Knife Review: Marfione Custom Dirac Dagger OTF Automatic Knife

The Marfione Custom Dirac Dagger OTF Automatic Knife [Vines & Roses Damascus Blade]

Marfione Custom Knives are the custom versions of many of the Microtech knives that you know and love. The owner of Microtech is Marfione, who is a renowned knife maker. Today we will be discussing one of the Marfione Custom Knives: the Dirac Dagger with the Vines and Roses Damascus Blade.

The Blade:

The blade has been made out of Damascus. The name itself on this steel dates back to medieval cultures. The name does refer to a craftsmanship style that comes out of India. This was round 300 B.C. which was a time when craftsmanship was large. This steel name was most likely named for the region where it comes out of, in Syria. Damascus was originally used for swords. These swords were known to be tough, almost resistant to shattering, and even capable of getting a very fine edge on it.

At the time, Damascus steel was known as almost a superplastic, because it was hard and durable at the same time. Today, our Damascus steel can outperform the ancient Damascus steels, but many legends have come out of the Damascus steel history.

The Damascus steel is known for the bands and mottling that is welded together in a patterned fashion to create a decorative blade. Often times, this pattern is compared to flowing water. To create this steel, the manufacturer is going to combine different pure metals, depending on what they want to get out of the specific Damascus steel.

When Vegas Forge is discussing their Damascus, they say, “Vegas Forge produces the finest Damascus steel for sale with a focus on craftsmanship. Our stainless Damascus, carbon Damascus, and Mokume Gane are forged with expertise and careful attention to detail and are available in a stunning array of striking patterns. At Vegas Forge, we take pride in the variety, quality, and individuality so you get the very best selection of Damascus.” They go on to say, “Born from a forging tactic that dates back centuries, Damascus steel is known for its distinctive wavy pattern and undeniable strength. At Vegas Forge, our Damascus steel patterns aren’t just wavy – we painstakingly create stainless Damascus, carbon Damascus, and Mokume Gane in a range of patterns. When you purchase from Vegas Forge, you’re getting more than just steel: you’re getting an enduring tradition that will last a lifetime.”

While the Damascus steel will be able to perform, it is more of a show steel, designed for the appearance.

The blade has been finished with a Vegas Forge Damascus finish. The pattern of a Damascus steel can vary depending on how the materials were mixed together. The finish on this specific knife is known as the Vines and Roses Damascus blade because it looks as if there are lighter vines weaving their way on the darker surface of the blade. There are also small collections of these “vines” that look as if they are roses.

The blade has been carved into a dagger style point. The dagger style blade has been created to have a point. It is known for its tip. The main purpose that the dagger blade is used for is piercing. The blade shape itself is symmetrical, which creates a fine and sharp point perfect for stabbing into softer targets. Plus, because of how the profile of the knife is let in on both sides, it creates a perfect shape for close combat situations.

This blade shape does have a few disadvantages. The first is that it does not have a belly, so it is not going to be a good all-purpose blade shape. Also, the tip is very thing and sharp, which means that it may have the tendency to snap when used on harder targets. Again though, this is more of a presentation knife that anything else, so you shouldn’t be too concerned about the tip actually breaking.

Both of the sharpened edges on this Custom Dirac Delta have been sharpened into a plain edge. The biggest thing that the plain edge adds to this knife is elegance. The plain edge pairs perfectly with the mirror finish look smooth, sharp, and classy.

If we are speaking of utilitarian benefits, the plain edge is the easier edge style to sharpen, due to the lack of serrations. The plain edge is also going to equip this knife to have smoother, cleaner cuts. It will be equipped to take on a wider variety of tasks, as it excels at push cuts. Push cuts are going to be the most common style of cutting or slicing that you do with this knife, as it includes shaving, skinning, and standard slicing.

However, since this is more of a show knife, you may not even be performing those tasks with it.

The Handle:

The handle on this Marfione Custom Knife is made out of an anodized aircraft alloy handle. Alloy is durable and lightweight, while also being inexpensive. Also, alloy is incredibly corrosion resistant, so it is a rather low maintenance handle.

The handle is made out of the highest quality alloy, which means it does offer the highest tensile yield that you are going to find in an alloy. This means that it is more durable than a regular aluminum handle. It means that the life of this handle is going to last longer than a regular aluminum handle. It means that this handle is going to be more reliable for when you need it most.

