Microtech Socom Delta Initial Review - The Details

Microtech Socom Delta

Knife Review – Initial Reaction / First 30 Days

Overview

Knife Name / Description	Microtech Socom Delta, S35-VN Stonewash Tanto Blade, Black G-10, PlainEdge
Manufacturer	Microtech
Model Number	MCT16310-W118
Blade Size	3.75 Inches
Overall Length	9 Inches
Steel Type	S35-VN
Clip or Other Feature Metal	Titanium
Weight	4.6 OZ
Country Made	USA
Handle / Scale Material	G10
Lock Type	Frame Lock, with over extension prevention
Manual, assisted, or auto opening	Manual
Tip Position	Tip Up
Lanyard Hole	Yes

Low = Unimpressed, Medium = Minimum standard, just okay, High = Impressed, wow, better than expected.

Criteria	Rating Scale	Answer	Additional Comments
Ergonomics	Low, Medium, High	High	More comfortable than expected
Sharpness Out of the Box	Low, Medium, High	High	Not shaving sharp but nicely sharp.  Very strong point.
Blade Play Up or Down	Low, Medium, High	High	None
Noise or Rattling	Low, Medium, High	High	None
Overall Weight	Low, Medium, High	High	Very good for the size of the knife.
Pocket Clip Options	Low, Medium, High	Low	Just one tip up position.
Lock Type and Location	Low, Medium, High	High	Frame lock is well designed, nice to look at, easy to use.  You cannot over extend the frame lock.
Ease of Maintenance / Proprietary Hardware	Low, Medium, High	Low	1)       Proprietary Microtech screws are used.  A special tool is needed or you need to send it to the company. 2)      Having a Tanto blade makes the sharpening process slower and more difficult.
Opening comfort	Low, Medium, High	Medium	Larger, flat, and grooved thumb studs are used.  The knife appears to need a break in period similar to a Strider in order to make the blade opening faster and more comfortable.  Somewhat uncomfortable to push flick up with the thumb so far.  I expect this to ease up over time.
Speed of opening	Low, Medium, High	High	High, but see above.  Flicking down with gravity and some wrist action of course makes it faster.
Open with one hand?	Low, Medium, High	High	Very Easy
Close with one hand?	Low, Medium, High	High	Very Easy
Detent / Knife Retention	Low, Medium, High	Low	Rated low due to the ability to hold the scales and swing the closed knife down and deploy the blade however,  I consider this an extreme scenario unlikely to occur in daily used.
Snagging and Opening Likelihood	Low, Medium, High	High	None occurred at this time.  The nature of the flat and wide thumb-stud would indicate it would be hard to snag.
Pocket Clip Tightness (Subjective)	Low, Medium, High	Medium	A little tighter than I prefer, but not as tight as Kershaw.  Will likely damage/wear out clothes faster.
Likelihood of Point Damage	Low, Medium, High	Medium	Very defined point, but steel is thicker than most knives featuring this design.  Tanto also makes it stronger.

  

Knife Comparisons	Spyderco Military, Benchmade 710, Microtech Socom Elite, Strider SMF, Sebenza
People friendliness	This is an aggressive looking combat knife.  You may not want to brandish it at the neighborhood party to open the cheese whiz.

Financials / Economics of the Knife (Subjective)

Criteria	Rating Scale	Answer	Additional Comments
Does the price fit the perceived value relative to comparable knives	Low, Medium, High	High	For the money
Availability	Low, Medium, High	Medium	As of April 2013, not many online retailers had the plane edge g-10 version.  Many serrated versions were available.  I expect that this knife will likely have a production release every 3-6 months.  Not mass produced, but if you wait you should be able to find it.
Ease of  resale	Low, Medium, High	High	I expect that due to the lower production levels and many variations it will be easy to resell the knife.
Worth a premium fee in secondary market?	Low, Medium, High	Low	I don’t consider this a rare, custom, or overly limited knife and therefore wouldn't justify a premium or above retail fee for the knife in the secondary market.  Patience.

Other Notable Comments:

-          Blade Knife of the Year Award Winner

-          Be sure to double check the exact model of the knife that you are buying.  It comes in multiple steels, scales, colors, and blade edge types.

-          This is more of a tactical or military looking knife vs. a utility use knife. 

Conclusion

-          Very high quality knife for the money.  While it is an expensive knife, Microtech did a good job with the overall quality.  If you like knives with a little flair or just want to try a Microtech this is a good one to get.

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