CZ Shadow 2 Carry—The perfect EDC pistol?
As one of the more interesting and most-hyped releases of late 2023/early 2024,…
As one of the more interesting and most-hyped releases of late 2023/early 2024,…
X-Vision Optics is proud to announce the launch of the updated Shadow 100…
Magpul gloves are known for ruggedness and durability, but for the times when…
The V Exercise was created for those who would like a continuous moving-and-shooting exercise that…
The tripod is the essential tool to allow the precise delivery of fire from any…
The skill of firing accurate rounds into a threat from retention is an underappreciated and…
If you’re a knife aficionado, you’ve probably frequented the online forum Usual Suspect Network (USN) and know about its dedicated annual blade show, “The Gathering.” This is where makers, designers, ’smiths and collectors converge to celebrate their obsession for sharp and pointy things. This year marked the tenth year of the popular show and it’s where our featured personalized knife began its journey.
For the past seven years, Chris Q. and his friends have made the annual trek to USN’s The Gathering and this year wasn’t any different. While walking the show, he visited respected knife designer Liong Mah’s booth. It didn’t take long for a knife called Warrior 2 V.2 to catch his eye. He immediately recalled a Liong Mah Design knife that he previously admired called the Lanny, which had a sleek carbon fiber inlay in its handle as an option. He was too late to buy one of those but really loved the look of the carbon-inlaid handle.
Chris inquired to see if Liong Mah would consider making a Warrior 2 V.2 with a similar handle treatment as the Lanny. To his delight, the legendary knife designer said that he not only already had them in the works, but also had in-progress pictures to show. Mah also showed Chris an upcoming Micarta version of the knife. Although Chris liked both versions, he had his heart set on the carbon fiber variant. He ordered his on the spot.
Sometime after the show, Chris received his carbon fiber equipped Warrior 2 V.2 and immediately started carrying it. After using it daily, he realized that he’d prefer a bit more traction in its grip. He wanted to personalize it with some more color as well, so he set off to personalize the Liong Mah design to suit his tastes even better.
Using a Dremel rotary tool and sanding drum bits, Chris worked on texturing the edges of the knife’s frame. He felt that the randomized texturing would add some grippiness, as well as give it a unique look. We couldn’t agree more.
To give it a custom touch of color, he went about experimenting with anodizing for some of the knife’s titanium parts. The knife originally came in a plain silver color; the earth-tone you see here is due to Chris’s own handiwork. He admits that the process didn’t go as planned, but after multiple attempts at dipping and stripping the color he feels that the final result turned out well. When asked if he could repeat the process, he said that the shade came about by happenstance, and he definitely could not duplicate the exact color.
Other custom touches include a flame-anodized titanium bead that’s attached to a hand-braided lanyard. Also, each of the screws were satin finished to reduce their brightness and to better match he dark-colored carbon fiber scales. When asked what he would do differently if he could do it again, he said not a thing. He did mentioned that while he’s still learning how to anodize different metals, he likes how this knife turned out.
Text by Danny Chang and images by Michael Grey.
Liong Mah
Model: Warrior 2 V.2
URL: liongmah.com
Designer: Liong Mah
Pistol-caliber carbines (PCCs) have been a hot commodity in the firearms world for the past few years now, and it’s easy to see why. They’re fun to shoot,…
Based on a CMT Tactical Manda15 billet lower Mandalorian Death Watch Cerakote theme by Koted Arms Chambered in 5.56 NATO Unless you’ve been living under a rock for…
Lionheart REGULUS is an update to the classic design adding reliability, improved recoil spring and things the modern buyer looks for.
Built for long range plinking Original Cerakote scheme by Nevada Cerakote Chambered in .224 Valkyrie For those of us who have been around the block a few more…
Fire 4 Effect Established in what is today the Czech Republic, CZ, short for Ceská Zbrojovka (which roughly translates to Czech Armory) has a longer history than some…
Built on Quentin Defense ARQ-9 billet receivers Chambered in 9mm 5.5-inch barrel If you haven’t noticed by now, we are living in a Golden Age of firearm customization….
© 2025 UN12 Magazine
© 2025 UN12 Magazine
Wait! Don’t forget to