- Joined
- Nov 17, 2001
- Messages
- 1,957
This is the Mini SOCOM Elite Manual frame lock that I promised you guys. Also, this is my frist review, so be gentle 
I figure that I dont have to re-type the detail, since its available at : http://www.microtechknives.com/framemanuals.htm
Things I like :
1. It came extremely razor sharp out of the box. The blade is V ground, and this adds to its sharpness. Did not try shaving my arm hair (too sharp to the touch, I was kinda afraid to do so), but I did cut paper (single newspaper sheets) and ended up cutting the box it came in into pieces. Its really fun to cut with. After cutting the box and the paper, the knife was not as sharp (still cut though), but back to its original sharpness after a few touches against a ceramic rod.
2. The insert material is very grippy. I think its the same material that is put on skateboards. I dont find this material is too comfortable to hold, but on the other hand, it will prevent the knife from slipping when you use it while wearing gloves.
3. The dimension is perfect, not too large, not too small. Its pretty slim, and you wont feel it clipped in your pocket. But, the blade is large enough to handle heavy cutting. Hell, my EDC is around 3 long and it cuts everything from wood, boxes, paper, even meat (not my meat, but beef, chicken cooking) and vegetables.
4. The thumb studs serve a double function as the stop pins, like Strider SNG. I feel that the stop pins will last longer when designed like this. Regular stop pin case : the back of the blade (in the pivot are) constantly hits the pin, and it will wear off or even dent after a while. Thumb studs stop pin case : the force hitting the regular stop pin is divided into 2 (the thumb studs), thus less damage is caused. Less damage = longer life.
5. Solid lock up. Cant shake the blade when its opened.
6. The new kind of screws is pretty cool to look at (to my eyes). It certainly adds the aesthetic value of the knife.
7. Overall fit and finish is excellent. Then again, Microtech is known for its good fit and finish. It's perfect. To be honest, it's even better than some of the customs I have. Blade is perfectly centered when closed.
8. This one is cool stuff. Since the handle is aluminum, it wont be able to be used as a lock effectively. Aluminum is a pretty soft metal, and with constant rubbing against 154CM at 60 RC, it will wear off fast. Microtech invented a new kind of cool stuff to compensate this. It adds a titanium head to the frame to function as a lock. This way, the lock will last longer. Also, when the lock is worn off, you could send the knife back to the factory, and it would simply change the head (as opposed to the conventional change of the whole frame). I found it to be pretty cool.
Things I dont like :
1. The new screws, while they look better (to my eyes), they prevent user from disassembling the knife. Microtech does not include the special screw driver to go with the screw. The result is, I cannot loosen the pivot, and basically, I cannot do anything with the knives other than carrying it and cutting with it. I cant even check if there are rust spots in the pivot area after being in humid environment for a while.
2. Too slim for a tactical kind of knife. Well, I compared it with my Strider SNG, and of course it feels a bit too small after using SNG for a while.
3. Its tip down carry. It takes some time to pull the knife out of your pocket, reverse it, and then open it.
4. It does not open too smoothly compared to BM or SNG. I don't know why. The lack of the screw driver prevent me from looking at the pivot area.
Overall impression :
While it cannot replace my current EDC (Strider SNG), I will certainly add this one to my EDC circulation. I carried it a whole day yesterday, and I could not feel that I was carrying a knife due to its thinness. Drawback: if I accidentally lost the knife, it would take me a while to realize it. Other than my dislikes, I really love this little guy. Very sharp, very low profile and I love the blade shape too. Its a very fun knife to own IMHO. My grade would be an A-. Id give it an A if Microtech includes the special screw driver with the knife.
Feel free to ask as many Qs as youd like.
(Thank you Spyken for reminding the forgotten details)
I figure that I dont have to re-type the detail, since its available at : http://www.microtechknives.com/framemanuals.htm
Things I like :
1. It came extremely razor sharp out of the box. The blade is V ground, and this adds to its sharpness. Did not try shaving my arm hair (too sharp to the touch, I was kinda afraid to do so), but I did cut paper (single newspaper sheets) and ended up cutting the box it came in into pieces. Its really fun to cut with. After cutting the box and the paper, the knife was not as sharp (still cut though), but back to its original sharpness after a few touches against a ceramic rod.
2. The insert material is very grippy. I think its the same material that is put on skateboards. I dont find this material is too comfortable to hold, but on the other hand, it will prevent the knife from slipping when you use it while wearing gloves.
3. The dimension is perfect, not too large, not too small. Its pretty slim, and you wont feel it clipped in your pocket. But, the blade is large enough to handle heavy cutting. Hell, my EDC is around 3 long and it cuts everything from wood, boxes, paper, even meat (not my meat, but beef, chicken cooking) and vegetables.
4. The thumb studs serve a double function as the stop pins, like Strider SNG. I feel that the stop pins will last longer when designed like this. Regular stop pin case : the back of the blade (in the pivot are) constantly hits the pin, and it will wear off or even dent after a while. Thumb studs stop pin case : the force hitting the regular stop pin is divided into 2 (the thumb studs), thus less damage is caused. Less damage = longer life.
5. Solid lock up. Cant shake the blade when its opened.
6. The new kind of screws is pretty cool to look at (to my eyes). It certainly adds the aesthetic value of the knife.
7. Overall fit and finish is excellent. Then again, Microtech is known for its good fit and finish. It's perfect. To be honest, it's even better than some of the customs I have. Blade is perfectly centered when closed.
8. This one is cool stuff. Since the handle is aluminum, it wont be able to be used as a lock effectively. Aluminum is a pretty soft metal, and with constant rubbing against 154CM at 60 RC, it will wear off fast. Microtech invented a new kind of cool stuff to compensate this. It adds a titanium head to the frame to function as a lock. This way, the lock will last longer. Also, when the lock is worn off, you could send the knife back to the factory, and it would simply change the head (as opposed to the conventional change of the whole frame). I found it to be pretty cool.
Things I dont like :
1. The new screws, while they look better (to my eyes), they prevent user from disassembling the knife. Microtech does not include the special screw driver to go with the screw. The result is, I cannot loosen the pivot, and basically, I cannot do anything with the knives other than carrying it and cutting with it. I cant even check if there are rust spots in the pivot area after being in humid environment for a while.
2. Too slim for a tactical kind of knife. Well, I compared it with my Strider SNG, and of course it feels a bit too small after using SNG for a while.
3. Its tip down carry. It takes some time to pull the knife out of your pocket, reverse it, and then open it.
4. It does not open too smoothly compared to BM or SNG. I don't know why. The lack of the screw driver prevent me from looking at the pivot area.
Overall impression :
While it cannot replace my current EDC (Strider SNG), I will certainly add this one to my EDC circulation. I carried it a whole day yesterday, and I could not feel that I was carrying a knife due to its thinness. Drawback: if I accidentally lost the knife, it would take me a while to realize it. Other than my dislikes, I really love this little guy. Very sharp, very low profile and I love the blade shape too. Its a very fun knife to own IMHO. My grade would be an A-. Id give it an A if Microtech includes the special screw driver with the knife.
Feel free to ask as many Qs as youd like.
(Thank you Spyken for reminding the forgotten details)
Thanks for the review and all the nice pics !!!
