Hi everyone, longtime lurker here! I thought I'd introduce myself with a knife review. I'm afraid pics will have to come later, but hopefully the info I provide will encourage some of you to check out what is-in my opinion-a good EDC for under $30.
Like many of us, the budget for my knife collection is kinda low, and many CRKT knives fit that budget. However, I have never warmed up to the AUTOLawks system. It just felt clumsy. So I was interested when I found the M16-01S, a stainless steel handled frame lock. Here's a rundown:
The Blade:
The blade is a 3" spear point plain edge. It lacks any real belly, but has a needle sharp point. The lack of belly and narrow spine may make heavy duty cutting difficult, but it excels at intricate detail work.
The blade steel is CR14Mov. CRKT claims this is equal to AUS-8, but it definitely seems softer that Cr13Mov. Not by much though, and what it lacks ever so slightly in edge retention it makes up in easiness of sharpening. It may lose an edge a little quicker than my AUS-8 folders, but just 6-8 swipes (as in 3-4 a side) on the white fine rods of my Lansky Turnbox and its slicing receipt paper. I have yet to use anything other than the fine rods or give it more than 10 swipes, and it always comes back shaving sharp. It should also be noted I am NOT a good sharpener either!
The "thumb studs" are useless, but act as extremely beefy stop pins.
The gimping at the spine is sharp but shallow. They don't provide enough traction to prevent slippage on thrusts, but provide adequate traction when slicing (this thing is great for chopping green onions!).
The Handle
The handle is black stainless steel and seems very strong. It's drilled like Swiss cheese, which helps traction and cuts weight. G-10 or similar materials would give better a better grip, but this is fine for a small EDC.
The open design is great for cleaning. In fact, the handle and lack of intricate parts has made keeping this knife free of lint and dirt a breeze. A little compressed air or a second with a Q-tip and you're set.
The Lock
The M16-01S sports a hefty frame lock with nearly 100% contact with the tang. Very sturdy with zero blade play side to side or up and down.
Opening
As stated above. The stop pin doesn't work as thumb studs. But the Carson flipper works great. A little forward pressure and this thing flicks open like a switchblade! I have yet to find a wrist flick necessary.
The Clip
The clip can be mounted for left or right hand carry, but only in the tip-down configuration. It carries very low and clips tight, but not too tight. No complaints here.
Size/Weight
The knife is slim and light, weighing only 2.7oz on my kitchen scale. I can maintain a four fingered grip with my thumb over my fingers, but if I set the grip back to place my thumb on the spine gimping my pinkie hangs loose.
With the size and the low carry clip, this knife disappears in pocket. I can place it in my back left pocket and not only does no one seem to notice it, but I can sit on it all day and not notice it either!
All in all, this is a tough little knife. Barring the kinda-soft steel, it's very low maintenance and tough too. I highly recommend you check it out, I got mine on Amazon.com for $29.
Like many of us, the budget for my knife collection is kinda low, and many CRKT knives fit that budget. However, I have never warmed up to the AUTOLawks system. It just felt clumsy. So I was interested when I found the M16-01S, a stainless steel handled frame lock. Here's a rundown:
The Blade:
The blade is a 3" spear point plain edge. It lacks any real belly, but has a needle sharp point. The lack of belly and narrow spine may make heavy duty cutting difficult, but it excels at intricate detail work.
The blade steel is CR14Mov. CRKT claims this is equal to AUS-8, but it definitely seems softer that Cr13Mov. Not by much though, and what it lacks ever so slightly in edge retention it makes up in easiness of sharpening. It may lose an edge a little quicker than my AUS-8 folders, but just 6-8 swipes (as in 3-4 a side) on the white fine rods of my Lansky Turnbox and its slicing receipt paper. I have yet to use anything other than the fine rods or give it more than 10 swipes, and it always comes back shaving sharp. It should also be noted I am NOT a good sharpener either!
The "thumb studs" are useless, but act as extremely beefy stop pins.
The gimping at the spine is sharp but shallow. They don't provide enough traction to prevent slippage on thrusts, but provide adequate traction when slicing (this thing is great for chopping green onions!).
The Handle
The handle is black stainless steel and seems very strong. It's drilled like Swiss cheese, which helps traction and cuts weight. G-10 or similar materials would give better a better grip, but this is fine for a small EDC.
The open design is great for cleaning. In fact, the handle and lack of intricate parts has made keeping this knife free of lint and dirt a breeze. A little compressed air or a second with a Q-tip and you're set.
The Lock
The M16-01S sports a hefty frame lock with nearly 100% contact with the tang. Very sturdy with zero blade play side to side or up and down.
Opening
As stated above. The stop pin doesn't work as thumb studs. But the Carson flipper works great. A little forward pressure and this thing flicks open like a switchblade! I have yet to find a wrist flick necessary.
The Clip
The clip can be mounted for left or right hand carry, but only in the tip-down configuration. It carries very low and clips tight, but not too tight. No complaints here.
Size/Weight
The knife is slim and light, weighing only 2.7oz on my kitchen scale. I can maintain a four fingered grip with my thumb over my fingers, but if I set the grip back to place my thumb on the spine gimping my pinkie hangs loose.
With the size and the low carry clip, this knife disappears in pocket. I can place it in my back left pocket and not only does no one seem to notice it, but I can sit on it all day and not notice it either!
All in all, this is a tough little knife. Barring the kinda-soft steel, it's very low maintenance and tough too. I highly recommend you check it out, I got mine on Amazon.com for $29.
