A6 Puzzle Piece Frame Lock Flipper with Marbled Carbon Fiber (Ceramic IKBS)

Product Description for A6 Puzzle Piece Frame Lock Flipper with Marbled Carbon Fiber (Ceramic IKBS)

Maker: Andre Van Heerden (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 96286
Blade length: 3.50 in.
Total length: 8.50 in.
Blade height (at heel): 1.35 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.17 in.
Blade thickness (at midpoint): 0.16 in.
Blade thickness (near tip): 0.06 in.
Item weight: 4.20 oz.
Shipment weight: 6.2 oz.
Blade: M390 stainless steel, hardened to 59 Hrc
Handle: Titanium frame with puzzle piece carbon fiber inlays
Sheath: Fleece lined cordura pouch
Style: Frame lock with flipper (IKBS)
Description: South African knifemakers André Thorburn and André van Heerden create exceptional folders at an amazingly low price and tremendously high skill level. Their collaborative creations are made under the A2 name. These knives are entirely handmade and spectacular. This A2 framelock shows their work at its best. The combination of the low profile frame lock with the incredibly complex interframe puzzle piece inlays makes this among my favorite A2 knives to date.
The blade is perfectly centered and silky smooth -- easily opened with one hand using the discreet and ambidextrous flipper toggle. The blade uses the IKBS (Ikoma Korth Bearing System) pivot system. 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 A2 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 clip point blade is formed from M390 stainless steel, a super-steel created by Bohler in Austria. It takes an incredibly sharp edge and holds on to it due to its high concentration of vanadium and chromium carbides. Its unique powdered metallurgical process also promotes a uniform carbide distribution and clean steel properties, making M390 a popular steel used in surgical cutting instruments and in applications requiring a high finish. It offers excellent corrosion resistance due to its high concentration of chromium. The blade is hollow ground for an easy to maintain edge.
The titanium frame has been meticulously inlaid with puzzle piece sections of marbled carbon fiber. Because a frame lock does not require separate liners, it has allowed A2 to make this knife slimmer and easier to carry. The frame lock ensures a sturdy lockup. Jimping on the thumb ramp aids grip. The gently rounded handle feels sturdy and fills out the hand perfectly. The handle is completed with a carbon fiber backspacer. The zirconium pocket clip is mounted for right-handed tip-up carry.


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