Any experience with the CRKT Ripple?

J

Jesse B.

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Oct 23, 2009
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For those of you who own or have handled the Ripple or Ripple 2 -- what do you think?

I'm seriously considering the Ripple 2 (small hands, not circus folk though.) To the extent I care, I've often thought of CRKT as a totally unremarkable knife company. Maybe that's because I'm concerned about design as much or more than function and I associate CRKT with ugliness. Of course they commission a famed knife designer (Ken Onion) and come up with something which seems both functional and aesthetic. But I don't know.
It's a new knife. Any thoughts?

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i havent used mine heavily but it is a nice knife, light and the flipper works great. for the price it is a nice buy. i also doubted it when i saw it was a crkt, but i handled it in person and it is quite nice.
 
I handed both ripples at the local surplus. They're great knives, the only CRKT I've ever seriously considered. The small was a bit too small for my hands but if you've got smaller hands, you should be fine.

It's slim and lightweight, suited for Edc purposes. The ikbs is super quick, opening faster than an auto with the flipper (zero wrist movement. All flipper). There is no thumb stud, which was a negative for me, as sometimes I prefer sweeping the blade open. Other than that, it's an onion design so you can't really go wrong. Not to mention it's an excellent looking gentlemanly-knife.
 
I almost ordered one, but then watched a few reviews on YouTube. There seemed to be enough flaws (matching the CRKT price point) that I gave up and went back to other brands. For example, the videos talk about the screws being too long and requiring grinding, blade play, etc. I'd like an IKBS knife, but will gladly spend more for another brand/model.
 
I handled one at a local knife shop and while I did like the IKBS action, it just had way to many sharp edges/corners (flipper, handles, lockbar, etc).
 
I would say a light use edc and nothing more. I've handled the prototype at Plaza Cutlery and felt very flimsy, although would make a nice gent knife.

I appreciate it more now than before after paying more attention to the details of the knife. The design is very flush and appealing to the eye imo.
 
I really like the looks and the design of the knife:thumbup:.

But after handling it i am not going to buy it.
Just as above replies tell you the knife has many sharp corners/edges.
I have knives with no ikbs that are much smoother/faster working.
If you use the flipper your finger well end at the "decoration" holes that have very sharp edges and are not comfortable.

The handle and lock are thin and will not take a lot abuse.
 
As the poster above mentioned I too like the design of this CRKT knife.
I thought it would be very ergonomic and comfortable to the hand but with the aforementioned sharp corners and edges it is not.
I was expecting more for my $80.
 
While I have a nice little collection of folders, from a 2 1/8" blade framelock Gerber to a simple Kershaw 2 1/4 inch bladed flipper to a Kershaw Scallion and then up the the big stuff: For instance, a Zero Tolerance 0300 beast, the one knife that goes just about everywhere with me is this slightly modified Ripple 2:

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Why does it always come along? Several reasons. Very light in the pocket, very thin profile, easy to open, wicked sharp, razor sharp right out of the box and very easy to keep that way, looks cool, doesn't scare anybody when they see it. Plus, I cut the tip of the blade off so it would be legal to carry in the Windy City, which has a 2.5 inch maximum blade length. Mine is under that. And the ripple design simply appeals to me, too.

And... while it's clearly no heavy duty knife, it's just great for all that small stuff that comes up during my typical day, and cuts through cigars very well, too. Everyone I've showed it to has liked it.

Now, for a couple of things I had to improve on. The framelock was so tight when it came, and the top edge of the flipper was a bit too sharp, that I almost returned it. But, I sure liked its looks and how it cut and sliced stuff. So, I grasped the framelock with its spring loaded ball bearing detent and pulled it away from the blade, essentially very slightly bending it, until its now perfect, IMHO. Simply using the knife a lot and opening and closing it would not have effected this change. As for the sharp edge on the flipper, a judicious touch with some 320 wet or dry sandpaper and a drop of oil on it took care of that. The screws that another poster mentioned had to be ground down were just fine on my example, and the other sharp edges that other posters mentioned are not really an issue, at least for me. If they are for others, try some light sanding with 640 wet or dry and see if you don't like it.

This really is a gentleman's folder, or as Ken Ripple says in his video plugging the knife, a "gentleman's tactical." Whatever....

Please note that I have the Ripple2, which comes with a 2.7 inch blade...

Folderguy
 
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