Anatomy of an Out The Front Knife

Anatomy of a Out The Front Knife

Anatomy of an Out The Front Knife Out The Front knives are similar to automatic knives in many ways; they are opened by pushing a thumb slide or pulling a lever, but with an OTF knife the blade always deploys out the front of the … Continue reading

Rare Marfione Custom Carbon Fiber Combat Troodon OTF

As most of you know, Microtech has been dominating the OTF world of knives. Not only do they have several different desirable models, but they are constantly bringing new things to the table. Some of the latest things that I have been looking into is their custom out-the-fronts. They don’t do what almost every other company does out there for “custom” knives by tossing a damascus blade on a knife: Microtech puts on a damascus blade and goes beyond.

My latest obsession with Microtech knives, other than the Giant Halo V, has to be the Marfione Custom Carbon Fiber Combat Troodon. Not only is the blade damascus but the handle is solid carbon fiber, making this knife much lighter. The standard Combat Troodon weighs about 5 ½ ounces versus the Custom Carbon Fiber model’s 4 ounces.

 

 

Now, you can’t convince me that this is not a good looking knife. If you are into OTF knives and have yet to hold a Combat Troodon, I suggest you do. In my opinion, it has the best ergonomics and provides a really solid grip on the handle. It is the same with this custom knife; I thought the Carbon Fiber would be slick and not provide any grip—not that I would ever use this knife—but to my surprise it has a good grip on it.

It took me some time to find the kind of steel they used for the damascus on this blade. I found that it is made of 3V and 154CM steel. That was what sold me on this custom knife. I love 154CM steel. The pattern used on the damascus is the polished Devin Thomas Razor Wire. It is a really cool pattern and the polish just makes it that much more unique.

On the stainless steel pocket clip, you will see the serial number at the top. I am not sure how many of these were made, but I can assure you: there aren’t many. This is an extremely rare piece. Under the serial number you will see the Marfione dagger. Lastly, sitting sidewise on the clip you will find it marked A. Marfione and then the date it was made underneath. In most instances, I would imagine that you will see the date 06/2012. All of the hardware on the knife and the glass breaker is satin finished.

If you were to buy this knife new, it will come in a black Maxpedition pouch and the Microtech box will be signed by Tony Marfione himself. This knife is highly collectible! If you are lucky enough to get your hands on it, I can guarantee that the “one-upper” neighbor down the street won’t be able to top this one. There are only a couple of custom Marfione Combat Troodons left at BladeHQ.com.

The New H&K Epidemic

It has been a while since we have seen the release of a brand new OTF Automatic Knife. This year Benchmade has released the Epidemic under their Heckler and Koch line. At first glance it kind of looks like a knife put together with legos (I think it’s because of the red button), but after holding this knife I must say that I am pleasantly surprised.

 

This is a quality Out the Front knife that features a lightning fast open and close action. The blade on the knife is made from D2 steel, which for me is not that big a deal. Some people don’t like D2, for a variety of reasons. The reason I have heard the most is that D2 can be difficult to sharpen. I disagree, it is only difficult to sharpen if you don’t have the right materials. Using D2 on this blade instead of some other “fancy” steel brings the price down on this knife, and for me that is a good thing. I love that the blade shape is spear point. Dagger style blades look the best on OTF knives, but having both edges sharpened just isn’t practical. Having a spear point on the knife gives the best of both worlds.

When I first saw this knife, I worried that the handle wouldn’t be very comfortable. It is made from T-6 aluminum, and sometimes aluminum doesn’t feel comfortable if it isn’t machined correctly. Then again, you don’t really see G-10 or Micarta handles on OTF knives. The jimping on this knife appears aggressive, but I found that there were no hot spots on my hand while I was holding the knife.

The thumb button is flashy. It definitely stands out which some guys will like, and others wont. It’s not the knife for the guys that need something all black. Since I got the knife the red button has grown on me a little bit.

Here are the Specs on the knife :

Overall Length: 8.22″

Blade Length: 3.44″

Closed: 4.78″

Weight: 3.86 oz

Heckler and Koch Epidemic at Blade HQ!