Good morning,

Without a doubt, the Patrol Scalpel has been my most popular pattern. It’s easy to see why – it’s everything Night Watch Knives is supposed to be. As I’ve said many times before, “Light, Comfortable, Capable” isn’t just a slogan. It’s my entire design philosophy. It’s very easy to see the Vehement DNA in the pattern. Matt Martin has been and will continue to be one of my biggest supporters and creative influences. I owe the Martin family a lot. In my opinion, the scalpel is a fitting, sincere tribute to the many tricks of the trade Matt has been gracious enough to teach me, in conjunction with what was – at the time – my own budding design philosophy.

So of course, many of you have been saying to me for years “Can I get one that’s just a little bit bigger?”

Fine.

Professionally, I spent 5 years and some change on my agency’s uniformed patrol division before being moved to investigations. During my time on patrol, there were plenty of incidents that myself and my fellow patrolmen were neither qualified nor authorized to handle on our own. Things like hostage standoffs, barricaded subjects, high risk warrant services… These things all involved the use of a tactical response (SWAT team). This is a big deal, and an obvious escalation from a standard patrol response. Regionally, the fine men and women of the law enforcement community in the Kansas City area refer to a SWAT call-out as an “Operation 100.” I’ve asked many people about the origin and meaning of this name, and received a handful of different answers. They’re all dumb.

Regardless, it’s with this naming convention in mind that I give you the natural evolution and the next step up from the illustrious Patrol Scalpel – The OP:100. There are some very minor ergonomic changes to the pattern other than the size. I took a hard look at the strengths and weaknesses of the original Patrol Scalpel and overall, I like where I landed. If it looks familiar to you, it should. Everyone makes a similar pattern. BRK. VK. David Kelley. TRC. A tiny pocket knife with a choil is a violently underrated tool. Anyone who has carried a grunt, or a PSK EDC, or a Li’l Bit or an original Patrol Scalpel will tell you that. Don’t fix it if it works. The thin stock and the Randall style hollow grind are what sets this pattern apart for me, in my opinion. And while smaller knives like this tend to be finished with slab sides, I’ve still opted for the gentle ovoid cross section I’ve always been so fond of. I put a lot of care into the shaping of these handles because - much like a simple dish like a Caesar salad or a Cacio e pepe, the fewer ingredients you use, the better they have to be. Rest assured, after seven plus years of dialing in my craft, this pattern is a winner. Buy one.

Information: I’m leaving town for a week tomorrow evening so if you want one of these, snag it. I’m making a post office run tomorrow afternoon, then that’s it until next Tuesday or so. Fair warning.

Stay safe,

-Alex