Jul
The United Cutlery M48 Ops Full Tang D2 Dagger is a compact knife made from a single piece of quality D2 steel. Unusually for a single piece knife it hasn’t been drop forged, it’s actually CNC machined.
This quality of engineering is evident from the first time you see and hold it. The handle is ridged for extra grip and perforated to remove some weight but even with the perforated handle, it’s a chunky number weighing in at an impressive 275g whilst only being 8 3/4″ in length.
The United Cutlery M48 Ops Full Tang D2 Dagger feels really solid and the handle is very comfortable. No matter how I held it, the handle fitted my hand well and there was nothing that I felt would cause problems with long term use. It’s simply very good to hold in any position.
It’s a fixed blade, double edged dagger and it’s sharp straight out of the box, although my preference with a new knife is to always give them a sharpen myself.
It’s always useful right at the outset to become familiar with a new knife and giving it a nice edge is the best way I’ve found to do this. Bonding with a knife which could be a potential life saver seems like the right thing to do!
The blade is etched with the M48 logo and D2 on one side and has a blood groove running down the centre. The weight is in the handle – this is not a balanced knife (Thanos would be disappointed!) but it doesn’t need to be. The weight in the handle is reassuring and comforting and feels entirely appropriate for this type of knife.
It definitely feels like the weighted handle would give you great control when using the knife for finer work. I’ve always found heavy bladed knives to be too unwieldy for close up work, but I’m sure that the M48 Ops Full Tang D2 dagger would be very comfortable in this area.
The M48 Ops Full Tang D2 dagger comes with solid feeling Kydex sheath. The blade does not come out of the sheath easily, it’s a really solid fit with a reassuring ‘clunk’ when you push it into place. The sheath is black with stainless steel lashing holes and a sturdy metal belt clip.
You could shake the sheath all day long and that blade would stay where it was. If anything, it’s possibly a little too stiff, but I’m sure with repeated use it’d loosen up a little.
The M48 Ops Full Tang D2 Dagger comes in two colours – the great looking satin finish and a stealthy matte black.
I think I prefer the satin finish myself. I always worry about scratching coated blades, which may seem a bit daft but that’s just the way my mind works. I always like to keep my knives in tip top condition and my slight OCD wouldn’t cope well with scratched on a black blade.
Having said that, the matte black blade really does look gorgeous so maybe it’s time to get over it…we’ll see!
All in all, this is a solid knife which feels incredible in the hand.
Whilst it might be on the weighty side, you’d still have great control as the weight is in the handle, not the blade – it’d be perfect for fine, close up work.
If you’re looking for a solid performer and like the dagger style, I’d definitely recommend this.
