Raid-Ops Middle John

Joined
Oct 31, 2003
Messages
895
i just received a package from Raid-Ops! it is one of the first Middle John's that Kim has made and is primarily for the European market. Much thanks to Kim for making the Middle John available to me. Kim is a part time knife maker. his knives are mostly known in Korea and Europe, and his attention to detail is great! for more information on Raid-Ops and Kim, please see this thread:

Raid Ops 'tools' & interview

back to the knife in hand. the Middle John is a slightly longer version of the Little John. I don't have a Little John to compare it with (i am planning to correct this situation shortly) but from the stats on the Raid-Ops page, the only changes are that are the blade length and steel.

Middle%20John%2002.jpg


the blade length on the Middle John is and even 3" vs he 2.6" of the Little John. the Middle John is made of S30V, while Little John is made of M2. this is a beefy little knife! the spine is approximately .25" thick! the grind is a hollow grind with a very sharp edge. the spine has a few widely spaced 'ramps' that keep the thumb securely in place. the blade has a black coating called SUS.
the Middle John uses thick black G10 handles that are carved in the unique Raid-Ops style. the handle is about 7/8" thick and is very comfortable. the knife has a balance behind the choil... where the index finger would rest on the handle. the index finger falls naturally into the notch just behind the front screw. the fit and finish is outstanding! the G10 slabs match perfectly with the tang. the G10 is sculptured evenly on each side and is secured with 4 hex screws.

the kydex sheath is made by LCG Gear. i think they are in Korea too and maybe better known on the flashlight forums. the sheath uses a small Bladetech fastener. the sheath has a drain hole and also has a luminous dot on the outside face of the sheath. fit is tight and secure.

Middle%20John%2008.jpg


i really like this knife! compact, beefy, and very well made. if i have my druthers, i wouldn't have the black coating on S30V. i can see how a black coating on the Little John's M2 steel would be necessary, but S30V is pretty rust resistant. other than that, i wouldn't change a thing!

Kim informs me that there are only two of these knives right now. one went to Europe for evaluation, and the other one is the one you see here. i hope that Kim makes this a mainstay in his lineup as it will be as popular as the the Little John.

on a side note, Raid-Ops will be delving into Ti knives. Kim already makes most of his impact tools from Ti, but he has researched and is able to make Ti knives with a Rockwell hardness of 48. i'm looking forward to getting one!

:D
 
That is a good looking knife.

Only change I would want is more of a point on the tip.

Otherwise :thumbup::thumbup::)
 
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