Lion Mah Design K.U.F. Kitchen Utility Folder Limited Micarta Folder

Custom knife designer Liong Mah is back with another amazing design in his K.itchen U.tility F.older or KUF. Liong wanted a folding knife with a lower cutting edge, similar to a kitchen knife, and he has succeed in delivering just such a blade in an highly functional frame lock folder that looks fantastic.

Pair this great design with premium materials like 6AL4V titanium and American CPM S35VN, Westinghouse Micarta and AJ Composites Carbon Fiber and you have a perfect combination of design and performance in an easy to carry package. Due to the limited nature of the handle materials these knives will be limited in production: 90 Carbon Fiber and 40 Micarta. Made with a high level of fit and finish by Reate Knives.

The Blade: The CPM S35VN blade is some hybrid of drop point and Wharncliffe with a reverse Tanto tip. Whatever you call it it provides 4 inches of razor sharp cutting edge and a high height saber grind that provides an excellent combination of slicing performance and toughness. Kitchen Utility indeed. The blade rides on a ceramic bearing pivot for smooth operation and deployment via the trapezoidal hole.

The Handle: Made from contoured 6AL4V Titanium the robust frame lock side is internally milled for enhanced balance and weight reduction. A hardened steel lock face insert delivers smooth solid lock operation and over travel protection. A small chamfered section on either side of the lock interface allows for easy disengagement of the lock. The front scale is made from American Westinghouse Micarta, a rare vintage Micarta with a unique look and feel. This version is equipped with full titanium backspacer which, along with the pivot and reversible, tip-up pocket clip, are finished in a tumbled and bronze anodized finish that complement the Micarta of the scale.

CPM S35VN was designed to offer improved toughness over CPM S30V. It is also easier to machine and polish than CPM S30V. The inclusion of Niobium allows for the formation of niobium carbides along with vanadium and chromium carbides. Substituting niobium carbides for some of the vanadium carbides makes CPM S35VN about 15-20% tougher than CPM S30V without any loss of wear resistance. CPM S35VN’s improved toughness gives it better resistance to edge chipping.