Anyone else have QC issues with any CRKT M Series EDC's?

[greater]

CRKT has quality control problems and cheap steel ? Really ? you don't say. AHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA ! Choose carefully when you buy a CRKT knife is my advice.

I found the M40-03, M40-15 , and Seismic to be very well made. Some may object to the budget steel (Krup 1.4116) and the inability to opt out of combo edge with Veff serrations on the M40-15 and of course the high price vs value and competing options on the market . The deadbolt lock is very strong and works well. That lock has the perfect form in my opinion for use in the Kit Carson designs. They do make other knives using this lock in D2 steel and now I just found out today they have the M16 with a deadbolt lock in 3 versions (M16-02DB, M16-03DB, and M16-04DB) with D2 steel and assisted opening.

Assisted openers are now considered evil by the powers that be in my neck of the woods unless your are going on a fishing trip. While assisted openers and switchblades are fun they are not really my cup of tea so I will pass but I must admit I do like these new offerings and would not mind having one that is not an assisted opener.

I have had good luck with all my CRKT knives but I choose carefully when I buy avoiding the cheaper stuff that is likely to have problems. I do not expect CRKT to compete well with other brands in the quality steel department but I have had no problems with their knives that use adequate quality low end steels. I don't buy their super low end knives with bad quality steel and paper thin liner locks. CRKT just offers a lot of different interesting designs that can't be found elsewhere.

 

[Chronovore]

Glad I stumbled on this thread, interesting discussions about a brand which I only discovered recently.

I was also interested in the M16... I'm less ready to try my luck now.
Could you guys recommend other knives that are roughly equivalent in style and in price ?

For instance, I found the Civivi Perf which goes for 75€ in my neck of the woods :

The Perf is an easy choice. Civivi is made by WE. While no company is perfect, the fit, finish, and overall level of quality for Civivi tends to be excellent.

Put it this way. I've been carrying knives for longer than some of our members have been alive. In just the few years that this brand has been around, they've made some of my all-time favorite budget knives. After using, carrying, and taking apart several models for inspection; they've also become my pick for safest or easiest recommendation.

In this sense, they are the polar opposite of CRKT.

 

[AdamFuzzyballs]

Glad I stumbled on this thread, interesting discussions about a brand which I only discovered recently.

I was also interested in the M16... I'm less ready to try my luck now.
Could you guys recommend other knives that are roughly equivalent in style and in price ?

For instance, I found the Civivi Perf which goes for 75€ in my neck of the woods :

Do it, the perf is amazing for what it is. I feel like people on the forums either like skeletonized folders or they don’t. If it’s your style you won’t be disappointed. I got the murdered out version, and it flips like lightning, the blade is a serious scalpel-thin and ground very well- and the handles are so well done. They are chanfered all around, and feel very strong. I wouldn’t hesitate, though be warned- the blade is extremely slicey, so I wouldn’t pry with it or expect it to baton firewood.
Truly, I think the perf is the best iteration possible of a production “paraframe”

 

[Lamelle]

The Perf is an easy choice. Civivi is made by WE. While no company is perfect, the fit, finish, and overall level of quality for Civivi tends to be excellent.

Put it this way. I've been carrying knives for longer than some of our members have been alive. In just the few years that this brand has been around, they've made some of my all-time favorite budget knives. After using, carrying, and taking apart several models for inspection; they've also become my pick for safest or easiest recommendation.

In this sense, they are the polar opposite of CRKT.

Do it, the perf is amazing for what it is. I feel like people on the forums either like skeletonized folders or they don’t. If it’s your style you won’t be disappointed. I got the murdered out version, and it flips like lightning, the blade is a serious scalpel-thin and ground very well- and the handles are so well done. They are chanfered all around, and feel very strong. I wouldn’t hesitate, though be warned- the blade is extremely slicey, so I wouldn’t pry with it or expect it to baton firewood.
Truly, I think the perf is the best iteration possible of a production “paraframe”

Thank you for your feedback and encouragements, I'll certainly put the Perf on my to-buy list then

 

[Kcsstrat]

The build quality is a conscious choice by the brands.
CRKT does not make (most of) their knives for us. They make them for all the "normies". People shopping at the big box department and hardware stores who can find a way to justify adding that cool looking pocket knife for under $50 to their order. A knife that most of us here would scoff at as a ripoff, knowing what it's made of.
There are WAY more of those normies than there are enthusiasts who "know better". Millions more.
There is a reason Gerber and Schrade are still around. The average customer has no interest in spending what it costs to own what we forumites would call a decent knife.

CRKT is selling the exact type of knife to the exact type of person that they are aiming for. They are going for quantity over quality, and it works.

Maybe my standards for a decent knife are low, but I have knives far cheaper than what I've bought a CRKT knife for, that I consider decent. Basically, just a properly heat treated blade is all that is required for me to consider decent. But that's just me.

 

[Kcsstrat]

You’ll be even more excited if you open it up and check the lock bar’s face or the blade site,
Burnt black curls of steel, rolling on the site on most of those I touched…

What is the "blade site" exactly? I'm guessing this is a good place to check a knife for signs of botched heat treat?

 

[elevator man]

My crkt knife is very easy to flip open with just the flipper. Its the ONLY liner lock I trust (and will use) to not cut my fingers off, due to the secondary safety. It's 10 years old or so so maybe their quality control was better back then?

My biggest gripe with crkt is the low end steel they use. In my opinion all the big manufacturers should be at least offering a k390/10v or s90v options on their main model, with the price reflecting such. Alot of people would gladly pay the difference I think

 

[Chronovore]

My crkt knife is very easy to flip open with just the flipper. Its the ONLY liner lock I trust (and will use) to not cut my fingers off, due to the secondary safety. It's 10 years old or so so maybe their quality control was better back then?

What kinds of activities do you do with folding knives such that you can't trust liner locks in general and are worried that you'll cut your fingers off?

Better yet, in which of those kinds of activities will the liner fail but the secondary safety won't?