Cuts Like a Knife
Written by Tom Marlowe
their knives: efficiency, discreteness, and versatility.
Knife companies have been particularly adept at meeting the needs of soldiers, Marines and pilots in the tumultuous battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. Knives, compact and easily concealed, are important tools in a warfighter’s kit. So companies that make knives smaller and stronger provide an important service to the U.S. military.
Ontario Knife Co., based in Franklinville, N.Y., has been providing such a service. Ontario Knife, which started making knives for the U.S. military in World War I, recently introduced its first automatic knife, President and CEO Nick Trbovich Jr. told Special Operations Technology. The knife, the XM Strike Fighter, was the result of careful planning and design.
“It’s probably the most ergonomically shaped and comfortable knife you see out there on the market,” Trbovich declared. “It’s easy to clean, and we have a specially made spring.”
About four years ago, Ontario Knife was acquired by Servotronics Inc. of Elma, N.Y., which helped make the XM Strike Fighter. Servotronics is a small aerospace company started by Trbovich’s father in 1959. The parent company makes parts for guided missiles and aircraft like the F-18 Hornet.
Ontario Knife also manufactures several items for the kit in the Rapid Fielding Initiative (RFI). It provides a safety seatbelt cutter for the RFI; the U.S. Marine Corps recently selected Ontario Knife as its sole provider for safety cutters.
The company also makes the Special Purpose Ax, also included in the RFI kit. “We put a special attachment on it for the Sniper Hide Kit,” Trbovich noted. “It allows the soldier to dig shallow holes for hiding. It also can pull the bricks out of concrete for shooting.”
In addition to those recent offerings, Ontario is proud of its Aircrew Survival Egress Knife (ASEK), which has been included in the Air Force Air Warrior program.
“Our ASEK knife is an award-winning knife that was developed to assist pilots with egress from their planes as well as provide them with a tool for survival until they are rescued,” Trbovich remarked. The knives and cutting tools have garnered Ontario Knife several awards in the last few years, including recognition from the Defense Supply Center Columbus for high quality and delivery service.
Both the Department of Defense and the Army Aviation Association awarded Ontario Knife their innovative small business awards. Those awards were prompted by the company’s ability to rapidly develop products based on soldier feedback in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
“We have the ability to take soldierrecommended changes from the field and put them almost instantly into protection without a long lead time,” Trbovich acknowledged.
PRACTICAL AND TACTICAL
In 1986, Spencer Frazier founded SOG Specialty Knives & Tools Inc., based in Lynnwood, Wash. Frazier had seen a Bowie knife created by the Studies and Observation Group (SOG) in Vietnam and then duplicated the knife with modern techniques.
The SOG Group, a U.S. Special Forces unit active during the Vietnam War, designed and procured their own equipment due to the nature of their covert operations. They created a series of five knives—all of which were sterile and untraceable to the United States. Inspired by one such knife, Frazier went into business as SOG Specialty Knives and entered the military knife market.
“From there, we have grown while keeping our military roots and using that to develop new products such as multitools, fixed blades and folding knives that appeal to the military but aren’t necessarily solely for the military. Our goal is to make products that work for the military but also work for the everyday consumer,” explained Chris Cashbaugh, SOG Specialty Knives marketing director.
An early success at SOG Specialty Knives was the SEAL Pup—black powdercoated steel blade Bowie knives made for the Navy SEALs. It was the official knife of the SEALs for a while, Cashbaugh told SOTECH, and it’s still in wide use with them and other warfighters as the bestselling military model offered by SOG Specialty Knives.
About six months ago, SOG Specialty Knives introduced the new version of its Aegis folding knife, which also has been popular among military customers. The knife comes in three different models: a black powder-coated blade, a satin steel blade, and a Tanto serrated edge blade. The Aegis knives come with a bayonet reversible clip, built in safety, and a good handle grip. At about 3.5 ounces, it’s lightweight but has a wide blade for its size.
“It’s a practical tactical blade,” Cashbaugh remarked. “It’s a folding pocket knife that can be used for anything from preparing a meal to cutting some rope to opening boxes. You could use it for selfdefense if need be, but it’s not a fighting knife. It’s for everyday uses.”
Collectively, SOG’s assisted opening knives have been its most popular at the moment, and Aegis is the latest in assisted opening knives, Cashbaugh noted.
“You start opening the blade and once it’s about 15 to 20 degrees into opening movement, a spring takes over and completes it for you. It’s sort of like an automatic but there is not a push button. You start to move the blade and then the spring takes over,” he said.
A KNIFE FOR ALL SEASONS
Mission Knives & Tools of Placentia, Calif., is in tune with specialized needs in military knives. The company invests heavily in research and development as well as field-testing to turn out the best military knives from its “skunk works.”
“Mission Knives & Tools is under new ownership with a highly creative and energetic design crew,” Tony Wilson, sales manager at Mission Knives, told SOTECH. “The knives that Mission designs are not only new and unique in their physical appearance, but also in their material composition for the production of indestructible and long-lived cutting equipment.”
Knife expert Homer Brett, author of Military Knife and Bayonet, cited Mission Knives as among the best knives ever made, Wilson noted.
“Today, the modern military force may need more than one version of the same piece of equipment to satisfy different requirements,” Wilson commented. “For example, a standard issue stainless steel scuba knife would not be suitable for use in operations where non-magnetic properties are required. The MPK-Ti was designed to meet the requirements of the Navy SEALs and explosive ordnance disposal units. It has also been adopted and issued by the U.S. Marine Corps recon personnel.”
Mission Knives selected titanium for the MPK-Ti, based on its unique combination of properties inherent to the metal, resulting in a lightweight, non-magnetic, non-corrosive, multifunctional blade that is well suited to use in the water. The knife has survived four years under water without any signs of rust or corrosion.
