Pros: Weight, Overall Quality, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness
Cons: None
Excellent quality at a great price
This is an initial impression review, but I can already say I am very impressed with this knife. I got this to be a camping knife that will be solid enough for moderate work while still being light enough to pack around comfortably. The size, weight and balance are spot-on for me. It is maneuverable and feels solid in the hand without feeling bulky or heavy like some other survival-type blades. I can't speak to the steel durability and edge maintenance yet, but spec-wise it should be good to go. The blade came decently sharp with a medium stonewash finish. Fit and finish is quite good and all handling surfaces are smoothed over with no hard edges. The jimping is comfortable and feels effective. The handle scales are well shaped for a small and comfortable grip and have a very nice texture that is grippy but not abrasive. The scabbard seems to be decent quality and the retention is adjustable which is nice. I do have a few critiques. First, I think the handle should be about a half inch longer. My hands are medium-to-large glove size and the butt of the knife pretty much ends at the edge of my palm. It might be a little too small for larger mitts, and it would be hard to use the butt of the knife for camp/survival work. Similarly it would be nice if the steel on the butt extended slightly more past the scales so you could bash with it more safely if needed. Another nitpick is that, because the swedge and all the non-cutting edges of the steel are rounded for comfort, it can't really be used to strike a fire-steel, if that's your thing. If RUIKE made a gen-2 version that addressed these couple things, it would be pretty much perfect in my book.
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