blade finish on MT Amphib - newbie

D

dulaboy

Joined
Mar 9, 2005
Messages
42
I'm gonna get a MT Amphibian manual with black handle and I like their stonewash finish on the blade but I also like the Urban Camo. Besides being more money do I need to worry that the blade finish will get scratched off if I go with camo or black on the blade?

I've been carrying a Gerber Gator Serrator (an AWESOME feeling knife) for years and wanted to get a great pocket clip knife so it was between the ER Fulcrum 2T and the MT Amphib. I saw a few posts about the Fulcrum saying that the blade was too thick (.23") to do a lot of cutting - but isn't that what a knife's for? Also, the blade on the Fulcrum is relatively short but that thumbstud makes it even shorter for stabbing. Is there any advantage to having such a thick blade? I wanna see the Fulcrum in person before I buy it. There are some great Fulcrum pics at (HUGE pics):
http://www.edge.friko.pl/fulcrum2d/fulcrum2d.htm
if you look closely there's some wearing away of the finish off the Fulcrum's handle. This doesn't look like a good sign to me.

Waiting for a SOG Mini X-Ray.

Thanks in advance.
 
Speaking generally, ALL coatings will wear away - the question is when and how badly. Newer ceramic-type coatings like boron carbide or DLC are about as close to indestructible as is currently possible. I have not yet encountered a handle finish that will survive unscathed, even doing mundane chores. Sooner or later you're going to drop it, run it across a hard concrete wall, put it in a pocket with your keys and coins, loan the blasted thing to a stupid (ex-)friend, etc.

Specifically - I've only seen the Microtech camo finish on the Mini-Socom elite. I wasn't impressed. The stuff they used to create the striping effect seemed marginally more durable than spray-paint. The model I saw already had a 1-2 millimeter chip in the finish. Their stonewashed knives are great, though - that would be my choice.

Also, as far as the ER Fulcrum is concerned - it's not really bad for cutting things, it's just not very good at cutting through things. It's a folding crowbar with an edge - useful in certain situations, but not as a pure cutting tool.
 
Welcome to the forum dulaboy. You have great taste in knives. The MT Amphimian is a wicked cutting machine. If you are going to use the knife I wouldn't pay extra for the camo or black finish. It will scratch and if you are buying it for its cool look it won't look cool to long. Just my $0.02.
 
I have an ER Fulcrum II T. The first time I picked it up and felt the "clunk" of the lock engaging and the overall heft I knew I made the right choice. I was so impressed I also bought the M.P.C. The blade is very thick on the fulcrum and not too incredibly sharp right out of the box, but unless youre only goal is sit around sand shave your arm hair it should be fine. The thumb ramp is really nice too, something I wish the M.P.C. has.
 
my fulcrum came plenty sharp, the guy i got it from redid it on an edgepro, and it is wicked sharp, the fulcrum is a good one imho. imho its a lot more heavy duty type knife than an amphibian, nothing against an amphibian, its a good one also, of the 2 i prefer the fulcrum myself.
 
A stonewashed finish, while not necessarily the most attractive for show and display, is about the best finish for a working knife. It's basically pre-scratched, but to the point that it looks normal and expected. And if you do scratch it, the finish hides it

IMO, the "camo" finishes by Microtech (and most any other company) are more gimicky than anything else. The MT camo finishes are almost abrasive to the touch, seemingly "painted" on. It'll wear quickly with any real use, and, especially on their OTF knives, will leave manipulation marks pretty quickly. But, if you want it to protect the knife from corrosion, that they will do, even when worn. But don't expect it to look as pretty after even a bit of use.

The black coatings on MTs are different than the camo ones. What exactly the coating is on a particular knife is hard to say. Sometimes it's a not-very-tough one, sometimes it is tough. I don't know enough about MT's geneology to help you there.

If it's a user, I say get the stonewash.
 
I have the MT amphib with a stone washed blade. It is the favorite of my folders and gets more pocket time then anything else. It looks like a hard use cutting machine and performs accordingly. Awesome knife, big but carries easily in any type of pants, if ya want a super cutting tool then get the amphibian, if ya want a sharpened pry bar then get a fixed blade. As far as corrosion resistance goes, the MTs are all decent stainless steel, so take a little care and don't use it for underwater demolitions and screw the goofy camo stuff.
 
Any kind of coating will chip and wear off the knife over time as you use it. Some people hate the look of the knife when that happens, others don't mind, I am one of the latter. Any knife that gets used will have some marks on it eventually, they just show up easier on a coated blade. If you prefer the look of the coated blade then go for it, but just keep in mind that it will wear off. If the thought of a blade that has the coating all worn, scratched, and chipped bothers you then just skip the coating.

There is nothing wrong with the stonewash finish either. As was already mentioned it makes a great finish for a working knife, it doesn't show wear readily and helps prevent corrosion.
 
I'm now leaning to the stonewash blade but how does that compare to BEAD BLAST finish?

BTW - the old Gerber Gator seerator that I still carry is the best feeling knife I ever picked up - granted it's got a fat rubber handle but it's awesome.
 
Go with the stonewash finish Ampbibian! ;) Beadblast finish is the ugliest of the finishes and is actually shows wear as much as a high polish blade. I have a stonewash Amphib. It is an awesome knife and a great cutter. Stonewash finish hides hard use better than all of the other finishes. IMHO YMMV :D
 
Bead blast retains a lot of cr@p and gives a good base for corrosion to start . Go stonewashed . Dlc and boron carbide are pretty durable . Who needs coatings anyway .
 
I see that the Amphib comes either with a tear-drop buton or a big round button on the handle - what's the diff?

And there's 154CM and s30V - which one is better?
 
One is newer, one is the old version. 154CM is the old version (round stud I believe), S30V is the new version. S30V is a superior steel, but 154CM is still excellent. Either will suit you well. The new version might cost more.
 
Ordered the MT Amphib, black handle with stonewash. Also ordered the Gerber Air Ranger! (Waiting on a SOG mini x-ray too.)

The reason I'm posting is that I found the Amphib for $174 ! That's like wholesale cost! We'll see if the transaction works out. Kirk Debrito sounded OK and he's an NRA member so that made me feel better.

Will report on the transaction when I get all my stuff.

Here's some DARN good prices:

http://www.debritos.com/id111.htm
 
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