NARROWBACK knife in orange with a curved blade and ergonomic handle, designed for outdoor and hunting use.
NARROWBACK knife with an orange handle on a workbench surrounded by tools and hardware, showcasing its rugged design.
Narrowback knife in orange with a curved blade and ergonomic handle, designed for outdoor and hunting use.
NARROWBACK knife with an orange handle resting on a textured surface surrounded by metal conduit and hardware.
Narrowback knife with an orange handle and black sheath, designed for outdoor and tactical use.
Orange Narrowback knife secured in a sheath on a person's harness, showcasing its practical design for outdoor use.
Hand holding the NARROWBACK knife with an orange handle, showcasing its curved blade and rugged design outdoors.
Narrowback knife with an orange handle and stainless steel blade, surrounded by tools and industrial materials.
Close-up of hands using the NARROWBACK knife with an orange handle, demonstrating precision and craftsmanship.
A person holds the NARROWBACK knife with an orange handle, secured in a sheath on their harness, showcasing its practical design.

NARROWBACK - ORANGE

$300.00
Sold out
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
26 Reviews

Built for the Inside Job.

*The Narrowback handle is NOT dielectric. Follow proper safety procedures when using this knife.

Available Colors:

Pickup currently unavailable at MONTANA KNIFE CO SHOP

NARROWBACK - ORANGE

MONTANA KNIFE CO SHOP

Pickup currently unavailable

8659 Robbins Rd
Missoula MT 59808
United States

+18888888888
$300.00

The Narrowback is an electrician’s knife. Its compact three-inch hawkbill is built to skin residential wiring, then conquer the utility work that fills the rest of the day, like cutting boxes, zip ties, and plastic.

Our founder and CEO Josh Smith spent 10 years as a lineman before founding MKC, and that decade on the poles inspired the Great Falls Skinner. The Narrowback carries the story indoors to the electricians pulling wire through conduit and crawling through rafters to reach the work.

The name “Narrowback” is old job site slang. Linemen develop broad backs climbing poles and handling heavy cable, and the guys working inside got tagged as “narrow backs.” What started as a jab between trades has become a term of endearment, and those inside guys have earned a knife of their own.

Specs
  • Blade Steel
    Magnacut Stainless Steel
  • Design
    Full Tang Construction
  • Overall Length
    7 5/8"
  • Blade Length
    3”
  • Blade Thickness
    0.120”
  • Knife Weight
    3.60 Oz
  • Blade Finish
    Stonewash
  • Handle Material
    G-10
GRADUAL HAWKBILL HOOK

Flatter than a traditional hawkbill curve, with a blade sharp enough to slide around wire.

Most hawkbills on the market run straight, then hook hard at the tip. The Narrowback moves away from that extreme hook. A blade this sharp slides around wire and splits through a bundle on its own.

The tip curves down and the edge sweeps up to meet it, so the point never leads the cut. For pull cuts through boxes and pallets, that geometry is safer than a drop point or clip point with the tip sticking straight out.
STONEWASHED MAGNACUT STAINLESS STEEL

Holds its edge through a full day of stripping wire and opening boxes.

Stripping wire, slicing zip ties, and breaking down boxes eats a cheap edge in a single shift. MagnaCut holds up. With 0.120 inches of cryogenically heat-treated stainless steel behind the edge, the Narrowback delivers toughness, edge retention, and corrosion resistance. It resharpens easily, even for novice knife owners.

Learn more about MagnaCut stainless steel from its creator, Larrin Thomas.

MINIMAL-HOTSPOT SLAB HANDLE

Flat G10 slab handle, rounded smooth, with nothing to wear into your hand over a long shift.

A working knife lives in your hand, so we kept the handle neutral: no heavy contouring or sharp corners, just a comfortable slab you can hold all shift. We maintained some rounding to keep the aggressive profile.

The full guard stops your hand from running onto the blade when you’re bearing down.

*The Narrowback handle is NOT dielectric. Follow proper safety procedures when using this knife.
WELL-DEFINED THUMB RAMP

The jimped thumb ramp locks your grip in, bare hands or gloves.

Most working knives address lock-in by adding a guard that rises from an overmolded plastic handle. We put the solution on the steel instead. The jimping on the ramp gives your thumb a defined place to lock in, cut after cut.
BUILT FOR THE TOOL BELT

Custom USA-made Kydex sheath for the belt, plus an exaggerated lanyard hole for the tether.

Each Narrowback comes with a custom USA-made MKC Kydex sheath featuring a built-in retention screw to adjust blade tension. At 7 5/8 inches overall and 3.60 ounces, the knife disappears on a loaded belt until you need it.

