Liong Mah Field Duty - EDC Questions

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Oct 16, 2021
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From my search, there appears to be two different versions of the Field Duty - EDC. One version has a 3.25" blade length and a 4.25" handle length. The second version has a 3.5" blade length and a 4.0" handle length. Other than the blade and handle lengths, all of the other specs appear to be the same.

The Field Duty - EDC with the 3.5" blade length seems to be an improvement giving you an additional 0.25" blade length and shortens the handle length by 0.25". Does the shift in the lengths affect the ease of opening? Change the balance point in a positive or negative way?

Does anyone have experience the either of these two versions? Any information would be helpful.
 
You can address directly Mr Mah on Instagram, he is easy to communicate and will answer your question.
 
The specs on his site are 3.5" blade and 4" handle for the EDC and 4" blade and 9" overall (5" handle) for the "regular" Field Duty. I imagine the 3.25" spec you're seeing is actually the same size as the EDC on his site, but measured differently. Because of the handle design, you could gain or lose 1/4" depending on whether you measured from the blade tip to the closest (near the spine) or furthest (at the choil) part of the front of the handle. Given that blade length is most relevant in legal scenarios, giving the longest possible measurement makes sense - you don't want someone in a jurisdiction that requires blades to be less than 3.5" to get in trouble because they expected the maximum blade length to be 3.25"

Liong-Mah-Design-Field-Duty-Bolster-Lock-Folding-Ti-Black-G-10-Satin-BHQ-131703-jr.webp
 
The specs on his site are 3.5" blade and 4" handle for the EDC and 4" blade and 9" overall (5" handle) for the "regular" Field Duty. I imagine the 3.25" spec you're seeing is actually the same size as the EDC on his site, but measured differently. Because of the handle design, you could gain or lose 1/4" depending on whether you measured from the blade tip to the closest (near the spine) or furthest (at the choil) part of the front of the handle. Given that blade length is most relevant in legal scenarios, giving the longest possible measurement makes sense - you don't want someone in a jurisdiction that requires blades to be less than 3.5" to get in trouble because they expected the maximum blade length to be 3.25"

Liong-Mah-Design-Field-Duty-Bolster-Lock-Folding-Ti-Black-G-10-Satin-BHQ-131703-jr.webp
 
Sorry about the above post. I am new to the forum and still trying to figure out how to reply &/or add a quote.

I understand the possibility there could be a difference how a blade is measured; however I would have thought the larger manufacturers like Reate would follow the American Knife & Tool Institute's protocol for measuring knife blade lengths as a standard for their published specs. And I would have thought that the online vendors selling the same product would publish the same specs provided by the manufacturer.

If the AKTI protocol is not followed, I understand there could be a difference in the blade length. However that does not explain the difference in the handle lengths; one length is 4.25" and the other 4.0". Are there different methods for measuring a handle length other than measuring a level horizontal straight line between most forward point of the handle to the farthest point at the back end of the handle?

My analytical personality has a hard time wrapping my brain around how knife specifications are determined. The overall length of both knives are the same @ 7.5". A 3.25" blade + 4.25" handle = 7.5" and a 3.5" blade + 4.0" handle = 7.5"; mathematically this makes sense.
 
Sorry about the above post. I am new to the forum and still trying to figure out how to reply &/or add a quote.

I understand the possibility there could be a difference how a blade is measured; however I would have thought the larger manufacturers like Reate would follow the American Knife & Tool Institute's protocol for measuring knife blade lengths as a standard for their published specs. And I would have thought that the online vendors selling the same product would publish the same specs provided by the manufacturer.

If the AKTI protocol is not followed, I understand there could be a difference in the blade length. However that does not explain the difference in the handle lengths; one length is 4.25" and the other 4.0". Are there different methods for measuring a handle length other than measuring a level horizontal straight line between most forward point of the handle to the farthest point at the back end of the handle?

My analytical personality has a hard time wrapping my brain around how knife specifications are determined. The overall length of both knives are the same @ 7.5". A 3.25" blade + 4.25" handle = 7.5" and a 3.5" blade + 4.0" handle = 7.5"; mathematically this makes sense.

