A6 Flipper with Silver Strike Carbon Fiber (Ceramic IKBS) - Vanax Super Clean

Product Description for A6 Flipper with Silver Strike Carbon Fiber (Ceramic IKBS) - Vanax Super Clean

Maker: Van Heerden & Thorburn (collaboration) (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 107859
*** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind ***
Blade length: 3.50 in.
Cutting edge length: 3.50 in.
Total length: 8.30 in.
Blade height (at heel): 1.32 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.16 in.
Blade thickness (at midpoint): 0.14 in.
Blade thickness (near tip): 0.03 in.
Item weight: 4.40 oz.
Shipment weight: 5.2 oz.
Blade: Differentially finished Vanax Super Clean
Bolster: External zirconium pivot and collar
Handle: Silver strike carbon fiber set on anodized titanium liners
Sheath: Padded pouch
Style: Folding liner lock with Ceramic IKBS
Description: South African knifemakers André Thorburn and André van Heerden create exceptional folders. When they work together, they create A2 knives. A2 collaborated on this knife with French designer Tashi Bharucha! Tashi's bold, modernistic curves are readily apparent, and combined with A2's acute attention to detail, the results are a precision made piece with artful execution!
The blade is perfectly centered with silky-smooth, drop-shut action -- easily opened with one hand using the ambidextrous flipper toggle. It uses an IKBS (Ikoma Korth Bearing System) pivot. This mechanism, which was originally designed to fit balisong knives, uses ball bearings to create exceptional action with no blade play. Thorburn and van Heerden created this special A6 with ceramic ball bearings. Generally IKBS bearings are made either from tool steel or from stainless steel. Stainless steel can wear away, resulting in uneven action over time. Tool steel bearings can oxidize making the action rough. Ceramic bearings are the best of all worlds. Extremely hard and wear resistant, they are also inert and will not oxidize.
The blade is rare Vanax Super Clean stainless steel made by Uddeholm in Austria. With Vanax, nitrogen replaces carbon as the martensite initiator in the hardening process. It is made from Rapid Solidification Powder (RSP) to reduce the sizes and quantities of unfavorable solidification structures. Nitrogen forms extremely small and hard vanadium nitrides, enabling a great combination of wear resistance, edge retention, and toughness, while maintaining extreme corrosion resistance. The grinds are satin finished while the flats are mirror polished, showing off the crisp, clean grinds. The blade is hand hollow ground for an easy to maintain edge.
Handle scales are silver strike carbon fiber. This variation on lightning strike carbon fiber has aluminum wires traveling through the woven carbon strands. The custom pivot is heat colored zirconium and is surrounded by a matching zirconium pivot collar. Jimping on the thumb ramp aids grip. The gently rounded handle feels sturdy and fills out the hand perfectly. It is completed with blue anodized titanium liners surrounding a carbon fiber backbar. The 3D machined, heat colored zirconium pocket clip is mounted for tip-up, right-side carry.
Exceptional work throughout!
BladeGallery.com is proud to be the exclusive distributor and recommended repair shop in the United States for A2 Knives!


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