Nathan the Machinist
KnifeMaker / Machinist / Evil Genius
Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2007
- Messages
- 15,579
This pre-order is now closed to additional orders. Thank you.
Please post only one time to this thread. [/B] Please do not make multiple posts or chat. This is my order list and it needs to stay simple and uncluttered or it isn't going to work.
I estimate it will take about six months for this pre-order to start to ship and possibly longer. I'm only committing to ship before the end of one year. If you need something faster this might not be for you.
These are some pictures of what it doesn't really look like:
This is a prototype without handle texturing. The production knife will be textured and may have a few minor tweaks
Here is the previous version. These are better pictures but it also won't look like this:
^ The UF2 is fundamentally the same as the original UF. We made some minor tweaks to the handle and guards but it is substantially the same. It handles the same, it weighs the same, it performs the same. It is being re-released for a military customer, this pre-order is a piggy back for you special knuckelheads who didn't get enough UF love the last time. This will not be a standard recurring pattern.
The 6" Utility Fighter was designed as a collaboration with US Army Green Beret Jason Landphair. It is a well made, durable, high performance mid sized utility combat knife optimized to carry light, tolerate rough use well beyond the abilities of "normal" knives, and function properly as a mid size fighting knife in addition to normal cutting chores. In this newest release of this very old pattern it has the Delta 3V heat treat that is optimized for edge stability so it will hold a sharp edge in rough use and the already excellent hand grip is even better. It flips from saber grip to reverse grip the same but there's just a little more hand protection with tweaked guards and thumb ramp and additional jimping.
A side effect of this heat treat is a higher percentage of free chromium, so although it is not stainless, it is nearly so.
The handle is 3D sculpted CNC machined and ergonomically designed for a standard forward, reverse, saber and pinch grips for an average sized hand. Unnecessary weight is removed where possible and the tang is internally skeletonized for a neutral balance. The blade is made of .188" CPM "Delta" 3V. Despite being light (8 oz) and ground relatively thin (.020" before sharpening) it will tolerate rough use in demanding environments. You can baton and pry with it. It will tolerate punching holes in sheetmetal, cutting iron wire and even chopping through cinder block without breaking or developing excessive damage. One of the design requirements when developing this knife was it would be capable of opening a hole in a masonry wall without risk of breaking. You could damage the edge if you set your mind to it, but it has exceptional edge retention and is practically unbreakable. It comes with my rough use warranty: if it ever fails for any reason short of intentionally breaking it I will replace, repair or refund. Broken tips get re-pointed, broken scales are replaced with a material of my choosing.
Specs:
CPM 3V, Delta heat treat, 60-61 HRC, .188" at ricasso
Total length 10.8"
Blade length 6.0"
Edge length 5.6", 20 DPS
Weight 8.0 oz
Extra grippy 3D machined scales
18-8 stainless steel fasteners
The price includes a very nice Mashed Cat Kydex sheath with TekLok.
This is an old video that illustrates the excellent durability of this pattern in CPM 3V:
These are all field grade, machined and ground and stonewashed with visible tool and grind marks.
They are shown with buffed scales (the gloss helps the shape read better in the pictures) but they come unbuffed as standard for a better grip. If you prefer buffed you can request it in your order, there's no charge.
Price is:
$325 in black or natural canvas micarta
^This is the configuration that I recommend. It is a very good value for an excellent mid sized, field grade, tactical fighter that will perform well and never fail you. This is a fantastic knife and very affordable for what it is. We've bumped the price up $20 from two years ago. Half of this is due to my rising costs and half is to cover the cost of grinding after milling to remove most of the tool marks to provide a nicer finish than the OG. Get this configuration for your best bang for the buck. Most of the add-ons below are expensive and most don't really add much function to the knife.
Scales, substitute for basic micarta:
Black Linen micarta $10
Green and Black Linen micarta $15
Red and Black Linen micarta $15
Double Black canvas micarta $10
OD green micarta $10
Double Red canvas micarta (maroon) $20
Burlap micarta $20
OD green or Black G10 $10
Terotuf (grey or bright green or OD green) $20
Edge cut antique Micarta $110
Mystery wood (prolly something really crappy like laminated used popsicle sticks) $150
^double red and burlap are limited in supply and first-come first-served
Optional add-ons available in addition to plain vanilla:
Penetrator tip (bring the shoulders to a point at the tip) $25
Double edge point (the back of the point is sharp and cuts in both directions for about half an inch) $50
Full double edged dagger grind (tweaked blade shape, both sides of the blade are sharp) $150
Acid wash (will show wear with use) $50
Satin grind after tumble (super clean 220 grit, hand ground finish) $125
Acid wash and satin grind the primary $150
AEBL semi stainless steel with optimized heat treat rather than Delta 3V subtract $20
Turn my fasteners individually one at a freaking time on a metal lathe to make them pretty and shiny $15
Use titanium fasteners instead of stainless steel (this serves no purpose at all) $5
Heat darken my titanium fasteners blue $20
Shipping in the USA is $13. Multiples do not accrue additional shipping.
