Down & Dirty ZT Mudd Knife
Grant and Gavin Hawk created a ‘true grit’ tactical that shines under the most extreme conditions!
Back in the late 1980’s a well-known cutlery company introduced a large “tactical folder” they stated had been designed with the assistance of the Army’s SERE (Survival-Evasion-Resistance-Escape) school. Supposedly, this knife was going to be issued to instructors at the school. While the massive folder was extremely well made, I had some serious questions as to why it would actually be superior to the standard issue “pilot survival” sheath knife for military use.
For starters, the military had purchased thousands of the older model at a price of under $10 each. The new folder was priced at more than $200. Granted, cost shouldn’t be the first consideration when picking survival gear, but I questioned whether the new model offers that much of an increase in performance for the price. Obviously, the fixed blade didn’t require opening and was generally stronger than any folder design. It also weighed less than the oversized SERE folder, a major consideration when putting together a survival kit. My last point was that all lockback folders are very vulnerable to even small amounts of sand, dirt, sawdust, and plant residue in their hinges. A lockback that doesn’t lock when you open it can be a life-threatening hazard in itself.
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