What is a “hot rod” knife? And let’s see yours!

Most of us knew a guy with a hot rod that, for whatever reason, wasn't all that hot. Here I am with my Kershaw Vapor II 😁
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With it's sleek, slim styling, 3.5" flat ground AUS-6A blade, and CRKesque single-sided conical thumbstud, it certainly looks the part. Despite the thumbstud, the action is quick and reliable. This knife slides into, and out of, the pocket easily; but the clip is strong enough to prevent wandering. The AUS-6A blade sharpens easily, when maintenance is required (which is fairly often).
 
Then again, on another level… hot rod could be any knife made to perform better than its original form. I don’t want to narrow the definition too much
 
Both are very sharp and polished edge.

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DrubieG said:
I have pictured here a Spyderco Police 4 in k390 and a convoy s2+ modded for low resistance and max amps with triple Osram boost emitters.
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How hard is the mod? I have about 4 s2+ and a whole pile of 219b 3000k leds...would love to make one or more a triple. Currently just using a 30 deg TIR lense.
 
I think limited edition/sprint knives count as hot rods when the steel and/or handle materials are upgraded.

Example: ZT 0095. Standard version CPM-S35VN.

I have the LE 0095BLKS90. CPM-S90V, dlc blade and handle, pivot screws that look like rims from an 87 Iroc-Z, and a green anodized standoff.

Basically, they upgraded that 87 Iroc from the 305ci TPI to the L98 350 with a supercharger, added a killer blackout paint job, and green underbody lights.

The knife already has great ergonomics, really my hand perfectly, and has a nice balance of blade in that it's thick enough to handle tough tasks but thin enough to cut well.

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killgar said:
"Hot rods" hmmm? 🤔

Modified from stock. Performance over looks. Fast. Pure bad-ass cool :cool:.
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I haven't heard the term "hot rod knife" before, but certainly some aspects of this could apply. In the old days ahot rod had more performance and usually was louder. In more recent times a hot rod could be a vehicle modified to look better but might have stock performance.
In terms of the knives that I think about, you can buy limited production models with higher performance steels, and you can customize the appearance by changing the scales. But as for modifications that improve the cutting performance- there are tuneups of the mechanism and refining the edge profile, but to go further some knives need to be reground so that might be the ultimate performance mod.
 
Now we’re gettin it! Love all the input y’all, I think we are getting a better definition
 
Dr Rez said:
How hard is the mod? I have about 4 s2+ and a whole pile of 219b 3000k leds...would love to make one or more a triple. Currently just using a 30 deg TIR lense.
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Watch Matt smith on YouTube for soldering and basics and also search “s2 triple mod” for specifics….the idea of it will be easy… the hardest part is soldering correctly which takes practice. Mtnelectronics.com has all the parts you need.
 
Niall88 said:
The only thing I can say, is that if you had this Marine Raider in your hand, and hit the flipper tab, you would know you were holding a very hot rod...
Carbon fiber, titanium, M390

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That looks awesome! I just saw Metal complex do a unboxing of that thing, I take it you’re happy with it…?
 
tony281sc2 said:
That looks awesome! I just saw Metal complex do a unboxing of that thing, I take it you’re happy with it…?
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Kevin at M3 Tactical, the maker of the Marine Raider said he was sending one to Metal Complex. I will have to look that up. I am very picky with my knives. The second I took the Raider out of the box and held it, I knew I would keep it and I bought a few more from Kevin because he only made 200 of them. I also like larger knives. Yes, he did a really good job, I think it is well built. Certainly leaning toward the tactical side, but I think it can handle EDC as well. If you want one let me know? I have one on the forum with "best offer" on it.
 
Mine would have to be my Scrap Yard AD6 with a custom regrind and Bolatron sheath by David Mary David Mary .

Why? Well it’s light and fast (Res-C handles and .21” stock); it’s Busse steel (INFI) at a Scrap Yard price; and it’s been professionally souped-up to be an even lighter, faster, better-cutting knife.

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scdub said:
Mine would have to be my Scrap Yard AD6 with a custom regrind and Bolatron sheath by David Mary David Mary .

Why? Well it’s light and fast (Res-C handles and .21” stock); it’s Busse steel (INFI) at a Scrap Yard price; and it’s been professionally souped-up to be an even lighter, faster, better-cutting knife.

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Holy crap that thing looks amazing! I see on their site they use sr101/52100 at 59 hrc which isnt bad. Hows the handle?
 
Dr Rez said:
Holy crap that thing looks amazing! I see on their site they use sr101/52100 at 59 hrc which isnt bad. Hows the handle?
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Thanks! The handle is large and feels great - one of my favorites actually (FYI I also really like the War Dog style handle on their smaller blades - I’m not so fond of their smaller Res-C like on the Howling Rat as it’s just a bit small for me).

I’ve used their SR-101 (52100) quite a bit too and it also holds up to chopping with fairly thin grinds very well.
 
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