The Sandrin TCS

 
Text and pictures Bas Martens
 
Sandrin is a brand name for knives made by the Italian Turmond company, which was established in 1969 as a manufacturer of tungsten carbide tools and parts. In the late 80’s, the company set out to design a knife with a tungsten carbide blade. It took 20 years to realise the first samples, but now there is a line of several fixed knives and two folders. The fixed blades have a price range from around 1.100 to 2.500 Euros. The TCK (Tungsten Carbide Knife) folder, presented here, is the cheapest model, with a price of around € 200.

 

Tungsten carbide has been used for industrial cutting applications for nearly a century. The material is highly durable and wear resistant. However, the material also has several drawbacks. It is difficult to work, and more important, it is more brittle than steel. Sandrin however, uses a proprietary formulation of the material which not only makes the blade strong, but even somewhat flexible.
The TCK is a Frame Lock Gentleman Folder, with an overall thickness of only 4,5 mm and a weight of just 38 grams. The overall length is 200 mm, and the flat ground Wharncliffe blade measures 82 mm. Blade thickness is just 0.9 mm. The TCKS had a titanium / Carbon Fiber handle with a titanium pocket clip.
 
Thanks to Dutch importer Spanish Steel who made the TCK available for this article.