Fox MPSK Survival/Rescue utility knife

Although some examples of the Italian made Fox range of knives are offered by specialist knife dealers, they have never really become a big name in the UK. This is surprising as Fox offer some good designs and generally well made knives at very reasonable prices.

The model we have on test this month is the (MPSK) Multi Purpose Survival Knife, one of Fox’s military application folding knives. In fact the MPSK has been designed with the help of Italian special forces pilots, and is carried as an emergency survival tool in their helicopters.

The MPSK has three separate locking blades. The main blade is 3.6”” in length and is made of black Teflon coated N690Co stainless steel, tempered to 58/60 HRC. It features a partially serrated semi-clip point design with a stud on the edge of the spine for easy one handed opening. A liner lock retains the blade in the open position, and for additional security a secondary lock in the form of a red cross-hatched lever can be manually pushed forward preventing the liner lock from being released accidentally.

The utility blades is also in Teflon coated N690Co, and features a screwdriver, wire scraper, multi size spanner, wire cutter, plus a bottle and can opener. This is also retained by a liner lock and has a secondary manual lock.

The rescue blade takes the form of a curved ‘line cutter’ in 420 J2B stainless steel. Unlike the first two blades, the line cutter is released by pushing a button on the side of the grip – it is also unlocked from the open position by following the same process. This also has a secondary lock.
This blade is designed to be at a slight angle to the handle when in the fully open position. This makes it easier to reach under seat belts or webbing straps and cut them cleanly without harming the wearer. This blade is also ideal for quickly slicing through sheet fabrics (cloth), light rope and even small gauge wire. (I’ve even used one of these line cutter blades - though not this particular one - to slice through the ‘cuff’ and ankle of a leather work boot in one stroke)

The handle has corrosion and extreme temperature resistant Forprene scales with a raised pattern for a non-slip hold. Other features include a sprung steel pocket clip, a high impact glass breaker and two bar inserts for lanyard(s). Also included in the package is a double headed socket wrench (with a straight and an angled bit holder, plus twelve bits in a clever plastic holder. A double pouch Cordura sheath holds both the knife and wrench sets.

This is a hefty set of tools (weighing 1lbs all in) which may be a bit belt heavy for everyday use, but carried in a vehicle or as an emergency squad toolkit it could literally be a lifesaver.

PRICE: £86.95