The Revelation knife, by RealAvid (a new company providing specialty tools for the outdoors enthusiast), is an interesting concept. Invariably, a hunter is faced with field dressing chores in low light conditions. As God has only seen fit to provide man with two hands and both are usually busy with the task, it would seem a light contained within the body of a knife, shining onto the work area would be an excellent idea.
The concept is well executed with a satin finished, four inch long, 440 stainless steel, hollow ground, modified drop point, full tang blade. Serrations for thumb purchase are placed along the spine just ahead of the grips. The model I have comes with a generous “gut hook” beginning about 3/8ths of an inch after the thumb serrations and having an opening of about .400 inches in the actual cutting area. There is about 1.75 inches of blade spine extending back from the drop point before encountering the hook opening.
Another Revelation model is available without the hook feature and sports a more straight spined, flat bellied, skinning type blade.
The handle’s side panels are made of a non-slip, molded, black polymer that is textured in a striated, wood grain pattern. On the left panel near the rear of the tang, where one would normally find a lanyard hole, is a small button that turns on a LED light mounted on either side of the blade, just below where the thumb normally rests. The battery pack, a RealAvid part comprised of three hearing aid type batteries, is installed by removing a slotted-head type screw cover at the very back of the handle.
After acquiring my Revelation, I carried it daily for about one month. During that time I used it on weekends and at work. My profession requires numerous, varied cutting routines so when I carry a knife of any description, it is not for decoration. My knives are tools regularly used and sometimes, I hate to admit it, abused (albeit gently).
My Revelation was delivered with a serviceable edge right from the box. I showed the new implement to my wife who instantly exclaimed “Good, I need to break down some boxes!” She snatched the blade from off the kitchen table (it had yet to make it to my belt) and retired to the wash room where she began cutting up detergent boxes and other cluttering shipping containers. One must remember that cutting cardboard is one of the toughest jobs around for a knife of any description. If an edge is going to dull quickly, cardboard will do the job. Detergent box cardboard is even more dense and treated with some sort of waterproofing that makes the job even worse.
Still sitting in the kitchen and hearing the activities proceed for a while, I inquired how the job was going. My wife said “This knife is really sharp and cuts this stuff really good.” I’m now thinking “So much for that edge.” and let her finish. When she gave the Revelation back, the blade was actually warm to the touch from the cutting. The edge now sported a burr along one side but was still acceptably sharp for further testing.
A few days later, I attended a meeting where refreshments were provided by the good women of the group. I was in the kitchen getting some water and the woman in charge came in and began rifling through all the drawers, muttering to herself. I asked what she was looking for and she told me she had forgotten to bring a knife to slice the cake. I told her that I could help if she promised not to panic when I showed her my knife. I produced the Revelation and she proceeded to slice the cake. While she was cutting, I explained this was a new acquisition and I was still testing to see if my investment was good. The woman said “It works great for cake! It doesn’t even stick to the blade.” I say credit the hollow grind (a feature I find easier to keep sharpened).
Many times I finish my lunch with an orange. I was told years ago that nurses practice giving hypodermic injections on oranges because the skin is similar to animal skin in its density and toughness. My now broken-in Revelation had difficulty in slicing the skin of that orange. Admittedly, I normally use a box cutting blade for this task so I was not very surprised that after a pile of cardboard, cake, wiring insulation and packing tape the Revelation’s edge was not up to the task. That evening I removed the burr on the edge by using a medium Arkansas stone and was shortly able to slice paper towels by dragging the edge across a folded area. Orange peeling was no longer a challenge!
The weight of the Revelation was nice in the hand. Its construction, fit and finish are all of “superior” ranking. The full-length sheath was easy to use and provided a degree of security even when the retaining strap was not snapped in place. The internal protective sheath liner came free with the blade a few times until I finally jammed the liner down into the sheath with some force. Perhaps a spot of hot melt glue would be in order. It was easy to return the blade to the sheath and snap the retainer in place, even when wearing gloves. This last feature I regard highly.
The only addition to the sheath I would recommend would be a drain hole at its bottom to allow moisture to escape.
This is the first time I have actually owned a knife with a gut hook feature on the main blade. I have avoided them (hooks on main blades) in the past for aesthetic reasons believing the public would draw negative conclusions if not about carrying a fixed blade knife, then surely about the conclusion that I was indeed some sort of barbarian. The latter would evident because to the uninitiated eye the hook appears to be a device designed for maiming and torture. I find most folks don’t make comment on either point; they just look at you funny. However, I found I continually got the hook “hooked” on any and everything including cleaning towels and paper. I believe that the smooth backed Revelation would better suit my tastes. This is a small thing and entirely a subjective opinion. I am sure that for every one person not wanting the hook feature there are an equal number of folks desirous of such. I am sure that is why RealAvid offers both designs. Most people do not carry hunting knives in their daily lives and as such would likely never experience my petty grievances with the hook.
Interestingly, I had no cause to use the bright, waterproof LED lights in the course of my normal pursuits so two weeks later I went into the laundry room (Move over, Honey!), turned out the overhead lights and cut up some cardboard for myself. The LED lights are placed advantageously and provided excellent lighting for right or left-handed operation and you don’t need a third hand for holding a flashlight!
The RealAvid Revelation scores high in all of the areas I look for when shopping for a knife. The addition of the novel lighting feature, while obviously not needed all of the time, can only be seen as a plus. Were I buying another, I would skip the hook feature but once again, that is just personal preference. I think Buck and Outdoor Edge both have some Real competition in the Avid hunting knife arena.
I would rate the Revelation system a nine out of ten…but then who ever gets a ten?