AKTI isn't binding on anyone, so unless someone has said they're using it, it's sort of irrelevant. I should also point out that their protocol (https://www.akti.org/wp-content/uploads/AKTI-Measuring-Protocol.pdf) is horribly written: "Where a statute, regulation or ordinance refers to knife blade length, the measurement shall be the straight line extending from the tip of the blade to the forward-most aspect of the hilt or handle." That seems easy to understand (measure in a straight line from the tip to the front of the handle), but the examples they provide suggest that their preferred measurement is actually the distance between parallel planes defined by the tip and forward-most point of the handle. The "parallel planes" method will generally give you a shorter length than the "straight line" method.

Because the AKTI protocol isn't binding on anyone (it's just the proffered opinion of an advocacy group), you can't count on that being accepted in a legal context. If a LEO is measuring the blade of your knife, the "straight line" method will invariably be the one they use, which is significant. My carry today is the Sharpbydesign Micro Evo Typhoon (made by Reate like the Field Duty), which is advertised as having a 2.875" blade. If you use the "parallel planes" method, that's the result you get. If you use the "straight line" lay-a-ruler-on-it method, the length increases to a hair under 3". While I understand why AKTI promotes a method that standardizes (and shortens) blade measurements, the fact that it understates blade length compared to what you'd be facing in a criminal law context is probably not a good thing.

If retailers are doing their own measurements, I doubt they're doing the handle and blade separately. They're probably doing overall and blade and then subtracting to get the handle length. The answer as to why their measurements are different than Liong's is hard to know unless you have solid information on where they get their numbers from. It could be an error in the retailer's data entry, an error in Reate and/or Liong's stated specs (later fixed), or a difference in measurement between the retailer and the stated specs.
 
OrangeBlueOrangeBlue thank you for your post. From what I have been told by Liong Mah, the manufacturer measures from the handle to the tip of the blade and that is the length that he lists on his website. The specs on the LMD website are provided by Reate.

I did contact Blade HQ & KnifeCenter to ask a general question regarding where they obtain the knife specification that they post on their site. Blade HQ’s response is that they typically get the specifications for the manufacturer however there are times that they will also complete in-house measurements. KnifeCenter’s response is that 9 out of 10 times the specifications are provided by the manufacturer.

It appears that the published specifications supplied to the dealers are provided by Reate. I have sent an email to Reate Knives regarding how they determine the blade length. And now with the new information regarding the published specs, I plan on sending another email to Reate to ask why they would provide different specifications to different dealers for the same knife. I will give an update if Reate sends me a response to my emails.

I plan on purchasing a couple higher end folding knives. My preferred way to carry a folder is in my watch pocket. When making a selection, I am looking for a quality knife with the largest blade length and the shortest handle length that will fit comfortably in a watch pocket. It’s nice to know if the published specs are accurate and consistent so a fair comparison between knives can be made. And when purchasing a knife costing hundreds of dollars and the knife you receive is not what was expected and the dealer has a return policy that charges a high % of your purchase price if returned, it can affect your decision whether to keep or return the knife.
 
F fl_pugs I have the Carbon Fiber Field Duty EDC coming sometime this week or next, never know with USPS this time of year 😆
once it arrives I will post some pics for ya with a ruler on the blade and handle so you can know for sure bud 🤙
I’m hoping for a 3.5” blade and 3.25” cutting, but we will know for sure soon.

Happy Holiday‘s
Richard
 
Close to Para3 size. Hope these photos help. These also include a para2 and mini bugout.
 
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I’m curious which higher end folders op have in mind and how big of a handle his watch pocket can take ?
 
F fl_pugs I have the Carbon Fiber Field Duty EDC coming sometime this week or next, never know with USPS this time of year 😆
once it arrives I will post some pics for ya with a ruler on the blade and handle so you can know for sure bud 🤙
I’m hoping for a 3.5” blade and 3.25” cutting, but we will know for sure soon.

Happy Holiday‘s
Richard
Thanks Richard, that would be great.
 
I’m curious which higher end folders op have in mind and how big of a handle his watch pocket can take ?
The size & depth of the watch pockets on my different pants vary. I was looking for knives with handle lengths 4" or less. With some pants I can go a little longer but not all of the different brands of pants will comfortably handle the longer knives. Some times I like to put the entire knife including the clip all the way into the pocket to conceal the clip and to avoid rubbing the clip as I take things in and out of the larger front pocket.

I purchased the Carbon Field Duty - EDC thinking the handle length was 4" as advertised. Instead the knife I received measures out at 4.25". Other knives I am considering is the Chris Reeve Small Sebenza 31 with a 3.94" handle length or possibly the Chris Reeve Mnandi with a 3.625" handle length.
 
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