CRK vs Others in 2024

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TBH you can get a K390 Spyderco or MagnaCut for way less than what CRK costs.

And speaking fixed blades - you can get a custom in powder steel for less than what CRK costs.
 
LostCause said:
TBH you can get a K390 Spyderco or MagnaCut for way less than what CRK costs.

And speaking fixed blades - you can get a custom in powder steel for less than what CRK costs.
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I think anyone who has owned, and has become educated in CRK and Spyderco can tell you that they both have excellent heat treatment. They also both consistently hit the HRC numbers that they aim for. When it comes to maximizing the performance on the steel they use, CRK and Spyderco are both great options.

The difference comes in build, and fit and finish. Look at the Spyderco Slysz Bowie. Titanium frame lock, M390 steel in it's most recent release, steel lockbar insert, made in Taiwan, $500. CRK, titanium frame lock, ceramic ball interface, Magnacut steel, made in the USA, $425-$500 for the base models. I think for what you get, how it's made, and where it's made, CRK is still a good deal for the product.

Is everyone going to want a $500 pocket knife? Hell no. Honestly most people you see will carry a $30 Kershaw they got at Walmart (nothing wrong with that), or one of those utility blade button lock folders. Honestly, a lot of people don't even carry a pocket knife at all. We're knife enthusiasts looking at niche elements that only we really care about. Chamfering, longevity of parts and mechanisms, country of origin, heat treat, ergonomics, blade grind and the performance of geometry.



Spyderco's main goal is performance oriented knives, and almost nothing else past that. They do this so they can keep the prices low, and maintain the focus on their blade primarily. It's a very Japanese esque design philosophy when it comes to blades. Most of the care goes into the blade itself, with some focus on the handle. Sal Glesser even said himself, if they tried to match what CRK does in terms of the entire build, their costs would be about the same. CRK focuses on the entire piece, down to the hardware. CRK's design philosophy is to make a knife that will preform well and last a lifetime. This is show in their hollow grinds.

In a flat grind, like a Spyderco, in the lifetime of sharpening the blades will become too thick to cut as well as they did originally. With a hollow grind, especially on a knife like the Sebenza, the hollow grind is deep. Deep enough to allow sharpening to be done all the way up to the middle of the blade and still cut as it did originally.

Add in a lifetime warranty of spa treatments, easily bought hardware on their website for screws and clips, and great customer service. In addition to that, consider the materials used, the care in the manufacturing to ensure a consistent product, and the over build deep screws that will outlast me if not my child. As much as we like to buy and trade and sell and buy again, CRK are designed to be a lifelong companion. A thing you pass down to your child perhaps. With Spyderco, the knife will outlast you, but if you use it honestly you will see it age visibly and functionally moreso than a CRK. This is mostly down to which model Spyderco you pick of course. I'm sure a Slysz Bowie a Mcbee, and similar models will age similarly to a CRK.




As far as customs go, yes I'm sure if you find the right maker they will be able to make you a fixed blade on par or better than CRK. The really good makers that rival this level of skill do come with a price however, and if we are talking fixed blades a Backpacker is $300. That might surprise you if you find that custom makers can be more expensive than even that! Especially the ones that rival CRK's build quality. If we are talking folders, if a custom maker is making a folder that rivals CRK's build quality, you are probably going to be paying more than what a CRK costs if the materials are similar.
 
Slice-E said:
I think anyone who has owned, and has become educated in CRK and Spyderco can tell you that they both have excellent heat treatment. They also both consistently hit the HRC numbers that they aim for. When it comes to maximizing the performance on the steel they use, CRK and Spyderco are both great options.

The difference comes in build, and fit and finish. Look at the Spyderco Slysz Bowie. Titanium frame lock, M390 steel in it's most recent release, steel lockbar insert, made in Taiwan, $500. CRK, titanium frame lock, ceramic ball interface, Magnacut steel, made in the USA, $425-$500 for the base models. I think for what you get, how it's made, and where it's made, CRK is still a good deal for the product.

