The Microtech Dirac is a compact, ultra concealable OTF automatic tactical knife. It’s symmetrical and ambidextrous, deadly and precise.

LINER TRADECRAFT

  • Blade Material: CTS-204P
  • Edge Length: 2.92″
  • Overall: 7.25″
  • Dagger Double Edged
  • Scales: 6061-T6
  • Made in The USA

I’ve been equipping Microtech knives for 20 years, specifically for my work as an operative and contractor. First it was the Halo II, then the Vector, most previously the Troodon and now the Dirac.

Each having been used in the field and or in combat, with the exception of this new knife as reviewed.

My Halo II is most likely still in the landfill I had to leave it in somewhere in the Middle East almost 2 decades ago. My Vector has been packed in a go-bag hidden under a bridge somewhere in South East Asia for over a decade. My Troodon is in my possession but has been destroyed by an IED and never fully repaired.

Microtech Dirac Knife Black | detcadeR Kit

Ideally, the “best” operator knife should be; relatively cheap as they need to be disposable, brandless or mass produced as they need to be hard to track down and obviously they need to be a reliable tool.

Microtech knives are the pinnacle of edged tools so they are relatively expensive, a highly recognized brand with individual serial numbers but are the most reliable tools of their kind that money can buy.

As an operative working clandestinely with identity security an absolute imperative with high potentialities of having to literally drop everything for operational purposes, an expensive and trackable knife is not the most practical, despite the benefits.

I say this because I never actually purchased a Microtech until this one. They were all given to me, of which I removed or grinded down the serial numbers for each knife for work, making them practical as operator knives. That changed everything.

The Microtech Dirac is my everyday carry knife. Now retired and working in the field only in a consultant capacity, I equip a blade more for casual utility than combat and self-defense if required.

That’s not to say the Dirac is not combat capable, quite the contrary. It’s the very reason why I finally bought a Microtech after all these years.

This is their newest out-the-front double action knife and it caught my eye because of its stern symmetry.

In our line of work we gravitate towards or is naturally inclined to a specific type of combat. Some are with firearms and others with edged weaponry, I was the latter. Which worked out as I excelled in extreme close quarters maneuvering and stealth while operating mostly in non-permissive environments.

Microtech Dirac and UMS Ultratech Knife | detcadeR

It became an obsession to become as best as my body and training would allow. After I believed I reached at least some degree of “mastery” in edged combat, I started focusing on my weak side, my left hand, arm, legs – hemisphere. Soon I reached ambidexterity.

What I learned with my right (dominant) hand was trained, adjusted and calibrated for my left.

This is why I eventually opted for symmetrically designed knives for work. But it’s not easy finding a symmetrical non-fixed knife that’s also concealable.

I tried the Benchmade Infidel but was quickly disappointed in the blade / bulk ratio and the unreliable actuation mechanism. Then an associate gave me a Piranha Excalibur, of which fit my needs.

The Microtech Dirac can be mistaken for a scaled down version of that knife, but far better finished – however, Piranha is no slouch in the knife industry.

So when the Dirac first got on my radar, it instantly made me reminisce about the Excalibur and how it’s been a long time since I carried an automatic knife as an EDC. The Excalibur is too big for casual carry.

The Dirac has a 2.92″ blade making it as long as it could be to be most *ideally* carried legally (under 3″) around the world. The blade to body ratio is exceptional and is also contoured, making it not just ergonomic for the hands but highly effective for dynamic concealment methods.

It’s a perfect candidate for my hyper concealing position shifting holster. That means the original Microtech pocket clip (which is an industry best) has been removed and I’ve integrated a clipless pocket clip system to work with the aforementioned holster.

Microtech does not spare any expense with their equipment, from design to manufacturing to raw materials; the scales, hardware, even their screws and particularly with the steel they use for their blades.

At current, the best blade steels available are Bohler M390 and Carpenter CTS-204P, this Dirac is made from the latter. These steels are essentially identical, just made by different companies. These “super steels” are not easy to make and just as hard to work with, so the cost but results reflect that.

So the blade material is top-end no doubt. But Microtech is also known for their exquisite blade grinds. This Dirac is a double edged dagger. The point is terrifyingly menacing as it would take very little pounds of force to penetrate body armor and clothes and then slip inside flesh like it wasn’t even there.

The edges themselves come factory sharpened nearly razor level, but not quite. And that’s fine because it will stay as sharp as it is for a very long time through harsh use – this is the magic of “super steel”.

Automatic knives are called that because a button or trigger has to be actuated to “fire” the blade into place. This requires moving parts with deceptively simple mechanisms. Many companies produce their own versions with more budget options now, but after decades of experience, Microtech is still the undisputed leader with these “machines”.

Similar to firearms, a tactical knife must work exactly when needed, exactly all the time. A gun misfire or jam during a live firefight is as detrimental as an automatic knife misfiring or jamming the moment of a close quarters engagement with an assailant.

That’s the big downside of automatics, the risk of a misfire or jam. This is why this Microtech Dirac is worth every penny, I can preemptively concur that it will have a 100 percent firing (blade deployment) rate – as long as it’s maintained properly, like any firearm.

Along with my own past Microtech knives and handling various automatics from this and other companies, the Dirac has a distinctly smooth and clean operation. The button / trigger alone is a feat in aesthetics and utility. When pushed, the blade is thrust into existence with quite an entrance.

You can be sure it will always be there when you command it to. But that’s just the blade.

The handle / body is symmetrical and combat-ergonomic for impeccable forward and reverse grip equally for the left and right hands. Strategic jimping for further purchase and slip control.

There is minimal but necessary blade play (as required for blade deployment). This is expected and normal for automatic knives. In any case, it’s as solidly and precisely built as humanly and technologically feasible.

Microtech-Dirac-Knife- Review

The signature pommel has an updated tungsten carbide device for breaking glass or to use as a non-lethal impact force multiplier instead of the blade.

When you have it in your hand with the blade disengaged (resting) it feels like a block of precious metal, that’s how well this thing is put together.

As with all their other gear, the attention to detail, ultra-high tolerances, finishing, machining and precision is nigh NASA engineering level. Making a mere cutting utensil into a tradecraft machine.

Although my Microtech Dirac has been modified with a proprietary clip system and an ID inhibitor traction coating, the stock version is still a masterful knife.

This device has a remarkable balance of concealability and combatability, a type of weapon that’s never seen and barely felt by the target until it’s already over.

Microtech is unequivocally the preeminent automatic knife maker of the world, the gold standard in tactical edged weapons.

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