Medford Knife and Tool Panzer Folding Blade Knife Review

Medford Knife and Tool’s facility has the feel of an art studio and the room to employ some of the best technology through machinery and meticulous craftsmanship in our country. Their design philosophy extends into the facility in which they craft these awesome tools. Their process involves the most modern American Made CNC equipment: from their OMAX Waterjet to their various HAAS mills; from the Heat Treating furnaces and Datron 3D contouring mill to the old school Okamoto surface grinders they true their stock with. The rest of their process is done by hand.

The backbone of what makes them a knife company is their blade making, and they do every blade completely by hand. These blades are free hand ground by world-class knife grinding craftsmen using Hog Abrasives and 3M belts. Every guy making knives is a combat veteran that came back to the States and learned the craft there in their facility, in what they call their “knife making school.”

All of this painstaking grinding is done on Burr King grinders, a 100% American Made brand—an attribute that every ingredient going into their product shares, and that they take extreme pride in. Their folding knife cases are made in Colorado and their fixed blade slip cases are hand-sewn in Pennsylvania. Their steel comes from Upstate New York. Their custom made PBrz washers are cut in Long Island and their bearings come out of Illinois. Every spacer, pivot and pivot screw, whether Titanium or stainless steel, is made right here in Phoenix by personal friends of Medford Knife and Tool. Even down to their packaging, their product is the result of hardworking Americans.

They make their products in-house form start to finish, with absolute attention to every detail and with you (the customer) in mind. Know that when you purchase a Medford Knife & Tool product, you support an amazing chain of American companies, and are adding the lives of your fellow countrymen. You can also be comforted by the fact that Medford Knife and Tool is with you, and will provide unparalleled customer service for the life of your Tool.

Their facility is located in the United States, in Phoenix, Arizona near the Deer Valley Airport. Medford Knife and Tool is surrounded by other small to medium shops and factories in one of the most concentrated manufacturing areas in the state.

Today, we will be going over the Medford Knife and Tool Panzer folder knife that features a D2 steel blade and a Flamed Titanium handle.

 

The Blade:

The blade on the Panzer has been made out of D2 tool steel. D2 is one of the higher performing steels available for knife making, but since it is a tool steel, it is more susceptible to corrosion. It does have a somewhat high Chromium content which does give it slightly better corrosion resistance than most tool steels earning it the distinction of being a semi-stainless steel. The steel is a favorite among knife collectors, it is applauded for its good wear resistance, and strength while still offering some resistance to corrosion. D2 does make a great knife material and can be hardened to RC 60-62 safely. However, it does not polish up very well and it is difficult to put a nice finish on. This steel is more difficult to sharpen than 154CM, but will hold an edge longer. D2 has a fairly course grain structure, so it will not take as fine an edge and is more suited to obtuse angles for the secondary level when sharpening.

The blade has been finished with a PVD black finish. This is a Physical Vapor Deposition Coating that will provide excellent resistance from wear and corrosion. The coating material is vaporized at a high temperature and then coated on the blade in the process of condensation. One of the nice properties of PVD coating is that it applies uniformly so that you don’t get build-up on corners and edges, like some other coatings. This PVD coating is black.

The blade on this knife has been cut into a tanto blade shape. There are situations, like with a drop point blade shape, that you want a blade that is going to take on almost any situation—from tactical to everyday carry. But, with the tanto blade shape, this knife does one thing and does that one thing really well. If you are looking for a knife that excels at piercing through tough materials, the tanto blade is the perfect option for you. This blade shape was originally designed for armor piercing, and then was popularized by Cold Steel and is similar in style to Japanese long and short swords. The tanto blade shape is formed with a high point that has a flat grind, which leads to an extremely strong point that is perfect for stabbing into hard materials. The thick point of the tanto blade contains a lot of metal near the tip, so it is able to absorb the impact form repeated piercing that would cause most other knives to break. The front edge of the tanto knife meets the back edge at an angle, rather than a curve. Because of this, the tanto blade does not have a belly, which is in turn sacrificed for a stronger tip. Because it lacks a belly for slicing, this Medford knife is not going to be useful as a general utility knife. But, the extremely strong point does allow it to be used in tough situations where you have to pierce through hard materials.

On the spine of the blade, there is some ultra-thick jimping. This adds character, cuts down on weight, and also gives you some extra control when you are using this blade to slice.

