Max Knives FPGSPLTB — folding Shark Griffe, blue titanium ring

Overview

The FPGSPLTB is the folding Shark Griffe with a blue ring. A 45 mm 440C steel blade, 3.5 mm thick, with a spine running down in a slope towards a slanted tip; an 80 mm G10 handle with contrasting scales; a blue anodised titanium ring, adjustable to the diameter of the finger. Open, the knife measures 125 mm and weighs 56 g. The founding idea — a ring that keeps the hand joined to the tool — runs through the whole Fred Perrin range from his earliest drawings and turns up here on a folder. Kydex neck sheath with paracord, and a numbered First Run series.

What anodised titanium really is

The blue of this ring is not paint, not lacquer, not baked powder: it is the titanium itself changing its look. Taken through a bath with an electric current, the metal grows an oxide layer of controlled thickness at its surface. Light passing through that layer and bouncing off the metal underneath recombines into a given tone — blue, brown, gold — according to the thickness reached. Put another way, the colour is not laid onto the part, it is part of it: there is nothing to flake because nothing has been deposited. That is why two rings from the same series can differ by tone alone.

Technical specifications

440C steel blade, plain edge, 45 mm in length, 3.5 mm in thickness. G10 handle, 80 mm. Adjustable ring in blue anodised titanium. Overall open length: 125 mm. Weight: 56 g. The kydex sheath, drilled for neck carry, comes with its paracord. A Fred Perrin drawing issued by Max Knives as a numbered First Run series. The FPGSPLT and the FPGSPLTM carry the same Shark with a natural ring and a brown ring.

Care

An anodised oxide layer keeps best with gentle products: warm water, neutral soap, a soft cloth, and nothing abrasive or solvent-based on the ring. G10 takes the same treatment. The 440C blade is dried and lightly oiled after wet use; open the joint so it dries too. Finally, rinse the kydex sheath under clear water and let it dry flat, cord slack, before putting the knife back in it.

Legal notice for international buyers. Carrying it in public without a legitimate reason is an offence in France and in most European countries. It is the buyer's responsibility to check the law that applies where the order is delivered before purchasing.