One day I was watching 24 when I saw that Jack Bauer, played by Keifer Sutherland, had the coolest knife ever. It was all black and with a press of a button a blade shot straight out of the handle until it was fully extended. I may not do many (ok, any) tactical things like Jack Bauer, but I knew that I needed to have that knife.
I searched all over the internet until I found the brand. It was a Microtech Halo Knife. Microtech is a US based knife manufacturer with an obsession for quality. Just before plunking down around $300 for a Halo I came across another model: the Troodon.
The Troodon has a slightly smaller blade, but the real difference is in the mechanism. The Halo requires a button press to extend the blade, but to retract it one must use two hands to pull back part of the handle of the knife. It’s hard to explain, but the important factor is that it can’t be retracted with one hand. The Troodon uses a flick switch on the side of the knife. Pressing it forward causes the blade to extend straight out, but pulling it back causes it to snap back inside with a satisfying click noise. Here’s a video:
Cool, huh? I ordered the black on black Troodon and couldn’t possibly be happier with it. The fit and finish are all top notch and simply holding the knife gives the impression that it’s perfectly built. It was harder than I expected to move the switch, but a bit of practice makes it easy. I haven’t done much with it other than open packages, but boy does it open those packages with style.
I should mention that even though they’re seldom if ever used in crimes, these knives are not legal everywhere. That doesn’t mean that they’re not very easy to order, but you ought to check your laws first.
I bought mine at Blade HQ
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