Anyone else been lured in by the OPK?

dubya3

dubya3

Joined
Apr 27, 2015
Messages
537
I recently discovered the one piece knives and although I don't use fixed blades too often other than for hunting and fishing, I fell in love with these no nonsense designs.

I looked for a few weeks to get an idea of what a fair price was and let a few slip because I wasn't quick enough so when I saw the Aviator 5 minutes after it was listed i jumped on it. I hadn't researched this model so I was kind of buying blindly but being a mint 1995 piece complete with box and papers i didn't want to miss out again.

There are a couple small things I don't care for like the hex cap and upper finger guard but a round cap is $15 direct from CRK. I'm not sure how useful the saw teeth will ever be to me but it works surprisingly well as jimping for traction and I don't find the teeth too sharp with bare hands.

The knife is very comfortable in hand and has a great size for daily tasks. The sheath is where it really shines IMO, it rides tight and high on my waist so when I'm wearing a normal sized t shirt it's barely noticeable to people around me (i wish i could find a pistol holster that was as comfortable!). I have never worried about non knife people giving me weird looks when I pull out a folder, even if it's a 4" blade but I'm still not sure I feel comfortable carrying a fixed blade in crowded public or in the cities.

A2 steel is completely new to me, I've always used stainless other than a couple Japanese carbon steels like ZDP and Superblue. From what I understand it's a pretty well rounded steel as far as toughness and edge retention go with a little better corrosion resistance than some other more traditional carbon steels used in FB's like O1 or 1095.

Anyone here put these OPK's to use or carry one regularly? I'd love to hear some feedback and opinions on yours. I know Mr. Nye has had one or two [emoji6]

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I bought an African Mk IV, mostly just to have one of the older ones. I also bought a new 7" Green Beret I may use if I ever get out of the metropolitan area! I would like to have one of the African ones with box and papers, mine didn't come with that.
 
Dhbranum said:
I bought an African Mk IV, mostly just to have one of the older ones. I also bought a new 7" Green Beret I may use if I ever get out of the metropolitan area! I would like to have one of the African ones with box and papers, mine didn't come with that.
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I just talked with a fella on Facebook that bought a 7" SA Mark IV, no box for $675 at a garage sale yesterday. Looked like it was in great shape too.

I never realized how many different models there were with the limited editions. I can't remember the name but it's a really cool dagger style blade that's sharpened on both sides.

BTW my brother has a 7" Green Beret that we've used out camping on ATV trails up north. It's a good woods knife. He actually lost it in a bet to me and won't give it up :mad:
 
I like them a lot, but they don't see too much use since they are too big for me to carry around town:( I love the build quality and design, and as mentioned above the sheaths are great:thumbup:
 
cut it out said:
I love that style sheath. Looks comfy to carry.
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Very comfortable and it's basically unnoticeable even with just a t-shirt, at least the small 4" Aviator that I have.

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I really wish they still made the one piece knives, maybe someday they'll make a new model. From what I understand, CR discontinued them because the guy he was getting the blanks from retired.
 
The OPK is what brought me to CRK as I was looking for a quality hollow handle survival knife. I had the Buck 184 and when looking, I stumbeled upon CRK. I chose the Shadow III as my first. Well....100+ CRK later.... You might say they made an impression.....lol
 
I hear you, dubya. I also am lured by the OPN 's from CRK. Your Aviator is absolutely beautiful. And the belt sheath is perfect. That is one I would buy for sure. I really like the older hollow-handle ones like that. The newer ones are nice also, though. I will probably get a hollow one soon-ish if I can.

I would like a PS Insingo for sure. However, I also want an Inyoni as the smaller-form OPN's are intriguing to me.

I don't know if I would ever use them... but the lure of their solid reliability and useability still call to me.:)
 
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