111

Overview

The 111 is the workshop’s large folder, named for its 111 mm blade and the biggest regular production Shirogorov made: 250 mm overall, built for the American market. Production started on 1 December 2011 and paused six months later for design changes. It is a liner lock, titanium liners with a steel insert under carbon fiber, G10 or titanium scales, the construction it shares with the F3, and it runs to five generations, so on a listing the first question is which one.

The blade is a drop point with a full flat grind and a rounded spine with minimal jimping. It is 4.0 mm with a fuller on Gen 1 through Gen 4, 3.5 mm with a stepped cutout in place of the fuller on Gen 5, and 3.2 mm on the current Gen 5.1 at 130 g. Elmax was the early steel and M390 the standard since Gen 4. The pivot went from a single row of balls (SRBS) on Gen 1 to the multi-row bearing system (MRBS) from Gen 2. Since October 2024 the line has also carried the Elements series, four themed editions of 100 pieces each. Factory specifications for every model in the line are on the 111 record.

At a glance:

• Designer: Sergey Shirogorov
• First release: 1 December 2011
• Generations: five; Gen 5 from 7 August 2021, the Gen 5.1 revision current
• Related lines: the F3 (the same construction at 95 mm), the F95 (the 95 mm frame lock), the Astrum (the 100 mm liner lock with an apron)

Variants comparison

Every model in the line: kind, release, blade, steel, bearing system, lock, handle, weight and run size.

Production history

• 1 December 2011: production starts; 1 June 2012: orders paused for design changes.
• Gen 1: Elmax, 4.0 mm, SRBS, carbon fiber or titanium scales over nested titanium liners, about 156 g.
• Gen 2: MRBS and improved detent geometry.
• Gen 3: weight moved rearward for near-neutral balance, M390 beside Elmax, more carbon fiber patterns, about 153 g.
• Gen 4: M390 standard, handle refinements, TechnoCarbo and inlay options, about 150 g.
• 7 August 2021: Gen 5, the blade thinned from 4.0 mm to 3.5 mm with a swedge and a stepped cutout replacing the fuller, carbon fiber scales only, and a clip on a hidden screw.
• Gen 5.1: the current revision, 3.2 mm in M390 on a three-row MRBS, 130 g.
• 19 October 2024 to 19 July 2025: the Elements series, 100 pieces each: Terrus (S90V), Aerum (Elmax), Ignis (M390), Aquatic (Vanax 37).
• Custom Division runs: 111 Bronze CD (Vanadis 10), 111 Ti CD (50), 111 TiBr (50, Damasteel), 111 DeepSpace (50, S110V), 111 Starship (50, MagnaCut).
• The 111 Outdoor preceded the F3 Outdoor of June 2023; both are on Special editions.

Variants

Generations 1 and 2

The original 111 ran an Elmax blade at 4.0 mm on SRBS, about 156 g, with carbon fiber or titanium scales over nested titanium liners. Gen 1 was blade-heavy; Gen 2 brought improved detent geometry and the MRBS pivot.

Generation 3

Gen 3 kept the MRBS with preload set for the blade mass and moved weight rearward for near-neutral balance, in M390 or Elmax at 4.0 mm, about 153 g, with more carbon fiber weaves on offer.

Generation 4

Gen 4 kept the 4.0 mm blade with M390 as the standard steel, about 150 g, with a refined handle and TechnoCarbo and inlaid scales added to the options.

Generation 5 and 5.1

Gen 5 of August 2021 thinned the blade to 3.5 mm, added a swedge and replaced the fuller with a stepped cutout, went to carbon fiber scales only, and put the clip on a hidden screw. The current Gen 5.1 runs 3.2 mm in M390 on a three-row MRBS with a 141 mm handle, at 130 g, the lightest generation and the one a generation set finishes on.

