Knife Review: Microtech Right Hand Iconic Fixed Blade

The Microtech Right Hand Iconic Fixed Blade 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 discussing one of Microtech’s newest releases that is available at BladeOps: The Right Hand Iconic fixed blade.

The Blade:

The blade has been 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 fixed blades, such as the Microtech Socom Alpha Mini, as well as some pocketknives.

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 a stonewashed finish. This finish is relatively commonplace in the cutlery industry, because it gives the blade a more rugged appearance. It also works to lower the levels of maintenance required. So already, we have the stonewash finish paired with the CTS 204P steel, which makes this a low-maintenance knife for sure.

The stonewashed finish is created when the steel is tumbled with small ceramic pebbles or beads. This roughs up the surface of the steel. The steel is then removed, smoothed out, and polished. This means that the actual steel will not be textured, so it will not interfere with your cuts, but it does keep the textured appearance. This textured appearance easily hides scratches and smudges that accumulate over time.

The stonewashed finish is also less reflective than your average finish, which does mean that this would be a great tactical blade. The stonewash finish gives the blade a darker grey appearance than the bright silver of a satin knife.

The blade has been carved into a Hawksbill shape. The Hawksbill blade style is a really dramatic blade style. It got its name because it ends up looking like a Hawks beak or bill, which is known for begin able to tear through things. The blade on the Iconic is especially dramatic. IT starts by curving up from the handle so that the spine is completely rounded, nearly circular with how dramatic the shape is. It curves down steeply so the point is almost lower than where the handle starts, lignin up with the start of the belly of the blade. The lowered tip is going to give you better control, but while this normally means that you will be able to perform fine detail work, with the Iconic, it just means that you will have a little more control while using it to tear.

The tip is also really fine and sharp, which means that it can pierce easily. This is the first key advantage of the Hawksbill shape. You pierce whatever it is you are working on, and then because the belly is so recurved, you can actually use the tip and belly to tear at what you are working on, just like a bird would.

The recurve belly means that instead of bulging outward, it actually curves inward. This does create the same amount, if not more, of surface area, which is why it can slice so neatly. The Hawksbill blade shape is vicious, seriously vicious, which means if you never need to defend yourself, you are going to be completely prepared. The Hawksbill isn’t going to do everything, meaning it is not going to be a general utility knife, but it is definitely going to excel at what it does do.

The Handle:

This is a full tang knife, which means that the stainless steel of the blade actually extends through the entire length of the knife. This has a few key advantages. The first is that it is going to be extra tough. This is because there is no portion of the knife that has been welded together, or that is going to be weaker. The entire knife comes from one piece of metal. This can make all of the difference in a self-defense situation, because you cannot have your knife breaking in the middle of use.

The other big advantage is that if the G10 handle scales do happen to break, you aren’t left with just a blade. You will still have the entire knife; it just won’t be quite as comfortable to use as it once was.

Like I mentioned, the handle scales are made out of G10. This is a more modern material that is known for being tough, durable, and low maintenance. G10 is not a metal, which means that it is not going to corrode over time or in bad environments. It can also withstand in more extreme environments than a metal handle would be able to.

G10 offers a high level of texture, whereas, stainless steel does not. This means that the handle scales are going to give you a better hold on this knife. Since this is a self-defense knife, the better the texture that Microtech can provide, the better off you are. Your hands might be sweaty or shaky, so any extra grip is going to really help out.

The G10 is textured across the entire handle scale, but it is more heavily textured right tin the middle of it. The scales are kept in place by three silver screws.

The handle is nearly as dramatic as the blade itself. The spine has a large bulge to it, which will fit comfortably in your hand. The belly is recurved, with an extra-deep curve right before the butt of the handle. The butt is completely circular and does flare out slightly. It has also been skeletonized with a massive hole, so you put your finger through the hole or tie on any lanyard that you please.

The Mechanism:

This is a fixed blade knife, which means that there is no mechanism to it. The blade does not fold into the handle, like it does on pocketknives. Because of this, the blade can be longer and thicker, both of which lead to more durable blades. One of the biggest advantages to a fixed blade is how easy they are to take care of. You don’t have to worry about the innards in the same way that you would have to with a pocketknife. All you have to do is wipe down the handle and the blade, make sure it is dry before putting it back into the sheath, and oil the blade occasionally.

The Sheath:

The sheath that comes with this is made out of black kydex. This is a custom sheath that has been designed for right-handed carry only. This is a modern material that is often used for sheaths and even holsters, because it is so durable. Kydex is waterproof and can stand up to a variety of different environments, including saltwater. This shows how durable and tough the material is, because many other materials begin to break down or rot in the presence of saltwater.

Kydex also has a Rockwell hardness of 90, which means that not only is it scratch resistant, but it also won’t stretch or shrink over time. This is actually an advantage and a disadvantage. If the sheath doesn’t fit perfectly at the beginning, it never is going to.

This leads us to the first disadvantage of Kydex: it is a noisy material. If it does not fit perfectly, you may get the dreaded rattle. You also cannot withdraw or replace the Rocky Mountain Tread into the Kydex sheath without it making a lot of noise. This is a disadvantage if you are using this is the wild or on a hunting trip, because you don’t want to scare away potential game.

The biggest disadvantage is that the Kydex is going to dull your blade over time as you withdraw and replace it. This is because of how hard the sheath is. If you are hoping to prevent this, you can get an insert to protect against this problem.

Really, the biggest advantage of a Kydex sheath is that it is incredibly low maintenance. This comes in handy for this knife that has been designed as an all-around outdoors knife. This way, you don’t have to be worried about the quality of your sheath decreasing as you use it in the wild.

The Specs:

The blade on the Right Hand Iconic measures in at 3.45 inches long with a head thickness of 0.13 inches thick. The overall length of the Iconic measures at a whopping 9.45 inches long, while only weighing in at 3.4 ounces. This Microtech, like all of them, was proudly made in the United States of America.

Conclusion:

This fixed blade knife features black G-10 overlays atop stainless steel handles, a hawkbill style blade in a stonewash finish and includes a custom kydex sheath which was only designed for right-hand carry.

Microtech Knives teamed up with Bastinelli Knives to deliver a new fixed blade that it compact enough for discreet carry but vicious enough to keep you safe should the need arise.

The knife is currently available at BladeOps. Act fast to get yours before it sells out by clicking here.