Liong Mah has a Kickstarter success on his hands with the SFD, or Small Field Duty. The SFD is a 2026 refresh of a popular LMD piece, with a new lock and a proven, popular blade steel registering among the changes.
The Field Duty model has been a part of Mah’s offerings since 2019, when it debuted in its original, full-size form. Mah has always enjoyed larger blades and the first Field Duty dropped with an impressive 3.75-inch drop point. In 2020, he returned to the design to create a smaller sequel, the Field Duty EDC, which scaled the blade back to 3.5 inches. Mah tells us he has been working on this particular version for some time now. “We went through a few design changes,” he says. ” This is the second prototype after some refinements and weight reductions from the first.”
The SFD lives up to its name (or initial, as the case may be) as the smallest take on Mah’s workhorse yet. That being said, “work” is still the operative word here, and the stout, wide drop point blade is optimized for tougher jobs as well as normal EDC fare. “I wanted a high-end steel along with a high-end finish,” Mah says. He checked both boxes, with CPM MagnaCut here doing what it does best, and looking very dapper with Mah’s preferred hand-rubbed satin finish.
If you know Mah’s work and the LMD brand, you’ll be able to see that the SFD is breaking some new ground. “There are a lot of firsts for Liong Mah Designs on the SFD,” Mah explains. “It is the first crossbar lock, the first thumb stud opener, and the first model that we are offering with different scales so that it can be customized.” While the base model features sculpted titanium scales, campaign add-ons will be offered for carbon fiber and/or amber Ultem scales. And while you’re swapping the scales you can tweak that crossbar lock to your exact preference, too: “There are also three tension holes to set your preference on the lock’s springs,” Mah reveals.
Since launching on May 11, the SFD has soared past its Kickstarter goal some six times over, but there are still backing levels available for this piece, offering discounts compared to the eventual MSRP.
Knife in Featured Image: Liong Mah Designs Small Field Duty
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