My New Doug Ritter RSK MK1 Knife

I just got my Doug Ritter RSK MK1 Folding Utility/Survival Knife (Benchmade 552) today and want to share my first impressions. Some of this will be a repeat from the other thread but I wanted to get it all in one place.

First the disclaimer, I'm new to high quality folders; this is the first one I have owned. I'm not new to knives in general but most of mine are older, the one exception being the CRKT Ryan Plan B that I bought after reading about it on this forum. I recently learned that it's illegal to carry a fixed blade knife in my city of Seattle so that ruled out the Plan B for EDC. I also have been reading the threads as they come up on folders, mostly wanting to know what all the fuss was about. After reading this thread I got interested enough to buy one. Thanks to bwaites for suggesting the knife and to xochi for suggesting I go handle some knives to get the feel of them.

This knife is only available by mail from Aeromedix so I couldn't handle it but it's based on the Benchmade Griptillian knives with the only difference being the blade. I was able to handle both full size and mini Griptillians and liked them both. I actually liked the feel of the mini Griptillian better. I ended up buying the full size RSK instead of the mini because I wanted something large enough to make a good all around back country knife.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
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The knife was bigger than I expected and took a little getting used to as far as opening. I remember very clearly how easy the mini Griptillian was and this has the same smooth action but being bigger it is just a little bit of a stretch to work the thumb stud to completely open the knife. By adjusting my grip on the knife to hold it slightly closer to the hinge I had no problems at all opening it one handed. The clip makes a nice aide for my fingers to grip while opening the blade.

The knife is very light but the blade looks pretty beefy when open. The action is very smooth and controlled when opening and locks in securely. There is no play at all when it is locked open and there is no side play at all at any blade position from fully closed to fully open. The Axis lock works great. It feels completely secure but by pulling back on the stud the blade closes freely. It will even close simply by gravity which is amazing to me considering the lack of side play. The stud is slightly more difficult to pull back than I would like but I will lubricate it as soon as I get some Tuf-Glide and will report back on that.

Holding the knife feels very secure when locked open. The handle is shaped well to fit the hand and has serrations both at the curve where your index finger grips and on the back where you would press with your thumb. The serrations on the back are in the handle and about the first 3/4" of the blade. It seems like that combination covers the range where you would normally press with your thumb.

The edge is extremely sharp and appears perfectly ground. It cuts through the loose sheet of paper as well as any knife I've used and shaves arm hair just fine.

I have two minor gripes with the knife. The clip is tighter than I would like. I realize it's a compromise between keeping the knife secure and making it easy to clip into the pocket or remove it. In this case I think they went overboard on the design in favor of security. I will probably eventually bend it a bit to adjust it but not anytime soon. I don't want to mess with this knife in any way right now.

The second gripe is that there is a small blemish in the bevel. It's nothing that I can feel when i run my fingernail over it but it is a small dark spot. I've thought about contacting Aeromedix/Doug Ritter/Benchmade about this but I doubt I will. It's really very minor and this is not a high finish blade. It is a satin finish so has many small marks that make up the finish and this is just a bit bigger.

All in all I'm very pleased with the knife. If I had it to do over I would maybe order the mini RSK because it would fit my urban EDC use better, but I'm not sure I would. I believe this size will be better for camping and utility use. I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm actually thinking of buying the mini as well.

One final note: I just learned (thanks Unicorn) that Seattle also doesn't allow blades over 3.5". Doug Ritter took this apparently common restriction into account and designed this to be 3.44" long.

I intend to add some pictures when I get around to it and add some follow up impressions after carrying it for a while.

Good report - I really like my RSK Mk 1, but it's my RSK-mini that's won my heart. It's even displaced my Sebenza for about 1/2 of my EDC... which I swore nothing would be good enough to do.

IMHO, the Ritter RSK's are absolutely the best price/performance knives out there, for someone looking for a solid drop-point knife.

Thanks for the post. I recently purchased a Mini-RSK (in yellow! for my wife and was very taken with it. Despite my EDC being a small Sebenza, the Mini-RSK is a very adictive knife. And a great one for the price.

Interesting to hear about the full size RSK. I had been wondering how it would be, and considering how much I like the mini, it confirms that the mini is probably the right size for me as well.

-john

(Edit: This must be the Seattle knife thread!

Yep - all Seattle knives, all the time.

I've come to exactly the same conclusion - the full-size is PERFECT for camping, outdoor use, or any other 'heavy' needs. It's considerably larger and bulkier, especially in the handle, than I'd anticipated - makes it a bit hard to carry clipped to my pocket every day. However, the grip really fills the hand well, and allows you to apply lots of pressure/torque for real work.

