A Review of Four Manly Microtech Knives.

Microtech has been around for over 20 years. Throughout those 20 years, they have been working to design ground breaking, innovative, reliable, and quality knives. Microtech began in 1994, when Anthony and Susan Marfione created the first knife prototypes in their apartment. They released UDT the same year and began to gain ground in the knife world. The next year the company was the cover of the 1995 Fighting Knives magazine. Throughout the next years they have earned many awards and have produced some of the most popular knives on the market. Truly any of their knives would be a fantastic investment for you; I have chosen four different knives today, some of their most popular, best-selling, and most innovative knives.

 

The Ultratech

This is Microtech’s most popular knife ever and it first hit production in 1999. This is a Double Action Out the Front knife that has a 3.4-inch-long blade. The blade thickness is .13 inches, which is actually pretty thick for an OTF knife. The tip of this blade is strong and can stand up to your heavier duty everyday tasks. The blade steel is ELMAX, which is a newer steel type. ELMAX is considered a super steel; it has fantastic edge retention properties, it is very tough, and is very resistant to rust. You can get the blade in three different silhouettes: The tanto, the drop point, and the dagger. The blade is sharpened on both sides.

The handle is made out of 6061-T6 Aircraft-grade Aluminum. In 2015, Microtech redid the look of the Ultratech, the dimensions remained the same, but they added a tri-grip pattern onto the contoured handle. This tri-grip provides excellent grip and it makes the knife a little bit lighter and ergonomic. A few other things that changed in 2015 were the thumb slide and the handle edges. The thumb slide now has an “X” pattern that helps improve the grip and traction when firing the knife. Something unique about the Ultratech is that it includes a glass breaker, which does set this knife apart from the pack. The glass breaker on this knife is broader than it used to be and has a ball bearing for the tip. The broader tip is designed to be able to break glass better.

Overall, this knife is 8.48 inches long and 5 inches long when closed. This does make it a little long for an everyday carry, but it isn’t uncomfortably long just yet. The Ultratech weighs 3.2 ounces. This is a perfect weight for everyday carry knives because you don’t want something extremely heavy in your pocket, but you do want your knife to feel sturdy.

Pros of the Ultratech:

• The blade is thicker than most OTF knives.
• The tip of the blade is strong enough to endure harder tasks.
• ELMAX holds its edge very well, is tough, and very resistant to rust.
• Microtech added the tri-grip to provide fantastic grip.
• This is the perfect weight for an everyday carry.
• The knife sports a glass breaker at the tip of the handle.

Cons of the Ultratech:

• This knife is on the longer end for an everyday carry knife.

 

The UTX-85:

The UTX-85 knife is a model of the Ultratech, but it has been reduced to 85% of the size, which solves the problem of people thinking it is too long. The UTX is actually a series of smaller Ultratech knives and the UTX-85 is the largest version of the series. The 85 features a fast and reliable dual action automatic mechanism that works to fire and open the blade.  The blade is 3.125 inches long made out of Bohler ELMAX steel. ELMAX steel is produced through a hardening and corrosion resistant mold that uses a powder-metallurgy process. Because of this process, the steel has crazy edge retention and is very easy to sharpen. The blade is then finished in either stonewash, bead blast, satin, black, or black tactical.

The handle on this knife is made out of 6061-T6 Aircraft-grade Aluminum. This is a high grade aluminum that is tough, smooth, and very lightweight. Because of the handle material, the knifes overall weight is very low. On the handle, there is a firing or retracting trigger. This trigger is made out of 303 stainless steel. This trigger works by pushing it forward when you want to fire the blade and then pulling the trigger back when you want to close it. Just like the Ultratech, the UTX-85 sports a glass breaker at the tip of the handle. Plus, the handle has a pocket clip made out of 301 stainless steel. A fantastic feature of this knife handle is that it comes in a wide range of colors. Some of these colors are gray, black, green, and even an aqua.

This knife has an overall length of 7.5 inches long and weighs 3.1 inches. The length is the perfect size for an everyday carry knife, because it still is a big knife, but it doesn’t feel too big in your pocket. The weight of 3.1 ounces is the perfect weight for an everyday carry knife because it doesn’t weigh you down but it still feels sturdy. This is an affordable knife and you get fantastic value for what you pay. If you are looking for a personal knife, an everyday knife, or an outdoors knife, this is the perfect option for you. Plus, when you purchase this knife, you get a lifetime warranty along with it.

Pros of the UTX-85:

• You get what you like about the Ultratech, but it is a smaller knife, so it doesn’t feel too long or heavy in your pocket.
• The ELMAX steel is very sturdy, very resistant to corrosion, and has crazy edge retention.
• The ELMAX steel is an easy steel to sharpen.
• You can get a variety of finishes for your blade.
• The handle material is tough, lightweight, and smooth.
• The handle sports a glass breaker.
• You can get the handle in a variety of colors.
• This is an affordable option and you get great quality with it.

