Microtech Scarab II Gen III in Geo Trace Camo
The Microtech Scarab II is a double-action out-the-front automatic, and this is the Gen III revision in the Geo Trace Camo finish. The blade is a double-edged dagger in Böhler M390MK. The handle is aluminium with 3M grip inserts set into chamfered edges. It runs 9.65 inches open at 6.20 ounces. Condition is new, factory sealed packaging included.
The box label reads 1280-1 GOC. The 1280-1 prefix is the D/E dagger configuration and GOC is the Geo Trace Camo finish code, which is how Microtech tracks a model that ships in dozens of blade and colour combinations.
This is a production knife rather than a custom, and it is priced accordingly. Our guide on how to choose a custom knife covers where the line sits between the two.
What Gen III Actually Changed
Generation numbers on production knives are often marketing. This one is not.
Gen III introduced what Microtech calls a Dual Fuel drive train, running a double spring system rated to fire the blade underwater. That specification is not about swimming with it. Water is simply the hardest load you can put on an OTF spring, so a mechanism that fires submerged has margin left over when the track is dry and full of pocket lint.
The second change is in the thumb slide cut-out, milled with a feature the company calls the crud cutter. It reduces friction in the track and breaks up lint and debris as the slide travels. Every OTF has the same failure mode, which is a track that fills with pocket contents until the action goes sluggish. This is an attempt to solve it mechanically rather than telling the owner to clean it.
The opener is the X-Button thumb slide. On a double action the same slide drives the blade out and pulls it back, which puts every deployment and every retraction through one control. See our other automatic knives for comparable mechanisms.
M390MK, and Why the Letters Matter
The blade is Böhler M390MK. M390 is a third-generation powder stainless with high chromium and vanadium, and it is one of the reference steels for edge retention among production knives.
The MK suffix is the part worth knowing. M390MK is produced by Böhler exclusively for Microtech, which means the specification and the heat-treat window are set for one customer rather than sold across the industry.
What you get from it is the M390 behaviour most buyers want. Very long edge life, strong corrosion resistance from the chromium, and a blade that will hold its working edge through far more cutting than a simpler stainless. The trade is sharpening. Large vanadium carbides fight a stone, and this is not a steel you touch up casually on a pocket hone.
Microtech Scarab II Blade, Handle and Carry
The blade is a D/E dagger. D/E denotes double edge, which carries restrictions in some jurisdictions on top of the automatic restrictions. The notice at the foot of this page links to a current state-by-state reference.
Blade length is 3.90 inches with 3.80 inches of cutting edge, at 0.16 inches thick. The Geo Trace Camo finish is a halftone dot pattern in black and white, carried across both the blade and the handle inserts so the knife reads as one object rather than a blade in a housing.
The handle is aluminium with chamfered edges, and the grip panels are 3M inserts. They give purchase without the aggressive texture that shreds a pocket, which is the usual compromise on a tactical automatic this size.
A reversible steel pocket clip carries the scarab engraving the model is named for. There is a glass breaker fitted at the butt. Closed length is 5.75 inches, so this is a full-size OTF rather than a compact one.
Condition and What’s Included with This Microtech Scarab II
This knife is new. It came to us direct from Microtech, not through a collection, and it has never been carried. The action fires crisply and the lock engages with no play.
We inspect every knife in hand before we photograph it, and we fire every automatic ourselves. Our published grading standards let you check this description against what arrives.
The factory box carries the printed label identifying the model, the finish, the standard configuration and the model number. Read how we handle provenance on factory pieces.
- Microtech Scarab II Gen III D/E OTF automatic
- Factory box with printed model label
- Microtech brochure
- Microtech warranty card
- Microtech decal
Microtech Scarab II Specifications
The model, finish, configuration and model number are taken from the printed label on the factory box.
- Overall length, open: 9.65 in
- Blade length: 3.90 in
- Cutting edge: 3.80 in
- Closed length: 5.75 in
- Blade thickness: 0.16 in
- Blade material: Böhler M390MK
- Blade style: D/E dagger
- Blade finish: Geo Trace Camo, black and white
- Action: Double-action OTF automatic
- Opener: X-Button thumb slide
- Handle material: Aluminium with 3M grip inserts
- Handle finish: Geo Trace Camo, black and white
- Pocket clip: Reversible steel, scarab engraved
- Butt: Glass breaker
- Weight: 6.20 oz
- Model number: 1280-1 GOC
- Country of origin: USA
- Date made: July 2026
- Condition: New, unused
- SKU: 00204-MT-SCARAB2-GENIII-GEOTRACE-20260701
This one is new and available now. Browse the rest of our latest arrivals.
