The RJ Martin Overkill family

Overview

The Overkill family is the workshop’s collaboration with RJ Martin, the maker of the Q36. Each knife is a factory reading of Martin’s custom Overkill: a 100 mm (3.94 in) blade with the tall flipper tab that marks the original, on a 126 mm titanium handle, with the primary bevels flattened and the recurve removed. Five releases ran from January 2021 to March 2024, and the series is closed.

The five differ in lock, handle material and steel more than in shape: a bare titanium frame lock, a Micarta liner lock, two inlaid frame locks and an Alutex-scaled damascus closer. All five run on SRRBS roller bearings.

Factory specifications, every model in the family and the dated releases are on the Overkill record.

Quick Reference:

• Designer: RJ Martin (based on his custom Overkill)
• Classification: Collaboration series
• Initial release: 2021-01-21
• Releases: Five (Russian Overkill 2021; Soft Overkill 2022; Molten Overkill 2023; Denim Overkill 2023; Arctic Overkill 2024)

Pricing is tracked in the price record.

Variants comparison

Every model in the line side by side, from the factory record: tier, release, blade, steel, bearing system, lock, handle, weight and run size where the factory has published them.

Production history

Every Overkill was announced on the factory news feed and sold in a single limited run. The Russian Overkill and the Soft Overkill were sold by lottery. Total output across the series is 900 pieces.

• Russian Overkill (2021-01-21): 200 pieces, sold by lottery. Titanium frame lock, M398, 4.0 mm stock, 134 g.
• Soft Overkill (May 2022): 300 pieces in three configurations of 100, split by serial range. Liner lock with titanium liners and Micarta scales, M398, 14.9 mm handle.
• Molten Overkill (August 2023): 100 pieces. Frame lock with Lava & Ash CarboTi inlays, MagnaCut, the first collaboration in MagnaCut.
• Denim Overkill (December 2023): 200 pieces. Frame lock with Jeans Micarta inlays, S90V.
• Arctic Overkill (March 2024): 100 pieces. Frame lock with an Alutex show scale and lock-side inlay, ZDI-VG damascus, 3.0 mm stock, 110 g. The last of the series.

Variants

Russian Overkill

Released 21 January 2021 in a run of 200, sold by lottery. A titanium frame lock with textured scales, deep milled reliefs inside the handle for weight, and a hardened steel lockbar insert. The 100 mm M398 blade is 4.0 mm at the spine, with flat primary bevels and no recurve. The backspacer, clip and pivot collars are anodized dark gray to match. Handle 126 mm, 12.5 mm thick; weight 134 g; SRRBS pivot; 230 mm overall.

Soft Overkill

Released in May 2022 in a run of 300. Martin’s custom Overkills carry a thicker handle than the Russian Overkill, and the Soft Overkill answers that with a liner lock: titanium liners with a steel lock bar insert, standing slightly proud of Micarta scales, 14.9 mm thick against the Russian Overkill’s 12.5 mm. The blade stays 100 mm of M398 at 4.0 mm on SRRBS, and the flipper tab and detent were tuned to the action of the customs. Three configurations of 100, each with its own anodizing on the clip, backspacer and pivot collars: canvas Micarta with dark gray (serials 1 to 100), black Micarta with blue (101 to 200) and maroon Micarta with brown (201 to 300). The first lottery offered the canvas configuration. Weight 134 g.

Molten Overkill

Released 4 August 2023 in a run of 100. Back to a frame lock, now with 3D-milled Lava & Ash CarboTi inlays that stand proud of the gray anodized, pattern-milled titanium handle, so the handle grows to 13 mm. The inlay runs over the lockbar without touching its function. The blade is MagnaCut, thinned to 3.5 mm, the first collaboration in that steel; the steels page has the factory’s steel notes. Weight 125 g.

Denim Overkill

Released 2 December 2023 in a run of 200. The same inlaid frame-lock construction as the Molten Overkill, with Jeans Micarta inlays in blue, a stonewashed titanium handle that reads lighter than the Molten’s gray, and a polished backspacer and clip. The blade is S90V at 3.5 mm with a two-tone finish, satin flats over stonewashed bevels. Handle 13 mm; weight 125 g.

Arctic Overkill

Released 2 March 2024 in a run of 100, and closed the series. The handle pairs a full silver Alutex presentation-side scale with an Alutex inlay set into the titanium lock side, in the manner of the earlier Arctic Dr. Death. The blade is Zladinox ZDI-VG damascus, etched on the bevels to raise the pattern and satin on the flats, at 3.0 mm the thinnest of the Overkills; at 110 g it is also the lightest. Handle 12.5 mm; SRRBS pivot.

Authentication

The serial is recorded on the box and the certificate. The authentication guide has the per-tier checklist.

Markers specific to this family:

• Both the Shirogorov and RJ Martin logos are on the blade flats of every Overkill, and the Russian Overkill certificate is signed by RJ Martin and Sergey Shirogorov.
• Soft Overkill serial ranges map to configuration: 1 to 100 canvas Micarta with dark gray anodizing, 101 to 200 black Micarta with blue, 201 to 300 maroon Micarta with brown. A serial outside its color is a mismatch.
• The Soft Overkill is a liner lock; the other four are frame locks.

Pricing and collecting

Prices are in the price record; the questions a buyer asks before paying are on the Buying FAQ. The Molten and Arctic Overkill are the two runs of 100, and the Soft Overkill is the one release where the serial range identifies a configuration. For how the series fits among the other designer projects, see How the collaborations work.

Questions answered: Models FAQ.