Nirk Tighe - Designed by Glenn Klecker and Brian Tighe
From the beginning, we at Columbia River Knife & Tool have worked with the best knife designers we could find. And we've always been especially delighted when two of them get their heads together and come up with something completely surprising. So we're happy to report that it has happened again this year, resulting in our new NIRK™ Tighe folder.
It all began in 2010 when Glenn Klecker approached Brian Tighe to raise the possibility of collaborating on a knife design incorporating his new NIRK™ Lock mechanism because its unique construction allows for a design freedom that traditional liner locks did not afford. The resulting collaboration resulted the NIRK-Tighe™ custom knife which immediately won the Most Innovative Custom Design Award a the 2010 Blade Show.
All that was left for us to do was to convert his custom into a faithful production model. Our version of the NIRK Tighe features 420J2 stainless steel frames which are stamped, then machined and coated with blue titanium nitride. Finally, the frame exterior is satin polished, leaving the blue interior coating, a stunning effect.
Like the original NIRK, the knife is a lockback folder in which the spring, release bar and lock detent are all integral with the frame structure. Two pronounced finger notches provide a secure grip. Their blade is a graceful but strong drop point design with subtle recurve, and weight-saving reliefs cut into the spine for balance. The blade can be opened with one hand, by using a thumb on the reliefs, or by pressing the blade flipper. The blade is precision cut from premium AUS 8 stainless steel. At the blade pivot, a special caged mini ball bearing system gives fast and smooth opening action. The tighter the grip on the handle, the tighter the lockup, making this an exceptionally safe design. A custom removable stainless steel clothing/gear clip is provided.
Glenn's original quest was to create a folder of "irreducible complexity." Brian has added a few additional parts, true, but he's also added a vast amount of design interest in what is still a very functional folder.
