MTZ tso 85 (Belarus)

Falcata · Thursday at 4:45 PM

This knife circulates online on second-hand marketplaces as 'Soviet.' I am lucky enough to have one in decent condition, as finding one with a blade that isn't worn down is difficult.

I love its opening and closing system. I'm sure you've seen this one or a similar one before... It is a knife manufactured by a Belarusian factory from the Soviet era, with a simple history linked to the world of tractors and other agricultural machinery.

This is an 80s tractor manufactured by the Belarusian state-owned company MTZ. According to my research, there was a resourceful worker there who crafted a knife for his own use; it didn't go unnoticed by his supervisor and ended up being mass-produced as a promotional gift for the company. I've also read that it wasn't uncommon for a Soviet government to have metallurgical factories, usually dedicated to other tasks, produce daily consumer goods for the population (e.g., cutlery and similar items)... Here is a video showing how the so-called MTZ tso 85 works; I love its simplicity:

Here is mine with my Citizen Orca; they make a great match.

In a similar fashion to what happened with the Raketa Big Zero watch, it seems this knife ended up on the tourist market; I’ve read comments on YouTube and Reddit from both Westerners and people from the Communist Bloc who acquired one. I believe there were different variants (including a multi-tool version) and that other brands produced copies due to its success. Mine is the first version (1985).

Online, there are people who claim that this knife is a Belarusian invention from that company... But as it turns out, the patent for this type of knife is actually British and dates back to 1893, as many of you already know from your own classic pieces.

I would love to see your American classics of this "Easifold" type...

Just a curiosity... The Czech brand Mikov has a knife of this type, but with the design taken to the max:

sf fanatic · Thursday at 5:09 PM

The Christy Knife Company was founded in 1889 and have been manufacturing cutlery throughout four generations. Here’s one example that is similar to yours. These are simple but effective tools

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Falcata · Thursday at 5:17 PM

sf fanatic said:
The Christy Knife Company was founded in 1889 and have been manufacturing cutlery throughout four generations. Here’s one example that is similar to yours. These are simple but effective tools .
View attachment 3149636

I hadn't checked if it was still working. So cool! In the US, is the system also called 'Easifold'?

sf fanatic · Thursday at 5:34 PM

Falcata said:
I hadn't checked if it was still working. So cool! In the US, is the system also called 'Easifold'?

To open and close the knife you press the button and push it to the left and the blade will slide in and out as you push with your thumb and lock in place when you take your thumb off the button.

Falcata · Thursday at 5:56 PM

This mechanism you are describing sounds more like a side or front-sliding knife (a 'slider' type) than the Easifold system used by MTZ or the Slater patent. Is it perhaps a different model? That one used to open by rotating the handles, rather than by sliding the blade with a button.

Check it out! Have you seen the video?

Post edit: I believe V. Slater's patent is British, not American

afishhunter · Thursday at 7:18 PM

I have a large off-shore one, I bought on TEMU a couple years ago. Sadly, it is equipped with a "Tanto" blade, which I have zero use for. I have not reprofiled the tip to a drop point yet.

They are also known as a "Funny Knife".
USA companies that produced them include Smith & Wesson, and I think Remington, among others.
I know Riugh RIder (a US company) contracted one from offshore a few years ago. The photos I found of these three online were equipped with a drop point, clip point, or spear point blade.
Remington and S&W made them in the 1930's to 1950's from what I could find in my research. I know at least one German manfacturer made them. While I was in Junior High or High School, I saw a contemporary photo of a German soldier with one, in a book at the library. I saw it in the late 1960's to mid1970's. I don't remember the title of the book.

There was also a fairly well known US knife maker in the 1960's who revived the pattern. Some give him credit for "inventing" the pattern.

I would love to find a Remington or S&W ... or even the Rough Rider in good condition and at a price I can afford.

I wonder ... since they don't have a locking mechanism, would the be legal to carry (prsuming they met any blade length restrictions) in the countries and cities where blade locks are banned?

EDIT: I have not tried the bottle opener built into the handle.

Falcata · Friday at 4:13 AM

afishhunter said:
I have a large off-shore one, I bought on TEMU a couple years ago. Sadly, it is equipped with a "Tanto" blade, which I have zero use for. I have not reprofiled the tip to a drop point yet.
View attachment 3149699
View attachment 3149700
View attachment 3149701 View attachment 3149702
View attachment 3149703
They are also known as a "Funny Knife".
USA companies that produced them include Smith & Wesson, and I think Remington, among others.
I know Riugh RIder (a US company) contracted one from offshore a few years ago. The photos I found of these three online were equipped with a drop point, clip point, or spear point blade.
Remington and S&W made them in the 1930's to 1950's from what I could find in my research. I know at least one German manfacturer made them. While I was in Junior High or High School, I saw a contemporary photo of a German soldier with one, in a book at the library. I saw it in the late 1960's to mid1970's. I don't remember the title of the book.
There was also a fairly well known US knife maker in the 1960's who revived the pattern. Some give him credit for "inventing" the pattern.

I would love to find a Remington or S&W ... or even the Rough Rider in good condition and at a price I can afford.

I wonder ... since they don't have a locking mechanism, would the be legal to carry (prsuming they met any blade length restrictions) in the countries and cities where blade locks are banned?

EDIT: I have not tried the bottle opener built into the handle.

In my country, automatic knives and those exceeding a certain blade length are banned. Depending on the region and even the specific city, carrying them openly in public is prohibited. It’s a bit like the situation with marijuana—it's okay if young people smoke at home or in designated venues

. Legal knives are allowed if you carry them for a logical reason (for work, at special events, hunting, when you go to the mountains to make sandwiches, for climbing...). I believe this type is completely legal since deploying the blade requires a specific process.