The firearms accessory company is putting out a new knife with a metal injection molded (MIM) blade. An innovation that is new to the knife industry (although Magpul has been using it for their other products for a while now).
Quick Specs:
| Overall Length: | 7.375″ |
| Blade Length: | 2.94″ |
| Blade Steel: | MVNS35 |
| Blade Style & Grind | Wharnecliffe / flat & hollow |
| Lock Type: | Lug Lock |
| Made In: | USA |
First The Steel
MVNS35 MIM steel is Magpul’s injection molded version of CPM S35VN. By composition, it’s identical, but the manufacturing process creates its own set of pros and cons.
It allows them to create unique blade shapes, and the manufacturing process is faster and cheaper. Plus CATRA testing showed it to have better edge retention and at least similar performance in blade impact test compared to blade with similar geometry.
The downside seems to be that making anything this way requires more preparation because every new piece and shape needs a new mold made for it.
The Lug Lock
Ergonomically, the Lug Lock works the same as a crossbar lock: you pull down tabs on either side of the handle to disengage and close the knife. Internally, it looks like the lock actually interfaces with a spring deeper in the handle in a way that is (maybe) comparable to Demko’s Shark Lock.
A few other interesting details
There’s a lot going on in this thing, despite the fact that Magpul designed it to have as few parts as possible:
- Every metal piece on the Breslau, including the liners and pocket clip, is MIM;
- The handle is made from the same polymer found in their gun accessories (maybe no surprise there);
- The pocket clip is tip-up and reversible;
- The blade shifts from a hollow to flat grind;
- Everything is made in house Magpul’s facilities.
Not Magpul’s First Knife
This isn’t their first venture into the knife world. Magpul released a few iterations of a mid-tech flipper called the Rigger back in 2019. That was a very limited, high-end release that sold out immediately and resulted in them coming out with a somewhat cheaper production model the following year.
The folks at Magpul sound excited to keep playing with MIM technology in the knife space, so it’s reasonable to expect something else in this vein in the coming years.
The Breslau is on pre-order right now exclusively through BladeHQ and expected to sell out fast. Be sure to check out their video while you wait.
