Microtech Dirac D/E Ships Cyan With a Full Serrated Edge at $361

Microtech listed the Dirac D/E in full serrated black with a cyan chassis on September 9 at $361, and the configuration says a lot about who buys OTF knives. The Dirac is Microtech's first dual-action design with a cover firing slider — a thumb slide built into the handle rather than a lever on the spine — and the chassis borrows the curved lines of the HALO for a feel that is distinct from the company's other out-the-front models.

The numbers are compact: 7.25 inches overall, a 2.875-inch double-edge blade, and a weight of just 2.30 ounces, which is extraordinary for a mechanism this complicated. Microtech leans on its usual claims — ultra-high-tolerance machining, proprietary hardware, glass breaker — and in this category the reputation is earned, because the failure mode for a cheap OTF is a blade that will not deploy or will not lock, and that is a machining problem rather than a materials one. The country of origin is the USA. Cyan is not a subtle finish, and on a knife that has to be looked at before it can be used, that is arguably a safety feature rather than a fashion statement.

The full serrated double-edge blade is the more consequential choice. Serrations cut fibrous material — rope, webbing, zip ties, seatbelts — faster and with less pressure than a plain edge, but they are slower in food prep, awkward on paper and a genuine project to sharpen, especially on a double-edge blade where the tip portion is typically plain. Buyers who actually use their knives tend to prefer the partially serrated D/E for exactly that reason. Buyers who want the most aggressive visual configuration Microtech sells tend to prefer this one, and that is the market this variant exists for.

At $361 the Dirac costs roughly the same as two high-end Chinese titanium folders, which is the comparison anyone outside the OTF world will make. The honest reply is that OTFs are not bought on price-per-inch: they are bought for the mechanism, the legality trade-offs, and the fact that no folding knife opens faster from a closed, one-handed position. For that buyer, this is one of the better-balanced OTF platforms Microtech makes.