Hawk Knives Deploys New Mudd Auto

Hawk Knives is releasing a new addition to the Mudd family, the Auto Mudd. The automatic functionality is enhanced by the dirt and dust resistant Mudd design and signals other possible Mudd-style knives in the future.

The Mudd Auto is a single action automatic knife. Other than the action, it carries over the blade specifications from its manual predecessor, sporting a 3.25-inch CPM-20CV blade. Owners of previous Mudd knives will notice that the handle materials have changed from titanium and carbon fiber to aluminum and G-10. Similarly, the clip on this Millit-produced knife has been altered slightly to a deep carry configuration.

Father-son duo Grant and Gavin Hawk first drew up the Mudd (Multi-Utility-Dirt-Defiant) ten years ago. The idea was to make a knife immune to the intrusion of dirt, mud, and other gunk that can prevent proper functioning. “There are two main elements of the Mudd knife: the large sealed pivot and the Hawk Lock,” Gavin Hawk explains. The massive pivot houses a custom polyurethane seal that shuts out the caged bearings and other moving parts from the outside world. Similarly, a rubber boot encloses the signature Hawk Lock mechanism, which doesn’t interfere with its operation but keeps external influences from interfering with it.

Hawk notes that an interesting parallel can be drawn between the Mudd system and Ken Onion’s Field Strip technology. Both are designed to take the stress out of knife care, but take different paths to that goal. “Knife designers have recognized that folding knives and dirt don’t mix well. Ken Onion addressed the problem by developing a very clever design, that allows for easy disassembly and cleaning,” Hawk tells us. “We took a somewhat different approach in developing a design that is sealed, and never needs to be taken apart.”

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Until now the Mudd has been available only as a manual knife, but the Hawks first envisioned it as an auto. Because of their reliance on springs and other tiny parts, autos are particularly susceptible to getting clogged up. “The idea of a sealed auto was an important thing to do, because if you drop it in the mud or dirt you can’t just wash it off,” says Hawk.

Now that they have realized this original vision, the Hawks will take the Mudd idea and implement it in other designs. “There are two main elements of the Mudd knife: the large sealed pivot and the Hawk Lock. But the blade and handle profiles can be changed in any way,” Hawk tells us. Other variants on this pattern are in the hopper too. “This new price point is meant to be the base price for the Mudd, and in the near future we will be offering material upgrades. We will also continue to make a manual Mudd that matches the new sleeker look of the Mudd Auto.

The Mudd Auto will be available soon at a price of $390.

Knife featured in image: Hawk Knives Mudd Auto (Photo credit: TJ Schwarz)