DOTW # 15 The Safe to Carry (STC)

[JIMMY_MAC]

Our fifteenth Dalton of the Week is the Safe-to-Carry (STC). This DOTW post is a little different than earlier DOTWs, since its being written before the end of the model's production. However, we have the technology to edit posts, so I will edit this post as we get additional information.

We first saw the STC on 22 July 2002 with the post that included its picture with "zombie Rob". The STCs were first shipped to dealers around the end of July. The STC is an OTF with a spring loaded safety, an Asp type retracting bar, and a linerlock. Besides the safety, which allows this model to be safely carried in your pocket, several other unique features are a new clip point blade shape that we've never seen on a Dalton, a pointed skullcrusher retracting bar, and a Maltese cross (otherwise known as the sailor's cross or Spanish cross) with flames engraved on the handle. Another unique feature of the STC is that it is the first Dalton that I know of to come with an instruction card. Here's the front picture of the first STC variant:




Here's a top view showing the firing lever and safety:



Here's a bottom view showing the linerlock



Here's the clip side:



Dimensions are:

OAL: 8 - 3/4 including the skullcrusher charging bar
Blade Length: 3 - 7/16"
Handle Length: 5 - 5/16" with the skullcrusher, 4 - 15/16 not including the skullcrusher

To fire the blade: Push forward on the safety with the front part of your thumb, then rock your thumb back to depress the lever release.

Its a little more complicated to close: Push the linerlock over to the side, pull the charging bar half way back, push the safety forward, then pull the charging bar all the way back. It sounds complicated, but its actually not too bad.

The black handled STCs with beadblast clip point blades with or without the PROTO marking represent the first two variations of the model. The third variant has blue handles with red veining and 2-tone blades. The blue STCs also have an internal cap over the spring to make the action smoother. These were released in early September 2002. Here's a pic of the third variant:



The next variants of the of the STC, released in late September, have red handles with yellow splash and orange veining. There were twelve pieces with the Maltese cross and clip point blades (variant 4), twelve pieces with the devil logo and clip point blades (variant 5), and 96 pieces with the devil logo and weehawk/drop point blades (variant 6). All three variants had 2-tone blades. Here are two of these:







The seventh variant, which we first saw on 02 October, was a special run of 24 pieces with stainless steel handles. These had the Dalton logo and "tiger stripes" engraved on both sides of the handle, and a xx/24 serial number engraved into the handle. The blades were all 2-tone.




Variations 8 and 9, released in early November, have black and olive drab handles with the Dalton logo and tiger stripes engraved in the handle. Here are the pics:






Some of these last two variants may be serrated.

Here's a summary of the STC variants with known production numbers:

#1 Black handles/beadblast clip point blades/Maltese cross/PROTO: (note 1)
#2 Black handles/beadblast clip point blades/Maltese cross/non-PROTO: (note 1)
#3 Blue handles/2-tone clip point blades/Maltese cross: TBD
#4 Red/yellow handles/clip point blades/Maltese cross: 12
#5 Red/yellow handles/clip point blades/Devil: 12
#6 Red/yellow handles/drop point blades/Devil: 96
#7 Stainless handles/drop point blade/Dalton logo: 24
#8 Black handles/2-tone drop point blade/Dalton logo: TBD
#9 OD handles/2-tone drop point blade/Dalton logo: TBD
#10 OD handles/full satin drop point: TBD
#11 Black handles/full satin drop point: TBD
#12 Black handles/full satin drop point Proto: 1
#13 Red Devil Drop point full satin: TBD ( 1 or 2?)

Note 1: There were a total of 207 of the first black handled STCs (variants 1 and 2). The PROTOs were a small portion of this group.

[Joker]

There appears to be a very limited subvariant of variation #2 which had two tone clip point blades. Would love to know how many of these were done.

[daltonsonly]

Here are three STC devils I had, I now only have the bayo....I believe someone else had one, so at least two were made. Very cool knife....someone posted "If you could have one Dalton", this would probably be mine.

kk

[n8vyc]

I love the STC's man they slam out! I was luckey to find two of them for 280.00 a piece this week. One has never been out of the net!

[Snapper]

The STC with the bayonet blade you have there is a one of a kind made for a guy who used to have a very large collection of Dalton's. I could have snagged that knife from him at Blade Show 07 but for some reason I did not buy it.