ABW Slip Joint 2.25" – Frag Milled Titanium, MagnaCut Stonewash Wharncliffe – Made in USA

MagnaCut Wharncliffe. Titanium scales. Frag milling. North Carolina made.

The American Blade Works Slip Joint is a modern take on a traditional format. Michael Martin CNC machines every component in house at his Weaverville, North Carolina shop, including the titanium scales, the MagnaCut Wharncliffe blade, and the backspring. The 2.25" hollow ground Wharncliffe is heat treated and cryogenically tempered, and the stonewash finish gives it a practical, hard carry character. Phosphor bronze washers and a 416 stainless pivot deliver smooth, consistent pull strength. This version features the Frag milling pattern, a fragmentation style texture cut in multiple directions for maximum traction.

Note from Lone Star Knife & Supply: The Frag pattern is the most aggressive looking handle in the ABW Slip Joint lineup. Multi directional texture, maximum traction, same MagnaCut Wharncliffe and 2.2 oz as the rest of the family. If you want a slip joint that looks as capable as it performs, this is the version.

Why This Slip Joint Stands Out

• 2.25" CPM MagnaCut Wharncliffe Blade, 3D milled hollow ground, heat treated and cryogenically tempered
• Frag Milled Titanium Scales, machined in house at ABW's North Carolina shop
• The most aggressive grip texture in the ABW Slip Joint lineup
• Stonewash finish on both blade and scales
• Phosphor Bronze Washers and 416 Stainless Pivot Hardware
• Slip Joint with Half Stop, non locking and legal everywhere
• 2.2 oz, one of the lightest MagnaCut pocket knives available
• Fully disassemblable, not riveted
• Made in the USA (Weaverville, North Carolina)

Specifications

• Brand: American Blade Works
• Model: Slip Joint
• Blade Length: 2.25"
• Closed Length: 3.31"
• Overall Length: 5.56"
• Blade Steel: CPM MagnaCut
• Blade Style: Wharncliffe
• Blade Grind: 3D Milled Hollow Ground
• Blade Finish: Stonewash
• Handle Material: Titanium
• Pivot: Phosphor Bronze Washers
• Hardware: 416 Stainless
• Lock Type: Slip Joint (Non-Locking)
• Half Stop: Yes
• Weight: 2.2 oz
• Warranty: One-Year Limited
• Country of Origin: Made in USA (Weaverville, North Carolina)
• Handle Pattern: Frag

It Comes Apart

Old slip joints are riveted. If something goes wrong inside one, you are done.

This one unscrews. Two scales, a backspring, and a blade is the entire knife. You can take it down, clean it, and put it back together, which on a non locking knife that lives in a pocket collecting lint is worth more than it sounds.

The Pull

The grind on this blade is unusually hollow, and that is what makes it easy to open. You can pull from the top of the blade rather than fighting for the nail nick, though there is a thumb nick toward the back if you want it.

Michael puts the walk and talk at about a seven. It firms up after a week or two of carry, so a brand new one will not snap quite as hard as one that has been used.

Why You'll Want It

MagnaCut edge retention and titanium construction in a 2.2 oz pocket knife that goes anywhere, including states where a locking knife is regulated. At $159 it is one of the strongest values in the American made traditional market.

About American Blade Works

American Blade Works is Michael Martin and his wife Kerry, working out of a 625 square foot garage in Weaverville, North Carolina. That is the entire company.

Michael spent 32 years in manufacturing, 20 of them at a contract shop running more than 60 CNC machines, where they built over 50,000 knives for Blackhawk and ran work for Microtech and Walter Brend. He started ABW in 2018 and made 12 knives that year. The next year he made 24. The year after that he made 80 and figured it would last him twelve months. A reviewer with a few hundred thousand subscribers bought one, hated it, and sent back a list of changes. Michael made them and shipped a revised version two weeks later. Those 80 knives sold in about fifteen seconds.

The two of them now turn out two to three hundred knives a month. Michael hand sharpens every one on a 2x72 belt, roughly twenty seconds each, and checks the edge by cutting up the shop's cardboard. Assembly happens at the kitchen table. Shipping happens at the kitchen island.

We Toured the Shop

The Great American Knife Tour™ visited American Blade Works in Weaverville and did a full shop tour.

Michael walks through all of it, including the 1989 machine he bought first and still runs, the original Model 1 drawing that lives on a floppy disk, and the kitchen table where he and Kerry hand assemble every knife that leaves the shop.

Watch here: https://youtu.be/kuyKBuBStKw

Proudly carrying American