Sitivien ST-102 D2 ( YouTube Legendary Knife )

[old4570]

Well ?
What can I say about Utube ?
Anyways , I got really excited because of all the RAVE Utube reviews ! ( Isn't that a warning sign )
Yes , the question begs , can you trust Utube ? ( Reviews )

Anyways , the Sitivien ST-102 was on my interest list , not just because of the RAVE reviews . Butt ( and it's a huge butt ) because it looked interesting . And as long as the blade steel is not rubbish = Hold the phone !!!! Did any online ( Utube ) reviewers do edge retention testing ? Oh well , the ST-102 got rave reviews !

So I did slice rope with the factory edge ...........
And to be 100% fair , I could have been a meanie and called FAIL @ 50 slices .. ( Yeah - rave reviews ) ...
But I put in another 25 slices and we can call it done and dusted @ 75 slices ...
This is really bad performance ......... For any steel , let alone D2 ( Alleged D2 ) Dont forget to check all those rave reviews !
If it had failed at 150 to 250 , then ok . We could call it a bad factory grind ... ( Maybe )
Right now , I am about to re grind the bevel ! & give the ST-102 a 2nd chance to impress or not fail so horribly !
Again , don't forget to check out those rave reviews on Utube ...

 

[old4570]

Sitivien ST-102 D2​

Reground ..
Took an average amount of time to regrind to around 18 degrees .
The factory edge was FUBAR .. So nothing to brag about there !
The regrind came out fantastic ..
Re assembling the knife the edge touched my thumb and bleed me ! Just a touch and I was bleeding !
That's sharp ! So the regrind is some what impressive ( I think I did a decent job ) .
So , hopefully soon there will be a 2nd time at the rope .
Had yard work today , so now my body is FUBAR !
So ASAP the ST-102 will hit the rope again . ( Just not today )

 

[old4570]

Wow , ok !
Would I crow about this knife = No I would not . It is not a super wonder knife !
It is how ever a decent knife for the money paid .
Having said that , after giving the blade a full regrind .
The locking did soften with fidgeting and as such would gravity open ! ( I am not a fan of soft locks )
I did bend the liner ( lock ) so as to increase tension .. And it still gravity opens , but not as easily .
So speaking for the knife I got ,
A) The factory EDGE was FUBAR and horrible at the same time , 75 slice fail ? That's really bad .
C) The soft lock , gravity opens ... ( not my cup of tea )
D) Value for money index is right at 10 cents a slice .. $40 ozzi bananas and 400 slices = 10c @ slice ...
So for every slice the knife is capable off , one paid 10c for it . That's decent value for money .

So , obviously the factory edge performance was a bit of a shock to the system ( was so bad ) . But having given the knife a 18 degree regrind on the wet stone grinder , performance has increased slightly to a 400 fail . That is a tiny increase of 325 slices . ( cough - cough ) I mean , i'm very much a average joe six pack when it comes down to doing a knife edge . So I would certainly expect a better effort from a knife manufacturer .
So , is the ST-102 good or not ... It's good , the blade steel falls into the D2 performance ball park , the price is very reasonable . ( Good value index )
So a few things disappointed ( negatives for me ) , but that's opinion for you . Other people might not give a * about factory edges or soft locks . So opinion aside , the knife performs in the D2 ballpark . ( After a regrind ) .
So there you have it , after a massive let down ( performance ) the ST-102 makes a strong come back .

 

[Howling Dingo]

Sounds like the cop's are after you. Lot's of YouTube reviews are useless..

 

[old4570]

Sounds like the cop's are after you. Lot's of YouTube reviews are useless..

??? Gravity opening I will presume ...
No longer an issue , not a pinch .. There are rules in place now to stop customs from using the gravity opening EXCUSE to knock back an imported knife .
+ Modern knives open much faster the normal way .
I mean , this country had some pretty stupid rules regarding knives .. ( Quite a few have been revoked now )
But one still needs to be carful . Lots of stuff out there you can buy , but legally can't own .
So buyer Beware !