Max Knives Croc — Numbered mini folder, 440C sheepfoot blade, axe lock

Overview

The Croc is a small folder built around a skeleton handle, meaning a handle from which material has been cut away: instead of a solid block there is an open frame in 420J2 stainless steel, which gives the knife its recognisable outline and its 100 mm closed size. The blade is 440C steel in a 58 mm sheepfoot profile. Every example is numbered, which makes it an identifiable piece rather than an anonymous production knife. A belt clip is mounted on the handle, for a total of 76 g.

The axe lock explained

The Croc uses an axe lock: a spring-loaded crossbar drops into a notch in the blade tang and holds it open. The advantage lies in the unlocking gesture, which is made by pulling the bar backwards with thumb or forefinger, without ever putting fingers in the path of the closing blade, as some other systems require. The mechanism works exactly the same way whichever hand operates it, and the bar bears on both liners rather than on one side only.

Technical specifications

Sheepfoot blade in 440C steel, plain edge, 58 mm long and 2.5 mm thick. The sheepfoot shape gives a straight cutting edge and a spine that curves down to meet it, which takes the aggression out of the tip. Skeletonised handle in 420J2 stainless steel, 100 mm long, 28 mm wide and 12 mm thick. Overall open length: 138 mm. Weight: 76 g. Axe lock, belt clip, individually numbered.

Care

An open frame rinses and dries more easily than a solid handle, but the cut-outs also collect dust and fibres: blow or brush them out from time to time, then dry the knife. Both steels here, 440C for the blade and 420J2 for the handle, are stainless and cope with occasional damp as long as they get wiped. Put a drop of light oil on the pivot and on the locking bar so the mechanism keeps snapping cleanly. Sharpen the straight sheepfoot edge flat on the stone, at the original angle.

Before you order. Carrying a knife 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.