In today's discussion we will talk about a knife that is destined to become a classic collectable. The reason for this is the affiliation with our military's Special Operations Forces. If you look back over the years, many of today's most popular collectable are attributable to that genres of the military. While this in itself is not a secure recipe for prominence as a collectable, it adds to the mystery and allure of the knife. And that, my friends, does make it collectable.

The MPK (Multi Purpose Knife) idea was created in 1992. It seems the U.S. Navy SEAL Teams were having some concern about the corrosion with their dive knives. Enter Rick Schultz. Rick was assigned to a SEAL Team 1 officer to use as a sponsor to assist in answering questions. To prepare for these meetings, a matrix was created to "score" all the requirements (weight, corrosion resistance, edge holding ability, strength, etc.) needed for mission completion and success. A numerical score was then assigned to all the current metals in use as knives. Eventually, after repeated discussions with the SEALs and research into the subject, titanium was selected as the highest scoring metal with the only downside being the sheer cost of the product. As the MPK was not to be a general issue item for the entire Navy, this did not present a major obstacle.

Green (olive drab) MPK with type 2 sheath with slots for attaching to LBE (Load Bearing Equipment).

In the second formal meeting it was decided that titanium was the metal to be used and that 10 working prototypes were to be made for evaluations. These original prototype MPKs were to be made with Kevlar handles as opposed to the later injection molded handles. Talk about a collectable, imagine finding one of these! During the third formal meeting in mid 1993, these knives were presented for testing. In actuality, 5 knives were made from titanium and 5 others were constructed from ATS-34. The 120 day test period included testing for low-Mu (non-magnetic properties) and handle configuration. To test for a new handle design, several wooden handles were built and passed around with results tabulated on feel and requests for enhancement noted. The results was a "handle that melts in your hand."

Unmarked (sterile) black MPK with type 1 sheath

The results of the testing were all positive for the titanium MPKs. The 5 made from ATS-34 were returned as solid hunks of rust. According to Rick, they were "rusted right into their sheaths." At this point a request was made by the SEALs for 100 titanium knives. Production and manufacturing drawings were produced and quickly approved by the SEALs. After a second round of tests were preformed using other issue knives for comparisons, the MPK was selected as the issue knife for the SEAL Teams. It was at this time added to the TOA (Tables of Organic Allowances) and given a National Stock Number (NSN-1386-01-417-4-1263). Mission Knives was created as the manufacturer and given a manufacturer CAGE code of 034S8.

Orange Prototype fully serrated MPK, serial #7 out of 10 with type 1 sheath.

The knife itself is 11-7/8" long with a blade length of 7 inches. The handle is one-piece injection molded Hytrel reinforced with Kevlar fibers. It is a full tang design. Metal, such as a guard or butt cap, is not present to ensure the knife's complete electrical isolation. A slight texture is added to enhance gripping ability for use with gloves or sweating hands. Likewise, grooves were added for the same reason. The blade itself is were the MPK stands out amongst its competitors. Made from high strength beta titanium alloy it is impervious to rust, non-magnetic and can be hardened while still maintaining ductility. Disadvantages are its difficulty in machining and overall cost. Heat treated to a Rc or 45-47, resistance to abrasion is exceptional. In fact, the only way to resharpen It is with the use of a diamond coated sharpener. With the ability to avoid corrosion and resistance to dulling, the MPK works well in the wet environment the SEALs operate in. The blade's finish is dull gray to avoid reflection of light.