Medford Knife & Tool Infraction Knife Review

Medford Knife and Tool is an American custom and production knife making and tactical tool making facility that was founded by Greg Medford in 2010.

The company was founded in Arizona. Unlike most knife makers who start out as a home-based business, Medford opened a modern factory, complete CAD and CNC Milling machines. The knives are made in the US and most of the work is done by hand as opposed to automated machining. The company mainly produces folding knives, but at the same time, it produces fixed blades knives and tactical tools such as Tomahawks, machetes, and Steel knuckles. The Praetorian is considered Medford Knife and Tool Company’s most recognized knife.

The knives and tools of Medford Knife and Tool feature minimal design elements and clean lines, a massive structure, and a combination of grinds and some describe them as overbuilt. Some knife models are combined with tool elements, such as screwdriver heads or glass breakers. Knife blades are usually made from D2 steel, CPM s35Vn stainless steel and CPM S3v steel. For the handles, the company usually sues titanium, G10, carbon fiber, or Paracord.

Medford Knife and Tool is dedicated to making hand-crafted tools for the most demanding environments man and nature has ever conjured. Whether you are serving in a theater of war, hundreds of feet below water, geared up for law enforcement, shoulder deep in an elk or Cape buffalo, or preparing for the big “What If”, Medford Knife and Tool has a knife or tool design that will not only help you get your mission accomplished, but may save your life. They are not one of the many great knife makers out there specializing in jewelry perfection on knives that will sit in cases for life. They say that they have never wanted to be part of that crowd.  They put their hearts and soul into every creation and they want these living objects to work and move out in the real world. They want them to get scratched, gouged, pranged, and worked and ultimately cherished by their owners. Their knives are like an old reliable friend that you always want on your side. After a career in the field, their knives will find that special place in an old keepsake box or chest. They will be passed on to sons and held with deep remembrance of the men who held them, at their craft.

Medford Knife & Tool says, “When we are young we tackle our crafts with the tools we can afford, or are given, when we get started. Over time we then replace and update those with more disposable tools, as our tastes and missions crystallize. As we mature, our tastes are tempered by our pragmatism and the needs of our mission. Too much money is wasted along the way. Our knives and tools are meant for serious professionals who know what they want and understand the value of our high-end tools that will not fail in a pinch. Our knives don’t get replaced every couple years, and are always where your hand has found them before. When in high stress situations it is proven best to have tools and weapons where they have always been in training. When you buy one of our knives…you will not want another. Fads in material, color, and brand will give way to the quiet maturity that grabs for your old knife and finds quiet confidence in its serious and familiar feel.”

Today we will be going over the two different versions of the Medford Knife & Tool Infraction with a Carbon Fiber and Flamed titanium handle and a D2 tumbled blade.

The Blade:

The blade is made out of D2 tool stool. 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’s somewhat high Chromium content give sit slightly better corrosion resistance than most tool steels earning it the distinction of being a semi-stainless steel. This steel is applauded for its good wear resistance, and strength, while offering some resistance to corrosion. D2 does make a great knife material and can be hardened to RC60-62 safely. It does not, however, polish up very well and is difficult to put a nice finish on. It is more difficult to sharpen than similar steels, but will hold an edge longer. D2 does have a coarse grain structure, so it will not as fine an edge.

There are two versions of the Infraction knife—each with their own blade finish. The first version has a tumbled finish, which is a technique for smoothing and polishing a rough surface. This technique is used to clean, remove rust, polish, and brighten the metal before being made into the blade. This blade sports tumbled satin finish, with stonewashed flats.

The second version of this knife features a Vulcan blade finish. This is a sleek black finish that still shows the fine lines of the steel. The black is even distributed, so there are no thicker parts. While the Vulcan finish does reflect less light than the tumbled finish, it is not matte.

