Knife Review: SIG Sauer Knives A01 Microswitch Automatic Knife

The SIG Sauer Knives A01 Microswitch Automatic Knife

SIG Sauer knows that you should never settle. The company was born in Europe but has since been perfected in America. Since the birth of the company, they have become one of the world’s most renowned manufacturers of small arms.

Today we will be discussing the Sig Sauer A01 Microswitch automatic knife, which is a new release at BladeOps.

The Blade:

The blade on the SIG Sauer A01 is made out of CPM 154 stainless steel. This is a high-end steel, which is not 

surprising because it is made by Crucible Industries. They are known for designing and manufacturing high end steels specifically for pocketknives or kitchen cutlery; usually on the high-end side of things. To create this steel, they chose to take 440C and work on upgrading it. They accomplished this by adding in Molybdenum, which is used to give the steel better edge holding capacities, while maintain the 440C high levels of corrosion resistance. When you have the correct equipment, sharpening this steel should not be an issue. Also, this steel is tough enough to take on most of the harder tasks without breaking down or betraying you. You shouldn’t have an issue using this knife for some of those tougher tasks that you might encounter.

CPM stands for Crucible Particle Metallurgy. This is going to give the steel finer carbide particles, which in turn makes the steel tougher and better edge retention.

The blade has been coated with a gray Cerakote coating. This is a polymer coating that is very similar to a paint coating. This coating is surprisingly durable and stays on the blade for much longer periods of time than most coatings do. However, the Cerakote coating does prove easy to scratch. Like any coating though, it is going to prolong the life of the blade. This is because it does create a barrier in between the steel and the environment. This works to increase both the wear and the corrosion resistance of the blade.

Also, when the coating is applied evenly, like it will be on this high-quality pocketknife, it will reduce the friction and make it easier to slice with. This is because the friction is not going to slow you down. The Cerakote coating is a matte gray, which is going to reduce all the glares and reflections that you would normally encounter. This is a major advantage with a tactical knife, because you won’t have to risk a glare giving away your position if you are in the field.

Of course, like I mentioned earlier, this coating does prove rather easy to scratch off. This is a major disadvantage because a blade that has a scratched off coating is almost worse than a blade that has never been coated at all. The scratches are going to add ridges to the blade, which will make it harder to slice with. And the steel with be susceptible to corrosion again. At this point, the blade would have to be recoated if you were wanting to keep the same high quality that it had once offered.

The blade has been carved into a classic drop point blade shape. This is the most typical blade shape that you are going to find for a few reasons. For starters, it is strong and durable. It is also incredibly versatile. With a drop point blade shape, there is not much that you won’t be able to do.

On this SIG Sauer A01, the blade starts out coming out of the handle with a row of thicker jimping. This jimping is there to give you better control over your cuts and slices while using this knife. This works because it adds a bit of texture that allows you to have a better grip, so you won’t have to worry about your fingers slipping as you work with the knife.

The spine of the knife has a gentle slope from the handle to the point. This creates a lowered, or dropped point, which is where the blade got its name from. Not only that, but it also gives you greater control over your cuts. The lowered tip is going to allow you to perform some fine detail work with the A01 Microswitch. This is not the only characteristic that sets the drop point blade shape apart. The other is that it does have a broader tip, which is where all of the classic strength of the drop point comes from.

The drop point is widely known as the most versatile and still tough blade shape. It is the broader tip, with the excess metal near it, that allows the drop pint to have this advantage. The drop point will be able to perform some of your tougher tasks without worrying about whether or not it will be able to stand up to it. The tip should not have an issue of breaking.

The drop point really only has one major disadvantage, and funnily enough, it is the broad tip. Because the tip is so broad, you do lose out on most of your piercing capabilities. This is also one of the only differences between the clip point and the drop point when it come sot actually using the two. While this is usually not a big enough drawback to turn people away, as you do get all of the strength from it, you do need to be away of what you will and will not be able to do.

The last key advantage of the drop point blade shape is the large belly. It provides excess surface area, which is going to make it a breeze to slice with. Slicing is going to be the most common thing that you do with a pocketknife, so having a larger belly can make all of the difference in the world.

