CRKT Anubis & Dogfish..1st impressions

Cosmic Superchunk

Cosmic Superchunk

Joined
Jan 28, 2001
Messages
3,709
Picked up a couple of new CRKT's today. The Allen Elishewitz designed Anubis and the Tom Krein designed Dogfish.

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Specs:
Blade: Length: 3.50” (8.9 cm)
Thickness: 0.14” (0.35 cm)
Steel: AUS 8, 56-58 HRC
Closed: Handle length: 4.75” (12.1 cm)
Open: Overall length: 8.125” (20.6 cm)
Weight: 6.4 oz. (181 g)

The Anubis is a hefty full sized folder constructed with typical CRKT materials: a bead blasted AUS8 blade, stainless steel frame and Zytel scales/stainless steel bolster. Of course, it's fit and finish is nowhere near that of a custom Elishewitz Anubis, but not bad for a production folder. Although I wish CRKT would use G10 or wood scales and higher grade steels, their execution of the Anubis is actually quite good.

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Here's a pic of the knife's spine:
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The folder locks via a button lock that's actually quite strong. This is one of the few production folders I own that locks up with authority. No bladeplay in any direction. The knife also employs the AutoLAWKS mechanism which engages automatically as you open the knife and prevents the blade from accidentally closing on you. At first, disengaging the AutoLAWKS before releasing the button lock will feel odd, but after 3 or 4 repeated opening/closing it will become natural. The Anubis uses dual M16-like thumbstuds top open and like the CRKT M16 series, the thumbstuds act as a blade stop. Speaking of the blade, it's fairly thick and has a gold plated Elishewitz logo insert that looks nice, but serves no purpose other than a decorative one. The black scales have a faux wood grain appearance which adds some nice texture to the knife's handle and they contrast nicely with the stainless steel bolsters on the back end of the handle. Like the insert on the blade, the bolsters are decorative, but they also minimize any flex in the handle. Curiously, the blade lack the Taiwan stamp, although the box clearly states it's a product of Taiwan.

Here's a closeup of the blade insert.
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Although the Anubis is a great looking & solid work knife as it is, could you imagine what a folder it would be if it had G10 scales and at the very least a VG-10 blade? Add a lanyard hole and a reversible clip and it would be to die for! Still, it's quite a handsome folder that should get the job done and remain easy to sharpen. Time will tell how it holds up.

Now we go to the diminutive Dogfish:

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Specs:
Blade: Length: 2.25” (5.7 cm)
Thickness: 0.14” (0.35 cm)
Steel: 3Cr13, 55-57 HRC
Knife: Overall length: 5.25” (13.3 cm)
Weight: 1.5 oz. (43 g)

This little fixed blade comes with a Kydex neck sheath and break-away chain and fits the hands rather well. It's skeletonized handle features an amusingly cool little shark motif, but the "eye" serves as a lanyard hole and the "mouth" of the dogfish serves as bottle opener. Like the Anubis above, the country of origin is missing from the blade, but the box confirms the knife is a product of China. The knife has an attractive and utilitarian wharncliffe blade and the steel is advertised as 3Cr13 which is apparently a Chinese steel. With a 55-57 HRC it should also sharpen rather easily. Considering I paid $20 bucks for it at a local B&M shop, I can't complain and I think it would make an excellent little tool to add to a personal or pocket sized survival kit. Some folks might be turned off because of the rather pedestrian steel on the Dogfish, but I personally like it.

More pics:
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Size comparision with a Benchmade Mini-Grip
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thanx for the review and pics Superchunk! I've had my eye on that Dogfish....I'm glad to see that it's not "chisel ground".....
I like the design... :cool:
 
Although the Anubis is a great looking & solid work knife as it is, could you imagine what a folder it would be if it had G10 scales and at the very least a VG-10 blade? Add a lanyard hole and a reversible clip and it would be to die for! Still, it's quite a handsome folder that should get the job done and remain easy to sharpen. Time will tell how it holds up.
Click to expand...

Owning quite a few CRKT knives , I agree with your statement very much so.
I'm going to add a Dogfish to my collection soon , the Anubis looks interesting but not sure I want to drop the dough on it now.
Thanks for the review ! :D :thumbup:
 
I've been using the Anubis off and on (a little less since I got my Böker Trance), but the AUS8 blade holds it's edge as expected. I've used it to cut down several boxes, open packages, cut paracord and sharpen a couple of pencils. Typical mundane stuff. Lockup is still rock solid with no noticeable blade wobble in any direction. If anything, the opening action has become a little smoother, so if you buy one that's a little stiff, it'll break in after a while.

After a week of carrying and using the knife I can specifically point out a few pros and cons of the CRKT Anubis.

Pros:

1) The knife feels good in the hand. It's a hefty knife, but feels good even for large hands.

2) Lockup remains solid even after repeated openings and closing over the course of a week. I nearly drove my wife crazy with the sounds of opening and closing the knife over and over again, but I explained to her that driving a wife crazy is part of a husband's job. :D

3) Steel: AUS8. Yes, there are far better steels out there, but I personally find it's performance quite good for a blade that can sharpen easily. I still would have liked a higher grade steel for a knife of this type though.

4) Looks. The knife has got the looks. The pics above don't do it enough justice. Pity that the scales are just Zytel, but the knife looks almost too pretty to be a work knife.