The mini is perfectly sized for EDC, to my mind, and has a relatively slim grip. Great for normal work, but a little small for really reefing on. I'll EDC it every day, happily.

this is a rare case for me where 'buy both' was the only way to fly.

I have both sizes of Ritter Grip.

The Mini is my favourite knife out of my whole collection.

I'd like to see a G-10 handle version.

I also feel the full-size RSK knife is awesome in the hand, even if a tad large for EDC duty. The saving grace for this large knife is that is relatively very light for its size, so on a pair of jeans it just dissapears and you forget you have such an awesome tool with you all of the time!

Not to try to hijack this tread, but as much as I loved mine, I recently sold it to get a Benchmade Presidio. I did not like the feel of the liners not being full on the full-size knife, and it was almost "too light" for a full size knife - just did not felt "perfect" in my hand. The BM Presidio is even stronger, same 3.42" blade, has full-metal liners, although heavier with the aluminum scales, and with a more "normal" steel (154CM instead of the awesome's RSK's SV30):
Benchmade Presido ...

My new Presidio is currently loosing its overly agressive and heavy aluminum handles/scales and getting some custom, black 3-D G10 scales which will bring the weight down to reasonable and still give me the grip/size/strength/feel that I wanted. Still, I could not agree more with the review here (and from others) that the RSK MK1 is a great knife for the money.

My next purchase will likely be the smaller Doug Ritter RSK knife in Yellow so that I don't have to carry my "expensive" and hard-to-replace Small Sebenza Classic custom made for a lefty .

Will

Okay, time for second impressions now.

As much as I was suprised by how big this knife was when I first saw it I'm now suprised by how light it is. I see wquiles point about it not feeling quite right. There's something about having some heft to a larger knife that just makes it feel right. That said, for a take anywhere survival knife, I will take the lightness over the feel any day.

The scales which are made of Glass-filled Noryl GTX, whatever that is, feel like pretty ordinary plastic. They are completely rigid and no doubt rugged but they feel a bit cheap. I suppose this was for lightness and maybe for economy too. Same comment, for the purpose of the knife they work just fine; it's just the impression it leaves of ordinariness.

I'm not sure what was intended for releasing the Axis lock. I had assumed I would just pull it back with my thumb. While I can do it I find it works a lot better to use the thumb and forefinger to pinch both Axis lock buttons and pull back on both at the same time.

I was worried about urban carry considering the size and the black handle which, when clipped to my tan dockers, really sticks out. I found that a great carrry alternative for me is the inside the waist band carry. Considering how light the knife is, it rides very nicely without pulling on the waistband and it all but disappears if you wear your shirt loose enough so there's a little excess at the waistband.

wquiles, I don't understand your statement about the liners not being full. Could you expand on that a bit please?

Pictures are still going to be added. I've been waiting for a sunny day here to get some good lighting. That means I should be adding pics no later than May.

drizzle said:

wquiles, I don't understand your statement about the liners not being full. Could you expand on that a bit please?

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Sure. If you look inside of the knife's handle, you will see that the metal liners underneath the plastic handle do not fully extend to the very end of the knife - the metal/steel liners stop short of the back of the knife. No real biggie, but the very back end of the knife is just held together with a plastic to plastic contact and a screw that do not have any metal to support it.

It is really not that big of a deal, but for me it contributed to the knife not having that "perfect" balance & feel that I was after. The Benchmade Presidio, like many other knives has full (and thicker) metal liners that go from one end of the knife to the other so it (theoretically) gives it more strength. The mini Doug Ritter does have full metal liners, but the blade and liners are thinner, so it is probably a wash. As I noted, it was not a problem of me perceiving that the full-size knife lack in strength, but the presidio is simply build even stronger and it does "feel" perfect in the hand

Still, my new Presidio lacks the kick-*** SV30 steel, so it was not all a gain when I went from the MK1 to the Presidio. And lastly, I did order last night the small Doug Ritter (in yellow!) so I will still have one "cool" knife with SV30

Will

Strange thing with my Mini-RSK last night - I'd had it in my pocket all day as usual, and took it out to cut something, and the blade didn't lock - it just kind of flapped back and forth. Since this is usually one of the most-solid locking knives I own, I was almost too surprised to figure out what was going on.

Took a look, and a big wad of pocket lint had worked its way into the frame, right where the blade would normally come up against the stop, and keeping it from opening far enough for the lock to engage.

Can't imagine how this happened - it was just clipped to the pocket of my slacks, and I'd used it with no difficulty a few hours before, but somehow in the interim, it had picked up a big wad of what looked like the lint you take from your dryer's lint trap, and worked into just about the only place on the knife where it could hamper function.

Might be a once-in-a-lifetime, but it speaks a bit to one area in the 'RSK vs. Sebenza' discussion where I think the Sebenza comes out way ahead - the open frame of the Sebenza doesn't trap gunk much at all...

