It’s the Official 2017 BLADE Show Knife by CRKT and I couldn’t wait to see what makes this puppy go.

Designed by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Onion, the Homefront Tactical features a 3.427-inch blade of 1.4116 stainless steel with an EDP coating and a combo edge. The flipper folder secures via a linerlock and the handle is a textured glass-reinforced nylon with a blade-tip-up pocket clip. Weight: 4.3 ounces. Closed length: 4.684 inches.

The centerpiece of the 2017 BLADE Show Knife, however, is Onion’s “Field Strip” technology, which enables you to easily disassemble the knife for cleaning and reassemble it in a matter of seconds without the need of a takedown tool of any kind.

Sounds easy but what about people with 10 thumbs like me? I pulled out the 2017 BLADE Show Knife and opened and closed it a few times. The flipper opener works well. I tried whittling some curlicues from a board and cutting stationery, both with good success. The blade was very sharp out of the box.

The directions for the “Field Strip” feature are pretty straightforward. With the knife in the closed position, push the lever on the bolster up. No problem. Rotate the wheel on the handle butt clockwise until the handle separates. The wheel is notched with gears. I found it turned well either with one of my 10 thumbs or my “second thumb” that passes for an index finger. The handle separates into three pieces—two handles and the blade—all simple to clean when the time comes.

To reassemble, put the three pieces back together, press down on and hold the pivot, rotate the wheel counter-clockwise until snug, and push the pivot lever down. It’s pretty easy, even for me.

A couple of things: If, after reassembly, the pivot lever balks any when you try and push it down, tweak the screw on the reverse side of the pivot pin until the lever cooperates. Also, be sure the white washers on the pivot pin stay put when you have the knife apart. If they were to come off for any reason during cleaning and/or reassembly, they could be difficult to find. You may even want to remove them during cleaning and apply a small dab of oil to keep them lubricated.

All in all, the Homefront Tactical is a cool knife—and the fact that it’s the Official 2017 BLADE Show Knife makes it even cooler. It features the BLADE Show 2017 logo on the blade and is limited to a run of 300.

To get yours, visit bladeshop or attend the 36th Annual BLADE Show June 2-4 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.