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CRKT 6062 Congress
- Thread starter Planterz
- Start date
It's a "left hand" opener - at least for the main blades. What I can see looks like a modern 4 spring Case 64052 with reversed blades. Actually it took me a moment - left hand opening was common for main blades in old Sheffield 4 blade knives and many early American and German 4 blade knives (Case makes a big deal out of making its knives with right hand opening main blades in early ads).
Planterz
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Yep, the durned thing is backwards. It's actually a 2 spring knife though. I'll explain more after I can take some better pictures tomorrow.
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Makes it really interesting for me although I'm not sure I could open it after using right handed knives for all these years.
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CRKT makes traditional folders?! 
I hope the blades are not 420J then otherwise I know what's wrong with it.
EDIT:
I looked this one up on their site and they state 7Cr17MoV which is like 440C which is good. Whew!
I hope the blades are not 420J then otherwise I know what's wrong with it.
EDIT:
I looked this one up on their site and they state 7Cr17MoV which is like 440C which is good. Whew!
Last edited:
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I have a friend here on the forum that keeps telling me to try a CRKT toothpick. I plan to someday. 
Is it a "two in, two out" configuration? Check out the old knife thread, see VCM3 (Vince)
post of his congress
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9337165#post9337165
Regards
Robin
post of his congress
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9337165#post9337165
Regards
Robin
Planterz
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They're staggered like a Case 64052, just arranged differently. I can't upload a top-view picture from my phone, so it'll have to wait until I get home from work. You can still see how they're arranged in the pics above though. Obverse (shield) side has the curved blades, reverse has the straight. Blade selection is the same as Case's.
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- Jul 30, 2006
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CRKT makes traditional folders?!
I hope the blades are not 420J then otherwise I know what's wrong with it.
EDIT:
I looked this one up on their site and they state 7Cr17MoV which is like 440C which is good. Whew!
No it isn't.
It's like 440A
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- Aug 17, 2007
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Big difference then. I appreciate the correction.
Planterz
Іди на хуй Путін!
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OK, I have time for a full review now. Excuse the crumminess of the pictures, they were taken with my cellphone, as I have misplaced my real camera.
Many years ago I was a customer of CRKT. I was young, in my teens, and CRKT made knives that fit my budget. The knife I had at the time was called a Red Dog (Dawg?) - now called the 14K Summit, a heavy, zinc handled linerlock. This was before the LAWKs system was introduced. I was cutting a cardboard box open, got jammed, and pushed up on the blade. The lock failed, closed on my finger, and the result was 3 stitches and nerve damage that remains today.
Naturally, I've been wary of CRKT (and to a lesser extent, linerlocks in general) ever since. They later came out with the LAWKS and Auto LAWKS, but I doubt that would have made a difference if mine had the LAWKS. I probably wouldn't have used it, or maybe not even bought it. It's my feeling that a knife lock shouldn't need a secondary lock to be considered "safe".
My foray into traditional folders is recent - only a few months old - and I saw that CRKT had began offering traditional pocket knives. Because of my experience with a CRKT lock failing, I'll never purchase one again. But since these traditional pocket knives have no locks to fail, I figured "what the heck?" and took the plunge. If the knife folds on my finger, it's my own dumb fault.
I chose the congress because theirs offers 4 different blades. Most congress knives have at least one duplicate set of blades, sometimes 2 duplicate pairs. The CRKT 6062 blade selection is the same as the Case 64052 congress, with spear and sheepsfoot master, and pen and coping secondary blades. My main comparison however won't be to the Case, but rather the Steel Warrior 118 pattern (similar to the newer 64052 with 4 springs), since the prices are closer.
Construction:
First impressions are that the knife is well put-together. The only tang stamp is the model number on the master sheepsfoot. The label on the box says "Product of China", but nowhere on the knife itself does it say "China" (at least visibly). There's a very slight gap between the spring and liner on one side, but it's not enough for anybody to be disappointed about. Bolsters are NS, liners are brass. The shield looks like it's glued to the handle, as no pin is visible opposite the liner. The scales are very well matched. The jigging is burnt, somewhat like bone stag. There's no gap between the bone and the bolsters, and the transition is as good as one can reasonably expect. Unlike my Steel Warrior, the dye seems well stabilized and don't bleed off excess ink. The "red" walnut on my SW has bled off so much dye that it's now more a funky magenta color.
The 4 blades use 2 backsprings. There is a liner between the 2 springs, but it's thin, much unlike the 2 spring Case 64052s of old (which had a brass liner about the thickness of a spring, which allowed the master blades enough room to cant and fit). Newer 64052s use 4 backsprings (one for each blade), as does the Steel Warrior 118. Because of this, the CRKT is slightly narrower.
