- Joined
- Jan 2, 2013
- Messages
- 1,508
Introductory Tidbits:
In late June, I quit beating around the bush and pulled the trigger on a grail knife. I bought a Chris Reeve Star-Tac, and decided to actually make an effort to use it. Over the last month or so, I have put this knife through its paces. Without getting into any specifics, I would say that the Star-Tac is good knife for most applications, but is outclassed in some specific situations.
A Note On Cost:
A common question asked about CRK knives (a question that I had ask myself), is whether or not they are worth their cost. Although I have gotten more used to spending money on cutlery, making the decision to spend $440 on a single knife was not an easy one. It took a bit of budgeting to be able to make that purchase, and I would suggest that any prospective buyers think long and hard before committing to it. Whether or not the knife actually worth the cost is a somewhat relative question; one that can only be answered by the purchaser.
Basic Overview:
Before going into the knifes performance, I will go over some of the knifes basic characteristics. Fit and finish was probably about as close to perfect as I have ever seen on a knife. All the grinds were even, and there were no cosmetic defects to speak of. CRKs reputations for extremely close tolerances really are something to behold. The knife required a little bit of a break in period, as well as a slight bit of pivot adjustment, but is pretty much perfect as of now. Although the pivot does require Loctite, I have neglected to apply any due to my own tightwad tendencies. Over the course of about three weeks, the pivot only loosened very slightly, something that was easily adjusted out. The stonewashing on the blade is quite nice, lending a nice aesthetic quality while still covering up any scratches. The bead blasted Ti handle scales are very pretty, but the finish is very susceptible to wear. After about three weeks of carry, there are some pretty noticeable scratches and wear marks, particularly around the pivot and the pocket clip. The wear marks do add some character and make the blade look like a user.
Ergonomics:
The Star-Tac, like a lot of CRK knives, is pretty ergonomically neutral. Other than two shallow finger groves on the non-locking side, the grip is fairly rectangular. The knife falls quite naturally into a sabre grip; a grip that feel fairly comfortable even after extended cutting. A hammer grip is possible, but is not particularly comfortable due to the handles thin profile. The jimping on the thumb ramp is functional, but not very aggressive. Other than the blade swedge, the spine of the knife is nicely chamfered, making it a comfortable spot to place the thumb during hard cutting. There have been some complaints in the past that the knife is difficult to open and/or close. Although I did have some trouble opening the knife, it simply took a while to get used to the opening technique. Once mastered, the opening technique is incredibly intuitive. Closing the knife has never been a problem, due to the large contact surface on the lock bar. One particular issue that I have had was opening the knife in wet conditions. I am not exactly sure why, but I have to open the knife two handed if it and my hands are wet. The lanyard is fairly functional, allowing the knife to be rapidly drawn from the pocket. Although it is a very solid knife, the Star-Tac is fairly light and carries in the pocket quite well.
Real World Cutting Performance:
During the month or so of owning this knife, I have used it for a multitude of tasks, ranging from some light outdoors work to general cutting tasks. Overall, I would say that the Star-Tac performed quite well. In the first week of owning it, I put the Star-Tac to use in the kitchen. Against hardier vegetables, the Star-Tac did a satisfactory job, but was outclassed by purpose built kitchen knives. The overbuffed factory edge also limited the knifes performance in areas requiring high sharpness, proving to be nearly useless for cutting green onions. For outdoor work, it performed about as well as any other 3.5 inch folder. Using a three finger grip on the rear of the knife, I was able to generate enough momentum to chop through roughly inch thick brush, while still being able to do delicate work with a normal sabre grip. During this outdoor work, the knife experienced a fairly bad roll near the apex of the belly, something that I have experienced in blades of similar design (i.e. the Enlan EL-2B). Wood cutting ability is fairly low, but it will make a feather stick in a pinch. For general utility work, like cutting boxes or plastic sheeting, the Star-Tac performed about as well as any other knife in its class.
Hard-Use Performance:
During this month or so period of ownership, I have done some things with the Star-Tac which might be outside the scope of normal cutting tasks. While at a friends drunken graduation party, I used the Star-Tac to make a penny stove out of a pair of beer cans. The tip proved quite good at punching through the aluminum and sustained no damage; while the blade finish suffered a few minor scratches from cutting the cans. During the week or so that I carried the knife at work, I used my Star-Tac to assist in waxing floors. The blade swedge is excellent for scraping, allowing the user to get into areas that a putty knife might not be able to. Additionally, the swedge gives the blade a fairly stout tip, sustaining no damage even when drilling into divots in the linoleum floor. While attempting to dislodge a piece of mop that was embedded in the floor, I subjected the knife to a bit of lateral force. Although I felt a bit of flex, the lock held up just fine, and no blade play was induced.
Edge Retention and Controlled Cutting Performance:
Earlier today, I did a fairly quick and non-scientific edge retention test on several cardboard boxes. This test allowed me to get a quick and dirty idea of how the steel would perform, as well as how the blade cuts. Overall, I was fairly impressed. The S35VN performed a bit better than I expected, retaining a much smoother edge than S30V, but still holding its edge much better than 8CR or 420HC. The hollow ground blade made cutting quite easy, preventing the blade from binding in the cardboard. In the sabre grip, cutting was quite comfortable and non-fatiguing. A hammer grip was sometimes needed, but was uncomfortable for extended periods.
Miscellaneous Features:
The Star-Tac is designed as a tactical knife, and has a number of tactical features included. Although I did not test it, the class breaker appears to be quite functional in both its intended role or as an impact weapon. Despite this, it is fairly unobtrusive and non-threatening. Probably the coolest (and perhaps most useless) feature is the o-rings around the thumb studs. They noticeable reduce the sound of opening, making the opening of the knife almost unnoticeable if there is some background noise. The blade swedge, besides providing a surface for scraping, also allows for effortless penetration of soft objects, something I tested on a number of water jugs. Despite the presence of these tactical features, the Star-Tac still manages to retain a classy and relatively non-threatening appearance.
Some Notes On S35VN and Eating Humble Pie:
One of the biggest points of contention about this knife (and CRK in general) is the usage of S35VN. There has been a cloud of controversy surrounding this steel and CRKs decision to run the steel at a softer RC than other makers. Some users experienced very problems with the steel, not only from CRK, but from other manufacturers. Unfortunately, there a lot of parroting and non-scientific assertions emerged about the steels performance. I am unfortunately, just as guilty. My Star-Tac is the only knife that I have ever used in S35VN, and I did experience some negative issues; namely an overbuffed factory edge and some rolling in a particular area of the blade. On a thread yesterday about Striders S35VN, I became what I try to fight against. I made some ridiculous assertions that, after doing some testing today, I found to be either outright wrong or attributable to other factors. Humble pie isnt very good, but you do feel better after having piece. S35VN seems to be pretty good steel, and I look forward to trying it later in the future.
Conclusions:
In short, the CRK Star-Tac/Umnuumzaan is a good knife for most applications. It doesnt have a super steel blade, it doesnt have exotic handle materials, nor does it magically cut better than any other knife. In fact, the Spyderco Military is probably a better knife altogether. What the Star-Tac does have is quality. It is an incredibly well engineered and well executed knife, something that just exudes high quality. It is a knife-nuts knife. If you want to have a buy a classy, but still incredibly sturdy knife that you will probably have for the next 20 years, it is kind of hard not to recommend the Star-Tac. I have had a hell of a time kicking it out of my pocket, and Im sure a lot of fellow owners would say the same.
Anyway, thank you for your time and may God bless you and yours.
- Bill