Is everyone going to want a $500 pocket knife? Hell no. Honestly most people you see will carry a $30 Kershaw they got at Walmart (nothing wrong with that), or one of those utility blade button lock folders. Honestly, a lot of people don't even carry a pocket knife at all. We're knife enthusiasts looking at niche elements that only we really care about. Chamfering, longevity of parts and mechanisms, country of origin, heat treat, ergonomics, blade grind and the performance of geometry.



Spyderco's main goal is performance oriented knives, and almost nothing else past that. They do this so they can keep the prices low, and maintain the focus on their blade primarily. It's a very Japanese esque design philosophy when it comes to blades. Most of the care goes into the blade itself, with some focus on the handle. Sal Glesser even said himself, if they tried to match what CRK does in terms of the entire build, their costs would be about the same. CRK focuses on the entire piece, down to the hardware. CRK's design philosophy is to make a knife that will preform well and last a lifetime. This is show in their hollow grinds.

In a flat grind, like a Spyderco, in the lifetime of sharpening the blades will become too thick to cut as well as they did originally. With a hollow grind, especially on a knife like the Sebenza, the hollow grind is deep. Deep enough to allow sharpening to be done all the way up to the middle of the blade and still cut as it did originally.

Add in a lifetime warranty of spa treatments, easily bought hardware on their website for screws and clips, and great customer service. In addition to that, consider the materials used, the care in the manufacturing to ensure a consistent product, and the over build deep screws that will outlast me if not my child. As much as we like to buy and trade and sell and buy again, CRK are designed to be a lifelong companion. A thing you pass down to your child perhaps. With Spyderco, the knife will outlast you, but if you use it honestly you will see it age visibly and functionally moreso than a CRK. This is mostly down to which model Spyderco you pick of course. I'm sure a Slysz Bowie a Mcbee, and similar models will age similarly to a CRK.




As far as customs go, yes I'm sure if you find the right maker they will be able to make you a fixed blade on par or better than CRK. The really good makers that rival this level of skill do come with a price however, and if we are talking fixed blades a Backpacker is $300. That might surprise you if you find that custom makers can be more expensive than even that! Especially the ones that rival CRK's build quality. If we are talking folders, if a custom maker is making a folder that rivals CRK's build quality, you are probably going to be paying more than what a CRK costs if the materials are similar.
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I would like to add to the post quoted. I own many Spydercos and the one that i think is closest to a CRK is a Swayback. Once it was discontinued and the prices they were selling at then the knife is a steal at that point.

One big difference between CRK and Spyderco is CRK wants you to disassemble the knife and Spyderco does not. It has only been till recently that Spyderco quite using some locktite on fasteners and their world sourcing of cheap fasteners led to many stripped screws. Spyderco does have a decent service option to send the knife in and get the fasteners removed/replaced. CRK takes the fasteners quality very seriously and you don't have that issues with CRK. CRK has wonderful customer service.
 
CHuynh22 said:
**Originally posted in the Arno Bernard first**

Good morning everyone,

I've been a silent reader for a while and now seek advice for my first higher tier knife. I've been carrying a Spyderco Endura 4, that was gifted to me over 5 years ago and I never cared to look into knives deeper, until I recently got a Sage 5 and am now eyeing a titanium frame lock knife. Considering the CRK for its reputation, but curious if the Imamba is a better choice in 2024.



I appreciate clean lines, simple yet efficient design, and smooth, not necessarily guillotine, action and would probably prefer bearings as it's not hard use. For my first $400+ Ti Frame Lock knife, is the Imamba a worthy alternative to the CRK? Any other suggestions if I like the look of CRK's ?


Thanks for any insights!

p.s. if this makes any difference, my son is turning 1 this Sunday, and I would love to have a knife I can pass down to him.
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I have a couple of Imamba flippers and they are good knives.
I understand people sees similarities between the Imamba and the CRK due to the clean plain titanium lines but having both brand, IMO they are very different.