There are a couple of disadvantages to an alloy handle though. First, it is going to feel incredibly cold in your hand if you lie in a colder environment. Because off this, if you know that you are mostly going to be using your knife in a colder environment, this might not be the one for you. Also, it does not offer as much texture as other ones, meaning you won’t have as secure of a grip. The last thing that is a disadvantage about alloy is that it is going to be prone to scratches.

All in all, alloy is a quality material for a quality knife. It is going to be durable and low maintenance.

To further increase the good qualities of the alloy, it has been anodized black. Anodizing is an electrolytic passivation process used to increase the thickness of the natural oxide layer on the surface of metal parts. This process is called anodizing because the part to be treated forms the anode electrode of an electrical circuit. The anodization process increases the materials resistance to corrosion and wear.

Really, anodization increases all of the good aspects of the alloy handle that it already sports, such as the fore mentioned resistance to corrosion and wear. It also is going to cut down on glares and reflections, because it does add the black color to it. Not only that, but it is going to prolong the life of the handle, through the barrier that it creates. Lastly, it chemically changes the surface of the handle, so the black color is not going to peel off like a coating would. That being said, the anodization color can be scratched off, since the top layer can be scratched off. This is harder to do though and would need to take a heavy beating for that to happen.

The other great aspect of the anodized handle is that it is going to increase the weaknesses of the alloy. For example, alloy is relatively easy to scratch. But once it has been anodized, it is much harder, and won’t have that same issue.

The handle is pretty simple for an OTF knife. It is mostly rectangular, although there are four different spots of jimping that span lie on both the belly and the spine of the handle near the blade and near the butt. These spots of jimping are there to help you have a more secure and solid grip when you are trying to use this knife. There is nothing worse than feeling like you are out of control when you are using a tool and these jimping spots will help guarantee that you don’t feel like that.

In the middle of the handle, on both the spine and the belly, there are two section that curve in slightly. This is going to help make your grip slightly more comfortable. Aluminum is actually known for being a comfortable material to hold onto and these divots will only help with that. The butt of the handle is slightly rounded. There is no lanyard hole on this knife.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this knife is standard for an OTF knife. It attaches on the opposite end of the handle form where the blade comes out of. The hardware on this knife is all blue, which contrasts elegantly with the black handle.

The Mechanism:

This knife is an Out-the-Front, or OTF knife. This means that instead of the blade being deployed from out of the side, like the majority of folding knives do, it instead comes out of a hole in the front of the knife.

The significant difference between the Dirac and the rest of Microtech’s OTF’s is that the switch for deploying the blade is actually right smack on the front of the handle, instead on the side. This is something that Microtech has never done before. The switch has been texturized with steps, so that you are never fumbling or slipping with it. It will be easy to use.

This is a dual-action OTF, which means that you are going to deploy and retract the blade with the same switch. Also, this is an automatic knife, which means that it is not going to be legal in all states, cities, or areas of the USA. You, as the purchaser and user, are responsible for knowing your local knife laws. BladeOps is not responsible for any consequences of this broken rule. However, it also means that it is going to be easy and quicker to bring into play than a manual folding knife.

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at a mere 2.92 inches long, which is on the smaller side, even for just the blade measurement. The handle on this Dirac measures in at 4.33 inches long. This means that when the blade is deployed, the overall knife is going to measure sin at 7.25 inches long. While this is plenty long that you will feel secure while using the knife, it is on the smaller side of the spectrum for a pocketknife. That being said, this is more of a show knife than a utility knife, based on the maker and the materials. While the materials will be able to perform, they were chosen for appearance more than anything. This does mean that the size is not going to be as big of an issue, because you probably won’t be using this knife for anything to crazy or demanding.

The smaller size of the knife mixed with the lighter weight materials that were used does mean that it is going to be a relatively lightweight knife. The custom Dirac weighs in at a mere 2.37 ounces.

This specialty knife was proudly made int eh Untied States of America, so you know that you can trust the quality that it provides.

Conclusion:

This custom out-the-front model features a black anodized hefted aircraft alloy handle and a dagger style blade in a Vegas Forge Damascus finish in a Vines & Roses pattern.

Marfione Custom Knives (MCK) are well known for their high-end custom knives and products that feature exotic materials that turn mere tools into works of art. Highlights of this knife include ringed blue titanium hardware and a front-mounted firing switch. The custom designed handle sports great ergonomics with curvatures much live the Halo and jimping throughout for a solid feel. Package comes complete with a presentation box, zipper pouch as well as a certificate of authenticity.

This Marfione Custom Knives knife is currently in stock at BladeOps. That means that you can still be one of the lucky few who get to own this knife. To order yours today, before it’s too late, click here.