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THE MONGOOSEBY DANIELGALLOWAY AND LEE WILLIAMS ON E TOON E TOWATCH

KNIFE IVORY PRIMER:PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE

OLD SCHOOLPOCKETKNIVES

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86 BLADE MARCH 2015

FA C T O RY F O C U S | BY STEPHEN GARGER

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF POHL FORCE KNIVES

POHL FORCE KNIVES

Dietmar Pohl, founder of Pohl Force Knives,

holds the Quebec Outdoor One fi xed blade.

The knife is the company’s modern inter-

pretation of a model originally developed

for the U.S. Marines in the early 1950s.

Though the knife was never offi cially intro-

duced, Special Forces units reportedly used

the original during the Vietnam War. The

Quebec (top) features a 7.59-inch blade of

Sleipner stainless and a G-10 handle.

“Every knife has a story some-how,” said Phil Cookson of Pohl Force USA, the state-

side version of Dietmar Pohl’s Pohl Force Knives based in Burscheid, Germany. “For example, Dietmar has a lot of con-tacts in the German Kampfschwim-mer Naval Commandos [German Navy SEALS] and goes up to Northern Germa-ny, where he spends time talking, listen-ing and diving with them. He drew a lot of the characteristics for his Romeo Two design from those experiences.”

In addition to underwater operations, the titanium-blade Romeo Two can also serve as a pilot survival knife and for battlefi eld clearance personnel, where ti-tanium’s anti-magnetic properties make

it the right knife for explosive ordnance disposal.

“Dietmar’s a very good listener and not only listens, but tries to somehow cre-ate and turn ideas into a practical knife,” Cookson said. ”Quite a few of the designs are from his experiences with operators and knife users.”

Pohl’s initial interest in military and tactical knives can be traced to the work of the late BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member, Jimmy Lile. Pohl cited Lile as his “lifelong inspiration” as a result of the Rambo movies First Blood and Rambo: First Blood Part II and the Lile survival knives Sylvester Stallone used as John Rambo in those fi lms.

“I have worked in the knife industry

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MARCH 2015 blademag.com 87

20 years now, 14 as a designer, marketing manager and product manager for two Solingen-based companies,” Pohl said. “I designed more than 100 knives that went into serial production during those years.” He is also known internationally for his books on combat and tactical knives. In 2008 he founded Pohl Force in Germany. Pohl Force USA was launched at the 2012 BLADE Show. “Even though Gil Hibben and Daniel Winkler taught me how to grind and forge a knife, I am not a knife-maker,” Pohl noted. “I am a designer.”

POHL FORCE USAattn: P. Cookson and/or S. EhingerDept. BL3Belleair, FL 33756727-468-2002www.pohlforceusa.com

SPECIALTIES: Folders and fi xed blades in a range of both higher- and lower-end tactical and outdoor styles

MSRP RANGE: $195-$516

BLADE MATERIALS: D2 tool steel, Niolox and 440C stainless, and titanium

BLADE FINISHES: Bead blast, stonewashed, powder epoxy, PVD and PTFE coatings

HANDLE MATERIALS: GRP, G-10, 6A14V titanium, canvas Micarta®

ACCESSORIES: Those refl ecting a “concept systems” approach, including knife-specifi c Kydex®, nylon and leather sheaths, shoulder harnesses, leg adapters, Cordura holsters for MOLLE vests and more in MSRPs from $9.99 to $125; also knife collector pouches

The Mike 1 outdoor version is the

most popular model in Pohl’s EOD

line. MSRP: $360. Blade steel

comes in a choice of D2 or Niolox

and the handle is 3D-CNC

milled. Blade length:

3.74 inches.

Lion Steel, winner of the BLADE Magazine

2014 Manufacturing Quality Award, makes

the knives in Pohl’s higher-end EOD line.

Dietmar Pohl (left) visits with Gino Pauletta

(right), Lion Steel founder, at the 2014

BLADE Show.

I queried him about the knives’ manu-facture and quality control.

“Because the price was an important point, we produce the Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Lima and Romeo designs in Tai-wan, but each knife comes here to Ger-many and goes through our very strict quality control,” Pohl explained. “In 2012 we teamed up with the Maniago, Italy, based company, Lion Steel, whose knives are state-of-the-art and who received the BLADE Magazine 2014 Manufacturing Quality Award, which says everything.” Pohl Force has two product lines: the Italian-made EOD (Euro Ops Division) higher-end knives and the lower-price-point models produced in Taiwan.

