- Microtech Ultratech · Drop Point3.5″ blade · 0.125″ spine · 3.6 oz · ~0.67″ tall
Microtech Ultratech
The Microtech Ultratech, now in its Gen IV form, is a 3.55" drop point folder in M390MK, flat ground. The handle is Aluminum, secured by an OTF automatic lock. Automatic — restricted in some US states — check your state and local law before carrying. Its OTF Automatic lock is rare here — no other folder in the catalogue uses one.
Automatic — restricted in some US states. Knife law varies by state, county and city — check yours before carrying.
- Blade
- 3.5″
- Weight
- 3.6 oz
- Steel
- M390MK
- Price band
- Premium
Everyday carry and general utility
We may earn a commission. Price and availability on Microtech’s site may differ.
Specifications
Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against sawyerriver, bladeops.
- Blade length
- 3.5″
- Spine thickness
- 0.125″
- Blade shape
- Drop Point
- Grind
- Flat
- Steel
- M390MK
- Overall length
- 8.5″
- Weight
- 3.6 oz
- Lock
- OTF Automatic
- Deployment
- Automatic OTF
- Handle material
- Aluminum
- Country of origin
- USA
Why a drop point
The default hunting and EDC shape, and the safest general answer. The spine curves down to the tip in a convex line, which keeps the point low and strong and leaves plenty of belly for skinning. It is hard to make a drop point bad at anything.
Every drop point here →About M390MK
Bohler's current production version of M390, which Microtech now specifies. Same chemistry class and the same trade: long edge life and high corrosion resistance, slow on a stone.
1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All M390MK knives
What owners say
Drawn from 1,119 owner discussions of the Microtech Ultratech since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.
What owners like
- The Gen III zero-blade-play versions deliver what the name promises: several new owners in late 2024 and 2025 report no movement at all on lockup, one comparing the solidity to a Hawk Deadlock at roughly a quarter of the cost
- Newer internals fire more easily than older Microtech autos, one owner says; another calls the Gen III button smooth, and another says the latest generation is slightly larger and finally feels the right size after earlier Ultratechs felt small in hand
- Even the standard non-ZBP models hold the blade tightly: an owner of a Gen 2 says it has virtually no play beside a Heretic Roc, and a Gen 4 buyer skipped the ZBP because play was already minimal and logged 50 to 60 actuations without a misfire
- Fit and finish can win over a skeptic: one buyer who never understood paying $300 for a knife says the detail on their ZBT, down to the screws, changed their mind, and another calls theirs sturdy and well built
- It gets real use: one owner opens packages, envelopes and load straps with a double-edge version at work, another has cut steak, sausage and vegetables with theirs, and a third found autos less fragile than feared and carries theirs often
- Slim for an OTF: it weighs 3.6 oz in aluminum with a 3.5 inch M390 blade, and one OTF carrier notes it is only about half an inch thick and under an inch wide, so it rides slim in the pocket
- Microtech's warranty fixed a real failure for one owner in 2026: their late-2023 single-edge model stopped locking when deployed, and for a $30 service fee it came back working perfectly and quickly
What owners flag
- Failure to retract fully is a recurring complaint; three owners of brand-new knives in 2024 reported the blade tip stopping short of home, one as many as five times in a row before it had ever left the house, and a fourth hit the same fault after a year
- Some ZBP units have had their own problems: one owner's lockup loosened within a day and would not stay tuned after following Microtech's adjustment video, another's ZBT misfired and then would not lock, and a third's stopped retracting after a short fall
- The firing switch on older and some current models is stiff; one owner says their old Ultratech hurt their thumb, another was put off the brand on first try, and a 2026 Gen 4 buyer still finds the trigger tighter than they like
- Grit stops it working, according to one decade-long owner whose knife would misfire with the smallest bit of dirt, has been apart for cleaning countless times and still locks up only about 80 percent of the time
- The large glass breaker draws criticism, with owners calling it obnoxious and one noting it lengthens the handle so the blade looks stubby for the knife's size
- Factory edges disappoint some: one first-time owner joked the button was sharper than the blade, and one OTF owner says Microtech leaves too much material behind its factory edges, which hurts cutting
- One owner reports that on their double-edge Gen 2 the black cerakote coating gets scraped off the blade when it fires
A 3.5 inch M390 blade that fires out the front is the whole appeal, and owners use it more than its reputation as a showpiece suggests: one opens packages and cuts load straps at work with a double-edge model, another has cut steak and vegetables with theirs, and two describe it as the first real knife that pulled them into the hobby. New owners of the Gen III zero-blade-play version report lockup that is genuinely solid.
Reliability is the recurring question. In 2024 three owners reported brand-new Ultratechs that would not retract fully, one longtime owner says dirt makes theirs misfire, and a few ZBP units loosened or stopped locking early. Against that, one owner's knife that stopped locking after nearly three years came back from Microtech working perfectly for a $30 fee. The switch is the other complaint: stiff and hard on the thumb on older models, and still a little tight on a 2026 Gen 4 according to one owner.
The Kershaw Livewire is the rival that comes up most; two owners who have both find the Livewire smoother or more dependable, while one who bought both found the Ultratech more solidly built. The Guardian Tactical Recon 035 and Scout come up as alternatives: one buyer chose the Recon 035 because the Ultratech button felt rough, one fan calls the Scout a better Ultratech in every way, and another calls the Recon 035 far more reliable. One owner of two Ultratechs prefers Heretic's switch. Owners in 2024 paid around $250 on sale, a standard model was around $325 in 2026 with the Gen III ZBP near $435, and as an automatic it is restricted in some US states.
Is the Gen III zero-blade-play Ultratech worth it over the standard model?
Owners of the ZBP and ZBT report no blade movement on lockup, and one finds the newer internals easier to fire. Two early units had trouble, though: one loosened within a day and would not hold its adjustment, and another would not lock after a misfire. One Gen 4 buyer skipped the ZBP because play on the standard model was already minimal, and another chose the non-ZBP Gen IV for the lower price.
Why does my new Ultratech not retract all the way?
Several owners hit this on brand-new knives in 2024, with the tip stopping short and needing a pull to reset. One tried flushing it out and running it dry without a fix and was considering sending it to Microtech. Another owner whose knife stopped locking sent it in under warranty and got it back working for a $30 service fee.
How does it compare with the Kershaw Livewire?
One owner of a ten-year-old Ultratech says the Livewire was smooth right out of the box in a way theirs never was, and another found their Ultratech came off track in normal use where their Livewire never had. A buyer who bought both found the Ultratech more solidly built but plans to carry the Livewire daily.
What do people pay for one?
In 2024 two owners paid about $250 on sale for standard models listed around $300 to $310. In 2026 a standard M390 aluminum Ultratech was around $325, and a prospective buyer that year was looking at $435 for a Gen III ZBP. One owner found a Tri-Grip version in a pawn shop for $150 in 2025.
Can I legally carry an Ultratech?
It is an automatic out-the-front knife, which is restricted in some US states. One owner cannot legally carry theirs where they live and has kept it unused, another with one on the way plans to keep it as an at-home package opener because they cannot carry it, and a Michigan owner found the rules for a double-edge automatic unclear. Check your state and local law before carrying.
Features
- Automatic
- OTF Automatic lock
- Flat grind
- Made in USA
- Stainless blade
Compare the Ultratech
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