How I Made The Best Tactical Knife Ever Made Even Better. Part One.

Would you say that the title of my article is a pretty bold statement?

It is.  And it is a very bold knife.  When Les De Asis wanted a serious folding combat knife incorporating the Michael Walker designed liner lock, he teamed up with Chris Caracci and developed the AFCK.  This stands for Advanced Folding Combat Knife.  I've also heard it referred to the Armed Forces Combat Knife, which is incorrect but would be a great name as well. Whatever you want to call it, it certainly did usher in, or even possibly create the new genre of the tactical folding knife. 

Chris and Les only collaborated on one knife.  It is my understanding that Les has a nasty habit of not paying designers.  Allen Elisewitz and Ernest Emerson fell victim to Les, so it would not surprise me Les did the same to Chris.  Although I love the AFCK and praise it for being such a groundbreaking design, it is Chris Caracci I am directing that praise to.  I'm just thankful Benchmade made them and did such a consistently good job of it.  

Chris Caracci, a former Navy Seal came up with this amazing design.  It is clearly not as high tech as some of the newer knives of the day, but I can tell you that the one I have been carrying now for 20+ years is a true workhorse. As you can see in the photos below, a lot of the black has been worn off the blade.

I am so happy AFCK was conceived and had as long a run in production as it did.  It went through countless upgrades and configurations.  For this article, I'll be focusing on the Large AFCK 800BT and the Small AFCK 814BT.  Both have 154CM blades, which replaced the ATS-34 steel used for several years.  Both steels are exactly the same, except, 154CM is made in the USA by Crucible and ATS-34 is made in Japan by Hitachi and vacuum melted.  The154CM is not vacuum melted. At least that is what the spec sheet read years ago.

My 800BT arrived one day and sat on the front porch all day until I returned home from work.  I'd say that was the winter of 1997.  This particular one hit all the marks as far as fit and finish.  The blade had a beautiful symmetrical edge and grind, the oval hole was a thing of beauty, the lock-up of the liner lock was right at 50% which is right where I like them to start.

Lots of folks seem to like early lock up. Perhaps their thinking is that over time the lock will wear a little and move in closer to the center. As you can see from the photo above, mine hasn't really budged in 15 years from its original 50% lockup. It is a strong lock up with no wiggle or play.  The G10 had the usual texture to be expected on all the Benchmade G10 knives at the time.  The clip is Parkerized, not the painted clip you find on other Benchmades these days.  The bushings are nylon and work well, but I'll address that in Part II.  Not as slick as the oil impregnated bronze bushings you find today, but remember, this knife is very old school and one of the "foundation" knives for everything else you see today.  It really had no predecessor.  When it hit the market, it was such a step up from anything else anyone had seen.  Sal Glesser of Spyderco developed the thumb hole and thank goodness he was cool enough to license the use of it to Benchmade.  Otherwise, this knife would never have been. Or it would've had thumb studs like it does on the axis lock version.  I personally find thumb studs to get in the way.  On some knives, like the Chris Reeve Sebenza, thumb studs work.  But on most knives I find they get hung up on pockets and get in the way during sharpening.  

Spyderco was making pocket clip knives with holes, but they all were very plain and used mid locks, not liner locks.  Michael Walker's liner was in its infancy and the knife industry was on the verge of an explosion of new designs because of these two patented ideas, the liner lock and thumb hole.  What a match made in knife heaven.  The AFCK, in my opinion, was the first real entry into the world of "Tactical Folder".

If you have ever held an AFCK, you have experienced what a pleasure it is to look at.  If you have ever used an AFCK, then you understand how the simplistic design shape is perfect for long and heavy use and it can be gripped in numerous ways for just about any situation. And with some practice, can be out of your pocket and open in the blink of an eye.

Now here is where you may think I am off my rocker, but my decision may have spearheaded a design change that you now take for granted on your knives with pocket clips.  If you study the amazing shape of the handle of the AFCK, it clearly begs to be a Tip Up carry knife.  But, Benchmade only made it Tip Down.  In doing so, they forced your hand to contend with the bulkier and almost square front end of the knife and the thumb grooves on the spine of the blade.  Rather than in the Tip Up orientation, the edge of your hand would glide ever so smoothly past the back of knife on its way into your pocket to retrieve change or car keys.

I called Benchmade and asked if I would be able to send the knife back to them and have them drill and tap holes for me to make the knife a Tip Up Carry.  I was told "No".  That was the length of the reply.  A one word sentence.  So I asked to speak to someone higher than "customer service rep" in the food chain.  The manager of the repairs department was put on the line.  I wish I had the foresight to take down some names, but alas, I did not (I do now for sure).  The repairs manager stated that they did not have the tooling or the machinery in the repairs department to do what I was asking.  He also indicated that there was no discussion by the design people of making the AFCK a Tip Up Carry in the foreseeable future.  He even said that with the shape of the handle, he did not see just where they would be able to put a clip.  End of conversation.

After that enlightening conversation, it was time to adjourn to the workshop.  After removing the pocket clip, I used a micrometer to measure the screws.  After that, it's off to the precision tool store to get a drill bit.  They had what I wanted so I bought two, because you know darn well that if you only buy one, you will break it and be driving back to the store.  I also purchased a bit one size smaller and one size larger.  These are not your usual twist drill bits, but precision bits for CNC machines and made completely of tungsten.  The tool shop did not have any taps the size I needed, but I thought I would be able to wing it anyway.

