Anyone own a CRK fixed in 4V? Update with testing and photos.

JACKMANDU

JACKMANDU

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Hello. I just recently noticed a Chris Reeve green beret 7” non serrated in 4V steel, pop up on Monkey edge. I pulled the trigger. The blade is now out of stock. I assume they only had a few and they sold quickly. After purchasing, I went to YouTube to find a review of this knife in 4V. I couldn’t find anything. I also came up empty handed with Google search. I only found dealers out of stock. I have always been interested by this knife, but never bought one. Mainly because they are not easy to come by and also because I wasn’t sure about S35vn in a large fixed blade. After seeing one available in 4V, I finally took the plunge. It will arrive this Friday. This was one of those buy 1st research later kind of purchase’s.
Any feedback on this blade would be greatly appreciated!
 
Twindog said:
Looks like a great knife. The S35VN model was run at 55-57 Rc, which is way too soft for me -- that's like axe hardness.

The 4V looks like 59-60 Rc, although reports seem to differ.
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GPknives and knifeart have it listed at 59-60 . I think that it pretty low for 4V. I wonder how that effects edge retention to increase toughness?

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4V at 60 Rc will have decent edge wear -- about like S35VN at the same hardness and better than the usual hardness that CRK uses.

It will be plenty tough.

You might also look at TRC knifes, which are incredibly well built. Their Mille Cuori military knife (5.2 inch blade) uses Vanadis 4E (like 4V) at 60-61 Rc.

Their large Apocalypse, which is in the size range of your new CRK, uses Elmax at 59-60, which should be plenty tough and have good wear resistance.
 
ScarFoot said:
I have one but I haven’t used it for anything yet. The local shop had 3 or 4 of them and I couldn’t pass one up. It feels great in the hand and is a good looking knife for sure. View attachment 1786193
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looks cool! Honestly I can’t think of a practical use for it either. Lol. I’ll probably just bring it camping to look badass doing camp chores and food prep. I’m sure it will get the job done. I would like to have it handy if I’m ever attacked by a bear or mountain lion. I like to think I could win a fight against a wild animal. Haha. I’m sure a bear or lion would just smack that thing out of my hand and then eat my face.
One can dream. “ man saves campground from rabid man eating bear”😏
 
JACKMANDU said:
looks cool! Honestly I can’t think of a practical use for it either. Lol. I’ll probably just bring it camping to look badass doing camp chores and food prep. I’m sure it will get the job done. I would like to have it handy if I’m ever attacked by a bear or mountain lion. I like to think I could win a fight against a wild animal. Haha. I’m sure a bear or lion would just smack that thing out of my hand and then eat my face.
One can dream. “ man saves campground from rabid man eating bear”😏
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Haha I’m starting to get too fat and slow to even dream about fighting a wild animal. I’m sure the knife could handle a few camp chores/food prep. You’ll like it as soon as you open the box.
 
JACKMANDU said:
looks cool! Honestly I can’t think of a practical use for it either. Lol. I’ll probably just bring it camping to look badass doing camp chores and food prep. I’m sure it will get the job done. I would like to have it handy if I’m ever attacked by a bear or mountain lion. I like to think I could win a fight against a wild animal. Haha. I’m sure a bear or lion would just smack that thing out of my hand and then eat my face.
One can dream. “ man saves campground from rabid man eating bear”😏
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They'll just rip the arm off that's holding the knife
 
I’ve always liked the look of that model but not in s35vn. 4v should be perfect for a knife that size and with its intended use. I’d say you picked a winner!
 
ED5629AD-D173-400C-8B58-7174423EA252.jpegA3C5C6D3-039A-4E14-98CC-B50D3095981D.jpeg
Arrived today! This thing is very nice! And sharp. This blade is very stout. I think it could handle whatever you throw at it. The hollow grind is beautiful, and the edge is super sharp. I rubbed a little gun oil along the edge with my thumb, and she bit me. I was surprised and impressed. I have owned many many Busse blades and have never been cut by one. This knife will need to be treated with more caution. That 4V edge is scary. Fit and finish is CRK perfect. The spear point with swedge is very “stabby”. The swedge is almost sharp. The sheath is good to go. Like a spec-ops combat master without front pocket.
I found a nice spot for this knife between the driver seat and center console in my truck. It is gonna ride shotgun with me until I get a chance to use and abuse it.
 
Let us know how the bear fight goes! They’re cool knives. Sounds like your impressions of it are the same as mine. I was fortunate enough to be able to handle one before I bought mine. It really wasn’t fair…there was only one possible outcome at that point.
 
I did a little testing with the Green Beret 4V. Nothing scientific. Just me beating on the knife. Enjoy. 8D0163B6-7FDF-4DF3-AE8A-2B258805A2C4.jpeg01270243-957B-46C7-87C1-1C958C610B89.jpegB634EF4B-2944-4065-AA56-060DFBBF7770.jpeg

It is a pretty good chopper! You can choke back on the handle and get a deep bite in hard wood.
Made short work of thin green branches. Good wood splitter.
 
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The edge looks perfect. No damage. Tip looks good too. Most surprising is the coating. It held up very well!
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After all of the “abuse” it was still able to cut paper cleanly. No need to touch up the edge. I just wiped down with a little oil and it’s good to go back in the truck for its next adventure.
 
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JACKMANDU said:
The edge looks perfect. No damage. Tip looks good too. Most surprising is the coating. It held up very well!
View attachment 1791381View attachment 1791382View attachment 1791383View attachment 1791384


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After all of the “abuse” it was still able to cut paper cleanly. No need to touch up the edge. I just wiped down with a little oil and it’s good to go back in the truck for its next adventure.
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That’s a nice looking blade.
 
Resurrecting this thread. I just splurged on the 4v pacific. Cool knife. But it looks like they are going to start moving to magnacut for the Pacific too. Would magnacut's better corrosion resistance make you want to 'upgrade' from 4v if you plan on having it as a user.
 
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