Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
The Operator blade got our attention. The readers made sure we didn’t stop there. We moved on to the Assassin, the Salient, and the Operative.
by Jose Campos
A knife can look good on a website. The real question is what happens when it leaves the box.
Our review of the Triarii Metalworks Operator knife struck a nerve with Soldier of Fortune readers. The feedback came in quickly: What about the company’s other blades? We listened.
We went back to Triarii and pulled three more designs into the mix: the Assassin, the Salient, and the Operative. For this round, I brought in a couple of former special operations guys to help run the blades through their paces and give us the kind of feedback that comes from experience.
The knives arrived well packaged, inside sealed bags inside sturdy boxes and each with its own Kydex sheath. Proprietor James R Lynch threw in some stickers that fit the vibe. We made good use of the stickers, scooped up our knives, and headed into the field. Here’s what we found.
The Assassin
The Assassin uses a Persian-style fighting blade – a curved, swept profile that was designed back in the day to cut through chainmail armor. In this modern version, the steel is from Triarii’s standard powder metallurgical lineup, with the same construction fundamentals as the rest of the line.
My “Assassin” friend, a former Navy guy, spent time working through grip transitions. He noted that the choil, otherwise known as the finger cutout, is deep enough to do its job under a hard thrust. That’s not always the case on production fighting knives.
READ MORE: Field-Testing the ‘Operator’ Knife From Triarii Metalworks
We ran the real world simulation test. We slashed and stabbed a heavy bag through denim. The recurved belly generates more edge contact through a slash than a straight blade would. The penetration was excellent, and we found no slippage or movement in the grip. The Assassin does what a fighting knife is supposed to do, without much drama about it.
The Salient
The Salient also has a Persian-style blade, along with a finger ring handle and recurved geometry. Aside from having a distinct badass vibe, this knife is a hard worker. The ring locks the knife into your grip in a way a conventional handle cannot. Once it’s seated, the knife stays put. That has real value in a defensive context where fine motor control degrades fast.
The former Navy guy, who has a background in Filipino martial arts, got comfortable with it quickly and ran it through the drills. The Persian-style blade works well with the fluid, continuous cutting motions the platform favors.
For the stress test, our ex-Army friend used the Salient to cut 550 cord and nylon webbing. This was repetitive, abrasive work that taxes an edge quickly. After cutting through roughly 40 feet of cord and several sections of one-inch webbing, the blade held its own and was ready for more.
We left it submerged in salt water for 72 hours, and it came up clean and ready to work. We found no rust on the blade, and couldn’t find even minor surface oxidation anywhere. And yes, we looked!
The Operative
The Operative is the drop point tanto version of the Salient. It’s excellent for situations where the knife needs to come out fast and stay in hand under chaos.
The Army guy carried it for three days. He got the draw sorted quickly, and found a carry position that cleared the ring on the way out. The Kydex sheath’s Utilclip gave him enough mounting options to make that happen.
He ran the edge work test here. He cut 550 cord and sections of two-inch tubular nylon webbing, and it held up with no issues.
Bottom Line
All three knives are consistent with what Triarii put out with the Operator. These are expertly made from solid material, using designs that reflect what a knife is meant to do. Everywhere we went, if the knife came out for testing when others were around, they got looks and admiration. These are good looking blades.
We would go into the field with all three, confident that the blades will work as intended.
Check current pricing and availability on their website.
Jose Campos is a frequent contributor to Soldier of Fortune.