The Imamba is more of a “light” EDC knife, where are the CEK are more “work” EDC knives ;)

They are both true to their design philosophy and that make a big difference at the end

Overall I prefer the CRK over the Arno Bernard. It is mainly due to the feel in hand and overall ergonomics of the CRK

That being said, for someone enjoying titanium flipper on bearing and looking for a mid-size Sebenza-like edc knife the Arno Bernard Imamba is a great option
 
jjg6319 said:
I would like to add to the post quoted. I own many Spydercos and the one that i think is closest to a CRK is a Swayback. Once it was discontinued and the prices they were selling at then the knife is a steal at that point.

One big difference between CRK and Spyderco is CRK wants you to disassemble the knife and Spyderco does not. It has only been till recently that Spyderco quite using some locktite on fasteners and their world sourcing of cheap fasteners led to many stripped screws. Spyderco does have a decent service option to send the knife in and get the fasteners removed/replaced. CRK takes the fasteners quality very seriously and you don't have that issues with CRK. CRK has wonderful customer service.
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I feel like Spyderco does want you to disassemble their knives and maintain them. At least, some of their models. They wouldnt have released a Manix 2 LW without pinned construction if not. Also, they do have a couple disassembly videos for their knives on their channel done by Eric Glesser.

I think the difference is how long those screws and components can last being disassembled over and over. CRK’s screws are so deep that I really do think you would have to mess up pretty badly to ever strip them out completely, or use up the screw entirely. Spyderco’s screws, especially the non-roundheaded ones, are not as strong. Their round headed screws do fine, but still not as good as CRK.

In addition, you have the idea of discontinued models from Spyderco. While CRK does discontinue models, I doubt they would send you away if you sent in a Ti-Lock or an Umfaanwith a missing screw. Depending on if they had parts, or how many years it’s been. You could be out of luck if you had a stripped out pivot screw from a Spyderco a decade or two old. For flagship models, like the Paramilitary series you would most likely be fine. Maybe not if you owned something more obscure.

The benefit of Spyderco over CRK in this sense is of course you can probably buy two Paramilitary 2s for the price of a Large Sebenza. The benefit of CRK is that you buy once, cry once, and you have a knife for life. If CRK is still up and running in a generation, maybe for your childs life too.
 
CRK and Koenig are the two brands I prefer.
Both have clean lines and high tolerances.

If you are looking for clean lines and high end manufacturing I would recommend either of these brands.

Another option is Spartan blades. Actually I have replaced my large inkosi by a Spartan SHF.

The Imamba is great and can make a superior edc in many aspects but I still prefer CRK, Koenig or Spartan over the Imamba.
 
CHuynh22 said:
**Originally posted in the Arno Bernard first**

Good morning everyone,

I've been a silent reader for a while and now seek advice for my first higher tier knife. I've been carrying a Spyderco Endura 4, that was gifted to me over 5 years ago and I never cared to look into knives deeper, until I recently got a Sage 5 and am now eyeing a titanium frame lock knife. Considering the CRK for its reputation, but curious if the Imamba is a better choice in 2024
Click to expand...

CHuynh22 said:
**Originally posted in the Arno Bernard first**

Good morning everyone,

I've been a silent reader for a while and now seek advice for my first higher tier knife. I've been carrying a Spyderco Endura 4, that was gifted to me over 5 years ago and I never cared to look into knives deeper, until I recently got a Sage 5 and am now eyeing a titanium frame lock knife. Considering the CRK for its reputation, but curious if the Imamba is a better choice in 2024.



I appreciate clean lines, simple yet efficient design, and smooth, not necessarily guillotine, action and would probably prefer bearings as it's not hard use. For my first $400+ Ti Frame Lock knife, is the Imamba a worthy alternative to the CRK? Any other suggestions if I like the look of CRK's ?


Thanks for any insights!

p.s. if this makes any difference, my son is turning 1 this Sunday, and I would love to have a knife I can pass down to him.
Click to expand...

Last year (2024) I gave our son a Large Sebenza 31 for his 45th birthday. Their latest production is all in Magnicut just now. He really likes it. As a side note . . . it is admired and envied by his brothers-in-law. . .which makes it money well spent in my view.
 
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