Recommendation? Microtech socom elite manual

Therom

Therom

Joined
Nov 13, 2013
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2,569
Hello
I start to be interested in the socom elite manual
I would use it in construction work and around the house ... it would be use and simetime abuse
The construction of the knife seems to be done for this kind of tasks
However I am not sure for the bearings

What is your return on experience on this knife?
 
Personally, as a Microtech owner, I don’t find them stout enough for heavy work. They’re great sharp cutting tools, but to thin bladed for prying, scraping etc.
But that’s just my opinion offcourse, i’d rather take a Emerson or a Spydie.
 
I have an old SOCOM from 1/99 and two actual SOCOM Elite (11/2018 and 01/2019). All three are excellent build and sturdy. No vertical or horizontal blade play, no lock fail when moderate spine whacking them. But I personally would not use them for construction, kitchen or some kind sandy work. Why? Because the old one (runs on washers) is a grail for me and - regarding the newer ones - I do not want the ball bearings to get gunky. For such tasks I would recommend something with an simple and easy to maintain construction.
 
Lots of bad information here.

Socoms use 50% thicker blade stock than what you see on Emersons (3/16" vs. 1/8") and are very different from Microtech's OTFs, so I'm not sure where that comparison came from. In terms of rough back of the envelope calcs, a 3/16" bar will have a moment of area 2.25 times greater than that of a 1/8" bar, not accounting for differences in blade geometry/steel/heat treat/pivot assembly/frame/etc. Essentially, the Socom should have a stronger blade unless Microtech really messes something up.

The handles aren't cracking. They already covered this: on some of their knives, that faint line is present due to the production processes used to make them. I have a couple 2018 models with those barely visible lines and they don't affect anything in any way, nor are they noticeable unless you're searching for them.

The bearings hold up fine to dirt. I've filled one of mine completely full with fine sand twice (carrying leaking sandbags which poured directly into the knife in my pocket) and it still works like normal. Now, it didn't want to open easily because sand was actually jammed between the blade and the frame, but that's something that can happen to any folder regardless of pivot system. Rinsed it out and worked the action and it was good to go. The old models, up through 2011, ran directly on the aluminum frame, not on washers, and had possibly a more durable design, but the new ones are still good to go and have the benefit of deploying significantly easier.

If you like the knife, go for it. It's a great folder, albeit with sort of ridiculous blade stock thickness.
 
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I've got one from April 2018. Love it. Smoothest action of any knife I have. I have carried and used it quite a bit. I work in a fairly dusty/dirty environment and have never taken it apart to clean it. Dish soap and water, dry it out and oil the pivot. With .190" thick blade stock it is pretty stout, though ground thin enough to be a good cutter. Overall not sure how you could get a much stronger liner lock. If I wanted something stronger I'd go for a nice back lock or triad lock knife. Or fixed blade or utility knife depending on the task at hand. When people say construction I think cutting drywall and shingles, opening bags of sand and quikrete. Though I have cut drywall with a nice folder in a pinch when I didn't have a utility knife on me, those kinds of things will just eat a knife up and to me it's a waste to use a $275 one on it. Utility blades are cheaper and do a better job anyway.
 
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I wouldn’t recommend a microtech socom elite for your purposes. I own one and wouldn’t trust them to pry or use for any super hard use.

They also run on ceramic balls which is another issue because if not well maintained and cleaned whenever gunk and dirt gets in the pivot area the balls will get “pitted” and stop running smoothly, giving you a grainy feeling action like you have sand stuck inside. These can corrode if not cleaned out well and ultimately ruin the action on the blade and eventually will not work at all - rendering your blade useless - I have seen this happen first hand, which is why I chose to not carry a socom anymore.

On top of this the 2018 socom elites have been known to have a cosmetic issue on the handle due to anodizing which at a $300 price level is a bit of a let down in my opinion. It is however a beautiful knife and smooth as butter action, if well maintained it is a very capable knife.

I have 2 options for your needs listed below: 1 folder and 1 fixed.

If you are looking for a hard use FOLDER that doesn’t need a ton of maintenance that you can pry and throw abuse towards without having to worry a whole lot I’d suggest a strider SMF. They are tanks of knives and still capable cutters/slicers... obviously these are still knives first and foremost and you shouldn’t do anything plain stupid to one with enough abuse any knife will buckle and that’s just because a knife is made for cutting firstly, some will hold up to abuse better than others, such as this option would. I had an SMF that I only just took apart for a really good cleaning after many years of use - up until then I never took it apart, maybe once or twice a year I’d put a drop of oil on the pivot area.

I’d honestly suggest a Strider DB for you though, it’s a fixed blade but short and compact and the blade stock is thicker than most. You can dig/pry/scrape/hang off this thing without really having to worry about breaking it. — this was actually created with the purpose of withstanding things that you aren’t normally supposed to do with a knife, such as prying. You also won’t have to maintain anything on this knife besides it’s edge since it’s a fixed blade and has no pivot, a light strop or sharpening for touch ups every other week or once a month depending on your level of use should be all it needs to keep you rolling at work! Only caveat with this option is that it won’t be the sliciest knife in the world, but your giving up some slicing capability for its durability ... and the DB is surely a tank of a blade!

Take care and let us know what you decide to go with in the end... there are a ton of great knives out there!
 