Cons of the UTX-85:

• The handle is very lightweight while some people prefer a sturdier feel to it.
• The trigger can feel stiff when you first get it, but it should loosen up as you use it.

 

The Scarab:

This knife is also a double action Out the Front knife, this just means that the firing button fires it and closes it. It is a similar size to the Ultratech, but it is actually a little bit wider. The blade is made out of ELMAX, but depending on availability, Microtech will change that. This knife has also been commonly produced with S30V steel. Both of these options are fantastic that hold their edges fantastically. When looking for a stainless steel, ELMAX and S30V steel are both fantastic options. Many OTF knives have quite a bit of blade play, but Microtech has outdone themselves with this design; you will get hardly any or no blade play. You can get this knife with or without serrations.

The handle is does have more of a square shape than you would usually find, but it is surprisingly still comfortable. The handle is made out of aluminum and has sandpaper-like grip tape inlayed on both sides of the knife. This is to provide you with excellent grip and it definitely does its job; you won’t have to worry about this knife slipping out of your hand. The handle is also coated—the most common color for this coating is black, but you can get it in other colors. The handle is put together with Microtech’s anti-tamper fastener screws, which prevents the user from disassembling this knife. On the top end of the handle is the firing button. This button is oversized and there are some complaints about it being too big; however, with it being so oversized, you can open it with gloves on. There is almost no way that you could accidently deploy this knife. The pocket clip is reversible, so you can carry it lefty or righty. The clip has been bead blasted and then the Scarab logo is on it.

The overall length of this knife is 8.38 inches long. When this knife is closed, it is 4.63 inches long, which is a great everyday carry size because it doesn’t feel too big when it is closed.

Pros of the Scarab:

• It is an ideal everyday carry knife.
• The oversized firing button means that you can open it even with gloves on.
• This is a hard knife to accidently deploy.
• The steel on the blade is high quality steel.
• Has a double action out the front system.
• The blade has very little play to it.
• The grip tape provides you with fantastic grip.

Cons of the Scarab:

• Some people do not like the oversized firing button.
• This is a very large knife.
• The anti-tamper fastener screws turn away some knife enthusiasts.

 

The Combat Troodon:

The Combat Troodon was Microtech’s flagship knife of 2006. This blade is 3.75 inches long made out of ELMAX steel. This is a super sharp knife that holds its edge for very long periods of time. It is a double edged dagger blade. Just like the previously mentioned knives this is also a double action out the front knife. You can get this knife with a plain edged blade or a partially serrated edge blade.

The handle of the Combat Troodon is made out of aluminum. It has machined grooves on it that adds grip. Something interesting about this knife is that the trigger is actually on the spine of the handle which makes it easier to fire the blade and then transition to using the knife. Out of most out the front knives, this one locks up tighter and more secure than most. Usually, out the front knives are pretty thick because of the mechanisms that they have to hold inside; however, the Combat Troodon is a lot slimmer and lighter, especially for the size of the knife. At the bottom of the handle, the knife sports a sturdy glass breaker spike.

The overall length of this knife is 9 inches long and the closed length of this knife is 4.25 inches long. This is a great length for an everyday carry knife because it is not too long or bulky to keep in your pocket.  The weight of this knife is 5.5 ounces. This is a heavier knife than most everyday carry knives.

Pros of the Combat Troodon:

• The blade holds an edge for long periods of time and is super sharp.
• You can get the blade in a plain edge or a partially serrated edge.
• The OTF mechanism is a double action.
• The handle has grooves to give you better grip.
• The trigger is on the spine of the handle, so it is easier to fire the knife and then go straight to using it without too much hand adjustment.
• This OTF is slimmer and lighter than many OTF’s.
• The blade locks up tighter and more securely than most OTF’s.

Cons of the Combat Troodon:

• This is a heavier everyday carry knife.

 

Conclusion:

Microtech knives are known for the high quality materials that they use, which of course gives you a very high quality knife. Microtech’s focus is “to deliver revolutionary products that exceed the industry’s ever increasing desire for groundbreaking ideas”. They have definitely succeeded at achieving their focus. Today I went over four popular knives: The Ultratech is Microtech’s most popular knife ever, the UTX-85 the same as the Ultratech just shrunk down to 85% of its size, the Scarab is also similar to the Ultratech except that it’s a little bit wider, and lastly the Combat Troodon is a slimmer out the front knife than you would normally find. All four of these options are fantastic. When you are looking for a new everyday knife, a new tactical knife, or a new outdoors knife, these four options would meet and then excel all of your expectations.