The edge on the Microswitch has been sharpen into a plain edge. This is the most common edge style on the market today, as it does equip you to take on the widest variety of tasks. The plain edge is going to particularly excel at push cuts, which are your basic cutting, slicing, and shaving.

The plain edge is also easier to sharpen than a blade that has serrations, so a beginner sharpener should be able to effectively sharpen this knife. It is also going to be easier to get a fine edge on it, which will allow it to be sharper, giving it even greater advantages.

The Handle:

The handle on this knife is made out of black G10. This is a material that is made out of fiberglass. To make the material, the manufacturer takes layers of fiberglass cloth and soaks them in a resin. The next step is to compress them and bake them under pressure. This creates a very tough, hard, lightweight, and strong material. This is a very similar material to carbon fiber, but it is inferior and can be had for almost a fraction of the cost. The overall pros to this knife handle material is that it is going to be tough, light, and durable. The handle material is incredibly low maintenance because it is not going to rust or corrode. This also earns that it will be able to survive in a variety of different environments, unlike a steel or metal handle. The G-10 is going to be easy to maintain as well—really all you will have to do is wipe down the handle and make sure that it is dry. Unfortunately, it is also brittle, and some people feel like it lacks elegance.

While the basic handle shape is pretty standard, the face of the handle is not.

The spine of the handle slopes down gently from the blade to the butt, in a similar fashion that the blade slopes. There is a row of jimping at the start of the spine, which is going to give you better control and better grip while working with this knife. The butt on the handle is pointed.

The belly of the handle has a finger groove that will add an element of comfort to the handle. This also creates a sort of finger guard, which is going to protect your fingers in the case of slipping. The rest of the handle curves inward gently toward the butt. At the bottom of the belly, there is another row of jimping which will add further grip and control to the knife.

The surface of the handle has been roughly textured. In the middle of the front handle scale, there is a section of the G-10 that is even more heavily textured. With the amount of texture that SIG Sauer has provided, you should feel confident in nearly any environment while working with this knife. It is not likely that you will slip, because SIG Sauer has really put all the grip possible into the G-10 handle scales.

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip can only be attached for tip up carry. However, it is reversible, so you can attach it for either left or right-handed carry. This does mean that it is ambidextrous friendly. It is kept in place by two black screws, which do match the rest of the hardware on the SIG Sauer A01.

The Mechanism:

This is an automatic knife. This means that it is not going to be legal in all states or cities in the United States. There is a strict set of laws that encompasses this style of pocketknife, that you, as the user, need to be aware of. BladeOps is not responsible for any consequences. It is your job to know your local laws before purchasing and definitely before carrying this knife.

Automatic knives are a style of pocketknife that has the blade contained inside of the handle. When a button on the handle has been pushed, a spring activates inside of the handle. This spring is going to push the blade out of the side of the handle where it will lock into place. The button on this knife is black, which matches the rest of the handle. It is also texturized with circular ridges that outline the button. This means that you will be able to easily locate it when the moment arises. You won’t have to search for the button, because your fingers should bd able to find it on their own. This is a pretty standard button size, there are going to be bigger ones, but there are also definitely smaller ones.

There are some definite advantages to an automatic knife: they are easier to bring into play and they are quicker to bring into play. This time spent not fumbling around with your knife could make a significant difference in the outcome of whatever situation you are in the middle of. That being said, automatic knives are also harder to maintain, because you do have to be so careful with the spring and the hinge. After each use, you are going to want to make sure that the blade is clean and dry, and the insides are clean and dry. If the spring has issues, you are going to have to take apart the knife to fix it.

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 2.75 inches long with a handle that measures in at 3.85 inches long. This means that the overall length is 6.6 inches when the blade has been deployed. It weighs in at 2.9 ounces, which makes sense, because this is such a tiny knife. It was also proudly made in the United States of America.

Conclusion:

This automatic knife features a checkered black G-10 handle and a drop point style blade in a grey Cerakote® coating.

The new Tactical Series line out the of SIG Sauer Knives family brings us a Microswitch platform that beautifully displays the SIG medallion and branding on the blade. These knives are side-open push-button automatics with great ergonomics and course jimping for top-tier blade control.

This great knife is currently in stock at BladeOps. Order yours today by clicking here.