Mantis Knives M3

Review by Phil Elmore

It was in early 2007  when The Martialist first took note of Mantis Knives, a brand that seemed to appear out of nowhere in dealer catalogs and knife magazine advertisements.  Contacting a real, live human being through the company's website proved surprisingly easy.  We are therefore happy, after a year of living and working with these knives, to present long-term reviews of this company's blades.  

Jared West, Mantis Knives OwnerAccording to Jared West, owner of Mantis Knives, the company was founded in late 2005 and debuted at the 2006 SHOT Show.  "The Mantis Logo came to me before the name did," Jared told me.  "I was sitting in an International Business class at the Hilton Business School at L.M.U. in 2001.  I was taking notes, and this logo just hit me, so I scribbled it down.  I revised it a couple of times.  Now it's the logo that you see on every Mantis Knives box that ships out of our Anaheim Hills headquarters."

That headquarters is a 10,000 square foot facility in Orange County, California.  Some of the knives in the Mantis line are made in the United States, while others are assembled in Taiwan from US-made materials (sent by Mantis from Crucible and other sources).  The result is a line of affordable knives of decent quality for the money, including the only brand of knives officially sanctioned by the United States Catfish Anglers Tournament Series.  "We're the only company they endorse," Jared states.  "We're [also] the only  knife company in the world to offer S30V stainless steel on a folder for less than $100.00 [USD]."

Jared carries his own company's MK1 model when "hucking boxes and working in the shop or warehouse."  While out on the town, dressed nicely, or in formal meetings, he carries "my MT2SC.  It's slim, lightweight, and elegant."  Price, performance, and style are what set his company apart from others, according to Jared.  "Put our knives to the test," he urges.  "They endure.  Every Mantis knife has a unique, post-modern, industrial look to it.  Ever since I was young, I've been into strange angles and structures in architecture and design.  If I were to design a building, it would look an awful lot like the Getty Center in Los Angels, or maybe even the Walt Disny Concert Hall." 

At just 27 years old, Jared is a young entrepreneur who seems eager to take on a competitive and often politically charged industry.  Mantis' blade materials range from stainless steels like 420HC to more rugged alloys like BG42 and 154CM.  Handle materials also range from unusual metal designs to more conventional G10 and carbon fiber slabs.

The Mantis M3 "Churchkey 1" is just that -- a church key, the holy relic that allows thousands of beer lovers to commune with their deities on a daily basis.  Packaged in Mantis' usual stylized black-and-red all-metal package, the little M3 houses a 1.5-inch blace of 420J2 steel.

The aluminum handle is of 606-T6, and the whole package is six inches overall.  A graduated thumb stud (for right hand use only) is fixed to the blade, which was reasonably sharp out of the box and is well-suited for the small cutting chores a keychain item like this is normally used to perform.

I will warn you; the open-frame design of the M3 means it will pick up a lot of dust when carried on your keys in your pocket. This did not seem to interfere with the frame lock, however.  The little blade opens smoothly and locks positively without play.  the grooves on the rear of the blade spine are most welcome and match the grooves cut into the frame.  While the churchkey shape makes for a knife of awkward protrusions overall, it is small and light enough that you won't notice it.

I put the M3 to the test by giving it to one of the beer drinkers in the office (he brews his own) and letting him test it.  The M3 opened the beer easily and can thus be said to perform its primary function well.

If you are a beer-drinker, the Mantis M3 is the keychain accessory for you.  >>

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