brownie0486
Member
I received the 10th StratoFighter from the first run a week ago. It has the serial number of RB0486 on the spine of the glass breaker, which I asked for. The knife came with a letter of authenticity stating that knife was assigned to me in their records.
There has been much pontification about these knives being nothing but knockoff copies of the ER products.
The Strato certainly has some lineage in the MPC. To my thinking it is not a knockoff though. I would describe it as more like an upgraded, refined, redesign on a theme. The upgrades over the MPC are numerous and were warranted IMO as the MPC was nice but could stand much improvement for it's intended purposes. The Strato has taken that theme to a new level.
The term "knock off" to my thinking, connotates a product that is inferior, of less value, something not made as well. That does not describe the StratoFighter when compared to the ER MPC in the least.
The StatoFighter is a BIG KNIFE open or closed. It made my Chinook2 [which I have carried for over a year] look small in a side-by-side comparison.
The edge was sharp but not as sharp as I like to keep them. This is normal for me as very few knives have been as sharp from the factory as I want them. I put the edge to the Spyderco sharpmaker course stones. 4 light passes on each side brought it to what I call a "working" edge that was as sharp as I like them for the purpose of hard use.
The blade is 1/4" thick; this knife is not designed to slice tomatoes. It looks like it has something of a Moran convex edge that I've always liked as well. If it had an acute angled grind, it would defeat the purpose of the design for hard use. It would be the weak link in the knife, fortunately, that is not the case here. The blade is just a little shorter and thinner in dimensions than the MPC. I see no advantage or disadvantage to this though.
The quartz impregnated inserts in the handle are more than adequate at keeping sweaty, wet hands from slipping while working, something the ER MPC desperately needed [more grip ability] when I owned that knife.
The pocket clip was tight as hell. I could not get it onto my dungaree pocket after much effort. I have had to bend pocket clips on other knives before to loosen them some to give me the retention I want on the pocket.
I tried to bend the pocket clip by hand and it was nearly impossible to do. I went to the garage and got a length of twine that I slipped under the clip and then pulled outbound from the frame. This worked better and I had some minor success at loosening it enough to get it onto the pocket. This clip is STRONG [a good thing to have for this knifes intended use].
The inserts ate the inside of my pocket edge after inserting and withdrawing the knife 20-30 times over the course of the next half hour. I talked with Frank Miller about this over the phone and he told me to remove the clip, remove the insert under the clip and re-attach the clip. He stated that the clip is that tight so that when the knife is attached to a vest in combat it will not be lost. I certainly agree that the knife would not be lost under hard use the way the clip came from him.
I removed the quartz insert under the clip as suggested, not that hard to do actually, and it then was easier to insert and retract from the pants pocket.
While speaking with him, he also mentioned to make sure I loctited the pivot to the desired tension. When I checked the pivot, it was finger tight only. Good thing he told me to loctite it to the tension I desired when we spoke.
I did tighten the pivot with an allen wrench. Then it was too tight and the blade would not open at all. Thing is, I tightened it with very little tension. I backed it off and tightened it a few times to get the desired tension I wanted after putting blue loctite on the pivot threads, let it sit overnight and it has not loosened nor been an issue since.
While on the subject of the blade pivot, it appears to be of adequate size and not be a weak link in strength while locked open and potentially used for prying laterally or from edge to spine. The pivot also protrudes from the sides of the knife, unlike the MPC’s that is flush. A designed feature in the knife that increase it's lateral strength proportionally IMO.
While loctiting the pivot tension, I also loctited the cross bolt secondary safety/locking bar in position so it could not be accidentally engaged, which when in that mode prevents the blade from opening or closing, dependant on the position of the blade when activated.
I did this through experience with the ER MPC, which had engaged itself and locked the blade closed accidentally while sitting in the pocket. I do not know if the secondary lock on the Strato would have had the same issues and did want to find out as this knife is and will be carried full time.
That means it will go on search and rescues into the Superstition Mountains of Arizona with me. I feel confident that should I have to make an extended stay in the mountains overnight while searching for lost or downed/injured people, it is all the knife I'll need for any purpose that one might need a knife/pry bar/hatchet/digging instrument for.
I'm so confident that the StratoFighter will survive anything I'll likely put it through/need it for in a real world environment [the harsh Sonoran desert in this case] I have taken the sheathed straight blade off my rescue pack where it was strapped externally so I could access it without removing the pack off my back.
I no longer need to carry the extra weight of a straight blade along with a folder, and feel comfortable in not doing so, which was not the case while carrying the Chinook [which is still one hell of a strong knife].