In fact, the MPK-Ti can weather all environments from the tropics to the arctic. Mission Knives uses a proprietary hardening process to enable the knife to hold its edge well and permit easy sharpening in the field. Its hytrel/kevlar handle is tough enough to survive under any adverse conditions and continue to double as a blunt object for pounding nails.
Despite its toughness, the handle of the MPK-Ti was ergonomically designed for maximum comfort when held in hand.
“The signature MPK-Ti is recognized as the premier knife by special operations, special forces and EOD around the world,” Wilson remarked. “If you’re a diver, the orange handle MPK-Ti is a diver’s dream knife. Ask any Coast Guard personnel.”
MASTERFUL DESIGN
Blackhawk Products Group, based in Norfolk, Va., has introduced four new knives for 2009. Blackhawk Products purchased the Masters of Defense (MOD) line several years ago and began examining the specifications and innovations from that line’s great designers to duplicate them for a more affordable line of knives, Blackhawk Products spokesperson Laura Burgess told SOTECH.
Blackhawk Knives debuted about two years ago, bringing the same detail to design found with MOD. The Blackhawk Knives CQD Mark I Type E, the first of four new knives for the line, actually is based on the MOD CQD Mark I, which has a carbide point for breaking glass and a built-in seatbelt cutter, among other features.
The Type E, like the Mark I, offers high strength, a button lock mechanism and a reinforced nylon handle with a stainless steel frame. Its stainless steel blade, which has a spear point, offers a geometric edge for high-performance cutting. In fact, the Type E is functionally identical to the MOD Mark I, but re-engineered to be more affordable.
Weapons trainer Michael Janich designed the Be- Wharned Wharncliffe folding knife, the second new knife in 2009 for Blackhawk Knives.
“It’s what he considers the tactical knife you would carry all of the time,” Burgess commented. “It has a satin-finished blade. It has a four-position closing clip. It’s very versatile.”
The Be-Wharned also has a stainless steel blade and a handle with hardened stainless steel liners. The knife also has a sturdy liner lock and a sleek ergonomic design.
Blackhawk Knives’ third knife of 2009 is the U.K. Special Forces Knife (UK-SFK). “The UK-SFK is a knife designed for U.K. special forces,” Burgess said. “It’s a beautiful knife. It has a broad symmetrical blade with premium tool steel.”
Blackhawk set out to design the ultimate combat dagger with the UK-SFK, giving the blade powerful edge geometry, point strength, and penetration capabilities. It borrowed from the XSF-1 dagger designed by Brent Beshara, incorporating an integral crossguard and a full-tang handle design for tremendous strength and comfortable ergonomics. The UK-SFK comes with a leather sheath to attach on leg holsters or other gear.
Finally, the Small Pry is a combination of a prying tool and a knife.
“Blackhawk oftentimes has departments work together to create a new product,” Burgess explained. “The knives department got together with the Dynamic Entry Group, and they created the Small Pry. This is a great tool that has prying capabilities and also has a cutting edge. It can be used for specialized entry functions such as prying open windows and doors, and it has a cutting edge made from tooled steel.”
The Small Pry has a black epoxy powder- coat finish that provides durability and resistance to corrosion. It comes with an injection-molded nylon sheath that fits hardware attachment kits or Dynamic Entry’s tactical backpack kits.
FASTER KNIVES
It might seem counter-intuitive that a knife could be designed to be faster, as it’s an inert object without its operator to wield it. However, Gerber Legendary Blades of Portland, Ore., has developed forward action spring technology (FAST) opening, an innovative blade-opening function, for its knives. Oregon knifemaker Butch Vallotton created the function exclusively for Gerber.
The company’s new knives, such as The Answer, have been making use of the innovation, Gerber spokesperson Sue Melus informed SOTECH. The Answer 3.25 is a comfortable knife with a slim profile, designed to appeal to younger users. In addition to FAST technology, it has a drop point blade tip and dual thumb studs. The anodized aluminum handle has a deep finger plunge and offers a secure grip. Its steel blade has a titanium coat.
The Gerber Applegate-Fairbairn Covert and Mini-Covert knives also have FAST technology. Using FAST, the knives are very quick and easily opened with one hand. As their names imply, these Covert knives have a low profile. They have an international reputation as top folding tactical knives, Melus reported. Their high-carbon stainless steel blades, glassfilled nylon handles and roto-lock system offer strength and durability in addition to excellent balance.
The newest entry in the Cover line is the Covert Auto, which makes the knife even quicker with the addition of a springloaded auto release, offering a balanced automatic knife. The Covert Auto has a serrated edge, a safety lock, an aluminum handle and a pommel with a lanyard hole for easy carrying.
Perhaps Gerber’s most versatile knife is its Icon Tactical Clip Folder. It’s a folding tactical knife that also has general purpose applications. It has a black steel blade with a titanium coating and both a fine edge and a serrated edge. The Icon has dual thumb studs that permit opening it with one hand. The aluminum handle offers a textured inlay for increased grip. Warfighters can store the Icon in a pocket clip.
Finally, Gerber has drawn upon its experience with knives to create the eFECT military maintenance tool.
“The eFECT tool is a tool for cleaning military guns. It has gotten good feedback from military users. It’s a maintenance tool, but it’s along the line of their other multipurpose tools made for military weapons,” Melus described.
Gerber built the eFECT (Field Expedient Cleaning Tool) for the M16A4/M4 to make field maintenance of the weapons easy and precise. It includes six tools in Swiss army knife fashion: a rotatable front site adjustment tool, a carbon scraper, a pin punch, a flat driver, a brush and a pick. ♦