As you can see in the picture below, the blades fit together very well. The small blades are cut from the tang on the inward side to allow the main blades to fit (which are similarly cut away from the tang on the opposite side). There's also a slight cut on the small blades on the outward side, which allows a very slight bend towards the liner, and the master blades have a very slight bend inward as well. All this allows the blades to fit wit no rub, unless you really push on them when opening the blades.
And, as noted above, the blades are backwards to most every knife you or I are used to using. Be it a single blade or a multi-blade, a muskrat or SAK or Buck 110, the master blade(s) always has the nail nick on the obverse (shield) side, opened holding the knife in the right hand with the thumbnail of the left. But on the 6062 it's backwards. It's not difficult by any means to open a master blade with your left thumb, it's just done upside-down. Or, if you want to open the blade without the the knife facing upside down, you can hold it like you always do, just turn the knife around and open the blade from the opposite side with one of your fingers.
This might be a deal breaker for some, especially if you're used to the 64052 pattern congress, or if you rotate between several different knives, because it confuses you every time you use it. It's not a deal breaker for me, although I do wish it wasn't backwards.
Blades:
All 4 blades have half-stops. I would estimate the pull at about 3.5-3.75. They're not strong, but they don't feel week, given the size of the blades. Overall the pull feels very appropriate. They snap well into every position, and feel fairly positive.
Zero wobble on a 4 blades.
The blades are a bit thin and have flex, but they do not feel overly flexible given the length. As for the length, they're somewhat short. The master blades are the same length as the spay and sheepsfoot blades on my Buck 301. If they were longer though, they'd probably feel overly flexible, which was the case on the 4 spring 64052 that I had for a few days before returning it.
The steel is 7Cr17MoV, hardened to 57-59Rc according to CRKT's website. Judging by the equivalents of other "launch code" steels, I would expect the performance to be similar to 440A or AUS-6, maybe slightly better, especially if their 57-59 estimate is accurate. I've only had it for a couple days, but it seems to me to be better than the 440A at 56-58Rc of my Steel Warrior congress. The blades are evenly ground, and the blades were of OK sharpness out of the box. It took only a few swipes against ceramic to get them sharp enough to shave arm hair.
Summary:
Positives:
Negatives:
I would definitely recommend CRKT's traditional line to anybody looking for a well made, inexpensive knife. The line also includes a stockman, trapper, and a whittler for about the same price (about $25-35), and a toothpick for a bit less. Judging by my 2 congresses, the CRKT and Steel Warrior, the CRKT is of a noticeably higher quality than the SW, which is about $5-10 cheaper. IMO it's worth it to go with the CRKT rather than the SW. I only have one Rough Rider, but it's a pearl handled doctor's knife, and not really suitable for comparison. I may pick up a stockman in the future too.
Many years ago I was a customer of CRKT. I was young, in my teens, and CRKT made knives that fit my budget. The knife I had at the time was called a Red Dog (Dawg?) - now called the 14K Summit, a heavy, zinc handled linerlock. This was before the LAWKs system was introduced. I was cutting a cardboard box open, got jammed, and pushed up on the blade. The lock failed, closed on my finger, and the result was 3 stitches and nerve damage that remains today.
Naturally, I've been wary of CRKT (and to a lesser extent, linerlocks in general) ever since. They later came out with the LAWKS and Auto LAWKS, but I doubt that would have made a difference if mine had the LAWKS. I probably wouldn't have used it, or maybe not even bought it. It's my feeling that a knife lock shouldn't need a secondary lock to be considered "safe".
My foray into traditional folders is recent - only a few months old - and I saw that CRKT had began offering traditional pocket knives. Because of my experience with a CRKT lock failing, I'll never purchase one again. But since these traditional pocket knives have no locks to fail, I figured "what the heck?" and took the plunge. If the knife folds on my finger, it's my own dumb fault.
I chose the congress because theirs offers 4 different blades. Most congress knives have at least one duplicate set of blades, sometimes 2 duplicate pairs. The CRKT 6062 blade selection is the same as the Case 64052 congress, with spear and sheepsfoot master, and pen and coping secondary blades. My main comparison however won't be to the Case, but rather the Steel Warrior 118 pattern (similar to the newer 64052 with 4 springs), since the prices are closer.
Construction:
First impressions are that the knife is well put-together. The only tang stamp is the model number on the master sheepsfoot. The label on the box says "Product of China", but nowhere on the knife itself does it say "China" (at least visibly). There's a very slight gap between the spring and liner on one side, but it's not enough for anybody to be disappointed about. Bolsters are NS, liners are brass. The shield looks like it's glued to the handle, as no pin is visible opposite the liner. The scales are very well matched. The jigging is burnt, somewhat like bone stag. There's no gap between the bone and the bolsters, and the transition is as good as one can reasonably expect. Unlike my Steel Warrior, the dye seems well stabilized and don't bleed off excess ink. The "red" walnut on my SW has bled off so much dye that it's now more a funky magenta color.