One may wonder about the extra weight issue of a good supplemental straight folder here. Let me say that we carry 45 pound packs [minimum] into rescue operations of up to 10 miles on foot over mountains in excess of 6000 feet in heat that can exceed 115 degrees F. in the summer and every ounce of weight saved not carrying redundant or unnecessary equipment is that much more water I can carry for myself and those who are in trouble when we find them.
At times we may be inserted by DPS choppers to an area that is remote enough that we can't access by foot because of the terrain. When one is that far "in" without any support but the gear one takes with them until extraction, which could be 2-3 days, one needs to be able to rely on the equipment on them explicitly. The Strato brings my confidence level where a blade or worst-case pry bar may be necessary to new heights.
I would guess that getting up and over some of the rock cliffs, if I had to use the Strato as an emergency teton, shoving it into a crevice as far as I could, I could pull my full weight [182 pounds] up and could trust this knife not to snap and subsequently fall. Is it something I want to try? No!!! Is it something I think I can rely on if necessary? Yes!!! Is there any other folder I would consider in doing this? No!!! and I’ve owned many folders considered "strong" including many that are talked about here by others posters.
I would not want to be hanging 50 feet off the ground on a technical line from the DPS chopper and have to take the ER MPC out of the pocket for any reason. The chance of dropping it would be too great due to it's smooth slab sided surfaces and lack of finger grooves. Even with gloves on which are mandatory for any type of action like this, the StratoFighter will be much more secure in the hand due to the inserts and finger grooves. Could it still be dropped, of course, but the chance of doing so is greatly reduced by the design over the MPC ergonomics, a big plus where positive purchase is required or lose the tool you desperately need right then.
The glass breaker is more pointed and will certainly work as intended. It also has the advantage of being able to crack skulls if it used as a load fist for any reason. It could also be used to puncture heavy gauge drums due to its design, unlike the MPC. Many more uses with this design where puncturing objects is concerned with it. A good thing to have available and makes it more versatile than any glass breaker I'm aware of on any folder, including my large MOD CQD double edged law enforcement folder as well.
The grooves where the thumb gains purchase open or closed are very adequate. The dimensions, in circumference of the knife, at this juncture, are less than the MPC. I see no advantage or disadvantage here either, though it does "fit" my hand better. This may allow for a tighter grip that probably translates to more strength of the clenched fist around the knife under hard/heavy use and perhaps allowing one to better grip the knife. Again, a small difference between the two, but these little small [and some not so small] differences add up to a better designed knife and are more than the sum of their individual features in the overall use of the tool for it's intended purposes.
I've owned and still own some very strong folders. I like a big knife, one that can be relied on to get any job done and survive to be sharpened another day. Lots of folders are called "tactical" and are not really designed or intended for use under extreme conditions where life and death may hang in the balance. The Dark Operations StratoFighter is a tactical folder in the true sense of the term.
Everything about the StratoFighter screams tough, durable, reliable, and TACTICAL. The features of the StatoFighter are made with the operator who needs to rely on his equipment day in and day out in mind. One needs to have confidence in their equipment when the outcome in ones favor is part of the equation.
If I had a choice of any folding knife and I was heading to Hajji country in the box, this is the only tactical folder that would be going on my person. In my opinion, owning some of the "tactical" strong knives made today on the market, this is my only choice if I can only bring one folder with me to survive and make do under the harsh conditions of the desert.
Come to think of it, I live in that type of extremely harsh environ daily here in the Sonoran Desert here in the heart of Arizona. Not only do I live in the environ, I'm charged with rescuing people where theirs and my own survival are dependant on the choices one makes before finding themselves in trouble.
Forethought goes a long way out here to surviving. I'm happy to have the StratoFighter along at all times now. I know should the conditions get extreme and I need to rely on the equipment I have on my to survive, the StratoFighter will stand on it's own where many others "tactical" folders would give up the ghost in an extended stay in no mans land.
I waited a long time for this knife to arrive. I've heard the statements made about Frank Miller and his companies’ knives being knockoffs of the ER line of products. The StratoFighter is no knockoff of any knife if you consider knockoffs to be of less value and an inferior product.
The StratoFighter is THE "tactical" folder on the market today in my opinion. I'm always looking for the strongest, most reliable folder I can get my hands on. Until I find something better than what resides on my pocket right now, I won't carry anything else.
As mentioned before, there are some great folders to choose from on the market today. Many of them are strong in design and materials and will stand well on their own for the majority of people buying them. I happen to own a considerable amount of them myself.
The StratoFighter is the toughest folding knife for real world encounters of the worst kind I have had the pleasure of owning or own presently. I’ll be using it in real world harsh conditions. If it fails in anyway I’ll be sure to get back to everyone immediately.
