Mission MPF-Ti comments?

keninshiro

keninshiro

Joined
Apr 19, 1999
Messages
2,259
Hi All,
Been doing some surfing lately and found the Mission MPF-Ti very interesting, but i have a few questions regarding it's performance as a whole knife and it's Ti blade. I hope forumites who owns one could tell me something about it.

Since the handle is made out of pure Ti and possess an integral lock, will putting force "bond" the lock? I've read about Titanium often "bond" after a certain period of time or subjected to high pressure.

What is the performance difference between Ti blades and let say....BG-42, ATS-34 or CPM 440V interms of strenght, edge holding, etc? Do the MPF-Ti have tungsten carbide edge on it's Ti blade? If it doesn't have a carbide edge, how does it perform?

How weak is the megnatic signature? Will it pass metal detectors?(just a question, no other intentions)

What other Ti folder is comparative to the MPF?

Thank you all in advance for any given answers!
 
What I like about this knife is:

The integral lock is vault tight, strong!
The size of the handle. I like beefy!
Style of the blade.
Ti blade is completely rust proof.

But I would perfer CPM-420V or BG-42 because they have much better edge retention, easier to sharpen, and are extremely rust resistance as well.

Don't know about going through a metal detector though, I would never take a chance, wouldn't want to have the knife confiscated if it did get detected!
frown.gif


Mark
 
Ken,
It is made of metal, even with a very, very low magnetic signature, it WILL be detected.
Edge holding doesn't compair to the steels mentioned. Titainium like aluminum is "grabby" and can never be what you would call "smooth". This is also why it works as a cutting edge, micro teeth.
Dan
 
As far as magnetic/ metallic signature, be sure as to the material used for the blade washers if there are any. If they are present it is highly unlikely that they are made of Ti. Detectors at very sensitive settings may be able to pick up signatures from copper and/ or bronze.

As for the "bonding" issue, my experience with Ti components in the bicycle industry is that a bit of prep known as Anti Seize will minimize any galling/ bonding of Ti components that are in contact with each other for long periods of time. Using grease or conventional oils yielded a difficult removal of its parts. Anti Seize is not a lubricant per se but rather a preventative like its namesake. It can be purchased at any automotive shop as it is commonly used for spark plug caps. Look for the small grey tube brand made by Permatex. Hope this helps a bit.

L8r,
Nakano
 
On Mission's website, the performance of the Ti blades are described often as very extreme, for example :

Titanium is a high-performance allow that is meant to withstand extreme applications. For this reason the cutting edge on the MPK will last longer than those edges on all-steel knives during normal to abusive cutting / digging / prying chores.
Click to expand...

Or this thread :

http://www.knifeforums.com/ubb/Forum59/HTML/000005.html

Where the Ti blade is described as being able to take impacts that destroy an 154CM blade.

However, Mission's Ti is very soft and relative weak compared to high end steels. Based on that, claims like the above don't make a lot of sense to me. Can anyone who has a blade comment on its performance in this regard?

-Cliff
 
Ok, there are three types of 'metal detectors.' One detects the magnetic signature of the metal, so it will pick up only metals which contain iron (this is cheaper, so somewhat more widely used). Another detects the electrical signature of the metal, so will pick up any metal (more expensive, so less common). The third passes x-rays through you, and literally creates an image, which will easily show the shape of the metal object, which the operator needs to recognize as a knife (or, at least, something out of the ordinary) in order to 'catch' you (this type is extremely expensive, but will pick up drugs, explosives, and other substances that metal detectors won't).

--JB

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e_utopia@hotmail.com
 
Hi all and thank you for your explanations! The strange part is the answers for the metal detactors out scores the Ti blade.....HHmmmmm......The truth is i'm not about to go through one with a weapon consealed
smile.gif


Nakano - I'm fimiliar with "Anti Seize" in the bike industry as i'm an avid rider myself a year ago. If given the situation(highly unlikely)where strong impact is given to it's spine in test or use, will the liner lock "stick or bond"? I don't think "Anti Seize" can be placed cause it will compromise it's lock, so how do we prevent that?

Cliff - After reading what Mission claimed, there are points where they contradict themselves with steel and Ti. Thanks for pointing out!

Last but not least, Is it worth the bucks?

Thanks all!
smile.gif


[This message has been edited by keninshiro (edited 04-03-2000).]
 
I can't answer all the questions, but I may be able to shed a little light on some points. First off, I have the MPK, which is a fixed blade knife made out of the same beta alloy titanium as the blade of the MPF. The handles of the MFP I believe are made out the more common 6Al4V alloy titanium. I don't know if there is enough relative difference between the composition of these two alloys to minimize/eliminate siezing problems, or if the bead blasted finish contributes here as well, but I've never heard of any problems of this sort, nor of any special precautions that need to be taken to prevent its occurence. One test Mission likes to perform on its folders is to clamp the open blade into a high vise and them have someone do pull ups on the handle. If that doesn't create enough pressure to "bond" the metal, I doubt any normal activity will.

As far as the blade is concerned, I first noticed that the MPK features an asymetrical edge somewhat similar to the Busse knives. The bevel on one side seems to be at about a 24 degree angle while the other side is probably closer to 29 or 30 degrees. I can't say for certain if this is also true of the folder. At any rate, my experience sharpening the MPK has been quite positive. Using my Edgepro Apex I've had no problems whatsoever, and wouldn't characterize the beta alloy MPK blade as being any harder to sharpen than any other ATS-34 or BG-42 blade I own. Maintaining the factory bevel angles, I worked my way through the different grit stones down to the 3000 grit tape and ended up with an excellent mirror finish, razor sharp edge (probably not the ideal edge for a knife of its intended purpose, but the Apex makes such edges so easy to attain you just have to take it all the way to a mirror finish the first time).

Due to the blades relatively low RC value of around 50 I can't imagine it will be capable of holding this edge as long as ATS-34 would be able to, but I haven't had the opportunity yet to use it enough to say that it can't. Its my understanding that titanium blades are best known for being able to withstand tremendous amounts of lateral pressure, i.e. the stress that a prying action imparts to a blade.

As far as its magnetic properties are concerned, I know Mission goes to great lengths to ensure that the magnetic signature of the MPK is essentially undetectable. They even go so far as to make their own special diamond sharpener which utilizes no magnetic metals in the substrate (which bonds the diamonds to the surface of the sharpener) for fear that some of this metal could be transferred to, and thus contaminate, the blade's edge.

Comparisons could be tough as I personally don't know of any other folders available today that are made of strictly titanium. Hope this helps.

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Semper Fi
 
i have a mpf since 3 weeks or so and used it for daily. all i can say is that it cuts well and holds an edge well as long as you r not cutting something harder then the blade. its not hair popping sharp but it cuts well, maybe i'm wrong but i'm happy with it.
hope this little info helps a bit

Ray
 
Thanks Bronco for the elaborate review on the Ti blade! You too BladeMan, every little bit helps to understand more.
 
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