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If this helps any:
I have A SOCOM Elite AUTO and I love everything about the way it performs as far as cutting, feel in hand etc.
It fires very hard and continues to fire hard when full of dirt, wood shavings, and fiberglass.
It seems to be everything an Auto enthusiast would want.
However, the hard firing action coupled with the large blade gets old after a while giving the blade a 7/10 because I love the knife,
the Auto action is smooth and fires hard but gets old, manual opening has come far enough along IMO that it's just as fast without the springy thunk of recoil you get from auto action
Also, whoever borrows your SOCOM Elite Auto will almost certainly drop your knife if they don't know what to expect from a quality automatic
3 co-workers and a girlfriend all sent my SOCOM Elite flying the first time they opened it

In other words, I'd carry the knife a lot more if I had bought the manual version but the Auto version was too fun to pass up and it IS fun
Auto=fun for those that like autos
Manual= practical and comfortable for everyone else
great knife either way, if you're okay with the risks of abusing a folding knife that costs that much I bet it would hold up fine
 
onionfan said:
When people say construction I think cutting drywall and shingles, opening bags of sand and quikrete. Though I have cut drywall with a nice folder in a pinch when I didn't have a utility knife on me, those kinds of things will just eat a knife up and to me it's a waste to use a $275 one on it. Utility blades are cheaper and do a better job anyway.
Click to expand...

Yup, +1 to this. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

I love my Socom Elite, but if I was going to get down and dirty I'd pick a different knife. If using it like you described brings you joy, though, I doubt you'll be unhappy with the knife.

The Benchmade Adamas has already been recommended, and that's my go-to choice for chores. I used mine as a hammer the other day; I've used it as a screwdriver in the past. For good and ill, it's a brick. :D

For less money than either of those, I like O onionfan 's Tri-Ad lock recommendation. You can't go too far wrong with any beefy Cold Steel knife, but I'd pick either the Ultimate Hunter or the Recon 1 depending on local laws; both should be right around $100, about a third of the Socom's price.

Of the three manufacturers I've mentioned, BM and MT both forbid disassembly (I've heard, purely anecdotally, that this is loosely enforced by BM); Cold Steel does not. For cleaning your knife, that's a nice plus. Tri-Ad disassembly can be a touch fussy the first time, but pretty much cake after that.

Lastly, how are there no pics so far?! ;):D

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marrenmiller said:
The handles aren't cracking. They already covered this: on some of their knives, that faint line is present due to the anodizing. I have a couple 2018 models with those barely visible lines and they don't affect anything in any way, nor are they noticeable unless you're searching for them.
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It has nothing to do with anodizing. Microtech have admitted it is part of the machining.

If it were an anodizing artifact, the $1675 Marfione Custom with carbon fibre handles wouldn't have them. Granted, it's very hard to see at the lock bar bulge, but easy to spot at the bulge near the pivot:

MICRO-5660__23544.1571848342.jpg

https://www.dlttrading.com/marfione...andle-blue-titanium-hardware-satin-blade-1023
 
017 said:
It has nothing to do with anodizing. Microtech have admitted it is part of the machining.

If it were an anodizing artifact, the $1675 Marfione Custom with carbon fibre handles wouldn't have them. Granted, it's very hard to see at the lock bar bulge, but easy to spot at the bulge near the pivot:

MICRO-5660__23544.1571848342.jpg

https://www.dlttrading.com/marfione...andle-blue-titanium-hardware-satin-blade-1023
Click to expand...
You are correct, those are just machining marks.

In any case it makes no difference, as they're not cracks and won't cause problems.
 
Dadpool said:
Yup, +1 to this. :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

I love my Socom Elite, but if I was going to get down and dirty I'd pick a different knife. If using it like you described brings you joy, though, I doubt you'll be unhappy with the knife.

The Benchmade Adamas has already been recommended, and that's my go-to choice for chores. I used mine as a hammer the other day; I've used it as a screwdriver in the past. For good and ill, it's a brick. :D

For less money than either of those, I like O onionfan 's Tri-Ad lock recommendation. You can't go too far wrong with any beefy Cold Steel knife, but I'd pick either the Ultimate Hunter or the Recon 1 depending on local laws; both should be right around $100, about a third of the Socom's price.

Of the three manufacturers I've mentioned, BM and MT both forbid disassembly (I've heard, purely anecdotally, that this is loosely enforced by BM); Cold Steel does not. For cleaning your knife, that's a nice plus. Tri-Ad disassembly can be a touch fussy the first time, but pretty much cake after that.

Lastly, how are there no pics so far?! ;):D
Click to expand...
I've sent previously disassembled knives to BM, Microtech, and CS, and none of them said anything about it. If you check their sites, all three companies state that disassembly voids warranty, but in practice it's not enforced at all. Here's CS's warranty statement on disassembly, straight from their site:

"This warranty does not cover normal wear and tear, damage caused by misuse, lack of normal maintenance, or disassembly."

That being said, I agree with you that CS is a better choice than a Socom for the role OP is asking about.
 
marrenmiller said:
I've sent previously disassembled knives to BM, Microtech, and CS, and none of them said anything about it. If you check their sites, all three companies state that disassembly voids warranty, but in practice it's not enforced at all. Here's CS's warranty statement on disassembly, straight from their site:

"This warranty does not cover normal wear and tear, damage caused by misuse, lack of normal maintenance, or disassembly."
Click to expand...

Thanks for the update on CS (I had no idea!) and on your experience with all three. That's good to know, as I've disassembled some of my CS knives and will likely disassemble some of my BM and MT knives in the future. ;)
 
(No idea why this triple-posted, sorry!)
 
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(Still no idea why this triple-posted, sorry again!)
 
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Wow, can't unsee those lines now, I'm seeing them on every single manual one with the lock bar hump.
 
This thread made my decision not to purchase microtech socom elite. Thank you
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???Why???
A SOCOM Elite is a wonderful knife.
I bought mine 20 years ago and love it today as much as ever.

There's nothing wrong with NOT beating on a $300 knife & using it for - - just cutting stuff.
If I want or need a pry bar, I can pick one up for a whole lot cheaper than a $300 knife.
 
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