The oversized lanyard hole is there for a reason. Tether the knife to your belt or your kit, and stop donating blades to the job site.
MKC Generations Promise showcasing free lifetime sharpening and maintenance for Montana Knife Company products.
Free Sharpening For Life & Beyond

Generations® is our promise to restore your knife to its original, unmatched working condition.

MKC will clean, sharpen, repair, and even reshape your blades when necessary, as well as rewrapping handles free of charge. While we perform all necessary sharpening and maintenance, our aim is not to return your knife to its brand new appearance. Learn more about MKC Generations Promise.
5.0
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars
Based on 26 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 26
Total 4 star reviews: 0
Total 3 star reviews: 0
Total 2 star reviews: 0
Total 1 star reviews: 0
100%would recommend these products
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26 reviews
  • RC
    Rodney C.
    Verified Buyer
    Reviewing
    NARROWBACK - ORANGE
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    3 days ago
    Little brother

    Don’t mean to double up on review just wanted to share some photos of knives

    Was this helpful?
  • RC
    Rodney C.
    Verified Buyer
    Reviewing
    NARROWBACK - ORANGE
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    4 days ago
    Little brother

    I purchased a Great Falls Skinner a while back and figured I purchase the Narrowback and give it a shot. Received knife a few weeks ago and the presentation was excellent as always. The knife preforms awesome for the line of work that I do. If your an apprentice working your way up the trades you should definitely put it on your must have list save some coins and buy as soon as you can it’ll make a big difference in efficiency. If your a journey men then I think you should get one asap. One caveat is be very careful when using to cut open termination boxes there’s a really good chance that you’ll put a slice in that cold shrink (ask me how I know). Otherwise great all around knife. On another note can’t wait to receive the Montana in the mail this week. Team MKC thank you for keeping up with the quality standards it does not go unnoticed! Stay focused work safe.

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    Montana Knife Company
    3 days ago

    Thank you for the five stars on the Narrowback Orange, Rodney! We're absolutely thrilled to hear you're loving how it performs for your line of work and that the presentation was excellent as always - that's exactly the kind of reliable, practical performance we put into every blade we make for folks who depend on their tools. It sounds like you're getting great efficiency out of it, and we really appreciate you sharing those insights for apprentices and journeymen in the trades who are looking to add a dependable knife to their kit. We also got a kick out of your caveat about the termination boxes - that's the kind of real world feedback that matters to us! We're stoked to hear the Montana is on its way and can't wait to know what you think of it. Thanks for the kind words about our quality standards, Rodney - Team MKC is committed to keeping those standards high for folks like you. Stay safe out there!

  • AO Profile picture for Alex O.
    Alex O.
    Verified Buyer
    Reviewing
    NARROWBACK - ORANGE
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    1 week ago
    Nice knife

    Very nice knife very sharp very nice color little small

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    Montana Knife Company
    1 week ago

    Thank you for the five stars on the Narrowback, Alex! We're absolutely thrilled to hear you're loving how sharp it is and that you're digging the color - that's exactly the kind of reliable, practical performance we put into every blade we make for folks who need a dependable tool they can count on. We appreciate you letting us know your thoughts, and we're proud to know the Narrowback is delivering for you!

  • CR
    Collin R.
    Verified Buyer
    Reviewing
    NARROWBACK - ORANGE
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    2 weeks ago
    Excited about this one!!

    Awesome knife!! The craftmanship and design is impressive! I'm an Electrical apprentice in an industrial chip manufacturing plant. Since it arrived a few weeks ago it has been part of my daily carry. I've found it more and more useful. Very sharp and fits well in the hand for skinning wire/cable. strong and capable for whatever odd tasks are thrown at you throughout the day. Excited to use this tool more. I would love to pair it with a leather sheath. Hopefully MKC can offer that soon.

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    Montana Knife Company
    1 week ago

    Thank you for the five stars on the Narrowback, Collin! We're absolutely thrilled to hear you're loving the craftsmanship and design - and that it's become such a reliable part of your daily carry at the plant means everything to us. You're so right about the sharpness and how it handles those precision tasks like wire and cable work, and that's exactly the performance and capability we put our heart into with every blade we make for folks who need a tool they can count on throughout the day. We really appreciate you letting us know about your interest in a leather sheath - that's great feedback as we continue to develop our product lineup. It sounds like the Narrowback is proving to be exactly the kind of strong and capable tool you were looking for!

  • RM
    Robert M.
    Verified Buyer
    Reviewing
    NARROWBACK - ORANGE
    I recommend this product
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    4 minutes ago
    Narrowback

    Haven’t used it for its intended purpose yet,but it’s a bad a*s package opener.

    Very sharp

    Very well made.

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