review – Some Knife Just inherently cooler than everyone else. To me it doesn’t get any cooler than an automatic OTF (out-the-front) knife. Flip a switch and the sharp blade springs forward, and it makes me feel like a secret agent, or a notorious killer named John Wick. The John Wick movie recently made OTF knives more popular after showing some of the different Microtech OTF knives in the series. The Tekto Skar is an OTF knife very similar to the Microtech Combat Troodon used in John Wick 2, albeit for less than half the price. The $199 Tekto Skar might look like a John Wick knife, but its poor construction, dull blade, and tendency to fall apart make it no substitute for the real thing.
What is it?
The Tekto Skar is a double action OTF automatic knife with a 3.75″ Tanto point blade with straight and serrated edges. The double-action knife can be deployed by pressing a button on the handle and automatically retracts the blade when the button is pressed again. With a single-action knife, the blade can also be pushed in and locked in place with a button, but retracted manually.
The Tekto Skar suitcase comes in a cool looking black box with the Tekto split skull logo printed on the box.
What’s in the box?
- roof ska
- carry luggage
- User Manual
Hardware Specifications
- Blade Length: 3.75″ (95mm)
- Blade material: D2 steel
- Blade hardness: 58 HRC
- Blade Type: Double Edge Tanto with Straight and Serrated Edges
- Handle Length: 4.90″ (124mm)
- Handle Material: Aluminum
- Weight: 0.28 lb (161 g)
- Locking Mechanism: Button Lock
- Pocket Clip Type: Detachable Deep Clip
- Round head: Detachable glass breaker
legality
Before I go too far with my Skar review, it’s important to mention that OTFs and automatic knives are not legal in every state. However, there are exceptions for the military, law enforcement and first responders.Tons of websites will help you determine legality in your state, Tekto provides one association This is also true on their website for this.
Design and Features
Tekto Skar will definitely get a lot of points for looking cool. The all-black textured aluminum handle not only provides great grip, but it also looks very sturdy.
Despite the rough handle, the Skar has good ergonomics and feels natural to hold. When holding the Skar, your thumb rests naturally on the switch for spreading the blade.
A strong push on the lower part of the switch will deploy the Tanto blade. It takes a little effort to press the switch, but it’s designed to prevent the knife from accidentally unfolding.
By pulling back on the top of the switch with the same force, the blade will retract into the handle.
Tekto Skar’s blades are made of D2 steel, a high carbon, high chromium steel. This steel is very strong and is often used in tools and knives. The hardness of Skar is 58 HRC. Knives of this hardness hold their edges longer, but are also harder to sharpen.
The blade of the Skar is serrated at one end and a straight blade at the other, with a deep groove in the center of the blade and seven small holes.
Unfortunately, my Tekto Skar arrived rather dull and barely decoupage. I also found a lot of imperfections and streaks on the edge of the blade, a result of poor manufacturing.
The Skar’s handle is held together by six T7 Torx screws. These screws securely hold the operating switch, spring and blade in place when using the Skar. Of course, unless the screw loosens on its own after about a week of use, the switch, spring mechanism and blade will pop out and fly around your kitchen like mine did. This is both surprising and disappointing. Until then, despite the dull blade, Skar has been performing well. Once the knife was reassembled, I continued to test, but more cautiously.
I found that the Skar’s switch is sandwiched between the two halves of the handle and slides up and down on a small channel on the front of the knife.
There is a little knurling on both sides of the switch, which is more convenient to operate with one hand.
Skar’s pommel is a small glass breaker with holes for lanyards. The included pocket clip also has a small lanyard hole.
The pocket clips are stiff and take a while to loosen a little. The clip has the Tekto name and skull logo on it.
The Skar also comes with a small black nylon carrying case with a Velcro flap.
There is a large belt loop on the back of the case and a small tab at the top.
The Skar fits nicely in a suitcase, and carrying it this way is a great option for using a pocket clip.
One complaint I do have is that the Tekto logo on the suitcase is a bit blurry and off-center. It might not seem like a big deal, but when you’re paying $199 for a knife, the little things are what count.
set up
The Skar doesn’t require any setup, but since the pocket clip is removable, you can choose to remove it or switch it to the other side of the knife, just unscrew the glass breaker handle.
After removing the pocket clip and seeing how the clip could damage the surface of the handle without using the knife, I found more evidence of the Skar’s poor construction.
Automatic knives also require some basic maintenance, and the Skar is no exception. Tekto provides general instructions on how to disassemble and oil automatic knives here. Basically, you place the knife on a hard surface so it doesn’t fully open; remove the six screws on the handle; disassemble, clean and oil the parts; then reassemble the knife. Since my Skar decided to disassemble itself, I continued to oil the mechanism and put it back together with a lot of effort. The maintenance instructions on the Tekto website were written in 2017 and apparently apply to every one of their OTF knives, so they don’t help much.
Performance
Despite falling apart in my hands, I continued to use the Tekto Skar as my daily carry for about a month. Even with a blunt blade, the Skar is good at opening packages, cutting ropes, and fending off hordes of paying assassins looking to collect the bounty placed on my head at the high table. Skar’s performance is ok, mainly because of its jagged edges, it works well even in slightly dull situations, and the assassin is fictional because I watched a John Wick movie.
One of the odd things about opening and closing the Skar is that there’s a loud and distinctive “spring” sound that kind of detracts from its coolness. You can hear it clearly in my knife operation video demo. Even with an annoying noise, the blade opens and closes quickly with a lot of force.
During my testing, the Skar had what I consider to be a serious malfunction, which is unacceptable for a knife at this price point. There is no way I can rely on this knife for anything other than opening packages or mail, and even then I need to sharpen it before using it.
what do I like
- looks cool
- good balance and weight
Areas for improvement
- Blade arrives dull
- wiggle in blade after deployment
- The overall construction is poor and the price is high
final thoughts
The Tekto Skar is a good option for around $50, but the $199 price tag doesn’t justify its poor construction, dull blade, and design flaws. Since many law enforcement and first responders rely on OTF knives in life-or-death situations, I wouldn’t take the risk on a Tekto Skar when a more reliable knife is on the market.For around $100 more than a Skar, you can get excellent Microtech Ultratech OTFof which John Wick Actually Used in the first movie.You can also find similar Microtech UTX-70 OTF About $245. Also, the $199 price tag is way too high to pick up the Skar just for the cool factor, especially when you risk the knife falling apart in your hands like mine did.
price: $199.99
where to buy: roof
source: This product sample is provided by roof.
