Hawk Knife Designs Talon Auto in Black Ops Marble Carbon Fiber
This exact spec was featured on the cover of the September 2026 edition of Blade Magazine, announcing that this new release won the Blade Show Atlanta 2026 Knife of the Year award. The configuration is the Brightwashed M390 blade with Black Ops Marble carbon fiber overlays on a tumbled titanium frame.
The Talon Auto fires from a recessed slide set flush into the handle scale. No button protrudes, and no external safety is fitted. That same slider serves as the lock release, so opening and closing run through a single control.
About Hawk Knife Designs
Grant and Gavin Hawk work out of Idaho, a father and son team known for mechanisms nobody else builds. The Hawk Lock, the Deadlock OTF, and the Gripclip all came out of their shop. Collectors who follow master custom knife makers track their releases closely.
Knife of the Year at Blade Show is the industry’s most visible award, judged in Atlanta each June against the year’s full field of new releases. Winning it puts a design in front of the entire collecting world at once, and demand for award pieces moves accordingly.
The Recessed Slide and the Hawk Lock
Most automatics use a raised firing button. The Talon Auto does not. Its three-slot slider sits below the handle profile, recessed into the scale. You pull back on it and the internal spring drives the blade open.
Because the control sits beneath the surface, it resists accidental deployment in a pocket without needing a separate safety. Pull the same slider again and the blade folds closed. One control handles firing, lockup, and release, which is the sort of consolidation the Hawks are known for across their automatic knives.
The stud near the pivot is a stop pin rather than an opener. It stabilizes the blade under load and squares up the frame visually.
Brightwashed M390 and Black Ops Marble
The Hawk Knife Designs Talon Auto carries a 3.375-inch blade in Böhler M390. That steel is the benchmark for premium stainless, running high chromium and vanadium for edge retention and corrosion resistance together. The grind is a deep hollow on a modified sheepsfoot profile, with a 3.3125-inch cutting edge.
Brightwashed is the maker’s own finish, a heavily tumbled surface that stays bright rather than going matte. The texture scatters light across the hollow grind instead of reflecting it flat.
Black Ops Marble carbon fiber forms the overlays. Chopped strands laid in random orientation produce a figure closer to polished stone than to woven cloth. Over that, a milled titanium overlay traces flowing geometric lines across the scale.
Condition and What’s Included with This Hawk Knife Designs Talon Auto
We acquired this Talon Auto from a collector rather than direct from the maker. It is mint. The blade shows no sharpening, no carry marks, and no blemishes. It belongs with the best of our preowned knives.
We describe every piece against our published grading standards, and we document sourcing under our provenance policy. This knife ships complete with the following:
- Original factory-labeled box
- Original branded zippered pouch
- Proprietary pivot takedown tool
- Steel keychain ring
- Hawk Balm
Hawk Knife Designs does not issue a Certificate of Authenticity with the Talon Auto, so none is included. The factory box label and the original accessories are the documentation that came with the knife.
Product Specifications for the Hawk Knife Designs Talon Auto
- Maker: Hawk Knife Designs, Idaho, USA
- Model: Talon Auto
- Configuration: Brightwashed, Black Ops Marble
- Date Made: 2026
- Type: Side-opening automatic folding knife
- Deployment: Recessed three-slot sliding button
- Lock: Hawk Lock, released by the same slider
- Blade Steel: Böhler M390 stainless
- Blade Length: 3.375 inches
- Cutting Edge: 3.3125 inches
- Blade Shape: Modified sheepsfoot
- Blade Grind: Deep hollow
- Blade Finish: Brightwashed
- Blade Thickness: 0.156 inches
- Overall Length, Open: 7.875 inches
- Weight: 4.1 ounces
- Frame and Liners: Tumbled titanium with internal weight reduction milling
- Handle Overlays: Black Ops Marble carbon fiber with milled titanium overlay
- Pivot: Ball bearings
- Pocket Clip: Titanium Gripclip, ambidextrous, tip up
- Stop Pin: External, at the pivot
- Country of Origin: United States
- Condition: Preowned, mint
- SKU: 00180-HKD-TALONAUTO-BLACKOPSMARBLE-M390-20260101
- Included: Original box, branded pouch, pivot tool, keychain ring, and Hawk Balm
Video Description: Blade Show 2026 Knife of the Year
The Hawk Knife Designs Talon Auto is a preowned automatic folding knife in mint condition. This exact spec appeared on the September 2026 cover of Blade Magazine as the Blade Show Atlanta 2026 Knife of the Year. The 3.375-inch blade is Böhler M390 in a modified sheepsfoot profile with a deep hollow grind and the maker’s Brightwashed finish. The frame and liners are tumbled titanium with internal weight reduction milling.
Black Ops Marble carbon fiber overlays carry a milled titanium overlay. A recessed three-slot slider fires the blade and releases the Hawk Lock. The pivot runs on ball bearings, and a stop pin sits at the pivot. An ambidextrous titanium Gripclip is fitted tip up. It measures 7.875 inches open and weighs 4.1 ounces. Included are the original box, branded pouch, pivot tool, keychain ring, and Hawk Balm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did this Hawk Knife Designs Talon Auto win Knife of the Year?
This exact spec was featured on the cover of the September 2026 edition of Blade Magazine, announcing that this new release won the Blade Show Atlanta 2026 Knife of the Year award. This knife is that configuration, in mint preowned condition.
How does the recessed slider work?
You pull back on the three-slot slider and the internal spring fires the blade. The slider sits below the handle profile rather than protruding, so it resists accidental deployment in a pocket. Pull it again and the blade folds closed.
Why is there no safety switch?
The recessed control takes the place of one. Because the slider sits beneath the surface of the scale, it is difficult to depress by accident. That design removes the need for a separate external safety.
What is the stud near the pivot for?
It is a stop pin, not a thumb stud. It stabilizes the blade under cutting load and gives the frame its symmetry. Deployment runs entirely through the slider.
What is Black Ops Marble carbon fiber?
It is carbon fiber made from chopped strands laid in random orientation rather than a uniform weave. The result reads more like polished marble than like cloth, and no two panels match.
How does M390 perform?
Böhler M390 is a powder metallurgy stainless with high chromium and vanadium. It holds an edge exceptionally well and resists corrosion at the same time, which is why it remains a benchmark premium steel.
Does it come with a Certificate of Authenticity?
No. Hawk Knife Designs does not issue one with the Talon Auto. It ships with the original factory-labeled box, the branded pouch, the pivot tool, a keychain ring, and Hawk Balm. Questions are welcome on our FAQs page.
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