Max Knives MKO18 — OTF double action automatic knife, 66 mm blade

Overview

OTF, for out the front, describes an automatic whose blade exits the front of the handle in line with it rather than swinging out to the side. The MKO18 applies that recipe in a compact format: a 105 mm black aluminium handle, a 66 mm blade that leaps from the nose and 172 mm in total once deployed. The push button on the flank commands both the launch and the return, since this knife is a double action. A glass breaker fits the butt of the handle, a belt clip handles carry, a hole waits for a lanyard and a nylon sheath completes the package.

Semi-serrated: two behaviours on one edge

Both edges of the MKO18 are semi-serrated: plain towards the tip, toothed towards the heel. The plain section gives a clean, even cut, the kind you want on soft material or for a tidy line. The teeth concentrate the effort on a few points instead of spreading it along the whole length, and that is what lets them bite into the fibrous or slippery materials a plain edge tends to skate over: rope, webbing, heavy textile, plastic sheathing. A short sawing motion does the job where a straight push would slide. Because the MKO18 is ground on both sides, that combination is available on either edge.

Technical specifications

The 3Cr13 steel blade measures 66 mm with a thickness of 2.5 mm and carries a semi-serrated double edge. The black aluminium handle is 105 mm long and includes a glass breaker. Opening and closing are automatic, out the front and controlled by a push button, which is the double action principle. Open, the knife reaches 172 mm. It takes a belt clip and a lanyard hole, and ships with a nylon sheath.

Care

A front-opening mechanism lives with a permanent opening at the nose of the handle, and that is where dust, sand and fibres get in. Shake the knife with the blade retracted, blow through the track and cycle the blade several times to clear whatever has gathered. Serrations are cleaned with a soft brush, following the hollow of each tooth, then dried straight away. A fine oil in the smallest amount keeps the slide sweet; too much simply attracts the grit you were trying to remove. Anodised aluminium asks for nothing more than a soft cloth.

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.