 

The Handle:

The handle is made out of flamed titanium. Titanium is a lightweight metal alloy. It does offer the best corrosion resistance out of any metal knife handle material. Titanium is very similar to its younger brother, aluminum, but it is a little heavier, but it is much stronger. This added strength is a huge advantage, but it does make titanium more expensive to machine. Titanium has a unique characteristic to it; it has a warm feel to it when you touch it, so if you are planning on using the Panzer in the winter, this is the perfect handle. This material is very sturdy and also springy. Unfortunately, titanium does suffer from being prone to scratches, especially when being compared to stainless steel. The pros to an aluminum knife handle is that it is going to be strong, light, and very corrosion resistant. However, titanium is relatively expensive and it is prone to scratches.

The titanium on this handle has been finished with a flaming process. The flaming process creates a stunning and extremely durable alpha case kin which makes this handle more scratch resistant than a typical titanium handle. This process also makes the handle display a variety of colors. I’ve mentioned this with another Medford knife that has a flamed handle—this flaming process makes the handle looks like an oil spill in the ocean.

The handle, just like the blade on this knife, is extremely thick. The spine of the handle is rectangular, and the bottom of the handle is mostly squared off, but with a slight curve. There is a finger guard to protect your fingers in case you slip. There are two elongated finger grooves to give you a more comfortable grip on the blade.

 

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this knife is also made out of titanium. It is statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle. The clip is kept in place by two silver screws that match the rest of the hardware on this blade. The top of the clip is rectangular, and then it gets slimmer, with the butt of the handle flaring out. “MKT” is carved into titanium clip.

 

The Mechanism:

This knife features a frame lock mechanism and a single thumb stud.

The thumb stud is arguably the most common one-hand opening feature. The stud essentially replaces the nail nick that is found on more traditional knives. To open the blade, you grasp the folded knife, place the tip of your flexed thumb on the stud, and extend your thumb to swing the blade through its arc until the blade is fully opened.

The frame lock is extremely similar to the liner lock except that the frame lock uses the handle to from the frame and therefore the lock. The handle, which has two sides, is often cut form a steel that is much thicker than the liner of most locks. Just like the liner lock, the frame lock is situated with the liner inward and the tip engaging the bottom of the blade. The frame lock is released by applying pressure to the frame to move it away from the blade. When it is opened, the pressure on the lock forces it to snap across the blade, engaging at its furthest point. Frame locks are known for their strength and thickness, so because of this, you will be able to take on much harder tasks.

 

The Specs:

The blade on this Medford knife is 2.5 inches long, with an overall blade thickness of 0.19 inches. The handle on this knife measures in at 3.5 inches long, with a thickness of 0.5 inches. The overall length of this knife when it is opened is 6 inches long and this knife weighs in at 6 ounces. The Panzer with the flamed titanium handle is made in the United States of America.

 

Pros of the Panzer flipper:

• D2 steel is a high performing steel.
• D2 steel is extremely resistant to corrosion.
• D2 steel is considered a semi-stainless steel, but it provides many qualities of a fully stainless steel.
• The PVD coating ensures that the coating is applied evenly and there are no extra thick parts of the blade.
• The PVD coating ensures that the coating will be able to endure a harder set of tasks without scratching off.
• The tanto blade shape excels at piercing through tough materials.
• The extra thick jimping helps you open the blade, gives you extra control, and adds a touch of character to the blade.
• The titanium handle is very resistant to corrosion and very durable.
• The flamed finish on the titanium provides more corrosion resistance and gives it a nice aesthetic.

 

Cons of the Panzer flipper:

• D2 steel is hard to sharpen.
• D2 steel is hard to get a quality coating on it.
• Titanium is prone to being scratched.
• Titanium is relatively expensive.

 

Conclusion:

The Panzer knife series by Medford Knife & Tool was named after German war tanks–and for good reason because of its stout disposition and its wickedly tough nature. These over-build knives seem virtually indestructible and you aim to have something that screams thickness and girth–this is a must. This frame lock designed model sports a concaved thumb jimping platform and the blade is manually deployed with the help of a single thumb stud. Additional custom upgrades include a hammered finish found throughout the exterior of the handle scale in addition to the spine of the blade and the glass breaker function. This custom model features flamed tumbled titanium handle scales, a tanto style blade in a PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) black finish and the titanium pocket clip is statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle. This handle has been designed to be extremely durable; able to take on some of the hardest of tasks. This knife is also extremely low maintenance because of how corrosion resistant all of the materials used on it are. Finally, this model includes an olive drab green waterproof storage case complete with black foam inserts. Pick up your Medford Knife & Tool Panzer knife today with a flamed titanium handle and a tanto blade made out of D2 steel.