My best find of the NRA Convention…

…wasn’t a gun. (OK, yes there were guns but none for sale.)

It was a knife from MIL-TAC, the MTF-2.

Guns and knives go together like bread and butter. They are complimentary tools and every gunny I know is a knife person also. I spent a lot of time looking at knives at the NRA convention this past weekend and although there were a lot of nice knives, the MTF-2 was the only one that made my hand say, ‘Oh hell yes.” So, of course, I had to buy one.

I’ve had some bad experiences with assisted opening knives lately and Joe Huffman made the point, when I was complaining, that a good knife will open just as fast and effortlessly as an assisted opener without the additional failure point.

Well, the MTF-2 is a GOOD knife. It was designed by Allen Elisewitz and has a fit and finish that I haven’t seen in a production knife since my lamented Chris Reeve Sebenza. The blade opens so smoothly that you’d think it was on a jeweled bearing. There is no flex in the handle and there is no side to side wiggle in the blade at all. It feels like a fixed blade knife when it’s locked open.

Specs: (From the Mil-Tec site)

Weight: 5.50 ounces

Blade Length: 4.00 inches

Blade Style: Drop Point

Edge Type: Plain

Blade Finish: Ceramic or Teflon coated blade

Blade Thickness: 0.135 inches

Blade Steel: N690Co Stainless steel

Rockwell Hardness: 58-60

Pocket Clip: Stainless Steel, R/H or L/H reversable, Tip-Up

Closed Length: 5.00 inches

Overall Length: 8.75 inches

Handle Material: CNC machined G10

Locking Mechanism: Stainless steel liner lock

Fittings: Stainless Steel

The MTF-2 is my EDC knife now and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great production knife.

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0 Responses to My best find of the NRA Convention…

  1. bluesun says:

    Just curious: in your experience, do you prefer the really big folding knives or the smaller sized knives that are more pocket knives?

  2. alan says:

    Every use has a different knife.

    I prefer a large folder for EDC, but I also have several other sizes within arms reach. I have a Leatherman, a Gerber Paraframe and Swiss Army Card in my carry bag. I also have some small pocket knives for when laws or social occasions keep me from carrying a large knife.

  3. Weer'd Beard says:

    That was a very nice, once open there was ZERO play in the blade.

    As you saw I picked up my first assisted opener. We’ll see how it works, but I will 100% agree that a well-made knife will open just as smooth and fast as an assisted. My favorite carry knife (which I would have shown you if NC didn’t have such goofy knife laws which convinced me just to bring a cheap ka-bar) is a Pre-Onion Kershaw liner lock, which has the ball-bearing on the lock. Opens just as fast and smooth.

    Still one can’t have too many knives or guns!

  4. Mad Saint Jack says:

    Funny, I went to a gun show Sunday, (first one in a long time when I had money to spend) and came home with two discontinued Cold Steel knives.

    I usually care a large folder, and then a smaller knife so I don’t scare people by taking out the big blade.

    Heres what I got. I’m going to ask Breda and Mike if they want them.

  5. bluesun says:

    Okay, here’s another question. I kinda prefer to carry a knife that is decent quality, but not too expensive, so you can use it and loose it, without worrying. Would you prefer a more expensive knife of higher quality, or a cheaper knife that won’t put you out a hundred bucks if you leave it in the woods on a hike?

  6. Mad Saint Jack says:

    bluesun– My bias always runs in favor of Cold Steel for cheap strong knives.

    You can look here for a lot of knife reviews, some for EDC some for woods craft.

    http://www.youtube.com/user/nutnfancy#g/p

  7. Mike w says:

    Great knife, but the price is too rich for my blood.

  8. alan says:

    I always try to get the best tool that’s reasonable for the purpose. For every day carry, I want something that will take abuse because I’m rough on things. (you should see how beat up my iPhone is) I use things and I’m not afraid of ruining them in the course of using them. I prefer to pay a little more for better quality, but I’m not willing to pay more indiscriminately. You can pay a lot and still get crap. At the end of the day, it’s a very personal decision and different people value different things. Thank goodness we live in a (mostly) free market economy where we can each make a separate decision about what we want. I’d hate to get stuck having to take someone else’s choice because that’s the only one the government factory produced this year.

  9. rob says:

    I saw the MTF-2 at the NRA show on Sunday…they had them marked down from $169 to $60. Almost got another one. It is a GREAT knife. MilTac makes some real quality stuff.

  10. Bill Waites says:

    Alan,

    How does that somewhat concave blade work? Never had a knife with a hollow belly like that.