Looking for information on an oddity... and Introduction

Po-Jay

Po-Jay

Joined
Aug 4, 2020
Messages
14
First off, hello and thank you for welcoming me to the blade forum. I have been collecting knives (mostly folders) for over a decade. I collect mostly EDC knives, but have a few that do not fit that bill. I am partial to Pro-Tech autos, or anything with a tanto blade.

I have searched many places for this one, and the gentlemen at Blade HQ Support have advised that this would be a great place to inquiry...

I have acquired an OTF (poorly functioning) that is apparently manufactured for Blade HQ (see pictures). It is not a nice knife, but I really like the simple chunky aesthetics.
Has anyone had any history with this model? When was this made and are there parts (like springs) available to update the action?

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I can't get your images to work. Maybe try a hosting site like imgur.
 
Po-Jay said:
I am working on getting them hosted. Sorry for the newbieness
Click to expand...

It's all good. I have no idea about the knife. I'm sure someone here will know.
 
They (bladehq) sent me here. like I mentioned, it’s not a nice knife, but it’s cool as hell. I’d like to get it working reliably.

Thanks for the welcome!
 
Cool knife which I have never seen before! Are there any markings on the backside of the knife? On the blade or otherwise?
 
the correct answer is getting a new one that works well :) (of course)

we will all provide enablement on your journey : P
 
It was a popular knife about 15 years ago and for some reason it was called a “Tomb Raider” OTF.
Some have a ring that can attached to the side near the switch. If you look at yours it might have a slot for the ring.
They came in polished aluminum too and the plastic panel on the front cracks easily. I remember those panels being sold as replacements.
Even though yours is marked USA, l think they were Chinese or Taiwanese imports.
If you search for Tomb Raider knife some will pop up.
 
Have you disassembled it? Could be something inside binding it, or maybe stretch the spring?

Either way I’d like to see a picture of the inside.
 
JPD1998 said:
It was a popular knife about 15 years ago and for some reason it was called a “Tomb Raider” OTF.
Some have a ring that can attached to the side near the switch. If you look at yours it might have a slot for the ring.
They came in polished aluminum too and the plastic panel on the front cracks easily. I remember those panels being sold as replacements.
Even though yours is marked USA, l think they were Chinese or Taiwanese imports.
If you search for Tomb Raider knife some will pop up.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this information. It is quite interesting... It does have a slot for a ring, by the switch. I can tell the knife is Chinese or definitely a cheap import of some sort. It is odd that Blade HQ is on the blade. Most of the ones on the internet have Solingen Germany or something of the sort... Sounds like they were sold as movie props in the 90's.

eveled said:
Have you disassembled it? Could be something inside binding it, or maybe stretch the spring?

Either way I’d like to see a picture of the inside.
Click to expand...

I have not yet disassembled it, but I plan to soon. The spring seems worn out. I have to over extend the blade travel and hold the switch to get it to successfully retract. I will post pictures when I decide to dig into it. I was hoping to have some replacement parts on hand prior, but that is looking to be a challenge.
 
I have 3 of them , 2 black and 1 polished aluminum ( I put the grip tape on the aluminum knife)

The aluminum knife is marked Solingen and is the oldest. I bought it in the late 90's early 2000's. The black knives are unmarked.
The only difference is, the black unmarked knives are cast zinc alloy and the polished knife is aluminum.

If you carefully remove the switch and plastic plate , you can see some of the internals and possibly clean and lightly lube.

tomb_raider.jpg
 
BilboBaggins said:
Cool knife which I have never seen before! Are there any markings on the backside of the knife? On the blade or otherwise?
Click to expand...

The only marking on the knife is on the actuator side of the blade, at the choil. I have not seen any on the internet that have the same thing embossed (Blade HQ USA). It is odd because the company Blade HQ is only from the early 2000's and this knife should date from the mid 1990's.
 
I think the black alloy knives are newer, I bought one back in 2010 while on vacation in South Carolina.

And if you search the web they still come up in BladeOps archive pages.(BladeOps is BladeHQ).

Oh and welcome you to the forum !
 
I have one I've had since the early 2000s that's the polished solingen version. It worked for about 15 years until the tab that catches and deploys the blade broke off the end of the spring. Fixing it would cost me $50 and I don't think it's worth it. Pictured below second from the right.

tOGAeXP.jpg
 
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