Video Description: Gen III – Scarab II
The Microtech Scarab II Gen III is a new double-action OTF automatic in unused condition. The blade is a D/E dagger in Böhler M390MK, 3.90 inches long with 3.80 inches of cutting edge at 0.16 inches thick. The finish is Geo Trace Camo in black and white, carried across the blade and the handle. Microtech built it in the USA in July 2026.
The opener is an X-Button thumb slide, driving a double spring system rated to fire the blade underwater. The handle is aluminium with 3M grip inserts set into chamfered edges. A reversible steel pocket clip carries the scarab engraving, and a glass breaker is fitted at the butt. Overall length is 9.65 inches open and 5.75 inches closed, at 6.20 ounces. Model number 1280-1 GOC.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is M390MK, and is it different from ordinary M390?
M390 is Böhler’s third-generation powder stainless, high in chromium and vanadium, and one of the benchmark steels for edge retention in production knives. M390MK is produced by Böhler exclusively for Microtech.
In practice you are buying M390 performance under a specification and heat-treat window set for a single manufacturer rather than for the open market. Expect long edge life and strong corrosion resistance, and expect it to be slow on a stone. The vanadium carbides that hold the edge are also what resist your sharpening.
Why does it matter that the Gen III fires underwater?
Nobody is buying this to cut underwater. The specification matters because water is the heaviest load you can put on an OTF spring, so a mechanism that deploys submerged has headroom in every condition you will actually meet.
The realistic failure mode for any out-the-front is a track that slowly fills with pocket lint until the action softens. Gen III answers that twice: a double spring system with excess power, and milling in the slide cut-out that Microtech calls the crud cutter, which breaks debris apart as the slide travels rather than packing it in.
What does 1280-1 GOC decode to?
Microtech encodes configuration in the model number rather than the name. The 1280-1 prefix is the Scarab II Gen III in the D/E dagger configuration, and GOC is the Geo Trace Camo finish. A different suffix on the same prefix is the same knife in another colour.
It is worth recording, because the Scarab II ships in single edge, double edge and tanto blades across a long list of finishes. The model number is the only unambiguous way to say which one you are holding.
Is the Microtech Scarab II legal where I live?
That depends entirely on where you are. This is an automatic knife with a double-edged dagger blade, and both attributes carry restrictions in some jurisdictions. The notice at the foot of this page links to a current state-by-state reference. We do not give legal advice, and the buyer is responsible for knowing the law where they live.
How does a production Microtech sit against the Marfione customs?
Tony Marfione founded Microtech in 1994 and also builds under Marfione Custom Knives, his own shop. The production company makes knives to tolerance at volume. The custom shop takes signature silhouettes and elite collaborations and elevates them with hand-ground finishes and materials that cannot be run on a line.
Both are his. They answer different questions, and the price gap between them is the gap between a machine holding a tolerance and a person holding a file.
Does We Buy Knife Collections actively support the broader knife enthusiast community?
Yes. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, We Buy Knife Collections is a curator and purveyor of fine custom made folding and fixed-blade knives. We are dedicated to the high-end custom knife community and we support knife rights advocacy.
Following our commitment upgrade in April 2026, we are proud to hold an AKTI Premier Membership, supporting the American Knife & Tool Institute’s vital advocacy and lobbying for knife owners, makers, and the future of the industry.
Buy This Microtech Scarab II
We inspect every knife in hand, fire every automatic ourselves, and shoot the photographs in house. See what else is available on the Microtech Knives brand page, including a 1996 Vallotton-designed Chameleon from the Vero Beach years.
Automatic Knife Legal Notice
This is an automatic knife. Laws governing purchase, possession, and carry vary by state, county, and municipality.
The buyer must know and follow the laws that apply where they live before ordering. We do not give legal advice. For current state-by-state information, consult the American Knife and Tool Institute.
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