MTECH USA MT-096 Fixed Blade Knife 14-Inch Overall,Black, Small

THIS BLADE IS COVERED IN BLACK BAKE-LITE WITH A STICK TANG EXTENDING THROUGH A GUARD AND ALMOST ALL OF THE HANDLE, LIKE AN ONTARIO SPEC PLUS (SP) SERIES KNIFE. THE THREE BIG DIFFERENCES FROM AN ONTARIO SP ARE THE LENGTH -- THE MTECH IS LONGER -- THE STEEL -- ONTARIO USES HIGH CARBON WHILE MTECH USES 440 STAINLESS -- AND THE PLACE OF PRODUCTION -- ONTARIO ARE U.S.A. MADE WHILE MTECH ARE MADE IN CHINA. SINCE THE BLACK BAKE-LITE COATING RUBS OFF WITH USE, THE MTECH IS GOING TO BE MORE RUST RESISTANT THAN THE ONTARIO. AS A TACTICAL KNIFE THE MTECH HAS A LONGER BLADE THAN MANY OF THE ONTARIOS. SURE IN THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE WORLDS I WOULD GO FOR AN ONTARIO BUT THE MTECH IS A CONTENDER, ESPECIALLY FOR THE PRICE.HOW TO PURCHASE AN MTECH:(1) MAKE SURE TO GET THE RIGHT QUALITY MTECH FOR YOUR NEEDS. THERE IS "MTECH USA" AND "MTECH USA XTREME." MTECH USA LIKE THIS MODEL USUALLY IS MADE FROM 440 STEEL (PROBABLY 440A) WITH A THINNER BLADE, LOWER WEIGHT, AND COSTS LESS. MTECH USA XTREME IS USUALLY MADE FROM 440C STEEL WITH A THICKER BLADE AND COSTS MORE (STILL PRETTY INEXPENSIVE THOUGH). THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO USUALLY COMES DOWN TO 440 VS. 440C STEEL, STEEL THICKNESS AND WEIGHT.(2) MAKE SURE YOU GET A NEW MTECH. YOU CAN TELL BECAUSE MTECH ALWAYS TAPES ITS BOXES CLOSED AND WRAPS THE BOX CONTENTS IN PLASTIC. SO CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU GET A NEW, UNOPENED BOX WITH THE CONTENTS PROPERLY WRAPPED -- OTHERWISE IT HAS BEEN OPENED AND IS NOT NEW.(3) INSPECT EVERYTHING CAREFULLY. IN THE PAST SOME MODELS (THE MT-151) HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH BENT BLADES. NOT SURE WHY. ANYWAY, INSPECT IT TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS STRAIGHT.(4) SECURE ANY SCALE SCREWS WITH LOCTITE. THIS MODEL HAS A VERY SECURE HANDLE WITH NO SCREWS, BUT OTHER MODELS HAVE SCREWS THAT SEEM TO LOOSEN WITH HEAVY USE. LOCTITE RED SOLVES THAT PROBLEM.(5) LIGHTLY SHARPEN AS NEEDED. THESE DO NOT SEEM TO REQUIRE ANY LENGTHY SHARPENING TO GET AN EXTREMELY SHARP EDGE.(6) CONSIDER WHETHER YOU NEED A BETTER SHEATH. MTECH SHEATHS ARE BASIC AND FUNCTIONAL, USUALLY NYLON REINFORCED WITH PLASTIC AND A LOOP FASTENED BY SNAP OR VELCRO TO KEEP THE KNIFE FROM FALLING OUT. BUT FOR SOME PURPOSES YOU WILL WANT A MORE ADVANCED SHEATH GIVING YOU BETTER OPTIONS.(7) ENJOY! YOU WILL PROBABLY FIND THAT YOU HAVE A GREAT KNIFE AT A LOW PRICE.

What's not to like about this knife? It's cheaper than dirt, and for the money it's fantastic quality. It is, of course, made in China, but where else are you going to get a hand-ground Bowie knife made so cheap you can sell it for fourteen bucks? I own several MTech knives, including the folder I carry and use every day in my work, and every single one of them is of a quality that far surpasses the price. The 440 stainless isn't the latest greatest whizbang high-tech steel, but it's more than good enough for most purposes.It seems like every time someone reviews a cheap knife like this some armchair patriot always has to reply with the standard belly-ache about it being made in China. Well, I have news for you, practically every single one of the big knife makers are having many or most of their knives made there, whether they advertise the fact or not. Even Cold Steel has many Chinese-ground blades in their inventory. Funny enough, I saw an amateur knife test on You Tube where a couple of guys tested-to-destruction one of these MTech bowies against a Cold Steel blade that was also probably made in China. The test was hammering the blades through lengths of oak from a felled tree. The Cold Steel blade broke after splitting only three or four feet of oak, but this MTech bowie split all the oak they had on hand and was still intact, if a little beat up and ugly. Nope, for the price, you simply aren't going to get a better blade than this one.MTech makes two large Bowies: this one, and another that's essentially a clone of the Cold Steel Trailmaster. I've owned a Trailmaster and it was without doubt the best knife I've ever owned, but the one thing I didn't like about it was the narrow handle on the thing. The reason I chose this blade over the Trailmaster clone is because of the big meaty handle. Now that I actually have the knife, I have to tell you the grip feels great. It's just soft enough to cushion the hand while chopping, but not so soft it feels like gripping a marshmallow. My only concern is the durability of the handle. I have no reason to think that it will not last, but I guess because I like it so much I'm afraid it will fall apart or split or something. And if it does, so what? I'll put some Micarta grip scales on the blade, and then buy another so I can have one with the great rubber handle. I mean, fourteen bucks? I can lose the knife, have it stolen, drop it in the ocean, use it as a prybar (or do something equally stupid) and break it, and who cares? I can just buy another.I love my Bokers, I love my Benchmades, and my Spydercos and many other quality knives. But the ones I actually carry and use, or leave in the car or tool box or wherever, are pretty much all MTech knives of one kind or another. Cheap enough to be disposable, if necessary, well made, and a design to suit every purpose. Buy one and see for yourself. It won't cost much, I promise.

This knife is awesome for the money. The sheath is not as good. The tang on the knife is almost to the end of the grip (see X-ray). I have good size hands (XL gloves and sausage fingers) and the finger grooves on most knives are too small for me, but this one feels great in my hand. The edge is decent, the steel, balance, and the design are great. The tag was falling off the sheath, so I cut it off the rest of the way. The knife also cut through the stitching holding the sheath halves together (see photo). All that said, this is my new camping knife, I will not hesitate to abuse it splitting kindling or chopping limbs or stabbing bears. I will figure out a way to reinforce the sheath.

This knife is really nice quality. But the sheath at the bottom cut through the liner and now a small portion of the knife sticks out when moving. Not really safe for hiking situations (falling down tripping) could possibly stick yourself if you trip fall on the sheath. Great knife. So so on the sheath or knife holder.

this blade is perfect for any survivalist on a tight budget . it's big , heavy , covered in rhino liner , has a nice big rubberized handle . all in all it feels good and is made to take a beating . you'll have to sharpen it but it's worth it , I love this knife and it has become my go too blade .