Knife Review: Pro-Tech Custom Calmigo Steel Automatic Knife
Posted by SD on May 7th 2020
The Pro-Tech Custom Calmigo Steel Automatic Knife
Pro-Tech Knives, LLC is a family owned knife company that has been building high quality American Made knives since 1999. Each of their knives is a blend of the finest materials available, mixed with their commitment to craftsmanship. Their knives are always built with the most current high-tech manufacturing process that includes CNC Machining, Wire EDM, and Laser Cutting. The high-tech components are assembled and hand fit by dedicated and caring craftsmen right in their factory. Yes, that does mean that they are all made in the United States of America!
One of the unique aspects about Pro-Tech is that they manufacture small batches of knives so that they can take the time to individually hand fit and finish each knife to a level that you are rarely going to find in a factory knife. Their production knife models offer the best design, function, and value of any knife that you are going to find on the market today. They even have custom art knives that are individual pieces of art. Each of their custom, limited-edition knives are a showpiece of heirloom quality. But, no matter which of their knives that you choose to purchase, they, and we, are confident that you will be very satisfied with your purchase.
Their collection of knives is always changing. They are always working on new designs form collaboration partners, new variations of classic designs, new inlay materials, Damascus blade choices, and many more.
Today we are going to be discussing what makes one of their newest releases such a great option: The Custom Calmigo Steel Automatic Knife.
The Blade:
The blade on this new Pro-Tech is made out of 154CM stainless steel. This is a Crucible Industries steel, which does mean that you can expect a higher quality of steel than from many other manufacturers. Crucible is known for making steel that is specifically for higher end pocket knives such as this one, so when it comes to the characteristics of the steel, you are going to get everything that you want and nearly nothing that you didn’t.
154CM steel is a high-end steel, but it is not the equivalent of a super steel. This steel is known to be an upgraded version of 440C steel. So how did they upgrade the base steel? Well, Crucible added in Molybdenum, which is used to help the steel have high levels of hardness, which translates into a top-notch edge holding ability. Plus, this steel is going to keep the high levels of corrosion resistance that 440C has, even though it does have less Chromium. The Molybdenum really does add quite a bit to the steel.
154CM steel is tough enough for most jobs that you are going to come across. This is great, because normally when a steel is this hard, it is not as tough as many would desire. You get the best of both worlds from 154CM steel.
The blade has been finished with a two-tone appearance. The smaller portion of the blade is the upper portion. This section has been finished with in a satin. The satin is the most common blade finish in the cutlery industry. It is a pretty basic finish, one that falls in the middle of the luster spectrum. You can easily find a finish that is more reflective than a satin finish, but you can also find one that is more matte.
The satin finish is created when the manufacturer repeatedly sands the blade in one direction with an increasing level of a fine abrasive, normally sandpaper. This is going to show off the fine lines of the steel as well as showcase the bevels of the blade. This is also going to reduce the glares and reelections of the blade.
The other portion is the bulk of the handle. This section begins about ¾ of the way up the spine and takes up the bulk of the face of the blade. This section is a black coating. There are a few benefits to having a coated blade, but the biggest one is that it is going to increase both the corrosion and wear resistance of the blade. It essentially forms a barrier in between the steel and the environment, which allows it to be better protected against any of the elements. The coating is also a pitch-black coating, which is going to eliminate glares and reflections. Unfortunately, the coating may scratch off with time or heavy use. At that point, it would have to be re-coated to retain all of the good qualities that it once provided you with.
The blade has been carved into the classic drop point blade shape. This is the most popular blade shape that you can find in the cutlery industry today. This blade style is tough, versatile, and the perfect all-purpose blade and knife for you. The most common place that you are going to find this blade shape is on hunting knives, but you will be able to find them on virtually any style of knife. That being said, the blade style is formed by having the back edge of the blade, which is the unsharpened edge, run straight form the handle to the point in a slow curving manner. The belly of the knife slowly curves upward to meet the lowered point. Because it has a lowered point, you are going to more easily be able to control your cuts and slices, which makes this blade shape ideal if you are going to be doing any tip work or need to be very focused on your task.
One of the other benefits of the lowered tip is that it is also a broad tip. This is the characteristic of the knife that gives the drop point blade style its famous strength. This strong tip is also what allows you to take on such a wide variety of tasks.
