design! Anyway, I was blessed enough to come across a pair of Round Eye Knife And Tool (REKAT) Escalators. One is Live and the other a Drone.

First impressions: Yup, it's Bram's design alright! However I was a bit bummed in that "one of the owners" of these REKAT's prior to myself had smoothened out the G10 handles, or at least it appears as such. Also, it did not dawn on me until late last night when I was trying to figure out REKAT's famous "Rolling Lock" when I realized, "Waitaminute...the Escalator had NO texturing!!! :confused: " So the texturing was done by "one of the previous owners" also. Quite possible also that the Ramp was rounded on both models. IIRC, the true Escalator Ramp was flat at the top also.

Clip: Yup, it's Bram's design alright! Fixed right where the current Gunting clip is. However, REKAT's choice in *how* to mount the clip, I do not care for. I see this type of mounting done on generic knock-off folders. It's okay though, I am happy still!

Blade: ATS34, but it appears to be..."flaked" looking. I swear, it looks like some kinda cheap aluminum. :D No play whatsoever when opened or closed.

Handle: Whoa...the Escalator drone is comparable to the Gunting Blue model trainer. Them tips on the handle are POINTY! I *might* round 'em off a bit for safety reasons, but then again, I may not. :o Handle feels good, and very..."Guntingish"!

Lock: Opening and closing is easy, yet very gritty. I will clean this one out to see if that makes the action smoother. Last night I told Paul about this, thinking that the lock was inside somewhere of the left handle slab. Nope. Viewing the Escalator from the top, it appeared to have three stop pins for the blade. Upon closer examination, the middle pin is shaped like a "D", and "rolls" whenever the locktab is retracted. This "D" shaped pin rolls into a slot in the blade, hence the name Rolling Lock. This lock IIRC was reported to withstand 600#'s of pressure w/o breakage. How true that is,I dunno, and I am not about to try and find out either. :D This lock appears very secure though.

Overall, I am just very happy to have been able to get these model REKAT's. They are a from a special time in my knife life. Kinda laugh to myself too when I think of my Escalator thread, only a few folks remembered it. Well, here it is SpyderFriends. I figure i'd post about it so that everyone who read my Escalator thread and did not believe it, will know it was not just the ramblings of an old man going senile! :p I think the Escalator in REKAT stage was "almost there". When it grew up and became a :spyder: Gunting, it hit perfection".

Sorry for the terrible pics, and I included the "Gentleman's Gunting" as well.

Mahalo, God bless and thanks for reading :cool:

thombrogan · #2

Sweet!

I think that Escalator means that you can use the pre-Gunting knife as an escalating level of deterring force (though how much more force must you use after you've kin-oped a pitcher of 'Oh Yeah!' on a bad person? - I mean other than you, Daywalker

).

smcfalls13 · #3

Chad, thanks for the review, your reviews are far more detailed than mine would have been, so that Escalator has found a good home.

As for rounding off the horns...NOOOOOOO :D

It won't bruise as much if you do that, and Kinetic Kool Aid is all about the bruising. Training with them is like painting modern art. By the time you're done, you will be covered in more colors than you can identify.

Enjoy the E, as well as your G :D

The Deacon · #4

Nice find Chad. Any chance the smoothness of the G-10 is normal for them? So far, Spydercos are the only knives I've seen "textured" G-10 on. Most looks more like canvas micarta than anything else. It is interesting to see the progression of the design, kind of like an early prototype of the Gunting. Use them in good health!

sharp · #5

daywalker !

how about drilling a hole in the blade and make it a proper knife ! lol !

good score !

sharp

Simon G · #6

Nice comparison pics DW :cool: .........................but doesn't that "Gentlemans Gunting" just looks head and shoulders above the rest!!