My mini-RSK is riding with me today again, though... great knife.

Ah, yes... the old Pocket Lint Gremlin strikes again!

This seems to happen to me alot, too, because I like to carry certain knives IN my pocket, not clipped to it (where it scares the Sheeple). My Al Mar Falcon, perhaps because the butt of its blade is so angular, seems to stir up the most pocket lint -- and jam the action.

Some tips:

1. When laundering your trousers (i.e., Dockers, etc.), turn the pockets inside-out to get 'em fully cleaned out.
2. Avoid putting any paper items, especially Kleenex, in a knife-carry pocket. The stuff "sheds" lint like a Wooly Mammoth with dandruff.
3. Try to make a habit of automatically checking any knife for lint... when inserting it for EDC and removing it when you retire at night.

Help stamp out those Killer Pocket Lint Gremlins. (It's, umm, "For The Children.")

Deanster: That's an interesting problem, especially considering this from Doug Ritter's web site comparing it favorably to lockback or liner lock designs:

It is also pretty much self-cleaning and slow opening doesn't seem to make any difference in how tightly it locks.

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I also hope it's just a freak occurance. It's a good reminder that no knife is completely fool proof and care must always be taken.

Tonkin: Good advice. I especially like the idea of turning the pockets inside out. I'll try to remember to do that one. I still carry my Leatherman Micra in my pants pocket so this is good for me even if I continue to carry the RSK in my waistband.

My guess is that is regarding dirt build up, not lint which can be much more substantial.

-john

Drizzle - I think the Axis lock is indeed better about handling gunge of all kinds than a lockback or liner lock - only the very open frame of the Sebenza seems better to me.

The whole thing is kind of odd - I've never had a 'lint issue' before - Kleenex and all the other noted lint creators don't ride in my pockets, and I've never had a knife of any type come out non-functional before, especially when I'd used it just a couple hours before...

I'm going with a 'rouge lintball' theory, myself.

All that said, if I'd been pulling the knife out in any kind of emergency, whether to cut, pry or puncture a rope, fabric, or whatever, and it had been floppy like that, I could have ended up in real trouble.

We'll see what happens - I've been carrying my mini-RSK almost exclusively for a month or so now - I'll give it another month or so, and see if anything like this happens again. Given that I've been carrying my Sebenza for eight years now with no problems, a second ocurrence will move the mini-RSK off my EDC list, which is really too bad - I like it a LOT.

Deanster said:

...a second ocurrence will move the mini-RSK off my EDC list, which is really too bad - I like it a LOT.

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Deanster, I will buy your knife if it happens again. PM me at any time should you be interested in selling.

I have a Mini-RSK, and I would like a full size version as well.

Adam

My Ritter RSK showed up a couple of days ago and has quickly become my favorite EDC. The blade is just the right size IMO, and the weight of the knife is surprisingly light for its size. I most commonly wear 5.11 pants (almost never wear jeans anymore) and the RSK seems to disappear when clipped into a rear pocket, which by the way, now have extra nylon material on the top edges to prevent wear from knife and flashlight clips.

I am interested in the RSK Mk1, but I have a question for those who own one: Did anyone consider the D2 steel version of the Griptilian before they went with the RSK MK1 in S30V?

I know that D2 is "semi-stainless" but when compared to S30V, both steels seem to be very simliar in overall performance, similar Rc, both seem to keep an edge for a long time...

Does anyone know if there would be any major advantage/disadvantage for going with the D2 model over S30V?

Also trying to figure out if the S30V is worth ther extra $$$

Thanks

J_Roc said:

I am interested in the RSK Mk1, but I have a question for those who own one: Did anyone consider the D2 steel version of the Griptilian before they went with the RSK MK1 in S30V?

I know that D2 is "semi-stainless" but when compared to S30V, both steels seem to be very simliar in overall performance, similar Rc, both seem to keep an edge for a long time...

Does anyone know if there would be any major advantage/disadvantage for going with the D2 model over S30V?

Also trying to figure out if the S30V is worth ther extra $$$

Thanks

Click to expand...

I did consider the D2 version, but I don't like coated blades.
I would buy the Cabelas D2 is it was uncoated.

Steve Andrews said:

I did consider the D2 version, but I don't like coated blades.

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Been there, done that, got the shirt!. I don't think I will ever buy again a coated blade

Will

J_roc: For what it's worth, although I've had several minor complaints about the RSK, they've all had to do with the Griptillian design. I still would buy the same knife again and definitely would still choose the RSK if I were going for a Griptillian knife. I still haven't used it enough to recommend it out of my own experience, just from what I've read from others.

I intend to add more reviews to this thread after I've used the knife for a while.