Season One Research Files
Episode Eleven
10:00am-11:00am
MICROTECH H.A.L.O. II KNIFE
The Microtech H.A.L.O. is typically referred to as the epitome of the OTF automatic knife (where the blade pops "out the front"). It is fast to open, and it has a solid lockup of the blade with one button. The H.A.L.O. II has a 4" ATS-34 blade that can be closed by pulling back on the recharging handle to recock the blade for its next use. Although a very popular knife with serious knife collectors, the H.A.L.O. II is a good all-around utility knife and it has been seen in several movies, including The Fan and Men in Black.
The H.A.L.O. (High Altitude Low Opening) was the first in a series of production OTFs made by Microtech in 1994. After improving on the first H.A.L.O., the company created the H.A.L.O. II and the new H.A.L.O. III. The original H.A.L.O. was a bit larger than the H.A.L.O. II and III, and had rubber inserts for griping. The H.A.L.O. II was made a bit smaller and it came with a Kydex carry sheath. Kydex is a durable acrylic/PVC alloy that offers excellent resilience, chemical resistance and fire-retardancy.
Since the H.A.L.O. II was discontinued, the H.A.L.O. III also comes with a new Kydex rig that has been called the best carry system yet for an OTF. Updated for the times, the new H.A.L.O. III features a Tanto blade with no blade cutouts (making it visibly different from the H.A.L.O. II series). The handle now features both horizontal and vertical grooves to increase gripping ability, and the firing button is also grooved to prevent slippage.
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