Max Knives MKO45 — OTF automatic knife, 440C double edge, glass breaker

Overview

The MKO45 is a double action OTF built around a double-edged 440C steel blade, 85 mm long and 2.5 mm thick. Its aluminium handle measures 130 mm by 13 mm thick, for a total of 215 mm with the blade out and 178 g on the scales. It is the butt of the handle that holds the attention: it finishes in a glass breaker, itself drilled right through to take a lanyard. A belt clip is fitted to the handle and a Cordura sheath is supplied.

The glass breaker, drilled for a lanyard

A glass breaker rests on a simple piece of physics: a tempered side window stands up very well to spread pressure and very badly to a concentrated impact. The hard point set at the butt of the handle brings the whole energy of a strike onto a few square millimetres, which is enough where a palm or a fist would achieve nothing. On the MKO45 that point is drilled through, and the detail doubles its usefulness: run a lanyard cord through it and the knife can hang from the wrist while you work with both hands, clip to a carabiner on a pack, or come back faster out of a deep pocket. An attachment point costs almost no material and changes how the object stays with you.

Technical specifications

The blade is 440C steel with a double-edged grind, 85 mm long and 2.5 mm thick. The aluminium handle measures 130 mm long and 13 mm thick; the knife reaches 215 mm with the blade deployed. Opening is OTF double action, through a slider that works in both directions. The handle carries a belt clip and a glass breaker drilled for a lanyard. Weight is 178 g and a Cordura sheath comes with the knife.

Care

Start with the hole through the glass breaker: it is an open bore, it holds water and cord fibres, so blow it out and dry it after a wet outing. 440C is a stainless steel, but a stainless rich in carbon: it does not like prolonged contact with salt, so rinse and dry the blade if it has met any. The Cordura of the sheath should be brushed once dry rather than scrubbed wet. Finally, if you fit a lanyard, check its condition now and then, since a worn cord always gives way at the wrong moment.

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.