- Joined
- Feb 4, 1999
- Messages
- 5,786
Just got this on trade. It's my first Microtech, and my first auto! Not a bad way to start, eh? 
Actually the Microtech LCC is a "D/A" which means Dual Action. D/A knives work as regular liner locks or as automatic openers, giving you a choice of either. The LCC D/A feels like a HUGE knife, but I think some of that is simply from the weight of it. According to my ruler, the knife is just shy of 8.25" OAL, with a blade of 3.5" from tip to bolster. At it's thickest, the handle is about 1/2" thick, and it tapers from being thickest at the ends to about 1/16" or so thinner in the middle. The handle is nicely contoured with comfortably chamfered edges. The steel of the blade seems to be about 1/8" thick, but it looks thicker than that to me.
The LCC has an S30V blade in a nice drop point configuration (with a modern Lightfoot flair, of course!) and what would appear to be titanium bolsters and dual liners and green linen Micarta handle scales. The spring for the automatic action is some sort of steel, surely.
Cosmetically, the knife is gorgeous (for a tactical). The blade gets a tumbled treatment like Chris Reeve knives, the old REKAT's, and a lot of other knives. Blade grinds are perfectly symmetrical and there is some nice, again, perfect, jimping on the spine to give your thumb a little traction. Thumbstud is the same size on both side, and is large, comfortable to use and looks great.
The titanium bolsters are perfectly beadblasted and the treatment gives them a nice dark look that is great with the Micarta handle. Everything is fitted and shaped perfectly, there is easy access to the thick titanium linerlock, and the knife is SMOOTH!
The knife looks and acts like a regular liner lock when you want it to. Opening and closing are extremely smooth with no grittiness or grinding at all. Lockup of the lock is perfect and there is no play in the blade in any direction. Smoothest knife I've owned, for sure, and it locks up with authority.
The LCC D/A is a bolster-release type of auto. Rather than pushing a button, the bolster on the non-clip side of the knife rotates on a pivot, disengaging the spring which shoots the blade open. The auto portion is just for opening, while the liner lock still locks the blade open regardless of whether you're opning manuall or with the spring. It probably takes about 1/16" of movement to trigger the blade to open. The bolster pivots smoothly and the blade opens FAST! The one downside to a bolster release is that the design necessitates a small gap between the bolster and scale on that side to allow it to pivot. So, it looks like there is a cosmetic flaw in the fit-up, when in fact the gap is there to allow the knife to function.
I suppose the advantage to D/A knives is that you have an auto whose function and purpose is pretty much hidden unless you know how to use it. I.e. it looks and acts like a regular linerlock unless you know how to open it. That said I'd only recommend D/A knives for those authorized to carry them and where they're legal.
Once you've opened the knife with the bolster release, it takes a pretty good push to close the knife because you also have to reset the spring. When the auto hasn't been triggered, the knife opens and closes like a dream, but it takes a good amount of resistance to close the knife after opening it using the auto function. That said, it is easy to do one-handed still. Just about the last 25% of closing, maybe, requires a good grip.
This knife is flawlessly made, all the parts and pieces work well together and it's cosmetically and functionally perfect. About the only bad thing I have to say about it is that it is rather heavy for it's size. That said, it has a pretty thick, wide blade and a thick, but comfortably contoured, handle, as well as the extra metal for the spring. The liners are also thicker than average and, frankly, with so many companies using partial, nested liners on one side of the knife only (like the Spyderco Military, for example) or no liners at all, it is easy to see where the extra weight comes from.
Ironically, my old-school BM Mini-AFCK is just a little shorter overall, has just a slightly shorter blade, but weighs a fraction of the LCC. Totally different knives, though.
Anyway, if this knife is representative of Microtech's work, I can only say that the company is doing a great job. Now, the question is do I keep this LCC D/A as a collector's item (desk queen) or keep on tradin'?!
Actually the Microtech LCC is a "D/A" which means Dual Action. D/A knives work as regular liner locks or as automatic openers, giving you a choice of either. The LCC D/A feels like a HUGE knife, but I think some of that is simply from the weight of it. According to my ruler, the knife is just shy of 8.25" OAL, with a blade of 3.5" from tip to bolster. At it's thickest, the handle is about 1/2" thick, and it tapers from being thickest at the ends to about 1/16" or so thinner in the middle. The handle is nicely contoured with comfortably chamfered edges. The steel of the blade seems to be about 1/8" thick, but it looks thicker than that to me.
The LCC has an S30V blade in a nice drop point configuration (with a modern Lightfoot flair, of course!) and what would appear to be titanium bolsters and dual liners and green linen Micarta handle scales. The spring for the automatic action is some sort of steel, surely.
Cosmetically, the knife is gorgeous (for a tactical). The blade gets a tumbled treatment like Chris Reeve knives, the old REKAT's, and a lot of other knives. Blade grinds are perfectly symmetrical and there is some nice, again, perfect, jimping on the spine to give your thumb a little traction. Thumbstud is the same size on both side, and is large, comfortable to use and looks great.
The titanium bolsters are perfectly beadblasted and the treatment gives them a nice dark look that is great with the Micarta handle. Everything is fitted and shaped perfectly, there is easy access to the thick titanium linerlock, and the knife is SMOOTH!
The knife looks and acts like a regular liner lock when you want it to. Opening and closing are extremely smooth with no grittiness or grinding at all. Lockup of the lock is perfect and there is no play in the blade in any direction. Smoothest knife I've owned, for sure, and it locks up with authority.
The LCC D/A is a bolster-release type of auto. Rather than pushing a button, the bolster on the non-clip side of the knife rotates on a pivot, disengaging the spring which shoots the blade open. The auto portion is just for opening, while the liner lock still locks the blade open regardless of whether you're opning manuall or with the spring. It probably takes about 1/16" of movement to trigger the blade to open. The bolster pivots smoothly and the blade opens FAST! The one downside to a bolster release is that the design necessitates a small gap between the bolster and scale on that side to allow it to pivot. So, it looks like there is a cosmetic flaw in the fit-up, when in fact the gap is there to allow the knife to function.
I suppose the advantage to D/A knives is that you have an auto whose function and purpose is pretty much hidden unless you know how to use it. I.e. it looks and acts like a regular linerlock unless you know how to open it. That said I'd only recommend D/A knives for those authorized to carry them and where they're legal.
Once you've opened the knife with the bolster release, it takes a pretty good push to close the knife because you also have to reset the spring. When the auto hasn't been triggered, the knife opens and closes like a dream, but it takes a good amount of resistance to close the knife after opening it using the auto function. That said, it is easy to do one-handed still. Just about the last 25% of closing, maybe, requires a good grip.
This knife is flawlessly made, all the parts and pieces work well together and it's cosmetically and functionally perfect. About the only bad thing I have to say about it is that it is rather heavy for it's size. That said, it has a pretty thick, wide blade and a thick, but comfortably contoured, handle, as well as the extra metal for the spring. The liners are also thicker than average and, frankly, with so many companies using partial, nested liners on one side of the knife only (like the Spyderco Military, for example) or no liners at all, it is easy to see where the extra weight comes from.
Ironically, my old-school BM Mini-AFCK is just a little shorter overall, has just a slightly shorter blade, but weighs a fraction of the LCC. Totally different knives, though.
Anyway, if this knife is representative of Microtech's work, I can only say that the company is doing a great job. Now, the question is do I keep this LCC D/A as a collector's item (desk queen) or keep on tradin'?!
It's, IMHO, one of MT's best efforts. I'd use it--but no abuse. Anything that beautiful doesn't belong in a drawer. 
