Knife Review: Pro-Tech OD Green SBR Automatic Knife

The Pro-Tech OD Green SBR 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.

Pro-Tech describes their point in the market as the space where the “art of modern manufacturing excellence meets old world craftsmanship.”

Today we are going to be talking about one of their newest releases, the Dark Green SBR automatic knife.

The Blade:

The blade on the SBR is made out of CPM-S35VN steel. This steel is made by Crucible Industries, which is a 

renowned steel manufacturer. This steel was one of their previous steels that had been upgraded.

Crucible originally created S30V steel, which became an incredibly popular steel in the higher end knife industry. This steel was known as having the perfect balance between edge retention, hardness, and toughness, which is a complicated balance to achieve. This steel was also incredibly corrosion resistant, which left it being lower maintenance.

However, there was one major problem with this steel: it was hard to sharpen. Really, really hard. Crucible was not okay with this flaw in the steel and with the second go-around, they were determined to change it.

To create the CPM-S35VN steel, they started with a finer steel structure. They also added trace amounts of Niobium. Both of these new properties assisted in making the steel easier to sharpen. Now, even more beginner of sharpeners could manage it. Plus, the new steel kept all of the same high qualities that CPM-S30V steel had. Really, with how good the original steel was, you cannot go wrong with this newer steel.

This steel has also undergone Crucible’s CPM process, which they describe when they say, “The CPM process produces very homogeneous, high quality steel characterized by superior dimensional stability, grindability, and toughness compared to steels produced by conventional processes.” Essentially, the CPM process enhances all of the good qualities that the steel already has. It is going to be easier to sharpen and more reliable.

The blade has been carved into a drop point blade shape. The drop point blade shape is one of the most common blade shapes that you are going to find for a few good reasons. The blade shape ensures that your handle is tough, can take on nearly anything, but is still versatile. The drop point on this version of the SBR is slightly different though, because instead of the blade slowly angling from the handle to the point, it actually starts by going straight out, with a section of thick jimping. This jimping one of a few characteristics that have been designed to give plenty of texture and control to this rugged knife. After the row of jimping, the spine drops down and extends toward the point like a traditional drop point normally would.

The drop point blade shape does get its name because the point is literally dropped, or lowered. This is going to provide you with a little bit more control than if it were raised or even with the rest axis of the handle. The tip is also fairly thick, which is where the drop point blade shape gets its characteristic strength from. The drop point is known for the strength that it has, people use this blade shape to take on some of the toughest tasks. Because it is such a thick tip, it is incredibly unlikely that it is going to break while you are using it. Of course, if you do get too crazy with it, this steel is not invincible.

The broad tip is also the only major drawback to the drop point blade shape, because you do lose out on much of your ability to pierce.

Lastly, the drop point blade has a large belly that gives you plenty of surface area to cut or slice with.

The Handle:

The handle on this knife has been made out of 6061-T6 aluminum that has been anodized a dark green. Aluminum is a popular handle material in the cutlery industry, because it is lightweight and pretty durable. Aluminum is known as a low-density metal, which means that it is not going to weigh down the knife. That being said, it is going to provide you with the heft that you need to take on your regular tasks.

Aluminum has a high conduction property, which does mean that in colder environments, this is going to be a colder knife to hold. Also, aluminum does not offer the most grip and texture, which does mean that the handle can be rather slippery in some situations.

Aluminum is tough though—it is going to be able to take on quite a variety of tasks without you having to question it.

This alloy of aluminum is 6061 and it has been T6 processed. This specific alloy of aluminum has the highest yield resistance of any alloy. This means that out of the aluminum handles, this alloy is going to be the toughest strongest, and most durable.

The handle has then been anodized a dark green. Not only does this add a sleek appearance to the handle of the SBR, but it also enhances all of the good qualities that the aluminum already has. The thing about anodization is that it actually chemically changes the surface of the handle. This means that unlike a coating it cannot peel off. That being said, the surface can still be scratched, which would reveal the original aluminum layers underneath it. The anodization process also cuts down on glares and reflections, which creates a unique, matte look to it.

The handle on this Pro-Tech SBR is super basic. The spine slopes in a slow curve from the blade to the butt. There is no jimping to break up this straight curve, which does mean that you are going to miss out on some texture. The belly has a medium-sized finger guard that will protect you from some slipping. This is a bonus because the aluminum is not going to offer you as much texture as many other materials could. After the finger guard, there is a standard finger groove. This will add some comfort to the handle.

The ergonomics of this knife handle are going to provide you with comfort, although you aren’t going to get as solid of a hold on this knife, due to the lack of texture and slipperiness of aluminum.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip is designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle. This does mean that it is not going to be as ambidextrous friendly as it could be. However, the handle is going to look a little bit sleeker than if it were drilled to be a multiple position clip.

The clip is black, which matches both the blade and the rest of the hardware on this knife. It is slightly skeletonized, so you do see the two screws that hold it into place. The clip tapers toward the bottom of itself.

The Mechanism:

This is an automatic knife, which does mean that it is not going to be legal in all states, cities, or areas of the USA. This means that it is your responsibility, as the user and the consumer, to know your local knife laws before buying and definitely before using this knife. BladeOps is not the responsible party for consequences on your part.

The other disadvantages of an automatic knife are that they do have a lot of moving parts on the inside. This means that if one of the parts is broken, the entire mechanism could be damaged. This does mean that an automatic knife is going to be slightly harder to maintain.

However, there are plenty of major advantages to using an automatic knife. The first is that it is going to be incredibly easy to bring into play. There is not going to be any fumbling when you first pull out your knife. Sometimes, even the seconds make a big difference. Another major advantage is that you can open the knife with only one hand, because all you have to do is press the button. This means that you can perform a few more day-to-day tasks with the SBR, because you won’t need to keep both hands on the knife. Lastly, the blade opens incredibly smoothly. This allows you to bring it into play even more quickly than a regular folding knife.

The Specs:

The blade on this Pro-Tech measures in at 2.625 inches long with a handle that measures in at 3.875 inches long. This means that when the blade is deployed, the overall knife is going to measure in at 6.5 inches long. This is definitely on the smaller side of the spectrum, which can be a bonus. With the smaller size, there is going to be less weight on the knife, with it weighing in at 2.9 ounces.

The typical sweet spot for an EDC knife is between 3-5 ounces, because this is going to provide you with enough heft that you can feel confident while using the knife, but without too much weight so that you are weighed down throughout the day. This Pro-Tech actually does not fall into this spectrum, but only by .1 ounce. This is not going to be the heftiest, so in some situations, you may feel that it is lacking, but for the most part, this is going to be a fantastic EDC.

This Pro-Tech knife is also proudly made in the United States of America.

Conclusion:

This automatic knife features an olive drab green anodized aluminum handle, a drop point style blade in a acid wash finish and the pocket clip is designed for tip up carry only.

The Pro-Tech SBR (Short Bladed Rockeye) is a Les George designed push-button auto that boasts a stout 1/8" thick blade stock. Each model sports stylized pockets milled into the spine and the deep finger groove promotes excellent grip security.

This is a new release at BladeOps, and it is currently in stock. However, this is an exceptional knife and will go quickly. To secure yours today, click here.