In ancient Egypt, the war god Montu is usually depicted with a falcon head and a solar disk above it. That suggests speed, power, and brilliance to us. Allen Elishewitz is an acclaimed young Canyon Lake, Texas, knifemaker who offers a surprising range of custom knives, many with Egyptian-themed names. The Elishewitz Montu™ has turned out to be everything we could imagine in a personal folder.

We set out to translate the original Elishewitz custom into a slightly smaller, personal-size folder for carry convenience, and along the way, incorporated the patented features that have made CRKT folders so popular, including OutBurst™ assisted opening1 and the LAWKS® safety2.

The Montu has a 3.25” blade and is 4.25” long when folded, dimensions that knife users tell us are “just about right” for a personal carry. Weighing 4.9 ounces, it also has just the right heft.

The Montu frame uses a stainless steel InterFrame build with one locking liner. Black textured Zytel® scales are inlaid with the latest tough and hard CPL composite, like that used in modern bowling balls, featuring blue/gray swirls. Each inlay has a unique pattern.

The blade is another one of those unique shapes that Allen is noted for. We call it an Elishewitz drop/spear point, swedged and recurved. The blade is AUS 8 premium stainless steel in a bead-blast finish. Both Razor-Sharp and Combined Razor-Sharp and Triple-Point™ Serrated edge grinds are available.

The Montu comes standard with our patented OutBurst assisted opening mechanism, which instantly springs the blade fully open after you have opened the blade approximately 30 degrees. If desired, the OutBurst mechanism can be removed to allow fast, conventional one-hand opening using the custom Elishewitz ramped thumb stud.

The Montu’s patented LAWKS® safety effectively converts your folder into a virtual fixed blade when actuated. Just slide the lever forward to lock, and slide it back to enable easy one-hand closing.

As a bonus, you get a gold Elishewitz logo on the blade and a custom removable stainless steel pocket/gear clip.

Plus, we have value-priced the Montu to further add to its brilliance.

• Click for OutBurst Operating Tips

• About the Knife Designer • About the Blade Steel