I’m betting there are a lot of big legacy knife companies that pay attention to the Montana Knife Company. They have slowly invaded the knife space and become a bit of a modern knife zeitgeist. Montana Knife Company is led by the youngest master bladesmith ever, Josh Smith, who designed the latest knife, the TF24. The knife companies currently sweating are the tactical knife companies because that’s the space that MKC has recently invaded.
The first tactical knife was the WarGoat, a small, self-defense blade designed for a fairly niche use case. The TF24 offers users a more generalized tactical knife. The WarGoat is for dealing with emergency hand-to-hand fights and creating distance. The TF24 is for just about everything you need a knife for.
Digging Into The TF24
The TF stands for Task Force, and 24 stands for the year the knife was produced. Easy enough to figure out. It tries hard to balance use, ergonomics, size, and weight. The blade is four and ⅛ inches long, and the knife’s overall length is nine and ⅛ inches. The knife weighs 5.73 ounces and has a thick .158 of an inch blade.
Offering a secure grip, the TF24 features textured and well-crafted G10 grip scales. The blade slightly overhangs the grip panels at the end of the handle, which allows the knife to break glass and be used as an impact tool.
MKC includes a polymer sheath with passive retention. The retention can be adjusted via a single screw much like many passive retention holsters. It comes with a Utiliclip pocket clip or a Bladeteck Tek-Lok or MOLLE-Lok attachment.
The TF24 In Hand
MKC made one hell of an ergonomic grip setup. It’s brilliant. The grip panels are big and broad and offer texturing in the right spots. The middle of the grips has a slight hollowness that allows your fingers to sit comfortably against the grip. Your whole hand can fit on the handle, and the slight curve at either end helps keep your hand there while working.
In practice, the grip is extremely comfortable. It doesn’t rub your hand, and the texturing is strategically placed to help avoid hotspots. I’ve been using the TF24 to slice open my normal allotment of boxes and cut those boxes into tiny little pieces. In chopping, cutting, and slicing, the TF24 glides through tens of feet of cardboard without creating a hotspot or discomfort.
They cut a bit of jimping into the back of the blade for the fine cuts, and it’s appreciated. The grip allows for a wide variety of grip types. Hammer, reverse, or a more fine-tuned grip that lets you choke up on the blade for those refined cuts.
The Blade
MKC uses Magnacut stainless steel for the blade. A literal knife steel nerd designed Magnacut and it has become one of the more famed premium-grade knife steels. The TF24 is tough as nails, holds an excellent edge, and has good corrosion resistance. It’s also fairly easy to sharpen. It’s easy to understand why MKC pivoted to Magnacut as of late.
The blade on this knife is extremely sharp and well-made. It glides through whatever I put in front of it. The MKC TF24 will cut through rope, thin metal, paper, and meat—be it steak, chicken, or two-legged vermin. The blade has a drop point, which is one of the most versatile options for a knife.
The knife has a nice belly for deep cuts and a long, straight portion for scraping-style cuts. The blade design comes off as versatile and easy to use for a wide variety of purposes. As much as we like to think of tactical knives as fighting tools, they are more utility tools than weapons. The TF24 can be used for a great many tasks, from chopping up rope to skinning deer.
It’s impressively capable, hot damn, is it thick. The TF24 is clearly meant to be an extremely durable knife designed to be a workhorse. MKC stated their reasoning for producing the knife was that it is supposed to be able to deploy anywhere, at any time, and handle anything. That’s a claim I think they’ll keep heartily.
The Rest of the Knife
The TF24 features a cerakoted blade to provide another level of corrosion resistance and reduce potential glare. It is available in a few color options, including cerakoted coyote OD green grip panels. The TF24 series has an MSRP of $425, which brings it well into the premium section of the knife world.
Like most of MKC’s knives, availability is tough. They are in high demand, and after using the TF24 for these past few weeks, it’s easy to see why.
For more information, please visit MontanaKnifeCompany.com.