Robin Brown
There has been much pontification about these knives being nothing but knockoff copies of the ER products.
The Strato certainly has some lineage in the MPC. To my thinking it is not a knockoff though. I would describe it as more like an upgraded, refined, redesign on a theme. The upgrades over the MPC are numerous and were warranted IMO as the MPC was nice but could stand much improvement for it's intended purposes. The Strato has taken that theme to a new level.
The term "knock off" to my thinking, connotates a product that is inferior, of less value, something not made as well. That does not describe the StratoFighter when compared to the ER MPC in the least.
The StatoFighter is a BIG KNIFE open or closed. It made my Chinook2 [which I have carried for over a year] look small in a side-by-side comparison.
The edge was sharp but not as sharp as I like to keep them. This is normal for me as very few knives have been as sharp from the factory as I want them. I put the edge to the Spyderco sharpmaker course stones. 4 light passes on each side brought it to what I call a "working" edge that was as sharp as I like them for the purpose of hard use.
The blade is 1/4" thick; this knife is not designed to slice tomatoes. It looks like it has something of a Moran convex edge that I've always liked as well. If it had an acute angled grind, it would defeat the purpose of the design for hard use. It would be the weak link in the knife, fortunately, that is not the case here. The blade is just a little shorter and thinner in dimensions than the MPC. I see no advantage or disadvantage to this though.
The quartz impregnated inserts in the handle are more than adequate at keeping sweaty, wet hands from slipping while working, something the ER MPC desperately needed [more grip ability] when I owned that knife.
The pocket clip was tight as hell. I could not get it onto my dungaree pocket after much effort. I have had to bend pocket clips on other knives before to loosen them some to give me the retention I want on the pocket.
I tried to bend the pocket clip by hand and it was nearly impossible to do. I went to the garage and got a length of twine that I slipped under the clip and then pulled outbound from the frame. This worked better and I had some minor success at loosening it enough to get it onto the pocket. This clip is STRONG [a good thing to have for this knifes intended use].
The inserts ate the inside of my pocket edge after inserting and withdrawing the knife 20-30 times over the course of the next half hour. I talked with Frank Miller about this over the phone and he told me to remove the clip, remove the insert under the clip and re-attach the clip. He stated that the clip is that tight so that when the knife is attached to a vest in combat it will not be lost. I certainly agree that the knife would not be lost under hard use the way the clip came from him.
I removed the quartz insert under the clip as suggested, not that hard to do actually, and it then was easier to insert and retract from the pants pocket.
While speaking with him, he also mentioned to make sure I loctited the pivot to the desired tension. When I checked the pivot, it was finger tight only. Good thing he told me to loctite it to the tension I desired when we spoke.
I did tighten the pivot with an allen wrench. Then it was too tight and the blade would not open at all. Thing is, I tightened it with very little tension. I backed it off and tightened it a few times to get the desired tension I wanted after putting blue loctite on the pivot threads, let it sit overnight and it has not loosened nor been an issue since.
While on the subject of the blade pivot, it appears to be of adequate size and not be a weak link in strength while locked open and potentially used for prying laterally or from edge to spine. The pivot also protrudes from the sides of the knife, unlike the MPC’s that is flush. A designed feature in the knife that increase it's lateral strength proportionally IMO.
While loctiting the pivot tension, I also loctited the cross bolt secondary safety/locking bar in position so it could not be accidentally engaged, which when in that mode prevents the blade from opening or closing, dependant on the position of the blade when activated.
I did this through experience with the ER MPC, which had engaged itself and locked the blade closed accidentally while sitting in the pocket. I do not know if the secondary lock on the Strato would have had the same issues and did want to find out as this knife is and will be carried full time.
That means it will go on search and rescues into the Superstition Mountains of Arizona with me. I feel confident that should I have to make an extended stay in the mountains overnight while searching for lost or downed/injured people, it is all the knife I'll need for any purpose that one might need a knife/pry bar/hatchet/digging instrument for.
I'm so confident that the StratoFighter will survive anything I'll likely put it through/need it for in a real world environment [the harsh Sonoran desert in this case] I have taken the sheathed straight blade off my rescue pack where it was strapped externally so I could access it without removing the pack off my back.
I no longer need to carry the extra weight of a straight blade along with a folder, and feel comfortable in not doing so, which was not the case while carrying the Chinook [which is still one hell of a strong knife].
