Mantis Knives MT2HC
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.
According 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 MT2HC "Class Act" is Mantis Knives' less expensive version of the "lightweight
and elegant" MT2SC that Jared carries. It has a three-inch blade
of 420HC and sculptured handles of black plastic. Folded length
is four inches. A stainless steel pocket clip is included and the
whole affair is held together with Torx fasteners. I tend to
agree with Jared's assessment of its aesthetics, too. It was the
first Mantis knife I chose to carry for evaluation, based purely on its
appearance and feel.
This is a "gent's knife," the type of small, classy folder you can carry in mixed company without upsetting any but the most ardent hoplophobes. The plastic finish of the handle plastic is a good match for the brushed finish of the steel bolsters. I wouldn't call the surface of the handle slippery, but it's not designed to be particularly grippy, either. This is a knife you slip into and out of your pocket and use for light jobs.
Given that, I put the MT2HC in my pocket and used it for the type of
light day-to-day work for which such a pocketknife gets used
most. The short, wide pocket clip (which, on my sample, has only
the slightest play from side to side) holds the knife firmly in my
pocket, up and out of the way of the rest of the pocket's contents
(keys and such, depending on the day). It is configured for
tip-down, right-hand carry only. Tension of the clip was perfect for my
clothing. The lip of the clip is raised almost imperceptibly, which
means it doesn't stick out so far that it tends to scrape on furniture,
walls, and doors. I do, however, find it necessary to lift the
clip with the edge of my fingernail in order to ease it onto the fabric
of my pocket. That's the tradeoff for this design.
The factory edge is ground on both sides and was sharp enough out of
the box to slice slips of paper. It tapers to a nice, fine point,
which I found perfect for opening mail and tackling the large volumes
of packages that come through The Martialist's outsourced
mailroom. It opens smoothly using the vaguely triangular thumb
hole, locks open without vertical play, and closes firmly when it
reaches the end of its arc (which means it displays no risk of opening
in the pocket). The steel liner (which has a hole in it to mirror
that in the closed blade, an interesting stylistic touch) engages the
tang fully in the middle. There is slight lateral play in the
open blade.
The knife held its edge reasonably well and was easy to resharpen. While I carried it, I find myself playing with it for no reason, enjoying the smooth, easy glide of the blade as it arced into place.
I showed the MT2HC to a coworker and he immediately asked me where he could get one. There is no doubt that this is an attractive, slick little knife, which exhibits good fit and finish for the price. Given that no gent's folder is (or should be) destined for hard use, the choice of such a little blade is most often based on style. You would be hard-pressed to finder a better combination of style and value than this little knife.
What more could one desire for light-duty carry? >>