@@SexualAssaultRifle It's all a legal gray area when it comes to these sub 2-inch OTFs in Cali. There's a knife shop I've heard about in Los Angeles that sells the Cali "legal" Microtechs right on the shop floor, so they have to be legal to some extent. Otherwise, California "law" makers would be more than happy to clamp down on the sale of knives and guns that they say are illegal. There is no law in California, at least that I can find, that explicitly states these stubby versions of the full sized OTFs are illegal since the current law only mentions knives being classified as a "switchblade" when the cutting edge is 2 inches or longer. It makes no mention of a length shorted that 2 inches. Ergo, when under two inches, it is not a switchblade even though it functions exactly the same as a full sized OTF. In other words, these stubby OTFs are essential "unclassified" knives so it falls into a gray area. I've heard it argued that since it is not classified as a switchblade, it falls back to the next closest classification, which is a regular folding knife. As for considered concealed carry, I'm not sure. Cali law states we can legally carry folding knives "concealed" as long as it stays folded in the pocket. The moment you carry a folding knife in the open position and "conceal" it, this is illegal and you'd have to open carry in a sheath like a fixed blade. As if anyone would do that. Lol These laws are so nonsensical. And for that reason, I have 4 of them, and I have a fifth coming in the mail as of this writing. Lol
hey um.. switchblades that are under 2 inches are supposed to be open carried or conceal carried? thanks (you seem to know a lot about laws, and im open to learning) @@P.W.R.
sorry let me rephrase that (i read your WHOLE comment) would you advise i open carry? or conceal carry? and i agree with you. cali knife laws are so riduculous. (You could carry a manual folding machete, but not a certain type of knife?)@@P.W.R.
Depending on the thickness of the glass, you don't have to hold the knife in a hammer grip in order to use the glass breaker. You can pinch the other end of it with your index, thumb, and middle finger and tap the glass hard which gives you more room between your hand and the glass.
That carbide ball on the end is insanely effective, even thick glass you don’t have to use too much force, broke an old windshield out with mine yesterday
I think the thing that really got me about this was the tapered body. I didn’t realize how much I’d appreciate that design element across the Troodon line. I dislike that she won’t sit up properly, I’m always fighting with mine when lined up next to other blades. I totally agree with you about the price but as you said, if you want to carry an OTF in a strict locality it is a mini Microtech Troodon. Unfortunately that is the price of admission with a lot of Microtechs. Call me completely crazy but I had to pull the trigger despite the price tag. I’d put this in a similar realm of luxury goods as with the Scout Leather goods bit driver. You buy it if you want it, not because you need it.
Part of the reason they use proprietary screws is because it makes it insanely difficult to properly clone them since they’re more expensive to machine
I have one on its way! Going to be my new Monday box cutter! It's always fun opening dollar tree boxes with a knife worth more that my employees weekly paycheck!
My wife wants this for her purse. Lol Im inclined to try to find one for her. One: it gets her more into expensive cool knives, and two: it gives me leverage for more expensive cool knives 😊 (not that I necessarily need it. SHE surprised me with a Recon 040 the other day. Out of the blue. The exact model I wanted too.
In CA and ... my hands are just way too big to even safely use this guy. Great review but I'll take my chances with its full-size sibling if I choose to carry.
I just won a large amount of money from the lottery. I will be purchasing one of these, among many other knives after I get the check. I can't stand living in California, but I do like this little blade.
I want a Microtech but don’t know which one to get. It’s a lot of money to blindly spend without getting hands on first. Being a Star Wars fan I’d really like the Bounty Hunter but I’m trying to get past the idea that I’m ever gonna see one in stock that isn’t the $700+ model. The only OTF I have is the Boker Kalashnikov and my wife has a smaller Cobratec OTF (we have a local dealer that stocks them). Any thoughts? I don’t know what to expect differently from them for what amounts to considerably more money, but I want one to find out.
@@SuperSteelSteve I’ve owned Microtech, Guardian Tactical, Heretic. H&K is comparable in construction. These are OTF’s, no OTF is a genuinely hard use knife because of the inherent design of OTF’s. A $300 Microtech will not be a better actual tool than a $125 H&K (Hogue.)
I'm using after pay from dlt for a combat troodon. Its great and the button is hard to use but it gets easier the more you use it. Love microtech. My dream knife is halo wished I could find one.
For one of your Knife Guys videos you should just use one of your voices and argue with yourself about different knives, LOL. I just about spit out a mouthfull of Redbull when you brought up the lack of blade play in the Deadlock with that voice.