“It comes down to quality control. Ev-ery knife, no matter where it’s manufac-tured, is examined by Dietmar personally before it goes out,” Cookson stressed. I was taken aback by Cookson’s claim and sought clarifi cation that Pohl looks at ev-ery knife. Dietmar told me he does. Ap-

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88 BLADE MARCH 2015

FA C T O RY F O C U S |

parently, the process is working.“I can count on one hand the amount

of returns I’ve had,” Pohl stated proudly. “Th e people who use our knives are my customers and there’s a very personal thing going on where they can call me anytime.” Every Pohl Force knife, regard-less of product line, is serialized, recorded and comes with a signed certifi cate.

As for some of the knives’ distinctive features, Pohl pinpointed the Alpha. “It was the fi rst design for Pohl Force and the knife is so big because no operator in the world goes without gloves into com-bat,” he began. “I also use slot screws for the handle because, although Torx screws

look more sexy and technical, they’re not practical if you want to maintain your knife in the desert.”

Both Pohl and Cookson emphasized that Pohl Force also designs and provides accessories refl ecting, as Cookson noted, that “Pohl likes to think in concept sys-tems.” For example, tactical accessories include knife-specifi c Kydex® sheaths, shoulder harness systems and Cordura holsters for MOLLE vests.

Blade steel depends on the product line. Along with the aforementioned titanium, 440C stainless is standard for the Alphas, with D2 and Niolox used in the EOD of-ferings. “Niolox is something Lion Steel

In addition to underwater operations, the titanium-blade Romeo Two also serves as a pilot

survival knife and for explosive ordnance disposal. Other features include a GRP handle and

PVD blade coating. Overall length: 9.84 inches. The Kydex® sheath includes a MOLLE nylon

adapter. MSRP: $340.

The Alpha Two (top) and Bravo One front-

lock folders feature blades of bead-blasted

440C stainless and GRP handles. Respective

inch blade lengths and MSRPs are 4.44 and

3.26 and $240 and $195. Inset at the 2014

BLADE Show is Dietmar Pohl with ABS master

smith Daniel Winkler, the latter whom helped

teach Dietmar how to forge knives.

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MARCH 2015 blademag.com 89

uses extensively and they have a lot of experience with—a tool-grade stainless with a Rockwell of 58-59 HRC and excel-lent anti-corrosion,” Cookson explained. “We fi nd it applies to military and law en-forcement people who oft en work in high-moisture environments and do not want to be constantly maintaining their tools.”

Th e Taiwan-manufactured knives come with a GRP (glass-fi ber-reinforced plastic) handle, while the EODs are avail-able in G-10 and canvas Micarta®. Th e manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the EOD line’s most popular model, the Mike 1 outdoor version with a polished blade, is $360. Th e survival version with a Niolox blade and PVD coating is $390.

As for the future of Pohl Knives, Diet-mar stressed there are no plans to work toward radical growth. “We want to be recognized as the small company with specialized products, like Chris Reeve Knives,” he noted. “Chris belongs to the very small group of people in the knife industry that I highly admire, and Daniel Winkler also belongs to this group.”

Cookson outlined the company’s phi-losophy. “We don’t fl ood the market with new designs, we tend to take models out and introduce them so the customer isn’t

overwhelmed,” he said. “Our dealers are Blade HQ, KnifeCenter and White Mountain Knives, along with us directly, and the pricing is consistent so you can go to the dealer you like.”

Pohl Force USA recognizes the uphill battle in establishing itself in America. “Th e knife community is quite critical and you have to earn respect,” Cookson concluded. “You have to convince every-one that you are a credible, serious com-

pany that produces quality knives.”Th ey’ve got the knives. With that kind

of game plan, Pohl Force Knives and Pohl Force USA have their goal well within sight.

To read all about the latest knives, knife news, forums, blogs and much more, see blademag.com.

Pohl Force offers accessories refl ecting a

“concept systems” approach, including

knife-specifi c Kydex®, nylon and leather

sheaths, shoulder harnesses, Cordura hol-

sters for MOLLE vests and more.

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