Micro Tech SOCOM From The Knife Center

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By Dexter Ewing
Specialist in Edged Weaponry

MicroTech is a small Florida-based company that produces some of the best automatic knives you will ever find anywhere. So far, they have built their reputation on turning out autos that are functional, and not to mention, very good looking cutlery pieces. From their radical HALO (where the blade shoots out of the handle as opposed to working on a pivot) to perhaps their most famous knife, the LUDT, each and every MicroTech knife is an execution of machining perfection as far as automatics are concerned. Meanwhile, all the rest of us cutlery aficionados to whom autos are facetiously considered "the forbidden fruit of knives" are left out at partaking in this company's high tech offerings. Until now...

1997 marks the release of the first non-automatic knife from MicroTech. For those who meet the federal guidelines, there is the SO/DA (Dual Action) version which offers unprecedented auto opening and manual opening, all in a factory made piece. Now, MicroTech pleases all of us who harbor insatiable cravings for tactical folders!

THE BLADE

Since tanto blades are the in-thing for tactical folders, the SOCOM's tanto is a slight variation from the usual. Hollow ground and bead blasted, the ATS-34 blade has a barely detectable belly to the primary edge, something that is normally not found on other tantos. The secondary edge (leading up to the tip) is at a steeper angle than the ones found on the tantos by companies such as Cold Steel and Benchmade. This makes precise cuts with the tip of the blade easier than the other tanto folders.

The SOCOMs are available in partially serrated and plain edge formats. My evaluation knife is the partially serrated version. MicroTech's serrations are a variation of the standard two-step (one big tooth for every two small teeth) style. Theirs has one big tooth, followed by one small tooth, then one medium sized tooth. MicroTech's serrations are not as aggressive as the two-step style can be, so they do cut a bit smoother since they are not as pointed. The blade is opened easily by the Butch Vallotton-style ambidextrous, dual functioning thumb studs (also serve as a positive blade stop). These studs are large and milled very nicely, so they are easy on the flesh of your thumb. When opened, the lockup is very solid. The blade pivot's tension is pre-set at the factory, and is very smooth. Usually with locking liners, I find that the factory setting is a bit too tight for my preferences, so I will loosen the pivot slightly.

THE HANDLE

The SOCOM's T6-6061 hard coat anodized handle is shaped in such a manner that makes the knife feel like an extension of your hand. At the pivot the handle flares, providing a comfortable notched thumb rest on top and an integral finger guard on the bottom, which is also notched. There's no chance of your hand sliding up onto the blade! At the rear the handle tapers, and also is notched for traction in the icepick grip. The taper also accommodates the palm of the hand nicely.

What I found to be nice touch cosmetically is the "vent holes" on the spine of the handle. As opposed to having an open spine and a minimized spacer, MicroTech machined six oblong holes to aid in rinsing the handle out and drying. Very unusual looking indeed!

Another nice touch to the construction of the handle is the lack of a full liner. Yes, this is a side lock knife, but all that is locking the blade open is a stainless steel locking bar! That makes for a very lightweight knife. The inside of the handle slab is machined in such a way that the locking bar is recessed into the slab, holding it firmly in place. There is only one screw fastening the bar to the scale. This arrangement is very simple: the locking bar is just wide enough to securely hold the blade in the open position and to save precious weight.

The screws used on the SOCOMs are, I believe, spline drive. At quick glance, they appear to be Torx. A closer inspection will reveal the individual splines in the socket. My guess why MicroTech uses these style screws is to prevent the user from disassembling the knife (therefore, voiding the warranty). Finding screwdrivers for these type screws are very hard ñ they are considered specialty hardware.

Finally, the side opposite to the clip has two inlays of textured rubber, to aid in a non-slip grip with wet or dry hands.

ANALYSIS

I am very happy that MicroTech is finally offering a manual action knife. I speculate that they will sell as much of the SOCOM SO/MA's as much as they will the rest of their automatics. The machining job on the handle and blade are superb, and the overall fit of the parts are within very close tolerances.

As many fans of tactical folders know, tanto blades are available in two varieties: the chisel grind (a la Benchmade's CQC7) and hollow grind. There are a good number of knife buyers out there who dislike the chisel grind, so the traditional hollow grind of the will no doubt please these folks. As an owner of a CQC7, I realize that there are limitations to its utility usefulness because of the grind. With the SOCOM, I discovered that it makes a better utility knife than the CQC7. The longer secondary edge permits the SOCOM to execute precise cuts with control.

The only complaint I have to register about the SOCOM SO/MA is with the mounting of the pocket clip. In my opinion, it is mounted too low on the handle, leaving a considerable amount of the knife sticking out of the pocket or waistband. I'm guessing the reason why MicroTech does this is to accommodate the release button on the SO/DA SOCOM, so that the user can withdraw the knife and immediately fire the blade. But on the SOCOM SO/MA, there is no release button. So instead of re-doing their tooling and programs for their CNC (Computer Numerical Control) milling equipment for mounting the clip higher towards the pivot, they felt it was best to leave the clip as it is to simplify production procedures. In a way, this much of the knife sticking out can also be good, in that you will always get a good grip when pulling the knife out of the pocket, without having to look down.

CONCLUSION

MicroTech's USSOCOM SO/MA is definitely a must have piece for those who appreciate well designed and precisionly crafted tactical folders. MicroTech may be a small company, but with knives like the two SOCOM versions they will be making big waves in the pool of tactical folders. There are a lot of tactical folder collectors who would like to own one of this company's knives prior to the release of the SOCOM SO/MA, but are unable to do so because they do not meet the guidelines for ownership of automatic knives. With the manual action SOCOM, these people can rejoice in ownership of a MicroTech. Now, if they can release a manual action LUDT, life would be good!