... cont., SEAL TALES by Greg Walker, Fighting Knives magazine, November 1994, part 2
The Phrobis CUK got rave reviews from the cutlery media including Fighting Knives (FK, Spring 1991), but sources at Group 1 soon advised our staff of serious problems with the design. “SEAL contacts reported both blade and blade tang failure,” we reported in our Summer 1991 issue, and the CUK was evaluated once again by FK with our test-knife being broken the second time around. Sent to Wong’s Forensic & Metallurgical Engineers for metallurgical evaluation, “to determine the cause of the fracture,” we discovered that Phrobis was using an improper steel for the heat-treatment being applied. They had failed to note a design flaw that pitted the softer blade tang against that much harder steel connecting link mating the handle to the blade. The result? Broken CUKs. When our expose’ hit the stands, the CUK hit the junk pile and four steel knives in the inventory because “old” supply items such as bladeware is not shuttled down to the neighborhood surplus store just because something “new” replaces them. Essentially, Buck, Ontario and Phrobis had all provided knives that failed to cut the mustard. The tried-and-true Mk 2 was still King of the hill, and it wasn’t everything the SEALs believed the needed in today’s SpecWar arena.
So, the Search continues …
In April 1992, SEAL Team 5 held a “knife off,” where entries from Buck, SOG and custom-maker Kevin McClung were evaluated as potential SEAL blades. Twenty-eight other hopeful contestants were submitted, as well, but these rapidly failed those tests deemed important by ST-5’s operators and Research and Development committee (FK, Fall 1992). The “ATAK” handily beat its closest two competitors due to a practical “big knife” blade design; a synthetic handle that was near impervious to chemical, heat and impact tests conducted by ST-5; and a well-thought-out synthetic scabbard formed from Kydex. McClung became the first independent custom knifemaker to obtain a formal authorization from the Naval Special Warfare community to produce and deliver a combat knife per their specifications. Bearing in mind that this authorization was limited to those SEAL teams on the West Coast.
In truth, the ATAK was a superb effort, FK’s own tests which were shared in Soldier of Fortune’s “Battle Blades” column when chaired by myself showed it to perform wonderfully as a field knife in a Special Operations environment. Problems soon surfaced, however, when McClung attempted to take the knife into production as a “one-horse operation.” Despite bringing custom knifemaker Alan Blade on board to assist in grinding and manufacture, McClung could not produce the amount of knives required per delivery date by the West Coast teams. Even discussions with potential sub-contractors such as Benchmade Knives proved fruitless because, at the time, these providers were not equipped to cut and/or grind the blade format accepted by the SEALs. In addition, McClung had offered a civilian version of the ATAK while also attempting to fulfill his obligation to Navy Special Warfare. With orders prepaid by his civilian customers, and larger orders yet to be paid for upon delivery by the Navy, Kevin McClung soon found himself on thin ice with everyone involved. Custom-maker Robert Rippy wrote about his experiences in just this situation (FK, September 1993), when his contract with the DEA for knives suffered the same circumstances.
Still the SEAL community was happy with the ATAK and forgiving of the constant delivery delays. After all, they were still issuing the Mk 2s and Mk 3s that were in the inventory. Disaster for the ATAK struck in early 1994 when two SEAL officers visiting the Pomona Gun Show discovered impressive numbers of SEAL ATAK knives available for sale to the civilian public, even while the SEALs were still waiting (less patiently, at this point) for theirs. As reported by knife writer Steven Dick during the 1994 Oregon Custom Knife Show (FK, September 1994) “the knife is now being mass-produced by a U.S.-based company.” This was self-evident since ATAK knives were available for sale at the Oregon show, as well. According to Dick, the company was again Benchmade Knives, which by this time had become fully automated and capable of emulating McClung’s grind lines. In the August 1994 issue of Soldier of Fortune, Dick further explained Benchmade’s assistance saying, “A commercial knife company was contracted to produce rough blade blanks for the ATAK, which were then heat-treated and finished by Mad Dog (Kevin McClung’s shop name). Even with this help, deliveries lagged.”