I'd be curious to see how this would compare to the Boker USB. With the Boker being 1/5 the price (and blade hq has the country of origin listed as the U.S. for the Biker (don't know who makes it though)).
You misunderstood what I was saying. I dont understand how this knife could be any more complicated or expensive to make than their utx series or ultratech series. If you think there's some intensive manufacturing element that ultimately makes this knife cost more than those models, please feel free to explain.
@@metal_complex - it'll be because they're making far fewer of them for a niche market. The difference in raw material cost between this and a larger model will be negligible, it's the time taken to set up a production line to manufacture the product. They have to spend the same amount of total time *setting up* the line for a production run, but that cost is divided between fewer saleable items because they simply won't be making as many before they have enough stock of them & need to switch the line back over to make regular batches of their core product line. Likewise the springs will be specifically developed for this product, when internal parts like that might be interchangeable between other models so they're produced in much larger bulk. Also the dedicated development work to get the spirit tension just right for the size and mass of moving parts in this knife. So the extra cost likely comes from the inefficiency of relatively short production runs. Whether for the sake of optics this could or should have been absorbed in their profit margin, taken out of the % premium they can charge for the Microtech name is open for debate, of course. But I do believe this knife could well cost them a few dollars more per item than large batches of Ultratechs, and by the time the percentages have been added for the manufacturer's and retailer's profit margins those few dollars will have multiplied.
@@metal_complex I totally agree there!! I do agree it's over-priced, but I also appreciate from a manufacturing standpoint it might actually cost them a little more to produce than the Ultratechs etc. that they can do in huge continuous runs. I just think those Ultratechs are also over-priced [and I say this as a guy with a Peña X-series on order]. They're great looking knives, and I'd probably buy a UTX-85 if they were legal where I live, just because I want one. Unfortunately I'm in the UK so that's a "nope" regardless of blade size. But the pricing definitely has a manufacturer premium attached. So yeah, this isn't worth $300, buuut that's probably a function of how they calculate their margins on every other knife they make - to make it cheaper would likely require them reducing their profit margin to absorb the increased overheads of short production runs. Like I said, whether they should do that is another discussion and I could rant about that for hooours and still not have made up my own mind 😅 If I was in Cali, for what a knife this size is good for I'd be excited about the new Boker USB to scratch my OTF itch.
What's actually got me more confused as a comparison is the price of the Exocet - skimming BladeHQ's pricing, UTX-70 is $222, Exocet is $250-$280 (not sure why handle colour appears to impact price, either) then this is listed at $286 with a stonewash blade, $300 for satin... Genuinely curious what the other variables are there, & also MSRP Vs BHQ's pricing, but this is turning into a serious procrastination when I'm supposed to be fixing my kitchen wall today 😄
Wow that’s a bit much. I don’t understand how they justify that when the Exocet is coming in at around $250-260. That being said money not being an issue I’d buy one in a heartbeat as gifts! ....oh and btw my UTX’s have bald play 😂
I will probably never own a Microtech because of Tony Marfione’s questionable business practices, I don’t think he’s unreasonable with the pricing on this model. The tooling and development costs of the UTX line have been amortized over decades, where this is a low production, niche product that requires new tooling. The street price is $286, so in-line with the other Ultratech series models.
Im in texas and the laws are non-existent on blades and I still want it
Wisconsin. Same. Haha.
Last time I checked they allow you to own and carry switchblades
It's my secondary, I've carried it since I got it in October. Love it. High price but worth it imo as a Californian.
@@SexualAssaultRifle
It's all a legal gray area when it comes to these sub 2-inch OTFs in Cali. There's a knife shop I've heard about in Los Angeles that sells the Cali "legal" Microtechs right on the shop floor, so they have to be legal to some extent.
Otherwise, California "law" makers would be more than happy to clamp down on the sale of knives and guns that they say are illegal.
There is no law in California, at least that I can find, that explicitly states these stubby versions of the full sized OTFs are illegal since the current law only mentions knives being classified as a "switchblade" when the cutting edge is 2 inches or longer. It makes no mention of a length shorted that 2 inches.
Ergo, when under two inches, it is not a switchblade even though it functions exactly the same as a full sized OTF. In other words, these stubby OTFs are essential "unclassified" knives so it falls into a gray area.
I've heard it argued that since it is not classified as a switchblade, it falls back to the next closest classification, which is a regular folding knife.
As for considered concealed carry, I'm not sure. Cali law states we can legally carry folding knives "concealed" as long as it stays folded in the pocket.
