★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife | Stained (Minimal Wear)

Skin overview

The appeal of Stained is its deliberately messy, chemically aged surface, which suits the curved profile of the Flip Knife. At Minimal Wear the blade looks practically the same as a fresh copy, with only faint marks visible close up. It is a way to get the clean patina look without paying for the top grade.

Item type: knife. Covert is the top weapon rarity: usually the most prominent items of a collection or case.

Patina: an aged metal surface; wear is part of the design, so the gap between qualities is less visible.

The remaining qualities of this skin: Factory New, Field-Tested, Well-Worn and Battle-Scarred.

Appearance in Minimal Wear

The whole blade is covered in a forced patina: grey and blue-grey steel with darker cloudy blotches and streaks spread unevenly from the base to the acute point. The serrated section near the pivot carries the same mottled finish, which makes the teeth look darker and more textured.

Barely noticeable marks may appear near the tip and on the edge, visible mainly when inspecting closely. The blotches keep their full contrast. In game it is hard to tell apart from Factory New. The serrations and the flat of the blade stay clean.

Minimal Wear quality — float range 0.07–0.15

The whole float range of ★ StatTrak™ Flip Knife | Stained is 0–1; Minimal Wear takes the 0.07–0.15 segment (8% of the scale). Within the range, copies with a lower float look cleaner and are valued higher.

Origin of the skin

It drops as a rare special item from:

• CS:GO Weapon Case (on sale since Sep 20, 2013)
• CS:GO Weapon Case 2 (on sale since Sep 20, 2013)
• CS:GO Weapon Case 3 (on sale since Sep 20, 2013)
• Operation Bravo Case (on sale since Sep 20, 2013)
• Winter Offensive Weapon Case (on sale since Dec 18, 2013)
• eSports 2013 Case (on sale since Jul 9, 2014)

And 5 more — souvenir packages and other sources.

What it costs in each quality

Among 23 skins of the Flip Knife in the Covert grade and this quality, this skin ranks 19th by price, counting from the dearest.

StatTrak™ version

This is the StatTrak™ version: the counter on the weapon shows confirmed kills. There is also the regular version without the counter. Right now the StatTrak™ version is 24% dearer than the regular one.

What to look at before you buy

• Check the float position within the wear grade, since copies near the top of a range look cleaner.
• Look at the placement of the dark blotches, as the pattern differs from copy to copy and some layouts look darker or more balanced.
• Inspect the tip, cutting edge and serrations, where wear appears first.
• Make sure a name tag, if present, suits your taste.

Who the Minimal Wear quality suits

• Buyers who want an almost new look while saving compared with the top grade.
• Players who care how the knife looks on inspect.
• Conclusion: a sensible balance of looks and cost.