Tactile Knife Co. released the first batch of a new folder last week, and it’s a special one. The Mariner 2 sees the team working with knife world legend Bob Terzuola to bring one of his classic custom designs to production life.
The original Mariner released all the way back in 1987, when the custom knife world looked very different. By that time Terzuola had set up his shop in Santa Fe, New Mexico and pioneered the concept of the “tactical knife” with the ATCF. The Mariner, by contrast, seemed to be engineered for hard use, particularly around water where rope and other uncooperative materials are often encountered. Compared to something like the ATCF, the Mariner is relatively unknown today – but the design caught Tactile’s attention and they chose to collaborate with Terzuola on this updated rendition.
In this 2024 sequel the blade has been brought down in length to 2.98 inches – a choice that keeps it work-ready, but legal in more places. The steel choice comes right from the current moment, too: it’s MagnaCut, a flexible stainless super steel and one that Tactile (like many companies now) has shown a predilection for.
Although some of the finer points are altered or refined, the general “bent rectangle” handle shape of the original Mariner is replicated faithfully on the Mariner 2, and it’s still made from titanium, too. The lanyard attachment point has been changed from a hole in the handle to a bar on the backspacer, and the stamped steel pocket clip is gone, replaced by a 3D sculpted titanium clip with Terzuola’s dragon logo on it. The Mariner 2 weighs 3.58 oz.
Now for the bad news: the first batch is long gone. However, more are on the way, so keep an eye on Tactile.
Knife in Featured Image: Tactile Knife Co. Mariner 2
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