Back in the shop, three holes are drilled.  I decided to not make the hole in the G10 any larger than the hole in the titanium liner as they do at the factory.  My thinking was that I could use the G10 as part of the media I screw into.  What I was about to do was going to make only partial threads in both the G10 and titanium.  Using a little oil and the screws that came with the knife, I very slowly and patiently began the process of screwing in the screw a little, then backing it out, then back in, and out and repeating, cleaning the screw clean periodically.  It took about 15 minutes of this, per hole, to get the screw to show itself on the inside of the knife.  And, I had managed to use only one screw, without breaking the head off or stripping the Allen head..  The threads were worn quite a bit, so I made that screw the one that is at the tip of the clip.  The two unused screws, with their fresh threads, had to do a little work to get all the way through, but that is a good thing as it made them even more snug and secure.  I figured that if they all went in, I did not want any movement of the screws and I had no plans to remove them or flip the clip.  So, I used a little epoxy in the holes which acted like a lubricant and proceeded with the final assembly.  The epoxy cured and this clip has not budged in 20 years.  If I ever catch the clip on something and bend it, I'm screwed.  Ha!!

My only limitation to where I put the clip was the hardware that holds the scales on and the position of the thong hole. I put it as high as I could so the knife would ride nice and low in my pocket.

The picture below shows the view from inside the liner and the very end of the screw poking through the hole.

Now here is a picture of my newest addition to the AFCK family, the AXIS lock with M390 steel.  Notice where Benchmade put the clip.  Hmmmm.  Looks strangely familiar.  Wonder where they got the idea.  I find it hard to believe that working with a company so far advanced in the CNC world of knife technology, that Les wouldn't have been able to say, "Hey guys, lets take an afternoon and plot some new points on the commands of the drill head, make a new fixture to hold the knife, and drill some holes where they should be.

Below are two photos of the knife I modified, on top, and the factory knife.

And a closeup shot.

Well, I have a good hunch that my letter and photographs that were sent to Benchmade as a follow-up showing the completed project got them talking among themselves and probably very quickly made a prototype. Then somebody probably put that prototype put it in their pocket and decided that "Hell yeah" this is a way to go, and never took it out of their pocket.  That's all it would take.  If you can put a knife that has almost a 4" blade in your pocket via a clip and still easily insert and extract your hand, then you have really got something there.  Also, come to find out, the vast majority of folks like Tip Up.  So, you have not only taken advantage of the natural shape of the handle that acts like a shoe horn guiding your hand into your pocket, you have also oriented the knife in a more popular, useful and more quickly deployed position.  If you use the "zip tie" method, you can have it open itself on the way out

of your pocket.

With the clip where I wanted it, the only other thing I thought I could do to improve the design is the thumb notch/ramp aimed at the thumb hole. 

Wonder how many of you picked up on that feature in the above photos.  The notch acts like an aiming device for your thumb and soon you find out that your thumb naturally hits the hole every time as it should and the knife opens almost automatically.  What a great feeling.  All it took was a quarter round bastard file to slowly shape the notch, being careful not to cut too far and into the liner.  Then a little emery cloth to smooth it out and you are done.  I never sent pictures of this addition to Benchmade, so maybe that is why you don't see that feature on them now.

Above, I mentioned the AXIS version of the AFCK.  The first one I purchased had the D2 blade and I was frankly disappointed.  Why?  Well, it is thicker, heavier, and overall probably 2.5% larger in all dimensions.  The AXIS part is fantastic.  But why did they have to use stainless steel liners?  Even perforated, that is quite a jump in weight.  The liners are fatter, so the overall thickness of the knife is increased exponentially.  It is also wider and longer.  It really does make it just a little too bulky for pocket clip wear.  The Axis knife pulls on the pocket, whereas the older liner lock version, with titanium liners, does not.  So I sold the D2 version and bought one of the M390's with all black G10 that is contoured and textured very nicely.  The fit and finish is better and it has beautifully anodized standoffs.  I really thought it was going to be lighter because I was told the liners were titanium, but I can tell you most certainly they are not.  The thumb hole is not oval, (which I thought was just the coolest thing), but is round just like on the original AFCK's but slightly larger.  So opening it is still a simple flick of the thumb.  The size of the previously mentioned Axis lock version was still a little too much for me, so I put the original clip back on it and sold the knife.  I don't miss it for a second.

The first thing I did with the new one was take off the pocket clip and install one of the older generation clips. Thank God they did not change the whole pattern like Spyderco has done.

Having successfully modified my 800BT, it was time to duplicate my efforts on my 814BT.  With the smaller knife having stainless steel liners instead of the titanium of the big brother, it actually made the "machining" process a little easier.  I still used epoxy as a lube and setting agent.  In the photos, you see my old handle, but the new blade.  I found a NOS AFCK with a very nicely ground blade so I thought it would be neat to pop the new blade into the old handle.  Works like a charm and the lock up is like Fort Knox.  This is my EDC knife.  There are times I panic and think I lost the knife because I don't feel it clipped to my pocket even after having put my hand into my pocket numerous times throughout the day.  Due to the Tip Up orientation and the curvature of the handle, I never feel it.  From years of my hand gliding past the knife, it is beginning to polish the nylon standoff/spacer between the scales.

With all the newfangled knives out there, many of which I have owned, I always go back to the AFCK for its pure utilitarian design, quality of materials, ease of carry, speed and ease of deployment and durability of construction.  Even my Spyderco Paramilitary sits in the drawer 85% of the time because I always instinctively reach for the AFCK.

In closing, my dream would be if they were to resurrect the original design with my two improvements and perhaps replace the 154CM blade with M390 steel or S35VN. Maybe I should call Les.

A couple of pictures of the finished product in my pocket.