New Al Mar Knives coming up in 2022!!!

[bouddha0357]

Not seeing anything here. I was initially excited with Taiwan origin for the SERE, but Mr. Mar never envisioned that knife as an assisted flipper. That’s a full cop out.

I wish Mar Gen Z would go away. This isn’t his vision nor his knives. The Nemesis stuff was closer at least.

Hard pass.

I get what you are saying. Not a big fan of flippers as well. This being said wasn't the Nemesis MPR-2 a flipper?

Would your opinion be that they added it because flippers are somehow fashionable or because it was in Al Mar's design?

 

[Ourorboros]

I tried out some of the new "Classics" and was very unimpressed.
Until they go back to Moki, G Sakai, or some equivalent, it's Al Mar in name only.

 

[Chris_Texas]

I like the look of the 5" Quick Steel, but I won't buy it if it is made in China.

 

[bouddha0357]

Hey guys, just discovered that Mac Tools has the new Al Mar SERE Operator with a 3" blade and it's in 154CM!

SERE Fixed-Blade Operator Knife 3"

The SERE Operator by Al Mar is perhaps one of the most well-known tactical knife designs out there, and for good reason. It’s a classic design with great lines, ergonomics, and usefulness. It was recognized as a great design by Colonel James “Nick” Rowe, who is credited with designing some of...

www.mactools.com

 

[Chronovore]

The only good thing about the aus-6 is it was made in japan and it probably had a real good heat treat.

AUS-6 was never very good, even with the best heat treatment. Ontario gets a good heat treatment on their AUS-8 and even that feels subpar by today's budget standards.

That Quest in 8cr13 is an insult to Al Mar lets face it. I remember he was one of the very 1st ones to use ATS-34 on one of his lightweight models.

I understand where you are coming from but remember that the original Quest was in AUS-6 so 8Cr13MoV might actually be an improvement (equivalent to AUS-8 according to Spyderco) IF AND ONLY IF the heat treat is good.

I remember back when Kershaw was using AUS-6 and 8Cr13Mov felt like a welcome upgrade. Now, 8Cr13Mov is straight-up bad in knives costing much more than $20. Too many budget knives in 9Cr18Mov, Chinese D2, 440C, Acuto 440, or 14C28N are available for less than $50 today.

Even AUS-8 tends to be better than 8Cr13Mov, despite the "on paper" chemical similarity. I don't know exactly why but I've had a bunch of knives in both of those steels over the years. I've had a few knives in AUS-8 surprise me by holding a noticeably better edge. I've never had that experience with 8Cr13Mov. Taking Spyderco's 8Cr13Mov as the best example, it really doesn't stand out from the pack the way some knives in AUS-8 do.

Nowadays, knives in 8Cr13Mov, AUS-8, and even Chinese D2 just don't make it onto the table when I'm thinking about a new budget knife.

 

[King of the Cheese]

Nowadays, knives in 8Cr13Mov, AUS-8, and even Chinese D2 just don't make it onto the table when I'm thinking about a new budget knife.

Why not? Civivi does just fine with 8cr and D2, and their reputation is excellent.

 

[Chronovore]

Why not? Civivi does just fine with 8cr and D2, and their reputation is excellent.

Do they? Civivi has maybe one knife in 8Cr and I haven't tried it. I have tried their D2 and it really wasn't much different than other Chinese D2 I've tried. That said, Chinese D2 tends to vary a lot. The best I've had is probably from Petrified Fish. Either way, don't expect it to compete with American D2. The fact that 14C28N and 9Cr18Mov are often competitive with Chinese D2 on edge retention says a lot.

Coincidentally, the 9Cr18Mov from WE (Civivi, Sencut, and Ferrum Forge) tends to get an exceptional heat treatment. It's like Buck's 420HC versus regular 420HC, but from a much better starting point on edge retention. Their 9Cr18Mov tends to hold a better edge than Spyderco's VG-10. It even manages to overlap the range of edge retention for mass-production S35VN and M390 on Chinese knives. Ironically, this makes the less expensive knives from WE's sub-brands in 9Cr18Mov a much better deal than most of their more expensive stuff.

 

[Silent H]

I'm not old enough to remember the Glory days of Al Mar, but I do appreciate his designs. I have one of the Kershaw Al Mar assisted flippers that they released a few years ago, and it's pretty nice for what it is. The SERE Taiwan would interest me if it came in at a competitive price point, and could be de-assisted. The Payara is also a really cool design, and I like anything with an Axis-style lock, but D2 makes me hesitate, unless it's at a good price point, or from a reputable company.

 

[Chuck_Nunface]

Maybe they won't suck with Taiwanese construction. I won't be first in line though

 

[Chris_Texas]

I might be wrong but I do not recall the Al Mar of old slinging low end budget knives. This leads me to a crazy thought: if the new owners want to bring back the AL Mar of old, perhaps they should try PREMIUM steels and materials, flawless fit and finish, assembled somewhere far from China and noted for craftsmanship.

 

[bouddha0357]

I might be wrong but I do not recall the Al Mar of old slinging low end budget knives. This leads me to a crazy thought: if the new owners want to bring back the AL Mar of old, perhaps they should try PREMIUM steels and materials, flawless fit and finish, assembled somewhere far from China and noted for craftsmanship.

What happened before is that Garry Fadden ordered an overproduction of knives.
I believe that the idea was to generate economies of scale but on the other hand it created massive stocks which stifled creativity.
Hard to transition the Eagle from AUS-8 to ZDP-189 when there are still massive stocks on the market.
As the savings were not passed down to the customer we wound up with beautiful knives with high price and outdated steels

As to your comment, Al Mar actually had "entry level" knives such as the "Assemble Yourself" range and the Ultralight range...

 

[DrFish]

Hey guys, just discovered that Mac Tools has the new Al Mar SERE Operator with a 3" blade and it's in 154CM!

SERE Fixed-Blade Operator Knife 3"

The SERE Operator by Al Mar is perhaps one of the most well-known tactical knife designs out there, and for good reason. It’s a classic design with great lines, ergonomics, and usefulness. It was recognized as a great design by Colonel James “Nick” Rowe, who is credited with designing some of...

www.mactools.com

Well. I picked one up.

Some things to note:

It is tiny. Definitely neck knife territory. Then handles are now G10 instead of Micarta and they are slick. Slick as in slippery smooth, not slick as in awesome. The hollow pins are present, but are not chamfered in any way so the edges are sharp. Blade finish is acceptable, not as nice as before. The Mac Tools branding is offensively present and obvious. The Al Mar logo is sadly monochromatic.

I would not hold out any hope at all that this is 154cm. The ad copy seems cribbed from original AlMar SRO. This is almost certainly a D2 knife as stated on the spec sheet.

If this is how the new operator series is going to be they’ll take a little work to make them comfortable. The handle tubes need to be relieved and the handle slabs roughed up a bit. That’s my 2 cents.

 

[Greggy]

I might be wrong but I do not recall the Al Mar of old slinging low end budget knives. This leads me to a crazy thought: if the new owners want to bring back the AL Mar of old, perhaps they should try PREMIUM steels and materials, flawless fit and finish, assembled somewhere far from China and noted for craftsmanship.

And then they would purposely enter the $200+ collectors market and cut sales projections by 95% while per unit costs would be 1000% greater. Not a good profit plan. The money to be made, if at all, is in the budget non-collectors market.