The moment you carry a folding knife in the open position and "conceal" it, this is illegal and you'd have to open carry in a sheath like a fixed blade. As if anyone would do that. Lol
These laws are so nonsensical. And for that reason, I have 4 of them, and I have a fifth coming in the mail as of this writing. Lol
hey um.. switchblades that are under 2 inches are supposed to be open carried or conceal carried? thanks (you seem to know a lot about laws, and im open to learning) @@P.W.R.
sorry let me rephrase that (i read your WHOLE comment) would you advise i open carry? or conceal carry? and i agree with you. cali knife laws are so riduculous. (You could carry a manual folding machete, but not a certain type of knife?)@@P.W.R.
Depending on the thickness of the glass, you don't have to hold the knife in a hammer grip in order to use the glass breaker. You can pinch the other end of it with your index, thumb, and middle finger and tap the glass hard which gives you more room between your hand and the glass.
That carbide ball on the end is insanely effective, even thick glass you don’t have to use too much force, broke an old windshield out with mine yesterday
Automatic knife laws are silly. They’re just as easy to conceal as a folding knife and still have the same sharp blade as any other
I'm picturing movie night on the couch, jr has this one, you got the full size...click,click...click,click...Moms in the middle going insane lol.
Yup
I think the thing that really got me about this was the tapered body. I didn’t realize how much I’d appreciate that design element across the Troodon line. I dislike that she won’t sit up properly, I’m always fighting with mine when lined up next to other blades.
I totally agree with you about the price but as you said, if you want to carry an OTF in a strict locality it is a mini Microtech Troodon. Unfortunately that is the price of admission with a lot of Microtechs. Call me completely crazy but I had to pull the trigger despite the price tag. I’d put this in a similar realm of luxury goods as with the Scout Leather goods bit driver. You buy it if you want it, not because you need it.
I was finally able to order one after checking daily for months for them to be in stock.
Same! I should be receiving it early next week.
Part of the reason they use proprietary screws is because it makes it insanely difficult to properly clone them since they’re more expensive to machine
I love mine. Finds its way into 5th pocket carry frequently. Thanks for sharing! Oh, and Mine doesn’t have Any blade play. Geez.
I have one on its way! Going to be my new Monday box cutter! It's always fun opening dollar tree boxes with a knife worth more that my employees weekly paycheck!
Looked like a Mc'D's happy meal toy when you broke out the big Troodon 😂 I feel bad for anyone living under these ridiculous laws.
My wife wants this for her purse. Lol Im inclined to try to find one for her. One: it gets her more into expensive cool knives, and two: it gives me leverage for more expensive cool knives 😊 (not that I necessarily need it. SHE surprised me with a Recon 040 the other day. Out of the blue. The exact model I wanted too.
I like this little guy and could totally see a use for it given the size.🍻
I have the Kershaw Launch that is Cali compliant. No way I would pay that much for a compliant Microtech. I live in a free state!
It looks like a Japanese anime cutie version of the badass fullsize.
If money is no hindrance I'd buy all sizes and always carry two.
In CA and ... my hands are just way too big to even safely use this guy. Great review but I'll take my chances with its full-size sibling if I choose to carry.
Anyone know how many $bills the clip will hold?
I know this is old, but you can get this in the Hellhound blade as well now! LOL, makes that one look cheap from a cost perspective! 🤠👍
Ditch the glass breaker, make the handle longer and give it a more practical blade.
I just won a large amount of money from the lottery. I will be purchasing one of these, among many other knives after I get the check. I can't stand living in California, but I do like this little blade.
I'm just waiting for it to come out in the merlot color
I want a Microtech but don’t know which one to get. It’s a lot of money to blindly spend without getting hands on first. Being a Star Wars fan I’d really like the Bounty Hunter but I’m trying to get past the idea that I’m ever gonna see one in stock that isn’t the $700+ model. The only OTF I have is the Boker Kalashnikov and my wife has a smaller Cobratec OTF (we have a local dealer that stocks them). Any thoughts? I don’t know what to expect differently from them for what amounts to considerably more money, but I want one to find out.
what did you end up getting? (its been 2 years)
My Alpha Mini doesn’t have any blade play.
Get a Hogue (H&K) Micro Incursion. It has a 1.95” 154cm blade for $125.
Get bicycle for $125 instead of driving a $20k jeep
@@SuperSteelSteve I’ve owned Microtech, Guardian Tactical, Heretic. H&K is comparable in construction. These are OTF’s, no OTF is a genuinely hard use knife because of the inherent design of OTF’s. A $300 Microtech will not be a better actual tool than a $125 H&K (Hogue.)
@@SuperSteelSteve my rubicon was $60k what are you talking about
Guys, Steve is messing with you. ER TONY, r/woosh.