One of the other great features of this blade style is that it sports such a big belly, which is used when you are slicing. The majority of tasks that you will be completing day to day involve slicing, so the big belly with definitely be worth it.
The drop point blade shape really only has one disadvantage, which is that because it has such a broad tip, you do lose out on much of your piercing capabilities. The drop point blade and the clip point blade are often confused with each other because they are both very popular knife blade shapes that feature lowered tips. The difference between the two lies in their tips. The clip point has a fine, sharp tip that allows you to pierce and stab with ease. However, because it is a thinner point, you do have to worry about it breaking on things. The drop point does miss out on many of the piercing capabilities, but you are left with so much more strength. When it comes to these two blade shapes, you just have to decide if you would rather have piercing capabilities or strength. And with this Pro-Tech knife, your best bet is to have the strength that it provides.
The blade has been sharpened to a plain edge, which is the more common blade edge. This is just a continuous sharpened edge, with no serrations. The plain edge is easier to sharpen, because you do not have to worry about the teeth. Plus, it allows you to take on a wider variety of tasks. It is best at push cuts, which is your basic slicing, shaving, and peeling. All in all, the plain edge is going to take this blade to the next level, allowing you to take on nearly anything.
The Handle:
The handle on this knife is made out of 416 stainless steel. The benefits of stainless steel are that it is going to add enough heft to the knife that you feel like you will have full control while using it. The stainless steel is going to provide both durability as well as resistance to wear and corrosion. The biggest disadvantage to stainless steel is that it normally does not offer enough grip for people to feel confident while using the knife. However, this is where this custom knife really excels at.
The handle is completely sleek, giving this Pro-Tech a futuristic look.
The shape of the handle is simple, with a spien that is completely straight until the butt where it curves. There is a row of jimping on the spine for added control. There is a finger groove, but it is a little bit lower on the handle than is typical. There is no lanyard hole.
The Pocket Clip:
The pocket clip on this knife has been designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle. This does unfortunately mean that it is not going to be an ambidextrous friendly knife. However, because there do not have to be any extra drill marks, the handle is also going to be sleeker. And a sleek aesthetic is what this knife is really going for.
The clip is black, which does contrast with the silver handle. It is also slightly skeletonized, allowing you to see the two silver screws that are holding the clip in place. These two screws do match the rest of the hardware on this knife.
The Mechanism:
This is a push button automatic knife. Like all automatic knives, this one will also fall under the same strict set of laws in the United States of America. These laws state that automatic knives are not legal in all states, cities, or areas. It is your responsibility to know your local knife laws before purchasing or carrying this knife. BladeOps is not the responsible party.
One of the only other drawbacks to an automatic knife other than the legality issues is that they are slightly harder to maintain. This is due to the amount of inner workings and moving parts that must be kept clean and dry. Really, unless you are using this knife for some pretty messy tasks—like hunting—the automatic function should not be any bigger of an issue than a typical manual pocket knife.
The Custom Calmigo is a push-button automatic, which means that to deploy the blade, all you have to do is press the firing button on the face of the handle. This is the largest advantage of having any automatic knife, because it is so easy to use. All you have to do is press the button and the blade will swing open and lock into place, ready for use. This leads to all the major advantages of having an automatic knife, such as saving time when you need it most. As well as being able to open the knife with only one hand. Automatic knives are easier, quicker, and smoother to use than your typical manual folding knife.
The Specs:
This is a smaller knife, with the blade coming in as a sub-2” blade. It measures in at a mere 1.95 inches. The handle is going to measure in at 3.54 inches long. This means that the overall length of the Custom Calmigo is going to measures in at 5.49 inches long when the blade has been deployed.
This is on the smaller side of a knife, which means that it is also going to be a lighter weight knife. This one weighs in at only 2.2 ounces, which is not quite in the sweet spot when it comes to an EDC knife.
This Pro-Tech is proudly made in the United States of America.
Conclusion:
This limited-edition automatic knife features a stainless-steel handle, a drop point style blade in a DLC black and satin finish and the pocket clip is designed for tip up carry.
As part of a 50-piece run, this custom Calmigo sports a heavier frame for those that want a versatile sub-2" auto with some weight. Additional highlights include a slide safety and a mini deep carry clip.