Elements editions

Four one-time editions of the Gen 5.1, 100 numbered pieces each, with a steel, a TechnoCarbo scale material, a hardware finish and a bead chosen for the theme. The 111 Terrus of October 2024 is S90V with Rare Earth TechnoCarbo, and the Aerum of January 2025 is Elmax with Northern Wind TechnoCarbo and polished stonewash hardware. M390 went on the Ignis of March 2025, and Vanax 37 on the three-row MRBS on the Aquatic of July 2025, the knife that closed the project. Each is a 3.5 mm blade with a through fuller, a false edge and spine jimping, on a liner lock whose plate stands slightly proud of the scales, with a 142 mm handle, 250 mm overall and 146 g with lanyard and bead. The Terrus changed the shape of the fuller and the later three kept it. The Terrus carries an edition blade etching. The same four themes ran on the F3 first; Special editions has the full table.

Custom Division 111s

Five runs, all on single-row rollers, four of them runs of 50. The 111 Ti CD is S90V on titanium; the 111 TiBr puts Damasteel on anodized titanium and bronze; the 111 Bronze CD is Vanadis 10 under carbon fiber and bronze. Two run a 3.5 mm blade: the 111 DeepSpace in S110V under carbon fiber with titanium powder, and the 111 Starship in MagnaCut on titanium, on SRRBS with the PLDS (Pivot Load Distribution System) pivot and a liner lock with an apron. The Custom Division FAQ covers the tier; the steels page has the factory’s hardness bands.

Authentication

What to check on a 111, in the order a buyer can check it.

The box and the certificate carry the serial. Most 111s have no engraved serial; the original box and the certificate of authenticity (COA) are the record. A Custom Division 111 also carries its markings inside, on the scales and/or the backspacer, with a CD mark beside the bear head. Elements editions are individually numbered.

111 mm blade, liner lock under the scales. Titanium liners with a steel insert, scales over them: the inset lock, as on the F3. A frame lock at this size is not a 111.

The pivot tells the generation and the tier. SRBS means Gen 1; MRBS means Gen 2 or later. A Custom Division 111 runs SRRBS, a single row of loose rollers per side. A duck foot pivot belongs only to Sergey’s full customs.

The blade dates the generation. On the serial line, 4.0 mm with a fuller is Gen 1 through Gen 4. 3.5 mm with a swedge and a stepped cutout where the fuller was is Gen 5. 3.2 mm is the Gen 5.1. 3.5 mm with a through fuller, a false edge and spine jimping is an Elements edition, and its steel names the theme. The Custom Division 111s run 4.0 mm (Bronze CD, Ti CD, TiBr) or 3.5 mm (DeepSpace, Starship) outside the sequence.

Gen 5 has carbon fiber scales and a hidden clip screw. On the serial line, titanium or G10 scales, or a visible clip screw, put the knife before Gen 5; the Custom Division 111s in titanium (Ti CD, TiBr, Starship) and the TechnoCarbo Elements editions are Gen 5.1 builds the scale rule doesn’t cover.

Slotted screws only. Every 111 takes the workshop’s slotted hardware. Torx screws mean someone has replaced the hardware, or the knife isn’t what it says.

An Elements knife travels with its lanyard and bead. 146 g is the figure with both; a listing without them is incomplete, and the scale material belongs to one theme only.

The per-tier checklist, the photographs to ask for and the remote-buying rules are on the authentication guide.

Telling the generations apart

The pivot and the blade do most of the work. SRBS means Gen 1. MRBS with a 4.0 mm fullered blade means Gen 2, Gen 3 or Gen 4. Between those three the steel and the scales are the guide: Elmax alone on Gen 2, M390 beside it on Gen 3, M390 standard with TechnoCarbo and inlays on Gen 4. A 3.5 mm blade with the stepped cutout means Gen 5; 3.2 mm means Gen 5.1. The factory listing and the dated release settle the rest.

Pricing and collecting

Prices are in the price record; the questions a buyer asks before paying are on the Buying FAQ. On a 111 listing the generation is the first question; the Gen 5.1 and the Elements editions are the ones with their own trading histories.

Questions answered: Models FAQ.