@@metal_complex 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'm using after pay from dlt for a combat troodon. Its great and the button is hard to use but it gets easier the more you use it. Love microtech. My dream knife is halo wished I could find one.
For one of your Knife Guys videos you should just use one of your voices and argue with yourself about different knives, LOL. I just about spit out a mouthfull of Redbull when you brought up the lack of blade play in the Deadlock with that voice.
I love the sarcasm something I appreciate
It’s fancy and I’d gladly pay $300. Don’t want just everyone carrying it
You had me at “Ca legal.” I’m in.
lmaooo same
Can you do a bit on a live stream where you read your favorite comments from the week in the voice how you hear them in your head? 🤣
*PICKLE KNIFE PICKLE KNIFE PICKLE KNIFE*
I'd be curious to see how this would compare to the Boker USB. With the Boker being 1/5 the price (and blade hq has the country of origin listed as the U.S. for the Biker (don't know who makes it though)).
CA allows small autos... other places just bar all autos entirely. The only microtech I'll ever own is probably a manual socom elite or a fixed blade.
Surprised with how experienced you are that you believe the size of the knife is a large determining factor of manufacturing costs.
You misunderstood what I was saying. I dont understand how this knife could be any more complicated or expensive to make than their utx series or ultratech series. If you think there's some intensive manufacturing element that ultimately makes this knife cost more than those models, please feel free to explain.
@@metal_complex - it'll be because they're making far fewer of them for a niche market. The difference in raw material cost between this and a larger model will be negligible, it's the time taken to set up a production line to manufacture the product. They have to spend the same amount of total time *setting up* the line for a production run, but that cost is divided between fewer saleable items because they simply won't be making as many before they have enough stock of them & need to switch the line back over to make regular batches of their core product line.
Likewise the springs will be specifically developed for this product, when internal parts like that might be interchangeable between other models so they're produced in much larger bulk. Also the dedicated development work to get the spirit tension just right for the size and mass of moving parts in this knife.
So the extra cost likely comes from the inefficiency of relatively short production runs.
Whether for the sake of optics this could or should have been absorbed in their profit margin, taken out of the % premium they can charge for the Microtech name is open for debate, of course. But I do believe this knife could well cost them a few dollars more per item than large batches of Ultratechs, and by the time the percentages have been added for the manufacturer's and retailer's profit margins those few dollars will have multiplied.
@@iamtoast3397 tell me you think this thing is worth $300
@@metal_complex I totally agree there!! I do agree it's over-priced, but I also appreciate from a manufacturing standpoint it might actually cost them a little more to produce than the Ultratechs etc. that they can do in huge continuous runs. I just think those Ultratechs are also over-priced [and I say this as a guy with a Peña X-series on order].
They're great looking knives, and I'd probably buy a UTX-85 if they were legal where I live, just because I want one. Unfortunately I'm in the UK so that's a "nope" regardless of blade size. But the pricing definitely has a manufacturer premium attached. So yeah, this isn't worth $300, buuut that's probably a function of how they calculate their margins on every other knife they make - to make it cheaper would likely require them reducing their profit margin to absorb the increased overheads of short production runs. Like I said, whether they should do that is another discussion and I could rant about that for hooours and still not have made up my own mind 😅 If I was in Cali, for what a knife this size is good for I'd be excited about the new Boker USB to scratch my OTF itch.
What's actually got me more confused as a comparison is the price of the Exocet - skimming BladeHQ's pricing, UTX-70 is $222, Exocet is $250-$280 (not sure why handle colour appears to impact price, either) then this is listed at $286 with a stonewash blade, $300 for satin... Genuinely curious what the other variables are there, & also MSRP Vs BHQ's pricing, but this is turning into a serious procrastination when I'm supposed to be fixing my kitchen wall today 😄
it's cool, but over priced for what it is
Wow that’s a bit much. I don’t understand how they justify that when the Exocet is coming in at around $250-260. That being said money not being an issue I’d buy one in a heartbeat as gifts! ....oh and btw my UTX’s have bald play 😂
Funny guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great review ;)
too expensive for such a tiny and limited blade... my 2 cents
Wish I could find one of those damn things. Loves autos but California sucks.
Damn that thing is small Lol
I will probably never own a Microtech because of Tony Marfione’s questionable business practices, I don’t think he’s unreasonable with the pricing on this model. The tooling and development costs of the UTX line have been amortized over decades, where this is a low production, niche product that requires new tooling. The street price is $286, so in-line with the other Ultratech series models.
I’m sure he’ll end up bankrupt on the count of you not buying his knives. Get a life mon cher!