The 4 blades use 2 backsprings. There is a liner between the 2 springs, but it's thin, much unlike the 2 spring Case 64052s of old (which had a brass liner about the thickness of a spring, which allowed the master blades enough room to cant and fit). Newer 64052s use 4 backsprings (one for each blade), as does the Steel Warrior 118. Because of this, the CRKT is slightly narrower.
As you can see in the picture below, the blades fit together very well. The small blades are cut from the tang on the inward side to allow the main blades to fit (which are similarly cut away from the tang on the opposite side). There's also a slight cut on the small blades on the outward side, which allows a very slight bend towards the liner, and the master blades have a very slight bend inward as well. All this allows the blades to fit wit no rub, unless you really push on them when opening the blades.
And, as noted above, the blades are backwards to most every knife you or I are used to using. Be it a single blade or a multi-blade, a muskrat or SAK or Buck 110, the master blade(s) always has the nail nick on the obverse (shield) side, opened holding the knife in the right hand with the thumbnail of the left. But on the 6062 it's backwards. It's not difficult by any means to open a master blade with your left thumb, it's just done upside-down. Or, if you want to open the blade without the the knife facing upside down, you can hold it like you always do, just turn the knife around and open the blade from the opposite side with one of your fingers.
This might be a deal breaker for some, especially if you're used to the 64052 pattern congress, or if you rotate between several different knives, because it confuses you every time you use it. It's not a deal breaker for me, although I do wish it wasn't backwards.
Blades:
All 4 blades have half-stops. I would estimate the pull at about 3.5-3.75. They're not strong, but they don't feel week, given the size of the blades. Overall the pull feels very appropriate. They snap well into every position, and feel fairly positive.
Zero wobble on a 4 blades.
The blades are a bit thin and have flex, but they do not feel overly flexible given the length. As for the length, they're somewhat short. The master blades are the same length as the spay and sheepsfoot blades on my Buck 301. If they were longer though, they'd probably feel overly flexible, which was the case on the 4 spring 64052 that I had for a few days before returning it.
The steel is 7Cr17MoV, hardened to 57-59Rc according to CRKT's website. Judging by the equivalents of other "launch code" steels, I would expect the performance to be similar to 440A or AUS-6, maybe slightly better, especially if their 57-59 estimate is accurate. I've only had it for a couple days, but it seems to me to be better than the 440A at 56-58Rc of my Steel Warrior congress. The blades are evenly ground, and the blades were of OK sharpness out of the box. It took only a few swipes against ceramic to get them sharp enough to shave arm hair.
Summary:
Positives:
- Well made
- Good materials for price
- Great blade selection
- Compact
- Attractive
Negatives:
- Short blades
- Backwards
- Only one handle type available
I would definitely recommend CRKT's traditional line to anybody looking for a well made, inexpensive knife. The line also includes a stockman, trapper, and a whittler for about the same price (about $25-35), and a toothpick for a bit less. Judging by my 2 congresses, the CRKT and Steel Warrior, the CRKT is of a noticeably higher quality than the SW, which is about $5-10 cheaper. IMO it's worth it to go with the CRKT rather than the SW. I only have one Rough Rider, but it's a pearl handled doctor's knife, and not really suitable for comparison. I may pick up a stockman in the future too.
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Fellas, I have often wondered what "for the price" means. I am not condemning Planterz purchase but look at the way the pulls were slammed into the blade and the generic look of the blades and entire knife. The scales are of less than substandard material and the blade configuration can only be described as left handed in an attempt to make sense of a complete mishap. Have you seen the Valentine cards from China where the language doesn't make any sense or is misspelled to the point that it's laughable? This is about the equivalent. Hey guys, wake up!! You can't take chunk of dirt you found on your trip to Mexico and make believe that it's Spanish Gold because you got a deal on it. Jeepers!! We have in this forum a thread called Old Knives. Go there. Learn. Once you know what works and the reason why it does so, you will find the detail and beauty of function that a simple pocket has to offer. What upsets me is that so many folks pay more or as much as the cost of an original knife for a new, substandard knife because it is cheap, on the internet, and so easy to do. Oh whoopeee.
Greg
Greg
Last edited:
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That was a very well done review! Your photos were good as well. Thanks!
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greg,what exactly are you sayiong?
don't buy it because it's cheap?
or,don't buy it because you can get a nice old knife for a little more?
i know it's probably me,but i not exactly sure what you mean?
thanks for explaining,
jd
this is the part i was referring to(What upsets me is that so many folks pay more or as much as the cost of an original knife for a new, substandard knife because it is cheap, on the internet, and so easy to do.)