The blade on this knife has been carved into a drop point blade shape. The drop point blade shape is one of the most popular blade shapes that is currently used. And, in the pocket knife industry, the drop point is definitely the most available blade shape. The shape is formed by having the unsharpened back of the blade follow a long and slight curve downward form its base towards its point. The belly, or sharpened edge, follows a similar but slightly more pronounced slope upward toward the point. The resulting blade features a long and easy to maintain cutting surface and a fairly sharp point. This blade is popular for a wide variety of reasons, but one of the bigger reasons is because of how easy it is to use and maintain. This blade shape does sport a lowered tip, and because of that, this blade shape is very popular on hunting knives. Because of the lowered point, the blade is more easily controlled, which helps when skinning an animal or performing detail work. And, because the tip on this style of blade is so broad, it has a ton of strength behind it, making this blade shape a great option on tactical and survival knives. The massive belly that it sports makes it a popular option for EDC knives, because the belly makes slicing a breeze. There is really only one disadvantage to the drop point blade shape, and it is actually one of the advantages as well. Because of its broad tip, you do lose out on most of your piercing capacity—but, you have to keep in mind that it is this broad tip that gives you the strength you associate with a drop point blade shape.

 

The Handle:

The handles on both versions of the blade are made out of a carbon fiber front handle scale with a flamed titanium back handle scale.

Carbon fiber is the name that is given to any material made by weaving together strands of carbon which are then set into a resin. This material is a lightweight, crazy strong material that happens to be pretty expensive. And, although it is crazy strong, it does suffer from being brittle. This is because the strands of carbon are woven together in a single direction. So when they are stressed in that direction, they are practically indestructible, but when they are stressed in any other direction, they begin to break apart. Because of its brittleness, this handle scale is going to be prone to cracking if it is subjected to sharp impacts. The carbon fiber used on the front handle scale is black.

Flamed titanium is when titanium undergoes a flaming process. This process also creates a stunning and very durable alpha-case skin which will make this knife more scratch resistant than typical titanium. Plus, it will display a variety of different colors. This particular handle scale reminds me of an oil spill.

The handle on this blade is mostly angels, instead of curves, but will still give you a comfortable hold throughout your use. The carbon fiber handle scale has texture carved into it, so you can be sure that you won’t slip when in slicker environments. There is a slight finger guard to protect your fingers form slipping and getting cut.

 

The Pocket Clip:

The pocket clip on this Medford knife is made out of titanium and is statically designed for tip up carry and only on the traditional side of the handle. This clip is slightly curved and has “MKT” stamped at the bottom of it. It is kept in place by two small, silver screws that match the rest of the hardware on this knife.

 

The Mechanism:

This knife is a manual folding knife that has a thumb slot to assist you in getting the blade open. The first manufacturer to use the hole was Spyderco, but over the years, many other knife makers have adapted the feature. And there’s a good reason for them to copy this opening mechanism—it works. Opening a folder equipped with a thumb slot is just like a using a thumb stud. In fact, many knife lovers actually prefer the thumb slot because it does not protrude from the blade and get in the way of things. And as a plus, by its very design, it is ambidextrous.

Once the blade is opened, it locks into place by the frame lock locking mechanism.

The frame lock is very similar to the liner lock, but the main difference is that a frame lock uses the handle to form the frame and therefore the lock. The handle, which has two sides, is often cut from 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 best known for their strength and thickness, which means that with this knife, you are going to be able to take on some of those tougher tasks without worrying about the blade coming unlocked and slicing your hand.

 

The Specs:

The blade on the Infraction measures in at 3.25 inches long, with a blade thickness of 0.19 inches. The handle on this knife measures in at 4.75 inches long, with a thickness of 0.625 inches. The overall length of this knife when it is opened measures in at 8 inches long. The Infraction weighs in at a hefty 4.8 ounces. This knife was made in the United States of America.

 

Conclusion:

For those parties interested in MKT but have held off due to the size and weight–the wait is over. Introducing the smallest and lightest Medford folder to date–the Infraction makes for an ideal semi-custom pocket knife. 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 simplistic design that is sure to please and each extra-thick blade is deployed with the use of the hollowed out thumb window. This custom model features a carbon fiber front handle scale, a flamed titanium back handle scale, a modified drop point style blade in a tumbled satin finish complete with stonewashed flats and the titanium pocket clip is statically designed for tip up carry only on the traditional side of the handle. Or, you can get the other version of the knife that features the black Vulcan blade finish. Finally, this model includes an olive drab green waterproof storage case complete with black foam inserts. Pick up your Medford Knife and Tool Infraction today at BladeOps.