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Carson Huang Brings Out Smaller Version of Premium Harrier Knife

September 24, 2020

Real Steel is returning to the Harrier knife for a smaller sequel. They have once again called upon its original designer, Carson Huang to create the Harrier Fledgling, a smaller iteration of the knife that first heralded a new branch of the RSK catalog in 2018.

Two years ago, when RSK released the Harrier, it was one of the first Real Steel products to target the premium production knife demographic. It gave users high-end powder metallurgy steel and luxurious handle materials in a package that, while designed for EDC, definitely came in on the larger side of that spectrum with a 3.54-inch blade length.

By contrast, the Harrier Fledgling scales the blade down to 3.07 inches. It keeps the same versatile drop point blade shape, though, and once again the steel is CTS-204P, an M390 equivalent that boasts consummate edge retention and corrosion resistance. Deployment methods are also unchanged, with dual thumb studs and a flipper both present. Even the more subtle elements have been retained on the Fledgling – perhaps most importantly the ‘scroll ball,’ a secondary detent-like bearing that makes the blade’s deployment even smoother.

Moving onto the handle, we see the lines of the larger knife mimicked almost exactly; and given that the first Harrier’s mild curves and lone finger groove weren’t overly dictatorial, they should work just as well in this scaled down version. The show side titanium scale comes with a pair of textured carbon fiber inserts; between the scales there are decorative “bird cage” standoffs and a knurled backspacer with integrated lanyard bar. The Fledgling weighs about half an ounce less than the full-size model, tipping the scales at 4.27 oz.

Carson Huang, known as Huang Liang Zhi in his native China, has been involved with the knife world since 1995. He joined forces with RSK just as the company was breaking into the production scene, and has expanded their catalog with multiple designs. The original Harrier commemorated five years in the knife industry for RSK.

Knife in Featured Image: Real Steel Harrier Fledgling

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