One may wonder about the extra weight issue of a good supplemental straight folder here. Let me say that we carry 45 pound packs [minimum] into rescue operations of up to 10 miles on foot over mountains in excess of 6000 feet in heat that can exceed 115 degrees F. in the summer and every ounce of weight saved not carrying redundant or unnecessary equipment is that much more water I can carry for myself and those who are in trouble when we find them.
At times we may be inserted by DPS choppers to an area that is remote enough that we can't access by foot because of the terrain. When one is that far "in" without any support but the gear one takes with them until extraction, which could be 2-3 days, one needs to be able to rely on the equipment on them explicitly. The Strato brings my confidence level where a blade or worst-case pry bar may be necessary to new heights.
I would guess that getting up and over some of the rock cliffs, if I had to use the Strato as an emergency teton, shoving it into a crevice as far as I could, I could pull my full weight [182 pounds] up and could trust this knife not to snap and subsequently fall. Is it something I want to try? No!!! Is it something I think I can rely on if necessary? Yes!!! Is there any other folder I would consider in doing this? No!!! and I’ve owned many folders considered "strong" including many that are talked about here by others posters.
I would not want to be hanging 50 feet off the ground on a technical line from the DPS chopper and have to take the ER MPC out of the pocket for any reason. The chance of dropping it would be too great due to it's smooth slab sided surfaces and lack of finger grooves. Even with gloves on which are mandatory for any type of action like this, the StratoFighter will be much more secure in the hand due to the inserts and finger grooves. Could it still be dropped, of course, but the chance of doing so is greatly reduced by the design over the MPC ergonomics, a big plus where positive purchase is required or lose the tool you desperately need right then.
The glass breaker is more pointed and will certainly work as intended. It also has the advantage of being able to crack skulls if it used as a load fist for any reason. It could also be used to puncture heavy gauge drums due to its design, unlike the MPC. Many more uses with this design where puncturing objects is concerned with it. A good thing to have available and makes it more versatile than any glass breaker I'm aware of on any folder, including my large MOD CQD double edged law enforcement folder as well.
The grooves where the thumb gains purchase open or closed are very adequate. The dimensions, in circumference of the knife, at this juncture, are less than the MPC. I see no advantage or disadvantage here either, though it does "fit" my hand better. This may allow for a tighter grip that probably translates to more strength of the clenched fist around the knife under hard/heavy use and perhaps allowing one to better grip the knife. Again, a small difference between the two, but these little small [and some not so small] differences add up to a better designed knife and are more than the sum of their individual features in the overall use of the tool for it's intended purposes.
I've owned and still own some very strong folders. I like a big knife, one that can be relied on to get any job done and survive to be sharpened another day. Lots of folders are called "tactical" and are not really designed or intended for use under extreme conditions where life and death may hang in the balance. The Dark Operations StratoFighter is a tactical folder in the true sense of the term.
Everything about the StratoFighter screams tough, durable, reliable, and TACTICAL. The features of the StatoFighter are made with the operator who needs to rely on his equipment day in and day out in mind. One needs to have confidence in their equipment when the outcome in ones favor is part of the equation.
If I had a choice of any folding knife and I was heading to Hajji country in the box, this is the only tactical folder that would be going on my person. In my opinion, owning some of the "tactical" strong knives made today on the market, this is my only choice if I can only bring one folder with me to survive and make do under the harsh conditions of the desert.
Come to think of it, I live in that type of extremely harsh environ daily here in the Sonoran Desert here in the heart of Arizona. Not only do I live in the environ, I'm charged with rescuing people where theirs and my own survival are dependant on the choices one makes before finding themselves in trouble.
Forethought goes a long way out here to surviving. I'm happy to have the StratoFighter along at all times now. I know should the conditions get extreme and I need to rely on the equipment I have on my to survive, the StratoFighter will stand on it's own where many others "tactical" folders would give up the ghost in an extended stay in no mans land.
I waited a long time for this knife to arrive. I've heard the statements made about Frank Miller and his companies’ knives being knockoffs of the ER line of products. The StratoFighter is no knockoff of any knife if you consider knockoffs to be of less value and an inferior product.
The StratoFighter is THE "tactical" folder on the market today in my opinion. I'm always looking for the strongest, most reliable folder I can get my hands on. Until I find something better than what resides on my pocket right now, I won't carry anything else.
As mentioned before, there are some great folders to choose from on the market today. Many of them are strong in design and materials and will stand well on their own for the majority of people buying them. I happen to own a considerable amount of them myself.
The StratoFighter is the toughest folding knife for real world encounters of the worst kind I have had the pleasure of owning or own presently. I’ll be using it in real world harsh conditions. If it fails in anyway I’ll be sure to get back to everyone immediately.
Robin Brown
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