Parallel to the logistic problems that the ATAK was suffering in the field, several of the knives had seen handle failure and there was a rusting problem despite the blade being “double hard-chromed, then coated with a nonreflective Kalgard ‘skin,’ resulting in a high-carbon steel blade that was both corrosion-resistant and fairly nonreflective (SOF, September 1992). The reason behind the rusting problem was traced to chemical corrosives in seawater working their way past the Kalgard coating and underneath the double hard-chrome plating at the knife’s cutting edge. The carbon steel blade was literally rusting away beneath its hard chrome exterior, with blade failure occurring without warning. Clearly carbon steel, regardless of the plating or coating process present, could not be expected to resist the rigors of SEAL use.
The SEALs were back at square one …
On March 2, 1994, the Naval Special Warfare Command announced in an internal memo its authorization of a Table of Organic Allowance Change. The subject? Two new combat knives for Teams 1, 3, and 5, as well as SDV Team 1. This time the R&D team at Coronado had exercised total control over its development criteria and testing procedure. Contrary to Blade Magazine’s report that there were “14 knife entrants” (Blade, July/August 94), in truth only eight sources provided a total of 14 sample knives for testing. These were Buck (3), Cold Steel (1), Ernest Emerson (1), Gerber (1), Larry Harley (1), SOG (2), Strider (3), and Mission Knives (2). There was no attempt made to discourage or discriminate against custom knifemakers (as reported by Steve Dick in the August 1994 issue of Soldier of Fortune) as demonstrated by the presence of knives from Emerson, Harley, and Strider. In addition, SOG sponsored a custom-made sample designed by George Lainhart and considered by SOG as a possible production co-project between the two parties. Advice given custom makers partaking in these trials by SEAL evaluators was that they would be required to have a mass production resources available should their knife be selected and approved. It was a lesson learned from the SEALs experience with the ATAK knife, one for which two of the three custom makers could not or would not arrange. Still, their knives were tested along with those entered by production firms.
And the winners are … The SOG SK-2000
SOG Specialty Knives was pleased to see its modified SOG-TECH capture First Place honors among the all-steel knife category samples. “We started the company with the special operations SOG Bowie,” Spencer Fraser told FK in July, “and by getting this contract, it feels as if we’ve come full circle, “The SOG SEAL Knife-2000 sees the original SOG-TECH modified in terms of an integral Zytel handle replacing the Tech’s brass guard and Kraton grip, and the addition of a serrated section at the rear of the lower edge, as asked for by the SEALs. “Other than these three areas, the SK-2000 is basically our SOG-TECH,” confirmed the company’s CEO. A nonreflective blade finish has been provided for using a black-gray powder much like Kalgard. As with all such finishes, this one rubs off with hard use. To replace, simply spray the affected area with hot rod primer. FK noted that the original SK-2000 was submitted in 440C stainless steel, although the knife available for purchase by the SEALs is ground in Japan from 440A. We concur with SOG that the current steel offers a less corrosive inclination than 440C but has the performance factor of the blade been compromised upon changing steels?
Sheath-wise, the SK-2000 relies upon a modified SOG-TECH scabbard that is made up of leather welts and a black nylon cover. Two snap-n-strap security loops are provided using Lift-a-Dot snaps, per instruction of the R&D committee at Coronado. The belt loop is a very sturdy snap system that allows for the sheath to be mounted or removed via three individual snaps. A drain hole for water and light debris is present on the back lower portion of the scabbard and SOG offers that the sheath is internally lined with plastic to protect the leather welts from water damage.
Provided with a SK-2000, we first shared it with veteran SEAL Barry Enoch, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran and legend with the Teams, Barry offered that he felt the SK was a “fine knife, which would be great for hunting.” Given that hunting knives must perform under all environmental conditions in order to accomplish their assigned purpose, this is a high compliment indeed. Because the SEALs test criteria was exacting and long-term in nature, including actual field deployments of each sample submitted, FK believes that only an exact duplication of these tests would be valid for a magazine review. I can cut various types of rope and line, dig, cut roots and successfully chip a hole in hard wood with many of the knives presently in the office. In preparing this article, O noted that SOF’s field test including chipping a hole in a pine board with the SOG knife. To the knife’s credit, it accomplished this task in Coronado, but the medium chosen was Oak.
