Microtech Socom Bravo?

marrenmiller said:
Lighter, cheaper, slightly thinner and more acute blade grinds on the S/E, fewer hotspots, a better clip (subjective but I'll die on this hill), and the action on any of the Elites I've ever had was nicer than the Bravo, especially considering actuating the lock bar.
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I bought a couple of these Bravos prior to realizing that thay were made in China. I have owned Elites since they first came out. I like each one of them, and even though I would not normally buy a Chinese made product, I am going to call this one like I see it.

Lighter - The Elite is 15grams lighter with the frame made of Aluminum - the Bravo has a frame made of Titanium and Carbon Fiber - you pick.

Cheaper - this is not always true - direct from Microtech or a dealer the bravo is about 25 to 50 dollars more, but the bravo has been easier to get at this price and as soon as the elites go on sale they are bought up and then go to the secondary market at much higher prices. So more often you can get a Bravo for about $100 less.

Slightly thinner - the Elite is approximately 0.10" thinner

More accurate blade grinds - I was the plant engineer at three steel production related CNC machine shops with an engineering degree in manufacturing. I think the quality of machining on each of these knives is equal with a bit of an edge going to the Bravo for a more complex blade shape.

More hot spots - ?? I think this is a matter of opinion and hand size. They both feel very good in the hand.

Better clip - bent and stamped out Titanium sheet metal on the Elite vs. billet machined Titanium on the Bravo; You make the call.

Action - I have owned at least 5 Elites over the years and used the crap out of a couple of them - The action on the Bravo is better by a wide margin.

Lock bar - flat machined or stamped out Ti on the Elite vs. machined Ti bar integral to the frame with a bolt on replaceable insert.

Blade steel - all of the knives' blades I have are made of M390 and I think all of the Bravos are M390 where the Elites are made of various premium steels

As much as I would like to say the Elite is a much better knife at a better price I can't because I think it is not as nice of a knife as the Bravo and the price difference is small. Considering the country of origin I would be more inclined to buy the Elite made in the USA. YMMV.

These are mine, i don't carry any of them at this time but I might in the future.
SOCOM E's and B's.jpg
My younger Son owns this one now.
1999SocomC-X4.jpg
 
Reswob said:
The Socom Elite (NOT Bravo) is on my "want" list, partially because it's one of few knives that has the correct clip position! Unfortunately I've given up looking after over a year of not being able to find one in stock...
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Yeah, me too. Sucks! Wish MT would get busy and make some. Maybe we should start a petition? (Only half joking)
 
Wolverine666 said:
Nice. I figured it was M390 , 204P or 20CV. I just thought it was odd that it wasn’t specified in the description on BHQ.
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My guess on this is due to Microtech rotating steels on their models. Probably easier to just say "premium" rather than have to catch the listing and edit it when the new batches roll out with a different steel.

The Bravo is high on my want list. The next time I see one casually in the wild and have a few bills in my pocket, I'll snag one.
 
The Aflac Duck said:
Suit yourself. Plenty have came and went for MSRP on both places I mentioned.
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I can not track what went these Socom Elite knives sold for on the Blade Forum but that is not true for AZCK (if that is the site you are talking about and they have relocated to Florida). The lowest price thay have sold a manual action Socom Elite for since July is $395 which is about $106 over the retail at regular dealers and direct from Microtech. It is easy to look what they sold for on AZCK, and some sold as high as $800 (fully serrated blade), with most going for about $500. I bought one from them not long ago for $400 but sent it back for a refund because it had blade play.
Last summer they sold online at regular dealers with a retail of $289.
 
vjb.knife said:
Slightly thinner - the Elite is approximately 0.10" thinner

More accurate blade grinds - I was the plant engineer at three steel production related CNC machine shops with an engineering degree in manufacturing. I think the quality of machining on each of these knives is equal with a bit of an edge going to the Bravo for a more complex blade shape.
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I think you might have slightly misunderstood what I wrote here. The blade grind on the Elite is slightly thinner (as in behind the edge), and it is more "acute" (primary grind angle is lower), not more accurate. Not having the Bravo in hand anymore, I can't speak as to the handle thickness differences between the two.

I won't contest that many will feel the Bravo is a better value, and I picked one up to bling it out with some crazy anodizing, but I've had about 10 different Socom Elites and Deltas and for me the Bravo clearly lags behind them.

Edit: some other minor notes on your analysis: The elite has a steel clip, not titanium, and the liner lock is titanium with a steel insert in it.
 
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vjb.knife said:
I can not track what went these Socom Elite knives sold for on the Blade Forum but that is not true for AZCK (if that is the site you are talking about and they have relocated to Florida). The lowest price thay have sold a manual action Socom Elite for since July is $395 which is about $106 over the retail at regular dealers and direct from Microtech. It is easy to look what they sold for on AZCK, and some sold as high as $800 (fully serrated blade), with most going for about $500. I bought one from them not long ago for $400 but sent it back for a refund because it had blade play.
Last summer they sold online at regular dealers with a retail of $289.
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You should be able to find Elites on BladeForums as well as on reddit. I just picked one up for the street price on /r/knife_swap.
 
marrenmiller said:
I think you might have slightly misunderstood what I wrote here. The blade grind on the Elite is slightly thinner (as in behind the edge), and it is more "acute" (primary grind angle is lower), not more accurate. Not having the Bravo in hand anymore, I can't speak as to the handle thickness differences between the two.

