Knife Review: Microtech Dirac Dagger OTF Automatic Knife

The Microtech Dirac Dagger OTF Automatic Knife

Microtech Knives, Inc. is a knife manufacturing company that is famous, but especially famous for their automatic knives. This company was founded in Vero Beach, Florida and 1994 in Anthony and Susan Marfione’s apartment. They operated in Florida until 2005, when they relocated to Bradford Pennsylvania. Then, in 2009 they opened another manufacturing building in North Carolina, to speed up production.

Although they are most famous for their tactical automatic knives, they do produce many styles of blades such as kitchen knives, fishing knives, arrow heads, and balisong knives. The most popular designs among collectors are their Out the Front and Double Action automatic knives. Microtech, along with Benchmade Knives, were responsible for the resurgence in the popularity of tactical automatic knives in the 1990s. Before this knife, these knives were seen more as a precision-made tool utilizing powerful springs and high-grade bushings as opposed to cheap import.

The company has long promoted itself as stressing quality with regard to tight machining tolerances, to within one thousandth of an inch Microtech has designed knives for use by the US Military, such as the HALO, UDT, SOCOM, and Currahee models. Microtech has collaborated with famous knife makers and designers such as Ernest Emerson, Bob Terzuola, Mick Strider, Walter Brend, Mike Turber, Greg Lightfoot, and Reese Weiland on exclusive designs. Greg Lightfoot, along with other custom knife makers, has remarked that it is the tolerances that Microtech sticks with that makes the factory knives so close to the custom design.

For over 20 years, Microtech has been working to build a long-standing tradition of innovation and quality with each knife that leaves our facility. In a world of ever-changing technology, Microtech strives to ensure their customers have access to the latest advancements in knife making, while still maintaining a humanize element throughout the manufacturing process. As the company continues to grow, their focus has remained the same: to deliver revolutionary products that exceed the industry’s ever-increasing desire for groundbreaking ideas. They always appreciate their customers, for not only the loyalty and support, but also for motivating Microtech to better themselves so that they can continue to rise above your expectations.

Today, we will be going over the Microtech Dirac OTF which is a new release.

The Blade:

The blade on the Dirac is made out of CTS 204P stainless steel. This steel can reasonably be compared to Bohler-Uddeholm’s M390 steel. However, it does have a little bit more tungsten than the other steel. This steel is known for having an incredibly high wear and corrosion resistance. Part of this is due to the fact that it does have a fine-grained alloy, which also means that this is a good choice for high end folding knives, such as the Dirac, as well as some fixed blades.

Other than that, it is going to preform like a high-end stainless steel is expected to. You can expect it to keep its high level of quality without too much maintenance. You will want to wipe down the blade after each use, but you won’t have to worry about scrubbing it after each use, like you might on some. This is a harder steel, so it might be slightly complicated to sharpen, but nothing that an experienced sharpener can’t handle.

This steel is not a super common one, but it is a high-end steel. It will be able to hang with most tasks, so you won’t ever have to question whether or not it is going to be able to defend you when you need it most—it can handle it.

The blade has been finished with two-tones. One is a black coating and one is satin. We’ll go over the satin section first. For starters, hardly any of it is satin. There is a thin strip of satin that follows the same shape of the blade right in the middle of it. Also, right at the base of the blade, where it comes out of the handle, is a satin finish.

The satin finish is going to be the most common blade finish that you are going to find on today’s market. It is such a popular option for a couple of reasons. The first is that it gives the blade a perfectly classic look. It is created when the manufacturer repeatedly sands the blade in one direction with an increasingly fine level of an abrasive. This process works to show off the fine lines of the steel, which is where the classic look stems from. The other great aspect is that it does fall in the middle of the spectrum in terms of luster. This means that the satin finish is not going to steal the show from the rest of the knife, but it is going to look rather sleek. The last major benefit of the satin finish is that it does increase the corrosion resistance of the blade slightly. This is not enough for you to be able to fully rely on it, but since it is already a stainless-steel blade, you can expect it to give it a slight bonus of lower maintenance.

The rest of the blade has been finished with a black coating. This takes up the bulk of the blade’s look. The coating is going to act as any coating would—it is going to increase the corrosion and wear resistance. This is because it does create a barrier in between the environment and the steel, which means that anything negative has to go through the coating before it reaches the blade. Also, the coating is more on the matte side, which does mean that it is going to decrease the glares and reflections that you encounter. This means that your position will never be given away from reflections if you are using this blade in the field.

The coating does have one significant drawback—it can and will scratch off over time or with heavy use. This is something that you just have to deal with when it comes to coatings. Of course, once the coating has been scratched off, you do lose out on the quality benefits that the coating once provided.

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. Overall though, this is ideal for self-defense.

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of 6061-T6 aluminum that has been anodized a matte black.

Aluminum is one of the more common handle materials that you are going to come across in the market It is durable and lightweight, while also being inexpensive. Also, aluminum is incredibly corrosion resistant, so it is a rather low maintenance handle.

6061-T6 is the highest quality aluminum alloy, because it does offer the highest tensile yield that you are going to find in an aluminum. 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 aluminum handle though. First, aluminum 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, aluminum 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 aluminum is that it is going to be prone to scratches.

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

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 is fat and durable. It is a slightly sepia-toned silver, which the Microtech name and logo stamped on it. Also, this is where you will find the product number, because there are going to be a limited number of the Microtech Dirac’s.

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 2.92 inches long with a handle that measures in at 4.33 inches long. This creates an overall length of 7.25 inches long when the blade is opened. However, this is an incredibly lightweight knife, weighing in at only 2.37 ounces. This knife is made in the United States of America, so you can be proud to own, carry, and use it.

Conclusion:

The latest and most highly anticipated release from Microtech this year is the new Dirac double-action out the front auto knife. Initially, this knife only came out of the production factory, but its inaugural debut showcases their first front-mounted firing trigger. The custom designed handle sports great ergonomics with curvatures much like the Microtech Halo and jimping throughout for a solid feel. Each Microtech OTF knife has extremely sophisticated internal mechanisms which improve the overall operational functionality and reliability. This model features a black anodized handle complete with standard bead blasted hardware and an integrated glass breaker function along with a dagger style blade in a black finish with satin finished blade flats. 

Shop all Microtech Knives right here.