SOLD!!!
As soon as the Soviets pulled out Czechoslovakia, I lusted for a Mikov auto. The Mikov Company is one of the oldest knife companies in what is now the Czech Republic. Established in 1794 by Ignac Rosler, it quickly became the leading producer of quality cutlery in its region. In the 19th century, the company had two factories--Sandrik and Koh-I-Noor. In 1955, those two factories united and Mikov was founded. Today Mikov is the largest knife firm in the Czech Republic, manufacturing an extensive variety of folding knives, fixed blades, kitchen cutlery, and scissors.
This Mikov auto is the basic model. It has a mirror-polished blade made of 440 stainless steel sharpened on one side only and ABS scales. ABS is just a fancy name for a durable type of plastic, but this knife feels great in your hand not just because of the comfortable shape of the handle but because it offers wonderful tactility from those very same ABS scales. This is one instance where "plastic" and "cheap" are not synonyms.
The knife operates with a flip switch just behind the stainless steel bolster. Flip the switch forward and the blade snaps out and clicks into place. Flip the switch back to lock the blade into position. Flip the switch forward again and depress slightly to unlock the blade so you can manually refold it back into the handle.
What I love about this knife is that it's so distinctively Czech. The Czechs are a simple, tough, enduring people and so are their products. And yet the Czechs are high quality craftspeople. It's no accident that Czech crystal glassware is among the most sought-after on both sides of the Atlantic. Similarly, Mikov knives aren't fancy. (Well, some of them come with exotic wood scales and Damascus steel blades, so I take that back, but the basic knife design isn't fancy.) But they exude rugged simple basic quality. I love the pleasing weight of this Mikov in your hand. There is zero blade play when the knife is open.
I'm not sure I'd call this Mikov a combat knife. A Darryl Ralph auto it ain't. (Course it ain't priced like a Darryl Ralph auto, either.) I doubt whether the Mikov Company produced this knife with combat in mind. Rather, it's a really classy utility knife that, in a pinch, could probably hold its own in a self-defense situation. I'd rather face an assailant with this than with most of the Italian stilettos and switchblades I've handled. They are delicate twig-like things compared to this solid brick of a knife.
The knife has no pocket clip. Instead it comes with a really decent-quality black leather pouch with foldover snap flap and sufficent room in the belt slots in back to accommodate a 1 1/2 inch belt. I hate to say it, but if this knife were American- or Chinese-made, you wouldn't get a sheath half this good. It's not that the Czechs don't know any better. Right now in Eastern Europe, costs are comparatively low. In a few years, a sheath of this quality will add $5 to $10 to the cost of the knife.
Price: $60 shipped CONUS. Prefer PayPal (I'll eat the 3%) but will take an MO.
Contact chesanow@optonline.net
As soon as the Soviets pulled out Czechoslovakia, I lusted for a Mikov auto. The Mikov Company is one of the oldest knife companies in what is now the Czech Republic. Established in 1794 by Ignac Rosler, it quickly became the leading producer of quality cutlery in its region. In the 19th century, the company had two factories--Sandrik and Koh-I-Noor. In 1955, those two factories united and Mikov was founded. Today Mikov is the largest knife firm in the Czech Republic, manufacturing an extensive variety of folding knives, fixed blades, kitchen cutlery, and scissors.
This Mikov auto is the basic model. It has a mirror-polished blade made of 440 stainless steel sharpened on one side only and ABS scales. ABS is just a fancy name for a durable type of plastic, but this knife feels great in your hand not just because of the comfortable shape of the handle but because it offers wonderful tactility from those very same ABS scales. This is one instance where "plastic" and "cheap" are not synonyms.
The knife operates with a flip switch just behind the stainless steel bolster. Flip the switch forward and the blade snaps out and clicks into place. Flip the switch back to lock the blade into position. Flip the switch forward again and depress slightly to unlock the blade so you can manually refold it back into the handle.
What I love about this knife is that it's so distinctively Czech. The Czechs are a simple, tough, enduring people and so are their products. And yet the Czechs are high quality craftspeople. It's no accident that Czech crystal glassware is among the most sought-after on both sides of the Atlantic. Similarly, Mikov knives aren't fancy. (Well, some of them come with exotic wood scales and Damascus steel blades, so I take that back, but the basic knife design isn't fancy.) But they exude rugged simple basic quality. I love the pleasing weight of this Mikov in your hand. There is zero blade play when the knife is open.
I'm not sure I'd call this Mikov a combat knife. A Darryl Ralph auto it ain't. (Course it ain't priced like a Darryl Ralph auto, either.) I doubt whether the Mikov Company produced this knife with combat in mind. Rather, it's a really classy utility knife that, in a pinch, could probably hold its own in a self-defense situation. I'd rather face an assailant with this than with most of the Italian stilettos and switchblades I've handled. They are delicate twig-like things compared to this solid brick of a knife.
The knife has no pocket clip. Instead it comes with a really decent-quality black leather pouch with foldover snap flap and sufficent room in the belt slots in back to accommodate a 1 1/2 inch belt. I hate to say it, but if this knife were American- or Chinese-made, you wouldn't get a sheath half this good. It's not that the Czechs don't know any better. Right now in Eastern Europe, costs are comparatively low. In a few years, a sheath of this quality will add $5 to $10 to the cost of the knife.
Price: $60 shipped CONUS. Prefer PayPal (I'll eat the 3%) but will take an MO.
Contact chesanow@optonline.net
