Massdrop x Gavko Thresher Titanium Frame Lock Knife

Like other Gavko knives, the story of the Thresher begins with a shark. Ever since one of his first designs was said to look like a Mako shark, Gavko Knives designer Michal Gavac never looked back. The Thresher is based on the shark of the same name—one that uses its enormous tail to whip and stun prey before devouring it. A full-size titanium frame lock, the Thresher features a 3.6-inch S35VN stainless steel blade with plenty of belly for slicing and a keen tip for piercing. The Bowie-style clip-point shape is modeled after the Thresher shark’s powerful tail, while the scalloped backspacer helps emphasize the vicious deep-sea look. Deployment is smooth sailing thanks to the caged ceramic bearing system. Finally, the knife comes in three different finishes and three milled designs (each of which is named after a different species of the Thresher shark)—and, based on community feedback, we’re offering it with a reversed frame lock on three select combinations.

If sharks aren’t your thing, hopefully getting things done with little effort is. At 8 inches overall, the Thresher packs a punch, but thanks to the milled titanium frame it’s not so heavy that it’s a burden in the pocket. Even better, it has a titanium clip for tip-up carry. One unique thing you’ll notice about the knife is its action. Absent of a flipper, it opens by way of the dual black PVD-coated thumb studs, which are meant to resemble the dark, fierce eyes of a shark. Press on them from above with a thumb or from the backside with a middle finger and the Thresher quickly springs into action. To prevent the lock from wearing out over time, the titanium frame is fitted with a hardened steel lockbar insert.

Owned and operated by Slovakian knifemaker Michal Gavac, Gavko specializes in full-size titanium frame locks that are built to withstand the test of time. Before making knives, Gavac was (and still is) an avid collector. Michal moved to the United States 12 years ago, and started making knives in the storage room of his Brooklyn apartment building in 2010. Like many custom makers, his first knives were fixed blades, but Gavac eventually found a soft spot for frame locks—and an even softer spot for, of all things, sharks. When a friend told him one of his designs looked like a Mako shark, Gavac took the idea and ran with it. He’d just moved to Florida at the time and was a big fan of them anyways, so thus began a long line of custom knives like the Blacktip, Tiger, Hammerhead, and of course, now the Thresher. 

Developed by Crucible Industries (one of the leading manufacturers of specialty steels for the cutlery industry) and Chris Reeve (arguably the most famous knifemaker in the world), S35VN is perhaps the most balanced blade steel ever created in terms of all-around performance. It’s made through a process of powdered metallurgy known as CPM, which results in near perfect consistency in the distribution of carbides. Compared to conventional melting practices, the CPM process produces a steel characterized by superior dimensional stability, grindability, and toughness.