Cons:

1) Bead blasted blade. Some folks like them, others don't. I don't mind a matte finished blade here and there, but a bead blasted blade is a rust magnet, in my opinion (especially if you live in southern climates). Wiping the blade down with Marine Tuf-Cloth will remedy the chance of rust, but I would have preferred a satin or at the very least a frost finish like on CRKT's M21s.

2) The thumbstuds. They act as a blade stop and are identical to the thumbstuds on the M16s and M21s, but the texture on the studs make them rough on the thumb. Smoothing them out or giving them a less abrasive texture would avoid the callouses on the thumbs.

3) The pocket clip. While it does an adequate job of clipping the knife to the pocket, it's design feels a little weak. Considering the knife's heft, I would have liked a more solid clip.

4) No lanyard hole. What is it about CRKT not putting lanyard holes on most of their folders? Smallish folders like the KISS, PECK, and SnapLock have a means to attach a lanyard or keyring, but the Crawford/Kasper is the only large or full sized folder in their current catalogue that features a lanyard hole.

5) Steel and materials. Typical CRKT. This can be good or bad depending on your point of view. AUS8 isn't a bad steel. It's just that for a company that throws out as many knife collaborations as CRKT does (most of which are to die for) one would expect something more than AUS8 and Zytel scales. Especially when you tag the knife with a $99.99 MSRP.


Now, on to the Dogfish.

Pros:

1) Compact. The knife is virtually unnoticeable under a shirt or in the pocket with it's sheath.

2) Useful blade shape. There's something about a wharncliffe blade that pulls me in each time. Very utilitarian and effective for a variety of uses.

3) Easy to sharpen.

4) Bottle opener. Good for popping open a cold one after a hard day.

Cons:

1) Steel. The Steel on the Dogfish is 3Cr13, which CRKT lumps alongside 420j2 in their catalogue. Consider 3Cr13 to be it's Chinese equivalent, I guess. With a 55-57 HRC, let's just say the Dogfish won't be winning any edge holding contests, but at the same time I hardly see the Dogfish as a knife that will see constant everyday cutting. As a backup or emergency blade, the knife should be just fine as it is.

Well, as far as design goes, I really like the Dogfish and the steel is just about the only thing I can see as a possible obstacle for some folks who may want to use a neck knife as their primary EDC. Otherwise, I think it's a cool little knife.
 
hey thanx for the "long term test report" Superchunk...:thumbup:
I've never used a button-lock folder before....
will it give a midlock or axis-lock a run for the money? :confused:
if u get a chance, i'd really appreciate seeing an in-hand photo of the Dogfish....thanx again for this review.... :)
 
jaislandboy said:
I've never used a button-lock folder before....
will it give a midlock or axis-lock a run for the money? :confused:
if u get a chance, i'd really appreciate seeing an in-hand photo of the Dogfish....thanx again for this review.... :)
Click to expand...

Button lock folders aren't new and you'll see them all the time as automatic by Benchmade, Pro-Tech, Microtech, etc.. Occasionally, you'll find non-auto button locks hit the market. Masters of Defense, Böker/Magnum and Meyerco have made them, although Meyerco's was an assisted opener. CRKT's button lock isn't radically different by any means, so I don't think it'll give the Axis-lock or any other lock a run for it's money. The difference is that while many button locks (mainly autos) have a safety switch to prevent accidental opening, CRKT employs the AutoLAWKS to prevent accidental closure in the event the button lock is pressed while in use. There's also a back spring of sorts on the Anubis (see pic above) which seems to maintain steady contact between the lock and blade. I'm not sure if this explains the Anubis' rigid lockup or not, but I've come across a couple of Benchmade Autos, Böker Top Locks/Speed Locks and a Meyerco Rascal and Stingray that employed button locks which had varying degrees of blade play after some use. The Meyercos were the worst of the lot exhibiting lots of blade wobble right out of the box. Not so with the Anubis. The lock feels quite rigid and seems unlikely to fail during use.

I'll try and post some in-hand pics of the Dogfish later this afternoon.
 
Nice review Cosmic Superchunk.

I have a question. How does the button lock work? Does it go through a hole in the blade or something or does it just depress a regular liner when you push it?

Thanks.
 
Bungwrench said:
Nice review Cosmic Superchunk.

I have a question. How does the button lock work? Does it go through a hole in the blade or something or does it just depress a regular liner when you push it?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

No, the button is the lock itself. The button is spring loaded. That is, there's a coil spring behind the button allowing it to be pressed. On most button-lock autos there's typically a slot in the handle and a small hole in the blade by which a spring is attached allowing the blade to propel open when the button is pressed. Once the blade is open, the button springs back into position behind the blade tang keeping it locked. To unlock, simply press the button and close the blade. The Anubis' lock works the same way except it's a manual opening folder. I've heard of an automatic Anubis being sold to military and law enforcement individuals, but I think they're after-market conversions.
 
thanx much Cosmic.....the Dogfish looks tiny in your hand!
Appreciate your thoughts on the button lock.... :thumbup:
If i get one a lanyard will go into the "eye of the shark".... :D
 
I just got the dogfish and woodwalker. I do like em both. Here's my in hand pics:
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