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Eickhorn LL80
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The Eickhorn LL80 German Paratrooper Gravity Knife is a unique design that allows even an injured parachutist to open and use the knife to cut himself free of tangled shroud lines.
This version of the German Paratrooper Gravity Knife has been in service with Germany's airborne troops for decades, and its design has been optimized for its specific task.
It is made to MIL spec, with an ice hardened blade of plain finished 440 A steel that's 3.6 mm thick, and 80mm long.
The handle is available in black or green, is designed to be maintenance free, and also features an awl or screwdriver.
It is 280 mm in length overall, and weighs 255 g.
This solid, well made knife would make an excellent every-day utility knife.
The handle is an excellent size for a working knife, and is proportioned and shaped to be comfortable to hold on to during hard work.
The awl or screwdriver opens easily, and is held in place at 90 degrees or fully opened, by pressure of a large internal flat/leaf spring.
The awl is great for splicing line, poking holes in condensed milk cans, opening paint cans, and other similar chores.
The blade is locked open or closed when the lever is turned down along the handle, and is released to move in the other direction when the lever is swung toward the front of the handle.
The blade does not extend automatically, and will not extend if pointed upward.
It will drop to the extended position if the knife is held with the opening down, or horizontally with a flick of the wrist.
Due to the locking lever mechanism, this knife is not as fast to open as a lot of modern folders with thumb studs, but there are advantages to the design of the Eickhorn German Paratrooper Gravity Knife.
1. It will stay locked closed until the lever is activated, and it is hard to imagine how this could happen accidentally.
2. It will stay locked open while in use, until the lever is activated to un-lock it.
3. Your fingers do not have to get anywhere near the blade to open it or close it, so no matter how tired, cold, dirty, oily, or wet your hands are, you don't have to worry about getting a grip on the blade or the thumbstuds.
You just swing the lever toward the front of the knife, and the blade will unlock.
The Eickhorn LL80 German Paratrooper Gravity Knife is well known, but doesn't seem to be widely available.
You may have to contact Eickhorn-Solingen in Germany to find your nearest distributor.
You might enjoy taking a look at the German Knives for sale in our on-line German Knife Shop.
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