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Welcome to Bargain or Just Cheap? This series reviews budget friendly knives for a variety of uses in a short format. All of the knives will cost less than $50 (in most cases, much less) and will be purchased out of my own pocket. I’ll buy them, carry them, and use them in an attempt to determine if the knife is a bargain or just cheap.

Real Steel’s H series is full of solid knives at a great price including the knife that is the subject of today’s Bargain or Just Cheap? column – the Real Steel H5 Gerfalcon. We have already reviewed the Real Steel H6-S1 in this series and it didn’t disappoint. The H5 Gerfalcon might be even better.

H5 Gerfalcon Specs:

Lock: Frame Lock, with overtravel stop

Pocket Clip: Right pocket, tip up or tip down

Steel: Sandvik 14C28N

Handle: Textured G-10 front, steel back

Blade length: 3.25 in.

Blade thickness: .12 in.

Open length: 7.75 in.

Weight: 3.95 oz.

Observations from Use

This knife looks great and is packed with features. It is just under the $50 price limit for this series but it does a great job of justifying its price… In fact, it will make you wonder why knives with similar features cost so much.

The blade on the H5 Gerfalcon is similar to that of the H6-S1 but differs in a few key places. It features a great steel in Sandvik 14C28N – a step up from most budget knives. The cutting edge features a mild recurve shape and a full height flat grind like the H6-S1. It differs from the H6-S1 in that is has a clipped point and a flipper stud (which acts as a small guard when the knife is open).

The H5 Gerfalcon’s handle is more squared in shape but still very comfortable. It has jimping on the back of the handle, the spine of the blade, and near the butt of the knife. However, the jumping is shallow, well designed, and doesn’t cause hot spots. Both the G-10 and the steel lock side of the knife are thick and sturdy but overall the knife feels and carries very slim. The thumb studs and lock bar stabilizer are actually made from machined G-10 that matches that handle color.

Opening this knife is a breeze to open thanks ball bearing pivot. The thumb studs are large and easy to operate. The flipper tab is well shaped. The knife opens easily and smoothly with either opening method. I should also mention that the detent on my example is excellent.

The lock on my example is excellent. It looks up with about 70% engagement so it is very sturdy with room to wear in over time. It can be disengaged easily thanks to large scallops on the lock bar that give your thumb purchase.

The pocket clip isn’t a true deep carry clip but it does place the knife very low in the pocket which is nice for professional settings. It is very stout and holds the knife securely.

This knife isn’t exactly a lightweight but it does come in under 4 ounces so it isn’t that bad for a knife of this size. Real Steel did take steps to keep the weight down including using pillars instead of a larger back spacer and machining flutes into the inside of the steel lock bar side of the knife.

Bargain or Just Cheap?

When you use this knife, you can’t help but wonder why other knife makers can’t offer this many well executed features and cutting performance for less money. It certainly benefits, in terms of cost, by being manufactured in China but the fact remains that this is an excellent knife.

The H5 Gerfalcon is a smooth flipping, tight locking, laser-like cutting, bull-strong knife and it is most certainly a BARGAIN.

I am using Amazon as the price base line for this series. All knives were purchased by me from Amazon: Real Steel H5 Gerfalcon on Amazon

Our goal is to represent knives for a variety of uses from EDC, to outdoor, to tactical knives. Do you have a favorite affordable knife? Let us know about it in the comments!

The above article may contain affiliate links.

Welcome to Bargain or Just Cheap? This series will review budget friendly knives for a variety of uses in a short format. All of the knives will cost less than $50 (in most cases, much less) and will be purchased out of my own pocket. I’ll buy them, carry them, and use them in an attempt to determine if the knife is a bargain or just cheap.

I have always been very leery of Chinese knife manufacturers due to their historically poor quality and penchant for knock-off designs. A friend cautioned me about throwing the baby out with the bath water and introduced me to a several Chinese knife manufacturers that are worth a look. One such manufacturer is Real Steel and their H6-S1 is the subject of today’s edition of Bargain or Just Cheap?.

Real Steel offers several variants of the H6 but there is one that I believe really stands out – the H6-S1. This knife floored me with how good it is for the price.

Specs:

Lock: Frame Lock

Pocket Clip: Right pocket, Tip up only

Steel: Sandvik 14C28N

Handle: Textured G-10 front, steel back

Blade length: 3.39 in.

Blade thickness: .12 in.

Open length: 7.76 in.

Weight: 3.8 oz.

Observations from Use

This knife is exceedingly likeable. It is at the upper end of our $50 price limit but it is dripping with great features, hallmarks of quality, and functional design.

The 14C28N is a step up from the blade steel found on many Chinese knives or any budget knife for that matter. This Sandvik steel is easy to sharpen, takes a polished edge VERY well, and holds it well enough for EDC tasks. I was very happy to see a Sandvik steel being used here. The drop point, slightly recurve blade has plenty of spine and features a full flat primary grind. It cuts and slices very well.

The handle is well contoured and comfortable with more than enough room for all your fingers. Both the G-10 and the steel lock side of the knife are thick and sturdy but overall the knife feels and carries very slim. Speaking of G-10, the thumb studs are actually machined G-10 that matches that handle color. They are large and easy to operate. The knife opens easily and smoothly with a flick of the thumb without even having to use your wrist.

The lock on my example is excellent. It looks up with about 60% engagement so it is very sturdy with room to wear in over time. The lock bar features a very unique and very cool feature. It has a disk that at first glance looks like any Hinderer style lock bar stabilizer (a small stop designed to prevent lock bar over travel). Closer inspection reveals the fact that it can be pushed forward into a second position that actually blocks the lock bar from moving completely! In this position, the knife can not close on your hand without some kind of catastrophic breakage. The disk locks in each position with strong detent action so it is extremely unlikely that you will accidentally activate or deactivate it.

This knife is impressively light for a knife of these dimensions. There is some milling on the inside of the steel handle scale to remove weight. A full height flat grind also reduces weight as does a liner-less G-10 handle scale. It is larger in every dimension than the previously reviewed Kershaw Emerson CQC-4K yet it weighs less!

The pocket clip isn’t a true deep carry clip but it does place the knife very low in the pocket which is nice for professional settings. It is very stout and holds the knife securely.

Bargain or Just Cheap?

The fit and finish of this knife is very good. It has better than average steel, better than average materials, clever features, and a very functional design. It also happens to look great! It gives the impression of quality. I’ve seen them as low as $40 but they usually average around $45 for most variants of the H6. Honestly, I would feel good about this knife at twice the price.

There is nothing cheap about this knife other than the price. The Real Steel H6-S1 is most certainly a Bargain.

I will be using Amazon as the price base line for this series. All knives were purchased by me from Amazon: Real Steel H6-S1

Note: There are a number of H6 variants and colors available. The features vary significantly from variant to variant. Be sure you are buying the H6-S1 if want the features shown in this review.

Our goal is to represent knives for a variety of uses from EDC, to outdoor, to tactical knives. Do you have a favorite affordable knife? Let us know about it in the comments!