Price includes an excellent kydex sheath.
I'm going to take full payment in advance and hold your money. This is a terrible policy and I don't generally recommend it. But that's how my pre-orders work. I've been around a while, my shop is an incorporated business established in 2001, so I'm probably not going anywhere. I will ship your knife when it's finished. Once your order is confirmed there are no refunds, changes or cancellations. <--- unless we don't meet our promised time schedule, then refunds would be available to those who want them. We're almost always on time or early but we have been substantially late once.
As I'm building these, some of the knives made will go to this pre-order and some will be sold in regular sales. This means you will see knives being sold while you're waiting for your knife. (I don't recommend pre-orders for you if this is going to make you feel sad)
When you place your order, it can sit on the order thread for a day or more before you send your email finalizing your order. In that time frame you can edit your post and change your order. Once you send Jo an email confirming your order it is finalized. Please don't add changes after-the-fact because it is this sort of thing that has made lists unmanageable in the past. The only exception is a change of address if you move.
If you are an over sea customer you need to know that our liability for a shipment ends once it leaves America. If it gets lost or confiscated in your country there is nothing I can do about it, I'm sorry but that risk is on you. So far we have a good track record, but there have been a few close calls. This knife is unambiguously a weapon. Please don't buy it if your local government is going to take it from you.
I plan to leave this up for a week but we will need to take it down early if the numbers get crazy.
Here is the order process:
Post your order on this thread. This thread is my order list. You can edit your post as necessary.
Once you are certain about your order please send an email to Jo at jocarothers (at) gmail (dot) com. The subject line should be: "UF2 Pre-order, post number #X"
Please include the following information in your email:
1: Your post number on this sale thread.
2: Bladeforums name. (for example "Jo the Machinist")
3: Real Name.
4: PayPal email address so we can send a paypal invoice (or ask about other payment options).
5: Shipping address.
6: Your desired configuration and options such as scales, finish and steel.
7: Any questions you may have or special instructions.
Once we have this information we will send you a PayPal invoice.
If, after a while, you don't hear from us and we don't hear from you, something is getting lost in the interwebs or spam filters. So if you haven't confirmed your order and received your invoice after a week or two you should contact Jo at jocarothers at gmail dought com or me at carothersknives at gmail dought com.
Thank you. Jo, Mark, Bo, Fred and I appreciate you.
Sadie doesn't...
Please post only one time to this thread. [/B] Please do not make multiple posts or chat. This is my order list and it needs to stay simple and uncluttered or it isn't going to work.
I estimate it will take about six months for this pre-order to start to ship and possibly longer. I'm only committing to ship before the end of one year. If you need something faster this might not be for you.
These are some pictures of what it doesn't really look like:
This is a prototype without handle texturing. The production knife will be textured and may have a few minor tweaks
Here is the previous version. These are better pictures but it also won't look like this:
^ The UF2 is fundamentally the same as the original UF. We made some minor tweaks to the handle and guards but it is substantially the same. It handles the same, it weighs the same, it performs the same. It is being re-released for a military customer, this pre-order is a piggy back for you special knuckelheads who didn't get enough UF love the last time. This will not be a standard recurring pattern.
The 6" Utility Fighter was designed as a collaboration with US Army Green Beret Jason Landphair. It is a well made, durable, high performance mid sized utility combat knife optimized to carry light, tolerate rough use well beyond the abilities of "normal" knives, and function properly as a mid size fighting knife in addition to normal cutting chores. In this newest release of this very old pattern it has the Delta 3V heat treat that is optimized for edge stability so it will hold a sharp edge in rough use and the already excellent hand grip is even better. It flips from saber grip to reverse grip the same but there's just a little more hand protection with tweaked guards and thumb ramp and additional jimping.
A side effect of this heat treat is a higher percentage of free chromium, so although it is not stainless, it is nearly so.
The handle is 3D sculpted CNC machined and ergonomically designed for a standard forward, reverse, saber and pinch grips for an average sized hand. Unnecessary weight is removed where possible and the tang is internally skeletonized for a neutral balance. The blade is made of .188" CPM "Delta" 3V. Despite being light (8 oz) and ground relatively thin (.020" before sharpening) it will tolerate rough use in demanding environments. You can baton and pry with it. It will tolerate punching holes in sheetmetal, cutting iron wire and even chopping through cinder block without breaking or developing excessive damage. One of the design requirements when developing this knife was it would be capable of opening a hole in a masonry wall without risk of breaking. You could damage the edge if you set your mind to it, but it has exceptional edge retention and is practically unbreakable. It comes with my rough use warranty: if it ever fails for any reason short of intentionally breaking it I will replace, repair or refund. Broken tips get re-pointed, broken scales are replaced with a material of my choosing.
