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Blackhawk! MOD Mark I Type E


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Blackhawk! MOD Mark I Type E Knife


Introduction

I don’t have many knives as I’ve found that my CRKT M16 is pretty good but after seeing the new Blackhawk! MOD Type E I decided it was time to upgrade. I have wanted to get a Mark I for quite some time but until the Type E came out at $300 USD+ it was a bit out of my league for just a knife (despite all the great things that have been said about the Mark I) but at a reasonable $100 USD, the Type E seemed right up my alley.

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Real Steel History

The Master’s of Defense CQD Mark I knife is very well known as being the knife of choice for the United States Navy SEALs. After looking around for information from people not just trying to sell the knife I can say that this is a sort of half true statement.

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The Mark I knife was invented by MOD in conjunction with a military and law enforcement CQC trainer Duane Dieter and it won knife of the year as soon as it was introduced (2000). After which the knife was indeed adopted by individual operators within various Special Operations units including Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces.

While I won’t say it’s untrue, I wasn’t able to find non-knife promotional material that stated that the Mark I was ever actually issued to the US Navy SEALs. Like I said, that doesn’t make it not true, just means I couldn’t find something saying it was ;) .

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Anyway I’ve personally seen the Mark I being used by regulars in the U.S. Army, MP’s, and a few cops so it is most definitely a useful knife and by that alone it is certainly recommendable.

Sale’s Article

The award-winning CQD® Mark I™ is one of the most envied pieces of equipment in the tactical industry. Functionally identical to the original manual version of the Mark I™, the Type E features the same high-strength button-lock mechanism and secondary safety, recessed seatbelt/cord cutter, and carbide glass breaker. However, its handle is constructed of precision injection-molded reinforced nylon mounted to a 420J stainless steel frame. Its spearpoint AUS8A stainless steel blade boasts improved edge geometry for increased cutting performance and a low-profile black PVD-coated finish. Now you can have all the performance of the original Mark I™ at a price that fits every budget.

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SPECIFICATIONS:
• Blade Length: 3.750”/95mm
• Overall Length: 9.500”/241mm
• Blade Material: AUS8A stainless steel
• Blade Finish: Black PVD coating
• Edge type: Plain or partially serrated
• Handle Material: Injection-molded reinforced nylon with 420J stainless steel liners
• Pocket Clip: Right or left-side, tip-down carry

First Impressions

The Mark I comes in a rather unassuming small box, as it seems most knifes do. First response is weight base, this is a heavy knife. Once I got it out of the box I also realized this is bigger than the pictures make it look. This is easily the biggest folder I’ve ever encountered and this thing feels like you’ve really got something in your hand.

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Appearance

The Mark I knife has a very unique look to it among knives. Due in large part to its size it looks more like a fixed blade survival knife like an ASEK knife or something of the like. The main blade is of my favorite type, spear point and comes to a very, very fine point at the tip. The blade is anodized black and has a Teflon coating on which gives the blade and interesting black sheen. The body and frame of the knife has textured areas to increase traction when holding it.

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Look Grade: 9/10

I give this blade a nine out of ten based primarily on how unique it is. About my only complaint as far as looks go is that that the support blade was not anodized. Not withstanding that this is by far my favorite looking knife.

Feel/Aesthetic

Let me start by saying that once you start playing around with this knife you start to realize that the Mark I is a high value purchase. This thing is solid. With the blade extended there is no wobble on the knife. That isn’t something I can saw with most folders and with the blade locked open this thing feels and acts more like a fixed blade knife than anything else.

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The Mark I is feature packed. As mentioned there is a support blade on the bottom of the knife used for cutting through thin objects like bags, paper (my new letter opener ;) ), and zip ties. Also there is the well known carbide glass breaker on the top of the knife. Obviously I haven’t had a chance to try this out and I don’t foresee and opportunity it is a nice feature I suppose for those who carry these knives in more professional situations, like for police officers and firemen.

 

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A distinguishing feature between the E type (the “E” stands for economy I believe) is that instead of having an aircraft aluminum frame and handle it is an injection molded nylon grip with steel reinforces. To be honest I can’t see why that would matter too much. This thing feels as strong as a Mack truck.

 

A word on the edge itself. This is sharp. I’ve had AUS8 blades before and generally I prefer 440’s or ATS34 which one of my knives that’s ATS34 has never been sharpened, but I’ve had good experiences with AUS8 and I believe that will hold true with this knife. From what I understand on blade steels, the AUS types can be honed to a much sharper edge than 440 and with this knife I would believe that. Like I said, this is sharp. Easily passes a paper test and cutting though slim metal wire is no issue. I’ve read of guys using these knives to hack their way through chain link fence with no damage to the blade.

 

The pocket clip is reversible, so you’re able to change which side you carry this one, left or right. It’s an odd feature but no unheard of and can make the knife a quicker draw for those who are left or right handed.

 

When the blade is in the open position there is a lock on the hilt which makes the already solid blade lock in place, disabling the unlock button and pretty much making this a true fixed blade knife.

 

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Actually holding and using this knife is a pleasure. Since it is a rather large size you’re able to get a good, solid grip. The extended hilt lets you bear up on the blade to get extra leverage.

 

Feel Grade: 10/10

Aesthetics: 10/10

 

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What more could you ask for? This blade is great to hold and use and has more features than a Swiss army knife ;) (kidding). I can see why this won knife of a year.

 

Conclusion

 

Pros:

Cheaper than the original

Very strong build

Heavy duty AUS8A steel blade

Backup blade on the bottom of the blade

Glass breaker

Easy to hold textured grip

 

Cons:

Very large

Very heavy (for a folder)

Might be too big for some to use as an EDC knife

The blade is big enough that a normal folder “flip” isn’t enough to open this blade so you will need to re-learn how to open a folder

 

Overall Grade: 10/10

 

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I think this is a top notch knife for carry. In fact I dare say this is the best knife I’ve ever owned. Yes it is very large, but if they shrunk this knife down to “normal” size it wouldn’t be as useful as it is now. For airsofters and outdoorsmen this is an absolutely a perfect knife. It possesses a heavy enough and strong enough blade to hack through pretty much any material you would encounter. Likewise the support blade has tons of great applications such as opening bags of bb’s neatly, cutting open an MRE, or cutting a zip tie off a gun at the end of the day. So I would highly recommend the Mark I knife and, for me, this is going to likely be my EDC knife for a long time.

 

Credits:

 

http://www.blackhawk.com/

 

http://www.blackhawk.com/product/CQD-Mark-...e-E,1246,37.htm

 

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BT...8/ai_112685767/

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