Max Knives MKO15 — Automatic side-opening knife, wood handle, 98 mm blade

Overview

In a shelf full of automatics machined from aluminium, the MKO15 stands apart: its 132 mm handle is made of wood. The material warms up in the palm, catches the light differently from an anodised metal and takes on the character of its owner over the years. Up front, a 98 mm spear point blade in 3Cr13 steel swings out sideways and brings the knife to 226 mm open, for 166 g on the scale. A glass breaker sits in the butt of the handle, a belt clip keeps the knife within thumb's reach and a hole takes a lanyard. A nylon sheath comes with it.

Single action: the spring opens, the hand closes

A side-opening automatic pivots its blade sideways like a folder, except that a spring does the work for you. The MKO15 is single action: the mechanism handles the opening, closing stays manual. You press, the blade snaps out and settles against its locking mechanism; to put it away you release the lock and fold the blade back into the handle until it seats. A double action, by contrast, pulls the blade back in through the very control that sent it out. Single action therefore asks for two hands on the way back and only one on the way out, which is the one that matters.

Technical specifications

The spear point blade measures 98 mm with a thickness of 3 mm and is cut from 3Cr13 steel. The wood handle is 132 mm long, bringing the knife to 226 mm with the blade deployed. Opening is automatic, side-swinging and single action, the blade being held in place by a locking mechanism. Equipment includes a glass breaker, a belt clip and a lanyard hole. The knife weighs 166 g and ships with its nylon sheath.

Care

Wood is not treated like a metal handle: avoid soaking it, wipe it down after a damp outing and run a barely oiled cloth over it now and then to feed the material. Always dry the blade after use, especially once it has cut anything salty or acidic. A drop of fine oil at the pivot is enough to keep the release crisp and the lock snapping home. Finally, check the belt clip screws, which daily carry always works loose in the end.

Legal notice. Age-restricted item (18+). In France this knife is a Category D item: legal to sell but reserved for adults, with age verification at checkout. Automatic and OTF knives are restricted or prohibited in many countries — the United Kingdom, Germany and several US states among them. It is the buyer's responsibility to check the law that applies where the order is delivered before purchasing.