Specs:
CPM 3V, Delta heat treat, 60-61 HRC, .188" at ricasso
Total length 10.8"
Blade length 6.0"
Edge length 5.6", 20 DPS
Weight 8.0 oz
Extra grippy 3D machined scales
18-8 stainless steel fasteners
The price includes a very nice Mashed Cat Kydex sheath with TekLok.
This is an old video that illustrates the excellent durability of this pattern in CPM 3V:
These are all field grade, machined and ground and stonewashed with visible tool and grind marks.
They are shown with buffed scales (the gloss helps the shape read better in the pictures) but they come unbuffed as standard for a better grip. If you prefer buffed you can request it in your order, there's no charge.
Price is:
$325 in black or natural canvas micarta
^This is the configuration that I recommend. It is a very good value for an excellent mid sized, field grade, tactical fighter that will perform well and never fail you. This is a fantastic knife and very affordable for what it is. We've bumped the price up $20 from two years ago. Half of this is due to my rising costs and half is to cover the cost of grinding after milling to remove most of the tool marks to provide a nicer finish than the OG. Get this configuration for your best bang for the buck. Most of the add-ons below are expensive and most don't really add much function to the knife.
Scales, substitute for basic micarta:
Black Linen micarta $10
Green and Black Linen micarta $15
Red and Black Linen micarta $15
Double Black canvas micarta $10
OD green micarta $10
Double Red canvas micarta (maroon) $20
Burlap micarta $20
OD green or Black G10 $10
Terotuf (grey or bright green or OD green) $20
Edge cut antique Micarta $110
Mystery wood (prolly something really crappy like laminated used popsicle sticks) $150
^double red and burlap are limited in supply and first-come first-served
Optional add-ons available in addition to plain vanilla:
Penetrator tip (bring the shoulders to a point at the tip) $25
Double edge point (the back of the point is sharp and cuts in both directions for about half an inch) $50
Full double edged dagger grind (tweaked blade shape, both sides of the blade are sharp) $150
Acid wash (will show wear with use) $50
Satin grind after tumble (super clean 220 grit, hand ground finish) $125
Acid wash and satin grind the primary $150
AEBL semi stainless steel with optimized heat treat rather than Delta 3V subtract $20
Turn my fasteners individually one at a freaking time on a metal lathe to make them pretty and shiny $15
Use titanium fasteners instead of stainless steel (this serves no purpose at all) $5
Heat darken my titanium fasteners blue $20
Shipping in the USA is $13. Multiples do not accrue additional shipping.
Price includes an excellent kydex sheath.
I'm going to take full payment in advance and hold your money. This is a terrible policy and I don't generally recommend it. But that's how my pre-orders work. I've been around a while, my shop is an incorporated business established in 2001, so I'm probably not going anywhere. I will ship your knife when it's finished. Once your order is confirmed there are no refunds, changes or cancellations. <--- unless we don't meet our promised time schedule, then refunds would be available to those who want them. We're almost always on time or early but we have been substantially late once.
As I'm building these, some of the knives made will go to this pre-order and some will be sold in regular sales. This means you will see knives being sold while you're waiting for your knife. (I don't recommend pre-orders for you if this is going to make you feel sad)
When you place your order, it can sit on the order thread for a day or more before you send your email finalizing your order. In that time frame you can edit your post and change your order. Once you send Jo an email confirming your order it is finalized. Please don't add changes after-the-fact because it is this sort of thing that has made lists unmanageable in the past. The only exception is a change of address if you move.
If you are an over sea customer you need to know that our liability for a shipment ends once it leaves America. If it gets lost or confiscated in your country there is nothing I can do about it, I'm sorry but that risk is on you. So far we have a good track record, but there have been a few close calls. This knife is unambiguously a weapon. Please don't buy it if your local government is going to take it from you.
I plan to leave this up for a week but we will need to take it down early if the numbers get crazy.
Here is the order process:
Post your order on this thread. This thread is my order list. You can edit your post as necessary.
Once you are certain about your order please send an email to Jo at jocarothers (at) gmail (dot) com. The subject line should be: "UF2 Pre-order, post number #X"
Please include the following information in your email:
1: Your post number on this sale thread.
2: Bladeforums name. (for example "Jo the Machinist")
3: Real Name.
4: PayPal email address so we can send a paypal invoice (or ask about other payment options).
5: Shipping address.
6: Your desired configuration and options such as scales, finish and steel.
7: Any questions you may have or special instructions.
Once we have this information we will send you a PayPal invoice.
If, after a while, you don't hear from us and we don't hear from you, something is getting lost in the interwebs or spam filters. So if you haven't confirmed your order and received your invoice after a week or two you should contact Jo at jocarothers at gmail dought com or me at carothersknives at gmail dought com.
Thank you. Jo, Mark, Bo, Fred and I appreciate you.
Sadie doesn't...
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