Mercworx Lachesis Folding Knife

Reviewed by corwin99 on April 10th, 2010

MercWorx is an American Tactical Knife company that claims to have been a private contractor for specialized “demanding clientele”, providing them with tactical tools in sometimes sterile versions. In general, the marketing for the company is clouded in mystery, which adds to its allure.

“Gentlemen prefer them, professionals insist on them” is their tag line. Sounds very cool, and I really don’t know any more than anyone else about the company. When they came around in the early 2000’s, they were a hot company, but their customer service had many complaints. This seems to have cleared up now, especially since they have to compete with companies like Strider, who have VERY good customer service.

Now that that’s out of the way, on to the knife’s fit and finish. The grind of this Lachesis is bloody cool, and is typical of the style that Mercworx uses in all their blades. All of their knives are made from beginning to end by a single craftsman in the USA. They are not custom made, but they are very close to it.

The BG-42 blade is very sharp and well made, with even grinds. While Mercworx is more known for their fixed blades, the folders are more interesting to me. The Canvas micarta scales are finished somewhat roughly, but are still much smoother than handles from companies such as Busse, giving the knife slightly less grip. The handle shape of the Mercworx Lachesis is very comfortable, and this one is the perfect size of the three folders they make in this pattern.

Bolsters are bead-blasted Titanium, and the liners are medium thickness titanium as well. The Lanyard hold in the back actually had bits of thread from the Micarta still on it, which I was bothered by slightly. I wish they would have taken the time to clean it up a bit there, but I suppose that lack of polish is part of the charm.

The bolster oddly has many screws in it, much more than typical bolsters. The action of the blade is not up to part with similarly priced custom blades from respected makers, but is acceptable. Nylatron washers are fairly thin, and the lockup is solid. The movement just lacks the consistancy throughout the opening action of the blade, which is an indicator of slightly imperfect fit of the handle and pivot area.

Even though the fit and finish are not top-shelf, the knife is a very cool piece of kit, with an excellent design and feel, unlike some of the tactical blades out there. The sweeping plunge grind is reminiscent of Walter Brend, and the drop point blade shape is ultra-versatile.

Specs:
Blade Length: 3 1/2″
Closed Length: 4 3/4″
Blade Steel: BG-42
Handle Material: Canvas Micarta
Bolsters: Titanium

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