I won't contest that many will feel the Bravo is a better value, and I picked one up to bling it out with some crazy anodizing, but I've had about 10 different Socom Elites and Deltas and for me the Bravo clearly lags behind them.

Edit: some other minor notes on your analysis: The elite has a steel clip, not titanium, and the liner lock is titanium with a steel insert in it.
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OK, I went back and looked more closely and I admit to being wrong. I see what you are talking about on the grind, I misread your statement. And you are correct about the lockbar on the Elite; although I think it is steel and it has an insert which I never noticed before in all the years I have owned them. I gave my Son my original one from 2009 manufacture and he still has it. It is a little rough around the edges but very functional, and he is very tough on gear.

As much as I hate to say it though, I still feel that the Bravo is a better knife. I like the handle design, it feels better to me. I think that the way the frame is made is stronger and better looking and the blade has more detail to it. and out of the ones I own it is much smoother to operate by far. I still love the Elite and will probably always own one. I wish Microtech had not farmed out the production of the Bravo to China, but I think Rike did a very nice job on them. I would pay more for them if they were made in the USA, but I think Microtech is in sad need of an expansion of their manufacturing capabilities.
 
Brummie said:
I didn't think MT had made any for years.

They do currently come in authorized and unauthorized Chinese formats. In the latter, you get a wider choice of steel 👍👍:eek:
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Yeah I don’t think they’ve made them in the US for quite some time. Either way, the Anax is not for me so I haven’t really paid attention to them.
 
vjb.knife said:
OK, I went back and looked more closely and I admit to being wrong. I see what you are talking about on the grind, I misread your statement. And you are correct about the lockbar on the Elite; although I think it is steel and it has an insert which I never noticed before in all the years I have owned them. I gave my Son my original one from 2009 manufacture and he still has it. It is a little rough around the edges but very functional, and he is very tough on gear.

As much as I hate to say it though, I still feel that the Bravo is a better knife. I like the handle design, it feels better to me. I think that the way the frame is made is stronger and better looking and the blade has more detail to it. and out of the ones I own it is much smoother to operate by far. I still love the Elite and will probably always own one. I wish Microtech had not farmed out the production of the Bravo to China, but I think Rike did a very nice job on them. I would pay more for them if they were made in the USA, but I think Microtech is in sad need of an expansion of their manufacturing capabilities.
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I think they farmed the Bravo to China, because otherwise it would be a $600 (or possibly a lot more) knife if made here. It has multiple upgrades over a base SOCOM, after all.
 
Wolverine666 said:
Nice. I figured it was M390 , 204P or 20CV. I just thought it was odd that it wasn’t specified in the description on BHQ.
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One of the big dealers (I forget which) used to have a note in their listing about MT switching up the steel frequently and without warning. I don't think the steel was listed when I bought mine, and what showed up was M390.
 
Dadpool said:
One of the big dealers (I forget which) used to have a note in their listing about MT switching up the steel frequently and without warning. I don't think the steel was listed when I bought mine, and what showed up was M390.
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I vaguely remember that now that you mention it. The Bravo is too nice to pass up. I have a couple others that I want “more urgently” but the Bravo has made the list.
 
Quiet said:
I think they farmed the Bravo to China, because otherwise it would be a $600 (or possibly a lot more) knife if made here. It has multiple upgrades over a base SOCOM, after all.
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The upgrades on the Bravo are something you’d see on a Marfione Custom, which made here would be at least $2,000. I think the primary reason these were sent to China was to bring something which is normally reserved for the custom line into the price point for people unable to spend thousands.

The Marfione Custom line is also a team of only like 2 or 3 guys I’ve been told, so they can also put out way more volume sending this to China. It’s primarily a quick cash grab that isn’t costing Microtech the price of US labor.
 
Quiet said:
I think they farmed the Bravo to China, because otherwise it would be a $600 (or possibly a lot more) knife if made here. It has multiple upgrades over a base SOCOM, after all.
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I would pay $600 for a us made bravo if it were the same or better than the China made models. I don't buy aftermarket Chinese made car parts if possible either.
palonej said:
Just ordered one yesterday from Knifecenter.
Part serrated clip point.
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You got lucky because they are not on there today. Nice catch.
 
vjb.knife said:
I would pay $600 for a us made bravo if it were the same or better than the China made models. I don't buy aftermarket Chinese made car parts if possible either.

You got lucky because they are not on there today. Nice catch.
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Not thrilled with the part serrated, but have wanted one for a while.
 
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