Senate · #7

wowwwwww.... compared to the escalator, the gunting looks gorgeous... :rolleyes: :D

*Cho* · #8

Watch your fingers...I think I remember reading about people having problems when closing the knife and their fingers... :confused:

ghostrider · #9

As always Chad, your reviews and pics are a pleasure to read and view. I agree with the previous poster that the Gunting does look more refined than the REKAT. Interesting observation about the pointiness of the handle. I wonder which one would be more functional.

jaislandboy · #10

DAYWALKER wrote:... Kinda laugh to myself too when I think of my Escalator thread, only a few folks remembered it. Well, here it is SpyderFriends. I figure i'd post about it so that everyone who read my Escalator thread and did not believe it, will know it was not just the ramblings of an old man going senile! :p I ...

Thanks DW for filling in the gaps in my :spyder: -edgucation! Old men (that can remember Uncle Creepy and Cousin Eerie) aren't going senile yet if they can write good reviews and hold the reader's attention like you do Chad! :rolleyes: :) . Love the last picture BTW....Go easy on them with your kinetic skullcrushers! :D

DAYWALKER · #11

Mahalo ALL,

Thanks for reading about my "latest" guys! I gave the Live Escalator a good cleaning, and it is in my GawkBox. I been carrying the drone though...I feel much better about carrying this one around and dinging it up than my actual :spyder: Gunting! :o It passed the "sleep test" with flying colors as it neither opened nor was I harmed by the "horns"...at least for the whole three hours worth of sleep I got after pulling what almost led to a 24hr in ****!

Here's a few more pics of the Drone. I tried to capture that "odd grain pattern/finish of the ATS34 steel as it truly does resemble aluminum sheet metal! :confused: :D

God bless and take care! :cool:

ghostrider · #12

Man! That’s strange. It looks like that particle board done in SS. I see you did your grip tape treatment to the clip. Again, thanks for the great review and excellent as usual.

DAYWALKER · #13

ghostrider wrote:Man! That’s strange. It looks like that particle board done in SS. I see you did your grip tape treatment to the clip. Again, thanks for the great review and excellent as usual.

Hey ghostrider!

Mahalo for your ever TOO kind words... :o ! Yes, grip taped clip as is my norm, and tell me about that blade looking "strange"!!! The live one looks the same also... :confused:

It doesn't really matter, but I am rather curious to what type of finish it is. Hmmmmm...another thread? :rolleyes:

God bless :cool:

ghostrider · #14

DAYWALKER wrote:Hey ghostrider!

Mahalo for your ever TOO kind words... :o ! Yes, grip taped clip as is my norm, and tell me about that blade looking "strange"!!! The live one looks the same also... :confused:

It doesn't really matter, but I am rather curious to what type of finish it is. Hmmmmm...another thread? :rolleyes:

God bless :cool:

You'll have to keep us posted on how well the edge performs compared to other knives of ATS-34.

The Deacon · #15

That finish almost looks like it is galvaninzed Chad. If such is possible, it might make sense, especially on a trainer, where the chances of one being "rode hard and put away wet" is considerably higher than they would be with a live blade.

DAYWALKER · #16

ghostrider wrote:You'll have to keep us posted on how well the edge performs compared to other knives of ATS-34.

Nay ghostrider!

Does thou thinketh me mad? Indeed, I have been blessed to receive let alone find such a specimen known to mortal man as the Escalator! It shall not be shamed by any further damage! (Sorry man, just saw an old Fantastic Four cartoon with Thor in it! :p )

God bless

DAYWALKER · #17

The Deacon wrote:That finish almost looks like it is galvaninzed Chad. If such is possible, it might make sense, especially on a trainer, where the chances of one being "rode hard and put away wet" is considerably higher than they would be with a live blade.

Hey Paul,

I hear ya and as usual, you make a lot of sense...only thing is, the Live blade is the same as the Drone's... :confused:

Take care and God bless

Jenner 515 · #18

I have a Buck Strider Tarani, Police Utility knife in ATS34 with the Bos heat treating that has the exact same particle board appearance as that blade...wonder why?

224477 · #19

Hello CHad,

very nice knives.. Enjoy that catch!

DAYWALKER · #20

Mahalo Jano! Yes, I was blessed in getting these REKAT specimens! How's that Police?

Jenner 515: By any chance do you have pics?

God bless guys!
:cool: