Today I’m reviewing the MTech USA Xtreme MX-8054, which is a tactical combat knife that was specifically designed for tactical purposes and combat scenarios.
MTech USA Xtreme is part of Master Cutlery, a family-owned business originally founded in 1982 that is now one of the largest wholesale knife manufacturers in the United States. MTech USA Xtreme offers a variety of both tactical fixed blade and folding knives that are made with thicker and higher-grade materials such as 440A and 440C stainless steel blades.
Table of Contents
MTech USA Xtreme MX-8054 Specs
[amazon table=”5703″]
Pros
- Great price/quality ratio(excluding the sheath)
- The knife has an excellent build quality
- Unique design accommodates a variety of camping tasks
- Extremely strong point tanto chisel point
- The knife holds its edge well
Cons
- The knife is on the heavy side can be a pro or con for some people
- Comes with a poor quality sheath
Size and weight
First off, the Mtech USA Xtreme MX-8054 came in really sharp, which is always a big plus. The knife has an 11″ overall length and weighs exactly 0.828 pounds, which might be too much for a knife of this size for some. The knife has a nice full tang build and the balance of the knife is outstanding, it has excellent weight distribution.
Fun fact: The MTech USA XTREME MX-8054’s design was inspired by a knife from the videogame Call of Duty: Ghosts.
Handle
The MTech USA Xtreme MX-8054 has a black G10 handle is comfortable to hold and offers a good grip partly because of the finger grooves the handle offers. The handle takes some getting used to, but it feels pretty nice. Even in the wettest of conditions I have no problem losing grip.
G-10 is a high-pressure fiberglass laminate, a type of composite material created by stacking multiple layers of glass cloth, soaked in epoxy resin, and by compressing the resulting material under heat until the epoxy cures.
G-10 is very similar to Micarta and carbon fiber laminates, because they are all resin-based laminates, except that the base material used is glass cloth. G-10 is the toughest of the glass fiber resin laminates and therefore the most commonly used.
G-10 is favored for its high strength, low moisture absorption, and high level of electrical insulation and chemical resistance.
The handle has an extended guard for added protection. The handle also features a lanyard hole on the end allowing you to attach additional paracord plus a small pocket where you can store a lighter.
Blade
The MTech USA Xtreme MX-8054 features a tanto style blade with saw back serrations along the spine and a blood groove. Besides in combat training scenarios, the saw back serrations are pretty useless. Tanto style blades come from Japanese inspiration, they were originally designed for armor-piercing.
It is a blade-style with a sharply angled tip that resembles a chisel point. The chisel tip angles can vary between very steep and more swept back and can impact the overall tip strength. The tanto tip is ideal for puncturing. Each tanto knife is designed with a high tanto point, as well as a flat grind.
The traditional tanto blade was designed for close-quarters combat. The influence of ancient Japanese design and craftsmanship lends a somewhat aesthetic historical appeal to the modern tanto style blades. It is one of the reasons why many knife enthusiasts buy tanto style tactical combat knives.
The blade has a nice length of 5-1/2-inches and has a thickness: 0,21″.
The steel used for MTech USA Xtreme MX-8054 is 440 stainless steel. Grade 440 stainless steel contains more carbon, giving it excellent hardness and edge retention. It is heat-treated to reach a hardness of 58–60 HRC. The blade has a black paint coated finish.
Note: The paint can come of after extensive use, it if you want to repaint it it would be better to sand first
Casing
The MTech USA Xtreme MX-8054 comes with a black nylon sheath. The sheath has eyelets with paracord running along the edge. If you remove the paracord and re-thread it so the cord crosses in the back instead of going along the edge you can put it sideways on your belt.
It also has a small pocket for a lighter or small knife.
The quality of the sheath feels poor and it will probably fall apart after extensive use. I recommend buying a different, higher quality sheath or to make one yourself.
Performance
The robust blade of the MTech USA Xtreme MX-8054 was designed with strength and durability in mind. It is fit for heavy-duty bushcraft and wood processing tasks. The blade is thick and strong, it is well balanced, and the protruding edge gives an excellent advantage when batoning branches.
The blade holds an edge surprisingly well. I was chipping at a hard piece of wood and sharpening it with the knife. I used it to chop down a small tree backing at it and it held up well. No chips and the blade didn’t dull.
It is also a fine knife for camping expeditions or backpackers that are in need of a combat knife for safety.
The MTech USA Xtreme MX-8054 was created for tactical purposes with combat in mind. It is ideal for survival/combat scenario training. While the tanto style knife may not be the “best all-around” knife, it can’t be beaten when you need a strong penetrating ability–or you find yourself in the fight of your life.
Verdict
Once again MTech has brought a high-quality blade to the table and that’s not surprising considering that MTech has a solid background in blade craftsmanship. If you’re looking for a reliable military hunting knife that looks and works great, then this is the knife for you.
The MTech USA Xtreme MX-8054 is ideal for camping expeditions or survival training and heavy-duty tasks. It comes for a decent price. The biggest downside is that it comes with a crappy sheath.
Overall, Mtech has lived up to their standards if not surpassed them a little with this knife. It’s definitely worth more than the asking price.
For some other suggestions of the best hunting knives to buy in 2020, click here.
