Only One!

 I inadvertently rubbed that strange brass lamp, and the Genie promised me only one wish, not three.  I guess inflation gets everyone.  But there is a catch; magic has a price.  "The price," the Genie solemnly announced, "is you can only have one automatic knife for the rest of your life."

I can work with that.  Here's my choices.

A.O.S.  by Les Adams

Les Adams makes an A.O.S.(Always-On-Safety) automatic knife.  He makes the carbon fiber handles himself, and since the knives are actually made for LEO and military use, each one has a unique serial number.  It's a well-made knife with a 154CM stainless steel blade with 59-60 Rockwell hardness, C scale.  He claims the stainless coil spring has twice the spring force of any auto knife.  I believe it.  The knife opens with a jump, and the blade locks open with a resounding 'clack.'  But you must pull the safety back and hold it in the unlock position while pressing the opening stud.  Same for closing.  It's cumbersome.

Benchmade Mini-Reflex

The Benchmade Mini-Reflex has a lot going for itself.  The one I have is a pre-production model from 1998.  It hasn't changed much since then.  The small 3.25-inch flat grind blade is held in an aluminum handle.  I was told this one is epoxy-coated, which is something Benchmade stopped very early in production.  The knife has a safety on the spine and a recessed area for the release button.  The button does extend above the handle.  The spring in mine isn't as strong as the A.O.S..  If the blade is stopped after an arc of 90 degrees, the spring doesn't have enough stored energy to open and lock.  A flip of the wrist solves that.

Puma Medici Switchblade

I also have a classic Italian stiletto switchblade made for the German market in the 1970s-1980s.  Made by Puma Medici, it has some interesting features.  The blade features a classic stiletto shape with a single factory-sharpened edge.  It has a nail nick, which may reflect an expectation of a weak spring in the future.  Or perhaps it simply means these blades were available from another project and used.  The blade is stamped rostfrei and is most likely 440C steel.  The spring is a double, side-by-side leaf spring and doesn't appear to be easy to replace.  I typically store this knife open to prevent spring fatigue.

Pro-Tech SBR

My Pro-Tech is more of an art knife than a user.  It's their SBR pattern with a "…unique micarta top, variety of colors, blade treatments, and inlay buttons." SBR stands for Short Bladed Rockeye, and the designer is Les George.  The release button is inlaid with mother-of-pearl.  There's no safety, but the button sits in an indent, so the top of the button is flush with the handle. 

Microtech's 2021 Blade Show knife

I have a Microtech from the 2021 Blade Show.  It's an OTF with a double-edged dagger blade.  The 3.3-inch blade is ground from M390.  M390 is another great stainless steel, enriched with chromium, vanadium, and a touch of tungsten.  Double-edge knives have the advantage of having two edges that can be sharpened.  That is also a significant drawback in a working knife.  You can't use your other hand to apply additional pressure to the back of the knife.  At least not more than once.  The other flaw is OTFs are famous for pulling stuff back into the mechanism, creating problems.  It's not hard to disassemble the knife, clean it, and carefully lubricate it before reassembling.  The lubrication tends to hold on to the crud the blade pulls in.  Again, not a major problem, except that you need a small, special socket with a triangular opening to disassemble this Microtech.

Spyderco's Autonomy 2

Last on my list of possibilities is Spyderco's Autonomy 2.  It's an auto knife made at the request of the US Navy for their rescue swimmers.  Its wide, leaf-shaped blade is made from LC200N.  This is an extremely rust-resistant steel.  It has good toughness and edge retention.  The release button is a large ring for gloved users.  The safety is just beneath the release and has well-defined edges to grab gloves.  I like the arrangement of safety and release.  My thumb can operate the safety and release without having to change my grip.  It's a nice knife, and at one time, only the overruns to military contracts were available to the public.  Sal has well-defined ideas about how and who should use his knives.

So, which knife did I tell the Genie to bind me to?

Behind the metal cap is Autonomy's spring.  Easy to get to.  Easy to oil. Easy to clean.

The Spyderco Autonomy 2, of course.  It's a well-made knife, and more importantly, if you turn it over, you'll find a metal cap with four holes in it.  Under that cap is the knife's coil spring.  Water drains from that spring cavity; you can oil the spring from there, and you simply unscrew the cap to replace the spring if needed.

 

Now, if the Genie's binding was different, that I could only have one knife, I'd…

However, that's a story for another day.

Pro-Tech Steam Punk

Every once and awhile, you come across hidden treasures.  Sometimes neither the buyer nor seller realizes how much that gem is worth. 

When you’re the seller you may never find out.  Smart buyers will not tell the seller he has made a foolish move.  They will not rub it in or humiliate the seller.  It’s enough to get a silent win. 

Then too, you don't know what they paid for the treasure; they could be laughing all the way to the bank.

I didn't gamble on this!

I recently bought a Pro-Tech Godson with Bruce Shaw’s Steam Punk motif in bright metal.

I really like the Godson.  For me, the size is Goldilocks, that is, just right.  The knife is easy to Google, try: https://www.bladehq.com/item--Protech-Godson-Steampunk-Automatic--67879

But all the websites I visited say they are out of stock.   They also say the knife they had was some number of 200.  Mine says 72 of 100.  What’s going on?

I called Pro-Tech and asked.  Here’s what they told me.  Pro-Tech makes a special run of 100 knives called prototypes, sold only at shows.  The regular limited edition has 200 members, making a total of 300 Steam Punk Godsons in existence.

My new Steam Punk claims to be a prototype 72 of 100 while my older copper one is from a run of 200 .  What is going on? 

Pro-Tech has no plans to make any more.  I don't know why.  Perhaps it was a limited edition, as the artist Bruce Shaw specified.  Bruce got his training at Cal-State University of Los Angeles.  Bruce is better known for his firearm engraving, but his Steam Punks are icey! 

When they were introduced in 2014, Blade Magazine listed them as "Investor/Collector Knife of the Year."  I don't know about the investor part of that claim, but it is very collectible.

I’ve always been cynical about knives as investments.  It’s counterintuitive, but many custom knife makers experience a drop in value when they die.  They are, after all, done.  There will be no new creative work to keep their name in the public eye.  As their collectors pass on and leave their collection to people who don't care, the custom maker becomes increasingly a closed chapter.

It doesn't always happen that way.   Randall Knife is one example of a knifemaker going strong after their death.  Bob Loveless is another.  The corporation with his name marches on.

Despite those two examples, I am reminded of the joke:  How do you make a small fortune by investing in knives?  Start with a large one. 

I'll share what I learned about stamp and coin collecting.  If you want your collection to have great value, put great value into it.

I also have the copper version of the Godson Steam Punk with a bright blade.  It is part of the regular limited run of 200, but I'm thrilled to have it.  I also assume there is a prototype run of 100 somewhere.

There might be more prototypes and limited run consisting of only bright of black blades.  I don't know.

I doubt I'll buy another Godson Steam Punk for my collection.  I'm not interested in having some unique number sequence or group of numbers.  But if the price is right, you could see it on my table.

Pro-Tech's Alligator

It’s hard to underestimate the interest in automatic knives or as James Dean might have called them, switch blades.  There is a move afoot to legalize automatic knives with some success.   You can thank American Knife and Tool Institute for their hard work on our behalf.  

Several states have taken the modern and enlightened view that criminal acts should be linked to the doer, not the tool.  In these states automatic knives are legal.  Some states like California have blade length restrictions.  My home state believes evil spirits live in inanimate objects and take control of the user to do evil.  And we keep electing these guys and gals.

The feds have a law referred to as the Federal Switchblade Act.   AKTI explains this law regulates manufacturing and shipping of automatic knives crossing state lines.  It has NO application to individual consumers, or merchants who sell knives.  It has NO application to laws WITHIN a state.

That my soapbox for the today’s blog.

I recently purchased a Peter Kellett custom TR-3 from Pro-Tech.  Pro-Tech’s name for the base knife is TR-3, or Tactical Response III.  It’s a sweet knife.

The blade is 3.25 inches of S35VN steel with a DLC finish.  S35VN is produced by Crucible Industries as part of a collaboration of Dick Barber of Crucible Industries and knifemaker Chris Reeve.  It is a martensitic stainless steel with improved toughness over CPM S30V. It is also easier to machine and polish than CPM S30V. The steel forms niobium carbides along with vanadium and chromium carbides. Because niobium carbides are harder than the vanadium and chromium carbides, S35VN is about 15-20% tougher than CPM S30V without any loss of wear resistance.  The powder metal helps assure a uniform distribution of grain size and places the carbides at the grain boundaries which contribute to its strength.  CPM S35VN’s improved toughness gives it better resistance to edge chipping and retention over conventional high chromium steels such as 440C and D2.

While not new on the scene, S35VN is one of the super steels making an impact on knife makers worldwide.

The 4.5 inch aluminum handle is anodized by artist Peter Kellett.  Peter is also known for his work customizing Fender guitars. Yes, that is an alligator and it is purple.  Well, it is an art knife as the mother of pearl release button confirms.

Pro-Tech’s Dave Wattenberg tells me Pro-Tech’s two biggest sellers are the TR-3 and the Godson.  Both of which are held in high regard by members of the legal community and military.  The clip is not-reversible on the TR-3 and holds the knife tip-up on right side.  There is no safety.  Since I carry knives in my right front pocket, pushed back to the seam, the blade is snugged up securely.  I’m not worried about it opening.

I asked about care and Dave said the flat wire coil spring doesn’t take a set and the knife can be stored closed.  He also advised using a little high quality oil like BreakFree CLP.

If you need or just want an automatic knife, let me suggest Pro-Tech. http://www.protechknives.com/

You can find your EDC tool and you can find art that stuns the observer and makes you hold your breath in its presence.  Your choice.