IT’S HOW MUCH?
Yeah, I was a bit taken aback when I saw those numbers. I had just finished watching Ron Spomer and moved over to Mike Rowe, who was interviewing Josh Smith, the founder and CEO of MKC. Here is a guy with a background similar to mine, and he expresses views I think and believe in. So I went over to see what led this guy to his situation that day and I almost soiled myself. I'm not a knife guy, so I honestly had no idea what to expect. I looked around a bit, added a knife and sheath to my cart and then returned to the show. by the end of the show I was back on the site debating it. It took about a week of internal debate before I returned to the site and added another knife and sheath. I walked away again. I ended up thinking "you have spent over 1k on a scope to get just a little better, and considerably more on hand tools to be better and faster at your craft. What is the argument then? I'm not a knife guy, but I am a tool guy; if my belt is on my Leatherman is on too, and it has a blade I do use often, but I'm not going to do more than sharpen a pencile or open a box with it. What do you need with this knife then? I don't need it, it's not a tool I reach for in my day to day activities, but I realized it wasn't the tool I wanted. I wanted to support Josh. I wanted that high-end, American-made product. I wanted to be a part of what Josh and his extended family were doing. I wanted to support the values I saw in someone else. I went back and decided to buy the knife that looked good to me, not the one that met a utility need. I decided on the Ultra Light Stone Goat 2, and it was gone! Now I was angry with myself for waiting and debating my choice. I signed up for the drop alerts and went on with my sad self. A few days later I got an email that they were back, so I pulled the trigger. Did I regret it at all? No, honestly, I got busy and forgot about it until it showed up on the porch. OH YEAH! Let's see what we got! Recall I wasn't buying this for use; it was honestly bought to store in the safe. I won't lie, I was hoping for a decent presentation for when I have show and tell. The box was sharp and the colors matched those I picked for my Goat, but it had a warning label that made me roll my eyes and think, "Yeah, alright, whatever."I popped open the box and saw the bright orange sheath. I detail this sheath extensively in another review, and there is a lot to it, so go check it out. Putting that aside I see this vinyl sticker, and who doesn't like a bit of swag? I flick it away to completely reveal the intricately detailed wrapping on the knife (don't throw this out, it appears to be VCI paper which you will use for long storage like I plan to do). They used the same cord I had chosen for my blade's handle, nice touch MKC. As I slid it off I looked into the bottom of the box and saw a card with signatures. I literally set the bundle down and picked this card up. We have all seen the "QC cards" that come with seemingly quality products, but this one was different. No signature was stamped on it, in fact there were three handwritten signatures. That resonated with me, I don't have the exact words to explain how I was feeling. Three people put their names on this, stating that they personally approved it, and it is flawless. I felt exactly what I wanted from this: ownership, pride, excitement, and a bit of patriotism. I set the card aside and refocused on unwrapping the knife. There in the wrapper was the stock sheath, which confused me. Usually a company would remove that item to save money when you buy another, but not MKC. Then I pulled the knife out and 3 of my fingers were sliced off and onto the floor. Nah, just kidding, but that warning was no joke at all. I have never owned a knife that was so sharp you could shave with, but that Goat severed hair from my forearm with zero effort. The knife is remarkably light. They removed some mass from the handle, but it doesn't seem to weaken the knife at all. It will flex, but only with effort. It's thin as well, in the photo below I tried to get a measurement, and it looks to be 1/16th of an inch. The back of the blade is similar in width to the cord. The audible click when you home and the tactile feel gives you confidence that it won't fall out even when hanging downward. To reiterate, I'm not a knife enthusiast, but this flips a switch; it's like getting your first tattoo, you want to show it off and get another one right away. I believe this will now live in my bug out bag. You can sense the quality of this knife, and I believe in it enough that I am willing to risk my life with it if the world goes sideways. You're not just buying carbon steel and para-cord, you're buying into American values, pride, ambition, and as Josh has said, family. It is rare these days that I find more enjoyment from owning something than from the anticipation of owning it. Thank you, Josh, and to the MKC family for putting in the effort to make that my reality.
